Starting Points 05/16/2012
Every one of us makes certain assumptions. These assumptions color the way we view the world and life. They are much more pervasive and far reaching than we might realize. This can be described as a person’s “worldview”. Even those who may seem to be a blank slate actually do make some assumptions. I have been thinking and learning recently that mere evidence is probably insufficient to convince a skeptic of the validity of God’s Word. It cannot be proven in laboratory. No one can put history in a test tube and recreate it. But this also means that science doesn’t prove other things that it is generally purported to prove, i.e. evolution. No scientist can recreate the process of evolution through testing. They are making an assumption, and based on that assumption, interpreting the evidence in a way that supports their evolutionary assumption. Sound confusing?
The great debate is not over evidence, but rather over the interpretation of that evidence. Every scientist can look at the same evidence and come to a different conclusion, depending on what their starting point is: their worldview assumptions. I have heard that two men can look at the Grand Canyon and pose two very different explanations of its origin. The evolutionist might say, “Look what the Colorado River did over millions of years!” The creationist might say, “Hey, look what the run-off from the flood did in a matter of hours!” They’re both looking at the same canyon, but the evolutionist interprets it through his worldview grid of millions of years, whereas the creationist sees it in light of the flood. Many people like some ideas from the Bible but are not quite ready to say that it is all true, because they have never seen scientific proof of it. This is where starting points become helpful. (The big word for the approach I’m discussing is presuppositional apologetics. )
So if the Bible can’t be proved scientifically, is there any point to creation science? Although those things don’t really prove it, if someone starts with the assumption that what the Bible says is true, the things we discover in science are consistent with the Bible. The Bible often has an explanation for things that are not easily explained in secular science. Case in point: languages. There are thousands of languages with unique features, and they tend to be fairly complex, even among people groups labeled as ‘primitive’. But the Bible says they originated at the tower of Babel and God created them. Therefore, in every area, we must use God’s Word as our starting point and we need to learn to explain this concept to others. God’s Word is true and it is my presupposition. Is it yours?
The great debate is not over evidence, but rather over the interpretation of that evidence. Every scientist can look at the same evidence and come to a different conclusion, depending on what their starting point is: their worldview assumptions. I have heard that two men can look at the Grand Canyon and pose two very different explanations of its origin. The evolutionist might say, “Look what the Colorado River did over millions of years!” The creationist might say, “Hey, look what the run-off from the flood did in a matter of hours!” They’re both looking at the same canyon, but the evolutionist interprets it through his worldview grid of millions of years, whereas the creationist sees it in light of the flood. Many people like some ideas from the Bible but are not quite ready to say that it is all true, because they have never seen scientific proof of it. This is where starting points become helpful. (The big word for the approach I’m discussing is presuppositional apologetics. )
So if the Bible can’t be proved scientifically, is there any point to creation science? Although those things don’t really prove it, if someone starts with the assumption that what the Bible says is true, the things we discover in science are consistent with the Bible. The Bible often has an explanation for things that are not easily explained in secular science. Case in point: languages. There are thousands of languages with unique features, and they tend to be fairly complex, even among people groups labeled as ‘primitive’. But the Bible says they originated at the tower of Babel and God created them. Therefore, in every area, we must use God’s Word as our starting point and we need to learn to explain this concept to others. God’s Word is true and it is my presupposition. Is it yours?
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That Perfect? 05/09/2012
Many people at Cedar Ridge profess Christianity and confidently claim God as their higher power. But when I ask them to describe God to me, some are at a loss for words to tell me what He is like. Most have a hard time telling me what the main point of the Bible is, but often they see it as a rule book with rules to follow if you want to be with God in heaven when you die. The missing piece is that God demands perfection. He is often portrayed as a forgiving and loving God, and this is usually mentioned first. Although these are attributes of God, they often fail to see His perfect justice and infinite holiness. People hardly speak of His holy hatred of sin. The general consensus seems to be that they think God doesn’t like sin, but if they follow enough of the rules, then God will accept them. I was talking to a man about God’s standards, and he thought he measured up pretty well, since he had only stolen and lied. He had never killed anyone (although he had come close) or committed adultery. So I asked, “Wait a minute…you haven’t ever hated someone or looked at a woman lustfully?”
“That’s what it means? Wow, I’m screwed!”
Jesus often used this tactic with people who thought they were good enough. He wanted them to realize their utter helplessness and through themselves on the mercy of God by trusting in the Deliverer. The challenge that lies before me and before all of us who have trusted in Christ to bring people to this same realization. Thankfully, we are not on our own. We are mere instruments in the hands of an all-powerful God.
“That’s what it means? Wow, I’m screwed!”
Jesus often used this tactic with people who thought they were good enough. He wanted them to realize their utter helplessness and through themselves on the mercy of God by trusting in the Deliverer. The challenge that lies before me and before all of us who have trusted in Christ to bring people to this same realization. Thankfully, we are not on our own. We are mere instruments in the hands of an all-powerful God.
The Selfish Rut 04/10/2012
Yes, missionaries can be selfish too. It is a problem that we all have. Although it may take different forms in different cultures, the basic selfishness is something a person is born with. No one teaches a small child to scream when he doesn’t get his way. He may be too young to talk or communicate much, but he can show everyone in hearing distance who he thinks is most important – himself. We are all childish in our motivations at times, although it begins to look more sophisticated and polished, being called more prestigious names. It may sound more like “promotion” than “me first!”, but he heart is still the same. I’m sure that businessmen dressed in suits still act like children sometimes as they climb over other people to establish their own will. This applies to more than just children and businessmen, though. It applies to missionaries and pastors and congregations, to you and me. It is perhaps never more apparent than in the context of our own families and our closest relationships. Countless marriages are discarded because of the selfishness of at least one of the parties involved. It is easy to become very ‘me’ focused and think that everything in life serves to make me happy and comfortable, so the things that don’t serve that end must be changed. Instead of letting hard things and conflicts within relationships challenge us to grow, we become angry and resentful that someone else is ruining our perfect life. Instead, should we not be looking for opportunities to encourage each other, considering each other and how we may spur one another on toward love and good works? (Heb 10:24) I don’t say this only because I observe other peoples’ problems, but because I see these things in myself and loathe them. And this was a decision I had to make when God was challenging me to take the gospel to unreached people. The task loomed huge and overwhelming. It spoke nothing of comfort, but of sacrifice, hard work, and mental exhaustion. It spoke of sickness, weakness, vulnerability, and fear. But no matter how much my flesh would rather seek comfort, I know that I am not my own, for I was bought with a price (2 Cor 6:20). Let us all endeavor by Christ’s strength and example to pursue selflessness in all our relationships, considering others better than ourselves (Phil 2:3). And there are still many who need to hear and understand the gospel. Can we sacrifice for them as well, realizing that we were bought when we were no better than they?
Survey 03/19/2012
The youth group I help out at is composed of over a hundred kids. In the beginning of the year, the youth pastor moved, but the number of kids hasn't gone down at all. With a crowd that big, there is a wide range of different levels of understanding among them. I'm convinced that many of them do not understand the foundational principles of the Bible and may not be born again. The other day, I wrote down some questions to conduct my own survey of the kids to see what kind of thinɡs they understand and where there are holes in their understanding. I approached a kid that I knew a little and asked if he wanted to answer some questions for a survey. He agreed and I began asking questions, while my girlfriend took notes on his responses. The questions included things like: where did sin come from? What is the purpose of the law? How many good things do you have to do to be written in the book of life? I was amazed that he was familiar with some of the Biblical stories, but saddened that he wasn’t sure if he could believe some of the things in the Bible. He accepted the 10 commandments and Jesus, but was unsure about a lot of the rest. When I pointed out that it was not consistent to believe only part of the Bible, he admitted, “Well then I guess I’m saying I don’t believe any of it.” This whole incident reinforces my belief that many of these kids are in desperate need of truth and need to know there is good reason for faith in the Bible.
The Question 03/06/2012
“Do you have an answer to that question?” he asked. He and another man had been dialoguing about the end times and things they thought they had heard about it from the Bible. I had been sitting there quietly listening to their conversation. Suddenly one of them turned to me and said, “We should probably ask you about it, since you studied this stuff.” I began explaining the chronology of events, as I see them in Scripture – the rapture, the thousand year reign of Christ, and the Great White Throne Judgment. I seized the opportunity to ask what determined whether someone was thrown into the lake of fire or got to spend eternity with God. They answered in a typical fashion, mentioning at least a belief in God, then focusing on the way someone has to conduct himself.
This ushered in my final question. “How many good things do you have to do to be accepted?” Only one man was paying attention now, and he indicated he didn’t know. “How many bad things can someone do before they get thrown into the lake of fire?” Again, he didn’t know. He mentioned that he was about to go smoke a cigarette, and as he was about to stand up, he turned to me and said, “Wait…do you have an answer to that question?”
“I believe so,” I said. He sank back down into the chair as I explained to him God taking on flesh and paying the just penalty for our sins. He understood the idea of sin being passed down from Adam, but now he was faced with a new idea – getting to spend eternity with God has nothing to do with our works, but it has everything to do with Christ’s work. Pray for this man and others like him as they ponder on questions of such vital importance.
This ushered in my final question. “How many good things do you have to do to be accepted?” Only one man was paying attention now, and he indicated he didn’t know. “How many bad things can someone do before they get thrown into the lake of fire?” Again, he didn’t know. He mentioned that he was about to go smoke a cigarette, and as he was about to stand up, he turned to me and said, “Wait…do you have an answer to that question?”
“I believe so,” I said. He sank back down into the chair as I explained to him God taking on flesh and paying the just penalty for our sins. He understood the idea of sin being passed down from Adam, but now he was faced with a new idea – getting to spend eternity with God has nothing to do with our works, but it has everything to do with Christ’s work. Pray for this man and others like him as they ponder on questions of such vital importance.
Worldview Shift 02/20/2012
Sometimes when we spend a lot of time in a comfortable conservative Christian bubble, we forget how the ideas and values of the world can be quite different. This is also true of Christians who have not matured much and have rather different values. They need a worldview shift. Most of the guys in rehab I talk to will say things that remind me to be thankful to be surrounded by strong Christians. The most common issues I've noticed involve women. Most of them would have no problem living with their girlfriend and not see it as wrong. I was talking to a guy last week who professes trust in Christ and we started talking about his girlfriend. I asked him if she shared his same beliefs and he said no. It didn't seem important to him that he marry someone who was a Christian. This puzzled me. I asked him about how he would raise his kids, and he said he would raise them Catholic because he was raised Catholic. I was stunned. He didn't seem to see the difference. He is in need of a worldview shift, as am I sometimes. We all need to line up our thinking with God's, based on His Word. And we are called to point others to thinking God's way.
Returning Void 02/10/2012
"Our job is just to sow the seed and use Scripture verses, because the Bible says that the word of God doesn't return void." At first, this sounds like a good statement. In fact, I have heard many people say things like this and apply the verse from Isaiah this way. This is a snippet of a conversation I had with a man at the drug rehab center. I will call him P. I was actually quite excited to talk to P and hear how God was working in his life, as he described parts of it in blunt detail. He heard that I was training to be a missionary and asked how he could do the same thing. This was all very encouraging to hear, because even if he had too many obstacles to keep him from going overseas, he may still benefit greatly from attending a Bible school or something. He seemed to have a decent knowledge of the Bible compared to a lot of guys I talk to. But I found that his condition illustrates an important point about my ministry, something that may also benefit anyone who reads this blog and desires to communicate the gospel.
Earlier that day, before my encouraging conversation with P, I met another man: C. C was asking me about the missionary training and about what a missionary is. When I asked about his reading and understanding of the Bible, he told me of his confusion. He wanted to read it more, but didn't understand it when he did. Then he told me about a voluntary meeting he was attending in the mornings. He said that one day, the leader of the group, "...prayed with me and told me I was saved or something." He didn't understand what that meant. I gave him "By This Name", which is intended to help people understand the Bible, even if they had little or no previous knowledge of it. Then he had to go attend a meeting.
This was when P showed up. He overheard me talking with someone and explaining what New Tribes was. Before that, he just assumed I was one of the clients. He was obviously excited about the Lord. He told me how he had, "...already led 2 brothers to the Lord." He was the one who prayed with C for salvation. This was when I realized one of my objectives in ministry there. Not only do I need to talk to the unsaved about their understanding of God and His Word, but I also need to help those who are believers clearly communicate the truth to their peers. They have much more time and opportunity to impact the men around them.
So does the word of God return void? Obviously, God says it doesn't. But what does that mean? Are we just supposed to haphazardly "scatter seed" by throwing verses at people, even though they don't understand them? The verses may be quite appropriate. However, people need to understand the gospel before they can place their trust in Christ for salvation. I think that 'God's word doesn't return void' should be read in context. It seems to be referring to the promises of God and His power, that He accomplishes what He says He will, or He has the power to speak the universe into existence. Let us all consider how we may clearly communicate God's truth.
Earlier that day, before my encouraging conversation with P, I met another man: C. C was asking me about the missionary training and about what a missionary is. When I asked about his reading and understanding of the Bible, he told me of his confusion. He wanted to read it more, but didn't understand it when he did. Then he told me about a voluntary meeting he was attending in the mornings. He said that one day, the leader of the group, "...prayed with me and told me I was saved or something." He didn't understand what that meant. I gave him "By This Name", which is intended to help people understand the Bible, even if they had little or no previous knowledge of it. Then he had to go attend a meeting.
This was when P showed up. He overheard me talking with someone and explaining what New Tribes was. Before that, he just assumed I was one of the clients. He was obviously excited about the Lord. He told me how he had, "...already led 2 brothers to the Lord." He was the one who prayed with C for salvation. This was when I realized one of my objectives in ministry there. Not only do I need to talk to the unsaved about their understanding of God and His Word, but I also need to help those who are believers clearly communicate the truth to their peers. They have much more time and opportunity to impact the men around them.
So does the word of God return void? Obviously, God says it doesn't. But what does that mean? Are we just supposed to haphazardly "scatter seed" by throwing verses at people, even though they don't understand them? The verses may be quite appropriate. However, people need to understand the gospel before they can place their trust in Christ for salvation. I think that 'God's word doesn't return void' should be read in context. It seems to be referring to the promises of God and His power, that He accomplishes what He says He will, or He has the power to speak the universe into existence. Let us all consider how we may clearly communicate God's truth.
Babel 02/01/2012
Have you ever thought about the confusion of languages at the tower of Babel...and the fact that God did a very good job? The thought keeps reoccurring as I see more examples of languages and the way each one plays by its own rules. As we study English grammar, we know about rules, although there are many exceptions to them. In learning a new language where there is no Rosetta Stone, our job is to discover the rules. Sometimes it may seem like trying to play a brand new sport without knowing the rules and none of the players can tell you what they are, even though they follow them perfectly. I was actually once forced to play a card game quite like this, and it was difficult. I am amazed by the diversity of ways that sounds and even tones are used to compose words and that they have meaning. The important thing to keep in mind is that God originally created languages and He is the one who can help us understand them. There is nowhere else to turn. God is the one who sent us into all the world and He will enable us to do His work.
Return of Phonemics 01/24/2012
Not everyone in the world can read. This is kind of shocking to some people. We are somewhat familiar with statistics of low literacy rates in some foreign countries where education is neglected or people are too poor to afford school. But imagine what life would be like if your language had never been put into writing. All communication would have to be spoken or gestured. Surprisingly, there are still people groups in existence who have no alphabet for their language.
You may be tempted to throw our English alphabet at them, but don't be too hasty. First of all, English spelling makes no sense. Secondly, we don't use all the same sounds in our language as they do. So what can be done? This is one of the things we are studying right now during our linguistic training. The technical name for what we are currently involved in is "phonemics", and it is something that they introduced all of us third semester students to last semester. Now we are studying it more in depth, with the final goal of church planting still in mind.
But how can there be a mature church without believers studying God's Word? And how can they study without the translated Word of God? And how can the Word be translated without a written language? So then translation comes by writing and the written form comes through phonemics. I will spare you the technical details of exactly how a missionary takes the phonetic language data that he has collected and forms an alphabet that is simple to read and write. Without a well thought through alphabet, you would end up with a spelling like English, which is unpredictable. If the missionary has done a good job in his phonemics, any word should have a single, obvious spelling.
Here is a random thought about how crazy our spelling is (no wonder it takes kids so long to learn to read):
Did you know you can spell the word fish like this --> ghox? Look where the sounds come from. We get the "f" sound from 'enough'. The "short i" sound comes from 'women'. And finally, the "sh" sound is extracted from 'anxious'.
You may be tempted to throw our English alphabet at them, but don't be too hasty. First of all, English spelling makes no sense. Secondly, we don't use all the same sounds in our language as they do. So what can be done? This is one of the things we are studying right now during our linguistic training. The technical name for what we are currently involved in is "phonemics", and it is something that they introduced all of us third semester students to last semester. Now we are studying it more in depth, with the final goal of church planting still in mind.
But how can there be a mature church without believers studying God's Word? And how can they study without the translated Word of God? And how can the Word be translated without a written language? So then translation comes by writing and the written form comes through phonemics. I will spare you the technical details of exactly how a missionary takes the phonetic language data that he has collected and forms an alphabet that is simple to read and write. Without a well thought through alphabet, you would end up with a spelling like English, which is unpredictable. If the missionary has done a good job in his phonemics, any word should have a single, obvious spelling.
Here is a random thought about how crazy our spelling is (no wonder it takes kids so long to learn to read):
Did you know you can spell the word fish like this --> ghox? Look where the sounds come from. We get the "f" sound from 'enough'. The "short i" sound comes from 'women'. And finally, the "sh" sound is extracted from 'anxious'.
Staying 01/19/2012
What is it that will keep a missionary in his respective place of ministry? Is it love for the people? Looking at it from this side, that seems sufficient. But the people will not always act in a way that inspires love toward them. Quite often they will do things to annoy the missionary or take advantage of him by pilfering something or laugh at him for making a blunder in the language. Although the videos and pictures are emotional and moving, real life may not be quite as ideal. During certain moments, the missionary may not feel any love toward the people at all. This is something the special speaker reminded us of as she shared of her experience working with a tribal group in Papua New Guinea. She asked us to consider for ourselves what it would take to make us leave the mission field. The thought challenged me all over again. I hardly am loving toward the people who love me, so how am I going to love those who wrong me? If I go to the field thinking that love for the people will keep me there, I am mistaken. Many reasons cause missionaries to return home, some of them quite legitimate. But often this may be avoidable. So what is it that will keep a person on the field? God. He needs to be the focus of everything we as believers do, and this applies to missionaries. He is the reason that we go into all the earth, taking the message of His Son. He is the one who sustains us in the darkest of days, when everything seems pointless. Only He can keep us going when the work is discouraging and there seems to be no fruit from our labors. It is sad to see missionaries returning home because of discouragement or conflict with co-workers or being burnt out. It is also easy to think that won't happen to me, but it certainly could. This is why God should be my focus in any ministry I am a part of, because He is the reason for what I am doing, but also the one who empowers me for ministry. He is the one we serve.
