Myth 4 - The Resurrection of Jesus Didn't Happen.

This coming Sunday (8.30.09) I will be wrapping up the Mythbuster series with probably the most important myth to talk about...the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here is an excellent video clip from NT Wright to "prime the pump" in preparation for Sunday. If you want to dig a little deeper and actually read something, here is an excellent summary essay written by Mark Moore, Professor of New Testament at Ozark Christian College - "Did Jesus Really Raise From The Dead?"

How Can We Trust The Bible?

Great video by William Lane Craig regarding the reliability of the Bible.

Follow Up Questions from Message: Mythbuster - The Bible Is Not Reliable

I was not able to get to all the text questions from the message on Sunday. If you missed the message, Mythbusters: The Bible Is Not Reliable, you can listen to it here. For the rest of you, here are the questions from Sunday that were not answered.

"How can we be sure, (about the Bible) since there are so many manuscripts, that things didn't get lost in translation?"

The biggest reason that we can know that things were not lost in translation is the fact that the manuscripts agree in a majority of the text. Even more encouraging is that the text agree completely in the fundamental truths regarding Christ: his birth, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. Also, the areas that don't always line up are marked and footnoted to make the reader aware. Take John 7:53-8:11 for example.

"There are books that didn't make the Bible, is it Judas, so which books didn't make the Bible and who decided this?"

To answer this question, let me connect you with something written by a Bible College Proffessor of mine, Chuck McCoy. You can check out some more information he has at his website here. This is a portion of an article that he wrote about the book & movie, The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

"While there were more than the canonical four gospels written (Luke notes that “many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us” - Luke 1:1), the number of known alternative versions comes closer to 35 than Brown’s claim of “80” and none but those four were given serious consideration by the various churches prior to 325 A.D. The four canonical gospels were not settled on because Constantine ordered it, but were well-researched and widely accepted as the most authentic original sources of information on Christ’s life long before Constantine was on the stage of history. Their credibility was rooted in their authenticity because they were traceable to the time and close associates of Jesus and in harmony with Christian beliefs from the beginning. Acceptance of the canonical Gospels was widespread and consistent amongst the churches prior to Constantine and the Nicean Council (325 A.D.). Even so, the records of the Nicean Council give no evidence of any attempt to “officially” confirm a canon or listing of 27 New Testament writings, as was done in the later Council of Hippo (393 AD) and Council of Carthage (397 AD). Various credible Christian leaders were citing and listing accepted New Testament writings in their own writings from the later first century A.D. and thus it becomes obvious that the Canon of 27 New Testament books was gradually arrived at by the various churches (and sound investigation) over several centuries and was NOT something foisted or forced upon the church by any single leader, Council, or Church hierarchy!^[4]" ~ Charles McCoy

The bottom line is that the councils were set up not to decide what was going to comprise the Bible. The councils were set up to keep the "junk out."

"So did God create dinosaurs to live at the same time as people? And is so what happened to them?"
Yes and they died out...all except Nessie that is;)

"You compared the New Testament to The Iliad, but how does the Old Testament compare?"

I touched on this a little bit, but there are not nearly as many manuscripts for the OT. That is why the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls (1947) was such an important find. The Dead Sea scrolls are thought to be from about 100 B.C. When those manuscripts were put up against the later manuscripts, they found that the manuscripts were nearly identical.


"Why does Isaiah 53 write about the crucifixion in the past tense?"

This is a great question. I read Isaiah 53 at the end of the message to show the unity of the Old and New Testaments and how they both point to Jesus. What I didn't know was how controversial this section of Scripture is, but if you think about it of course it would be controversial if it suggests that Jesus is the Messiah. Anyway, here is what I have come up with so far. The earliest rabbis understood this section of Scripture to be a future description of messiah. They didn't view it as a passed event, but a future event. Interestingly enough rabbis after Jesus changed their interpretation to reflect the actual people of Israel as being the suffering servant, but again it was looking forward.

So while a don't have a great answer regarding the past tense, almost all people who try to interpret Isaiah 53 saw it as a future event and not a passed one. I'm sure if I was a better student of the Hebrew text and the Prophets I could give a better answer.

Probably the biggest clue in regards to interpreting Isaiah 53 comes from what the authors of the NT said. Remember, these were good Jewish men (except for Luke, however he interviewed good Jewish men) and they knew the Isaiah 53 well. Here are a number of NT passages that point to Jesus being the "suffering servant" of Isaiah 53. Luke 24:27,46; Matthew 26:67; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:11; 2:25; Romans 4:25.

Here is a very good read written by a Messianic Jew on Isaiah 53. I think you will find it to be very helpful.

Clues To God

Here is a great presentation by William Lane Craig on the best arguments for God.

Living Together First Can Spoil Marriage

Check out this article, especially if you are dating. Of course, most people say, "Well that won't happen to us!" Well God's Word doesn't lie, nor do the numbers. Maybe there is something to it.

Living Together First Can Spoil Marriage, Study Finds

Antelope Running Into a Tree = To Living A Christian Life By Yourself

I used this clip at the end of my sermon last Sunday. The point is simple, if you try to live a Christian all by yourself you are just like the little antelope in the video. If you want to listen to the sermon entitled, Rejoice you can catch it here under the series, To Live. Enjoy, but don't miss the point.

A Short Biography of the Apostle Paul

I'm way behind on my blog posts. It gives you a clue as to how busy my life has been over the last two months. On Sunday I will be wrapping up the series on the NT book of Philippians called, To Live. If you want to check out the messages you can listen to them here.

Through this series, I have gained a greater appreciation for the apostle Paul; his life and his teachings. It's also a great reminder as to why you need to read your Bible. There is so much in there that God wants to teach. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking...there is always more.

I want to leave with you a brief biography of the apostle Paul, provided from the resources of Prof. Mark Moore. Check it out and gain a new appreciation for one of Christ's great servants.

Gotta Serve Somebody - Bob Dylan

On Sunday I'm launching a brand new message series called, To Live--based on the New Testament book of Philippians. As a way to "tune into" what we are going to be talking about on Sunday, take 5 minutes to watch this Bob Dylan video. I would show it during the message, but it's too long. So here's your homework assignment for Sunday.

Book Review: The Gifts of the Jews

I just recently finished a very interesting book and wanted to share a few insights from it. The complete title is, The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels. The book is written by Thomas Cahill who also authored, How the Irish Saved Civilization, which is another fine read as well.

One note about Cahill, he is not a Jew (though he has studied extensively at Jewish Theological Seminary), nor is he a Christian, and he is not a believer in the one true living God (However, I don't think he is an atheist...he's more of an agnostic). I mention those facts because what he uncovers about the Jewish people is really quite remarkable and in many ways strengthens the case for God's work in this world. If what he says is true, then there are two options regarding the history of the Jews: 1) The history of the Jews is an amazing coincidence that has greatly impacted most of the world's population; 2) or there is an author or director of life here on planet earth who has a very specific plan unfolding.

Here are a few ideas that really stood out to me:

• Wandering desert nomads, not highly skilled, educated, or sophisticated created a counter culture.
• The Jewish people did something amazing in their approach to religion--they were monotheistic. No one else was. This is a huge point. How does a people group step out of polytheism and enter into monotheism? Not only that, their belief in YHWH was vastly different from all the other gods of all the other cultures. YHWH was personal, relational, loving, and protective.
  
• The Jewish people introduced a linear approach to life. All the pagan cultures of the day were cyclical in their thinking and purpose, meaning essentially that life was meaningless. The Jews believed that YHWH was leading them to a destination. His involvement in their lives showed that they were on a journey moving towards an end goal.
• Sex. The pagan religions relied on sex as a form of worship and manipulating their gods to engage in their lives. YHWH called his people away from sexual immorality! That is a huge and difficult shift unless YHWH had revealed himself to them in some way...which he did.
  

Those are just a few of the observations I made. All in all it's a good read especially if you are interested in receiving a non-Jewish/Christian prespective on the history of the Jews.

"God just isn't enough."

There are many things that I could talk to you about here in this space, but there is one item in particular that has been on my mind for that last couple of day and I would like to share it with you. Most of you know that for the last several weeks we have been studying the Song of Songs and in so doing have discussed marriage, relationships, sex, men and women. Well, over the last few weeks I have received a couple of prayer cards from an anonymous young woman. Without going into great detail, she is asking for prayer because of an inappropriate relationship she is in. She knows that she needs to walk away from the guy she is with, but deep down she doesn’t want to because she enjoys being with him and the things they do. There is a phrase that she has used in both cards that has echoed in my mind simply because she is not the first to utter it. In fact every one of us has said or thought this phrase at some point in our lives…maybe even today. Here is the phrase: “God just isn’t enough.”

Now, if you’re a Christian and you read the Bible you know the statement is ludicrous. Honestly, how could the creator, sustainer, rescuer of the universe not possibly be enough? As ludicrous as it may be, there are times when we all swear it’s true.

You can’t pay your bills—God just isn’t enough!

A relationship ends—God just isn’t enough!

You lose your job—God just isn’t enough!

You can’t get into a relationship—God just isn’t enough!

You’re involved in a sin that you enjoy—God just isn’t enough!

So how should we respond to that statement when it pops up in our lives? Here are three responses from the Bible that can bring us back to the truth:

1) God is for us. He is on your team and he wants what is best for you, and he should know—he created you. The apostle Paul writes, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” ~ Romans 8:31

2) God is a giver. God’s character is marked by his generosity, grace, and love. So often when we articulate the phrase, “God just isn’t enough!” for one reason or another we have felt like God has taken something from us. Or at least he has denied us something great…from our perspective anyway. However, what is the truth? Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” ~ John 3:16. Sounds to me like God is a big time giver!

3) God wants us to grow. Because God is for you he is going to shape you, nudge you, push you, and sometimes irritate you to grow. That means God will allow hardship to happen in your life. It means God will put people in your life who will tell you the truth and keep you accountable. It also reminds us as to why God gave us a law and commands. To keep us from pursuing things, people, or activities that ultimately will hurt us and keep us from a relationship with him. Jesus taught this, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” ~ John 15:1,

Now, to the young lady out there who is struggling with the idea that God just isn’t enough, I want you to know that I am praying for you. I’m praying that you will always remember that there is nothing that you can do that will keep God from loving you. God is crazy in love with you…more then any man will ever be! I’m also praying that you will know the truth about God and that the truth will set you free.

The Book of Revelation - South of the Border: Blog Post from Bob Lowery

Here is one of the blogs that I read on a regular basis. Bob Lowery is the NT prof. at Lincoln Christian Seminary. He has done a lot of work on the book of Revelation. Here is a great post he wrote recently, that would be well worth your time to read.

The Book of Revelation - South of the Border

"Great Sex: God's Way" Sermons Draw Ire In Rural Alabama

As you know, I've been preaching through the Old Testament book, Song of Songs. For those of you not familiar with the book, it is a series of songs written by Solomon about the love he shares with his wife...first wife. Anyway, it has been a steamy series so far but that is what the Song is all about. I'm only talking about what the Bible already says.

Anyway, I came across this story on the USAToday website. I guess talking about sex in church isn't always well received. Here is the article.

"Great Sex: God's Way" Sermons Draw Ire In Rural Alabama

Good Read: Original Sin or Original Righteousness

My dad posted this over at his blog a few weeks ago. Original Sin or Original Righteousness. It would be well worth your time to check it out.

Question - The King & I: The Little Foxes

Here is a text question I received last Sunday during the message, The Little Foxes. The context for the question comes from my stated purpose of the series: To reignite passion in marriages.

The question:

"How does this apply to dating? How can we have passion in our dating life and still remain righteous? What does a good dating relationship look like?"

Well, to start with, the passion Solomon and his wife have for each other is the kind of passion that is reserved for those who are married. As I've stated, I want to allow God's Word to help reignite the passion God intended for the marriage relationship. For those who are single I just want to "light the pilot light" so when marriage does become a reality, the heat can be turned up. Those are the words Solomon's wife repeats throughout Song of Songs:

"Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the swift gazelles and the deer of the wild, not to awaken love until the time is right" ~ Song of Songs 2:7 NLT

So from God's perspective there is a right time for passion...and that right time is within the bounds of marriage. Now, as to what that looks like in dating--as little physical contact as possible. There was a time when I never would have said this, however I have come to understand that maintaining control of passion within a serious dating relationship is very difficult if not impossible. Especially if we chose to live by the accepted norms of our culture. What needs to be done in a dating relationship, actually even before one enters into a dating relationship, are strict boundaries need to be in place. The idea being that we are each in charge of our own bodies/lives and we will one day be held accountable for how we controlled ourselves. You cannot go into a dating relationship and expect the other person to have boundaries that are like yours. That is why it is so important not to date a non-Christian. Once emotions become involved it is very difficult to think rationally.

Listen to what the apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5. He writes:

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;"

Again, the key being "control." If you have submitted yourself to God then he controls your life...he calls the shots. That means we must then control our minds and our bodies. I know, easier said then done. I'm not claiming it's easy, but if we want to honor God we need to be in control. Even to crank up the "flames of passion" just a notch can lead you to a place you don't want to go. But always remember, that the longer we delay gratification the better the passion will be in the covenant relationship of marriage.

In the coming weeks, I will be painting a more clearer picture of what this looks like in the dating relationship. So stay tuned.

The King & I: Observations and a Question Answered

Wow! The last few weeks have really opened my eyes to many things about marriage, sex, and the roles of men and women. Let me start by saying that I have never in my entire life studied Song of Songs…ever. It has been very revealing, pun intended. I mentioned this in the first sermon I preached from Song of Songs and I want to get it to you again; a great resource on Song of Songs and one that ever married couple should have is Intimacy Ignited by Dillow & Pintus. It is a great commentary and study guide through Solomon’s song. Seriously, if you as a couple went through this study together it would change your marriage.

Another reason my eyes have been opened, is because of your response. The questions, the high fives (not just from husbands btw), and the “thank-yous” reiterate the need for this biblical, God centered study. This study has long been overdue and right now I’m trying to figure out how we can offer this material on a more regular basis (A.B.F. Class or small group).

For just a moment I want to clarify something that I said on Sunday, February 22nd about the purpose of marriage. I posed the question something like this: “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” The idea being that while many people seek marriage as a means to happiness, they discover that happiness is just one of many emotions that can fill a marriage. One cannot base one’s marriage purely upon the idea of happiness. So what does that leave us with? Well what about holiness? That whole line of thinking is addressed in the book, Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas, again another resource that every married couple should read. The bottom-line being that in the covenant of marriage we learn in a very hands on way, about God and in turn grow in our relationship with him. Marriage can be a very effective tool in developing holiness.

So after talking about the purpose of marriage in my sermon, here was one of the text message questions I received:

"So, can we be holy without getting married? Doesn’t Paul say it’s better for people who can survive without getting married to not get married?"

This is a good question. Let me start by saying, we are made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit when we submit our lives to Jesus Christ and enter into a covenant relationship with him. Then by choosing to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead and being obedient to Jesus we continue to live within that holiness. So marriage on it’s own doesn’t make us holy, it’s simply a tool to help us be holy. When I love my wife unconditionally, I’m learning more about God and his love for me. When I serve my wife, I’m learning how God serves me no matter what. When my wife extends to me grace and forgiveness when I don’t deserve it, I learn more clearly about the grace and forgiveness that God has extended to me. Marriage is a tool to help us understand and grow in holiness.

So what about the single person? So if marriage is such a great benefit why would Paul say that it’s better to not be married? Paul is right in that more can be done for the Kingdom of God if one is single. Quite frankly it takes a lot of time and energy to be married and effectively honor the marriage covenant. So where does the single person pick up a tool to help them develop holiness? The church. The church family is a covenant relationship, and in almost every way it demands like marriage, unconditional love, patience, forgiveness, service and grace. Just another great reason to be a part of a local church family, without it you are going to struggle to become all that God planned for you to be.

Question from the King & I Series

In the Song of Songs message series I've been doing, I have revived the text message questions at the end of the message. Here is a question that I was not able to answer after the message. Let me set up the question a little bit. I was talking about becoming "one flesh" (Genesis 2:25) and how the focus of marriage is to become one in everything. To become one a husband and wife must be able to "both be naked, and feel no shame." (Genesis 2:26) There has to be a level of transparency and honesty in a marriage relationship for oneness happen.

So with that background, here is the question:
"Is there ever a point in a marriage where you can reveal too much?"

You're going to love my answer; "Yes and no." Obviously, the goal of marriage is to move towards oneness. However, it takes time... a lot of time. There was a study done that revealed it takes on average nine years to move from "me to we" in marriage. Selfishness dominates that first years of marriage and it's really not until year ten that some marriages can really start to grow towards oneness. Sadly, a lot of marriages never make it that far.

So the truth is there may be be things that you can't reveal to your spouse (maybe ever), your goal however is to work towards a point where you can "drop the fig leaf" and be transparent with your spouse. It also matters why you tell them. The goal of revealing truths is to bring about oneness not to separate. So the apostle Paul's words need to be our guide as we approach who and what we reveal to our spouse. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that it, Christ." ~ Ephesians 4:15

So to answer the question, yes there are points in marriage where too much information is probably not the best. However, it should be the goal of marriage to move towards a level of transparency and honesty where you can speak the truth in love.

Mark Driscoll's CNN Interview: Sex & Religion

My Son Alex's Baptism

Resources for The King & I: A Love Story from the Song of Songs

I wanted to provided some extra resources for those of you who are going to be a part of the new message series I'm launching this weekend at IC-Church of Christ on the Song of Songs. One of my main resources is a book entitled, "Intimacy Ignited." It's a combination book in that it is a good commentary on the Song of Songs as well as a good Bible study guide for couples. I would highly recommend all Christian couples add this book to their library. It is very helpful.

The second resource is an actual message series preached by Mark Driscoll, the preacher at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. This last fall Mark preached through the Song of Songs and did a fantastic job. In doing so the church set up a web page with all the sermons available. If you would like to pick up even more biblical insight into the Song of Songs (he preaches for about an hour) this web site is a great resource. The message series they did was called "The Peasant Princess" and can be accessed here.

Hopefully these resources will help you out as you journey through the Song of Songs. In the weeks to come I will be posting text questions I receive during the message. So check back periodically to see what questions people are asking and what God's Word has to say abou them.

God Keeps Rockin My World

God is doing some amazing things here at IC Church of Christ! Sometimes I just shake my head and say, "God is good!" because I know it's not me and all Him. For the last month I've been playing the role of nurse for my lovely wife Suzi as she has been recovering from major knee surgery. Everything with the recovery has gone well and we are almost back to normal.

During the last month my schedule has been anything but normal...I've been more nurse then parent. My routine was thrown off big time and needless to say that can be frustrating. But in those moments of frustration I was able to find peace in what was most important (taking care of my wife and family) and that God would take care of the rest.

Well during the month of January God has rocked my world. Not only has He taught me a valuable lesson about peace, but He continues to work some amazing things here at IC Church of Christ. We had the second largest attendance month (the largest was in September) since I've been here...in January of all the months! Then to top it off we came in $14,000 under budget for our building project. Just another incredible sign that God is working. All of this when I was the least available for the church and the most available for my family. Do you see why all I can say is, "God is good!"

So what have I learned from all of this? Jesus' words ring true,
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." ~ Mt 6:33