Samaritan's Purse

Samaritan's Purse

Hour of Decision

Many of you reading this blog may never have heard those words as the title of a program.  But as I was growing up, the Billy Graham association radio program was called that, the Hour of Decision.  The title itself indicates that there are points in our lives when we must make a choice.  And the hour is now.

   For me, there are points of decision every day.  Not just mundane things like what shall I eat or what shall I wear today.  Important things, like what will I do today to grow closer to Jesus?  How will I spend my time today?  How will I serve the needs of others today?  What can I do to improve my work environment?  Who can I pour my life into today that will make a difference for tomorrow?

   Do you think about questions like that each day?  I try to.  But some days it feels more like, how will I get everything done I need to do today?  What emails or calls do I need to answer?  How many meetings do I have?  Can I do my work and still make it to the ________ (show, tee time, game??)

    My encouragement for us all is simply this:  we have the power to make a choice.  Choice.  By the grace of God you and I have the ability to choose how we will spend the 168 hours we have per week; how we will use the money we are stewards of; how we will speak to others; and what we will give ourselves to.  Once we come to Christ, and our lives change, the new things feel weird, but perseverance will help us attain the goal by making right choices every day.

   Happiness is a daily choice.  Godliness is an hourly choice.  Love is a choice.  None of these are left to chance but formed by the daily choices we make.  So are you living like a victim of your emotions and circumstance or are you making the right choices each day?  This is your hour of decision.

Worth waiting

   We leave today to bring the rest of our belongings to Buffalo.  We hope to be settled into our new home here by July.  It feels like it has taken a long time.  But time is a funny thing.  When we want something, it seems to trudge along like molasses.  When we want to savor something, it runs like a chetah.  Yet in both situations there is much for us to learn.

   Isaiah spoke well when he said, "Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him."  Isaiah 64:4

Waiting.  Its not just sitting idle.  It is actively watching for what the Lord will do in the circumstance while we are also staying focused on honoring Him.  It is not being sidetracked by the desire.  Let Him take care of that in His time.  "What does that matter to you" Jesus said to Peter.  "You follow me."  That is our call, our duty, our life.

And when He acts, it is always good.  For us, the home we are getting is perfect for the needs and desires we have had.  And during the time, we have had provision.  So we are very grateful.

I encourage us not to be impatient or fall into the trap of thinking that God doesn't care when time is in the molasses mode.  It is in those times He is doing His finest work. 

A Tragic Reminder

  Yesterday, we hosted the funeral of State Trooper Kevin Dobson (lovingly known to his fellow troopers and friends as KDP 196).  Kevin was killed in the line of duty, hit by a pick up during a routine traffic stop.  We were asked to host the funeral because of the anticipated crowd.  Kevin was a loving father; a dedicated trooper; a good and jovial friend to all who knew him.  I regret I did not know him. 
   It was an impressive sight to see 1800-2000 or more officers from across the country, along with Governor Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Duffy take time to come and honor their fallen comrade.  The procession into the Sanctuary took about 50 minutes.  Their sense of brotherhood was amazing.
  I sat, observed, listened to passionate, fond and loving memories of Kevin.  He did as Jesus spoke of, "Laid down his life for his friends."  In the midst of the tears that were so appropriate at such a time, I heard two other things that were not directly said, but were loudly voiced none the less.  First is the painful and at times fearful reminder that last Saturday could have been our last day, not Kevin's.  The facing of mortality raises our own sense of asking "is today my last day?"  And if so, how would I live it any differently?
  The second thing I heard expressed in various ways is our grappling with eternity.  This is the one that struck me the most.  We long to have certainty.  We tend to speak of our emotionally desired outcome.  But do we live in such a way to have certainty at such a time?  Can we?
  My heart aches for a girlfriend who lost her love; three children that lost their Daddy; a father who lost a beloved son and a brother who lost his.  Their pain spurred me on even more about our mission and purpose, because in the midst of it all we can confidently find hope and peace in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So I spent my few minutes in the service trying to point people to Him.

  Please join me in praying that the seeds cast will find receptive soil.

What About Rob Bell's Book "Love Wins"?

Rob Bell’s book Love Wins has certainly caused a stir among Christians.  A pastor in North Carolina lost his job over affirming it.  There have been angry blog responses and glowing confessions of affinity.  It is at best confusing.

   Luke states in his gospel to Theophilus,  ¹ Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us.  So it is with this issue.  Much has been written by those who have read the book and reviewed it or commented on it.  I would refer you to Jerry Gillis’ comments, which also includes links to some good reviews: http://www.jerrygillis.com/emusings/  This emusing is entitled “Heaven, Hell and a guy named Bell.”

   Now I will add a few thoughts regarding this book from a slightly different angle.  I have not only read this work by Rob Bell, but also other things he has written and taught through the Nooma videos.  I also did several years of coaching pastors and churches in the Grand Rapids, MI area. They live with Rob Bell and Mars Hill.  They have had people who at one time attended Mars Hill come to their churches.  None of this makes me an expert, but I have heard and seen some consistent patterns through the years.

   First, it seems evident to me that Bell writes and preaches in reaction to a distorted view of Christianity which he either experienced or interacted with in his formative years.  I get that.  Throughout this work, the extreme portrayals he gives about Christians and faith communities would be held in equal contempt by me and others who are seeking to tell a biblical view of the grace of God. 

   Second, when addressing perceived or real injustices, we as humans can tend to go to the exact reverse extreme to counteract the injustice.  I affirm that there are parts of Rob Bell’s artistic descriptions of heaven or the life to which God’s love has called us that are beautiful.  They are sound.  But then there are other sections that lay out the arguments or stories he uses to counteract his described injustices.  Those distortions, which are troubling, are therefore couched among the good things that make sense.

   Third, I find that there are many things in this book that are contradictory ramblings.  The final chapter is an example.  He emphasizes the need for and benefit of taking “our choices here and now as seriously as we possibly can because they matter more than we can imagine.”   Why? If we can simply make the choice to respond to the love of God after we die, why would there be any sense of urgency in this life?  I may miss out on a little of the party now (to use his terms), but I won’t miss anything eternally.

   And herein lies my challenge.  Rob Bell has been known through the years for raising questions as discussion points and dialogue starters.  That’s fine.  But I have found that there are some times, and I believe this book reflects it, where question after question about some key or core issue is raised but not given a full treatment.  As many have pointed out, Bell so focuses on one aspect of the character of God that he fails to include the many other traits, including justice and holiness.

   Bell states early on that “the ancient sages said the words of the sacred text were black letters on a white page — there’s all that white space, waiting to be filled with our responses and discussions and debates and opinions and longings and desires and wisdom and insights.”  Wow.  I could read this so many ways.  He goes on to talk about being freed so we can have our discussions.  Let’s have the discussions.  But I would rather we extensively study ALL the texts about the issues and not select just the ones (or in several cases parts of some) that support the point being made. 

   Hell is real.  Jesus gave it a physical or metaphysical description.  Hebrews states it is appointed for us once to die and after that is judgment (Hebrews 9:27).  These and other truths are not addressed in the book. 

   While never using the words “universal salvation”, Bell states his conclusion that God will and in essence already has, saved all, everyone, the whole world.  His love wins over every rebellious heart, if not in this life, later in eternity, after a person dies.  There are some who just don’t know it yet.  And that is a clear Universalist position.  And that does not represent a sound treatment of the Biblical revelation.

   The mission of the Church today is to share the Good News about the availability of the kind of life Bell describes in the good parts of this book because the God of love and Who is love is ready to write a new story for them.  But our mission carries urgency because it is also true that Scripture indicates that the decisions we make in this life do determine our eternal destiny.  If I followed Rob Bell’s conclusions to their logical end, I would agree with the hedonistic philosophy described in Ecclesiates, “Eat, drink and be merry.”  Then when I die I can respond to the love of God. 

But nowhere do I find that this is an option given in the black letters on the white pages.