Category Archives: Faith

Should I let my teen go to another church?

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When I was in high school (I still like to think that wasn’t that long ago) everyone I knew who went to church, only went to one church—their church.

But now, twenty years later (holy cow) things have changed. Students attend different churches all the time.church

Is this a bad thing?

I don’t think so.

Here’s why…

First, there are a lot fewer church-going Christian students than before. So students are now looking for their “tribe” where ever they can find it.

Second, different churches have different strengths (and weaknesses). The big churches “down the street” are great at attracting students through big events, high entertainment youth nights, and giveaways. They’re able to reach a lot of students who would be scared (yes scared) to step foot into a traditional looking church. Their ability to reach the unchurched is a great thing!

On the other hand churches like Fellowship, because of our size, have different strengths. We are able to easily connect with people. The first time someone comes to us, we know their name. We’re also able to focus more deeply on discipleship. More than once a student has told me that he likes coming to Fellowship because he can ask hard questions. Others have told me they like the fact that the groups are small, and not overwhelming.

Here’s the thing. One kind of church is not better than the other. As long as we’re all doing our best to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and make disciples, we’re all on the same team. And there is no need to worry about competition.

Today students like being able to grow in their faith through both big and small churches. They like experiencing God through Gospel-driven entertainment, relational settings, and making deep connections with adults and friends.

All this is fine as long as one thing doesn’t change.

That is your student has a church home. By church home I mean, that they are committed to a family of believers on Sunday morning. Obviously I’m biased toward having them commit toward the family of believers at Fellowship.

But here’s why this matters. Church is like a family. And your student needs to be committed to a family and have a family that is committed to them.

Why?

Research shows, the teens who flourish in their faith after high school are the teens who had multigenerational relationships in their home church. That is the teens felt comfortable around and loved by the whole church family and not just their peers. They felt connected to the parents and the grandparents of the church as well. Teens only experience these kinds of relationships when they and their families commit to making one church their home church.

So don’t feel guilty if your teen wants to go with their friends to another church. It’s not a competition. Every church exists for a reason—to display the glory of God in the manner God has called them to. Let them enjoy seeing how God is working in another church. But on the other hand encourage (maybe even require) your teens to be committed to a home church—a place where they feel a part of the family. A place where they will be known and loved by multiple generations and given the opportunity to flourish in their faith.

Two simple things parents can do to keep their kids walking with God

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At some point every parent realizes time with their kids is running out. That their kids will soon leave the house. That their kids will soon make life choices without their consent.  As Christians we worry that one of those choices might be to walk away from their faith.

It’s a valid concern.

According to LifeWay Research, “70% of young adults who indicated they attended church regularly for at least one year in high school do, in fact, drop out”[1]. About two-thirds will eventually return at some point, but nevertheless that is a large number, even if it is just for a season.

So what can parents do to beat the statistics?

It may be of some comfort to know that this is not a new problem. In fact, it is a very old problem.

About 3,000 years ago a Levite named Asaph, who worked as a musician for King David, wrote Psalm 78. Within the song Asaph speaks of what must be done so that the next generation will not become “a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.”(Ps 78:8)

Asaph is concerned for his kids, and all the children of Israel. He is concerned that one day they might not follow in the faith of their fathers.

So what is Asaph’s solution?

He commends parents (and leaders) to do just two things. Pass down the Deeds and Decrees of the Lord.

Deeds

In verse four Asaph writes,

 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

And in verse seven he writes,

Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds…

For Asaph, telling the next generation what God has done was of utmost importance. He understood that in order for people (of all ages) to know God, they must first hear about the works of God.

Today God calls parents to do the same thing. We are called to simply share with our kids what God has done. But not just in the Bible. We’re called to share what God has done, and is doing, in our lives.

I’ve found that most students want to hear how God is working in the lives of their parents. They don’t want a lecture. But they do want a story. They’d like to hear about a time when their parents needed God’s help and how he came through.

As a parent, your stories offer hope to your students. Hope that the same God who helped you will in turn be the same God who will help them.

Decrees

Stories are great. But stories alone are not enough to sustain the faith of a student. Asaph longed to pass down more than stories. He also longed to pass down the decrees of God.

In verses 5-7 he writes,

He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

For most of us, “commands/decrees” have a negative connotation. But Asaph knew the commands of God were good. He knew the words of King David:

Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night…whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

He knew that people (of all ages) grow in a deeper relationship with God when they begin to delight in the decrees of God.

What might this look like for parents today?

Parents don’t have to hang the Ten Commandments on their kid’s bedroom wall (they can if they want). But they may want to talk to their kids about the choices they are making and why they are making them.

It is helpful for parents to explain to their kids why it is they follow the decrees of God. Parents can share why it is they don’t cheat on their taxes. Or why it is they don’t lie. They can share with their kids why it is they try to do what is right. And how doing what is right in God’s eyes has benefited them.

Again kids don’t want a lecture. But they are interested in real life case studies–especially from people they know. Giving them real life examples of the benefits of God’s decrees will show them that God can be trusted. It will show them God is good. And ultimately it will inspire them to delight in God.

We can’t force our kids to continue in a relationship with God. But we can model for them what an authentic relationship with God looks like. This happens when we spend time (lots of time) sharing with them the deeds of God and the benefits of the decrees of God. And when we do these two things we might just see our independent kids desiring to grow with God rather than choosing to walk away from God.

 

 

[1] http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/may/dropouts-and-disciples-how-many-students-are-really-leaving.html?paging=off

 

How did the first Christians think about “The Rapture”?

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“The Rapture” is a pretty popular subject right now. With the new Left Behind movie coming out in October and the T.V. show The Leftovers currently airing.

In both cases “The Rapture” is portrayed as an end of the world apocalyptic event, that is more nerve-racking than comforting.

But when Paul wrote about “The Rapture” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is this what he had in mind? And is this how the Christians he was writing to understood it?

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright provides a few good reasons why it is likely that Paul’s original audience understood “The Rapture” very differently than the current media portrayal.

 

 

 

 

True Identity

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The other night I went with our high school students to watch How to Train your Dragon 2. As I watched the movie, I was reminded just how significant the question of identity is to each of us.

In the movie, the main character Hiccup seeks to answer the question, who am I?  He wonders if he could become the new village chief, even though he is nothing like the current chief–his father. He wonders where his spirit of curiosity, peace, and exploration comes from. In Hiccup’s mind, understanding who he is will determine what he should do.

For Hiccup, even though he is told to look within himself,  the answers to his questions of identity come from outside himself. Through the encouragement and wisdom of his family, friends, and community, he discovers who he is.

The movie reminds us that we all desire to know who we are.  That who we are will drive our actions. And that the answer to who am I? is actually found outside of ourselves.

This is the way God made us.

God made us to desire an answer to the question who am I? God made us so that our actions would be dependent on our identity. And God made us to search for our identity in things and people outside of ourselves.

Why?

God made us this way because it is his desire to give us our identity. And it is his desire that our actions be dependent (or motivated) by our God-given identity.

What is our God-given identity?

For those who have been adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ, God says to them:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:9-12:)

Notice, first God reminds his people who they are:

(1) Chosen race, (2) a royal priesthood, (3) a holy nation, (4) God’s possession, (5) God’s people, (6) receivers of mercy

Then he encourages them to act in manner that flows from that identity…

(1) Abstain from passions of the flesh, (2) keep your conduct honorable, (3) do good deeds.

Of course, the verses in 1 Peter are just a small sample of our God-given identity. In his book, Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ, Neil Anderson provides us with a fuller picture of  our identity in Christ.  Take a moment and watch this video inspired by Anderson’s book:

Click here for a print version of “Who I Am In Christ”

Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, we no longer have to wonder who am I? We are free from this existential crisis. In Christ, we are given an identity that is bigger, stronger, and more worthwhile than anything we can find in our family, friends, or community. In Christ, we are given an identity that will last forever.

In Christ, we find an identity that guarantees our acceptance by God. In Christ, we find an identity that guarantees our security of self. And in Christ, we find an identity that guarantees our significance in the world.

Only in Christ do we discover who we were truly made to be. Only in Christ do we discover our true identity.

Reason In The Christian Life

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“If I became a Christian, I feel like I’d have to give up my mind.” That’s how one friend put it as he explained to me his struggle to become a follower of Jesus. For him Christianity appeared to be a religion built on faith, where people were expected to just believe certain things without knowing why.

If you’ve walked with Jesus in a healthy church community for any length of time, you likely know that there is more to following Jesus than mere belief. But maybe you’ve struggled to know what is the place of logic and reason in the Christian faith? Or maybe you’ve never even thought about the place of reason, because for you , it is has been easy to just believe what you believe. But is that it o.k?

What does the Bible say about the role reason should play in the Christian life? 

We Are Invited To Reason

Isaiah 1:18 states, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”.  The Israelites were encouraged by God to use their reason. In the context, God wanted them to use their reason to see their need for repentance. God was calling them to think about their sin, and then to think about what would be the consequences of their sin.  The expectation was, that when the Israelites reasoned about such things, they would repent, and turn to God–the one offering to save them.

In the New Testament God also put a great value on reason. In Romans 1:18-20, we see that the ungodly are without excuse, because “for what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” God’s point is, since he has given people the intellectual faculties to perceive his existence from the created order, they ought to know that he not only exists, but that he should be worshiped.  The Bible is clear, God-given reason is a means by which we can come to believe in God and see our need for God.

We Are Called To Use Reason When Asked About Our Faith

1 Peter 3:15 states, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The Bible calls believers to give reasons for their hope (that is their hope in Christ). In other words when we as Christian are asked questions like, “why do you believe Jesus is alive, ruling, and worth following?” We should be able to say something more than, “I just believe”. Instead we should be able to give logical reasons for our beliefs. And we should be able to provide those reasons with gentleness and respect.   As J.P. Moreland writes, “If we are going to be wise, spiritual people prepared to meet the crises of our age, we must be a studying, learning community that values the life of the mind.” Having good reasons keeps us from having to be defensive or offended when people question our beliefs. When we have well thought out reasons, we can see every question as an opportunity to help others understand why we believe what we believe.

We Grow In Our Faith Through Reason

2 Peter 1:5 “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge…” Growing in our faith involves more than just growing as moral people. The Bible calls us to add to our faith, virtue and knowledge. This echos Jesus’ s words to “love God… with all your mind.” (Mark 12:30) God has given us minds,  so that we can worship him with our minds. Therefore a maturing Christian is one who grows in his or her ability to reason and understand the things of God. John Piper explains it this way, “God is not honored by groundless love. In fact, there is no such thing. If we do not know anything about God, there is nothing in our mind to awaken love. If love does not come from knowing God, there is no point in calling it love for God.”  Growing in our knowledge of God will help us grow in our love of God.

It is a real tragedy that some people still see Christianity as a religion that d0esn’t value the mind. The life of the mind and the exercise of reason is a vital part of the Christian life, and the Bible celebrates that. To be a Christian is to pursue reason, to use reason, and grow in our ability to reason.  We do this all as an act of worship to the God who created and reflects reason, and who will, one day,  completely restore all reason.

May we be a people who celebrate reason, and lead others to do the same!

 

What are you favorite ways to love God with your mind? 

 

 

 

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Quotes from:
JP Moreland’s Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul

John Piper’s Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God

Joe Carter on 9 Things You Should Know About The Chronicles of Narnia

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As,  The Chronicles of Narnia is one of my favorite series, I thought this was a pretty cool article. Enjoy!

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The end of March marked the sixty-fifth anniversary of C.S. Lewis completing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Here are nine things you should know about the Lewis’ beloved novels:

 

Read the nine things here

Predestination: Three Views

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A few weeks ago I wrote a post in which I attempted  to answer how predestination is compatible with free will. But later (after reading a few FB responses), I realized it may be helpful to let people know that my view is not the only view on the Evangelical platter. In fact, Bible-believing, Jesus-loving, God-glorifying Christians have at least three options to choose from when it comes to their understanding of predestination, each with strengths and weaknesses, but all attempting to be faithful to God’s Word.

Before I dive into the different options, it should be noted that all Christians agree on at least two things when it comes to predestination. First, predestination refers to God choosing to do something, before the creation of the world, that pertains to each person’s salvation. Second, predestination is biblical (Romans 8:28-30, Romans 9; Ephesians 1:3-11, see also the Elect).

But this is where the agreement ends, because Christians disagree about what the “something” is which God predestined.

Some Christians believe God predestined an inheritance, others believe God predestined the hearts of people, and still a third group believes God predestined worlds. I know it sounds crazy. Let me illustrate.

God predestined an inheritance. In general, Christians traditionally known as Wesleyan or Arminian believe,“Predestination is not the predetermination of who will believe, but rather the predetermination of the believer’s future inheritance” [1]. What is the future inheritance? It is to be  holy and blameless in the sight of God [2]. In this view, God is not choosing who will go to Heaven or Hell, that’s left to each person’s free choice. Rather God has chosen what will become of each person who puts their faith in Him through Jesus Christ.

God predestined the hearts of people. On the other end of the spectrum are Christians traditionally known as Calvinist/Reformed. This group asserts that every part of salvation is an act of God. Not only did God predestine the inheritance of believers, He also first chose to change their hearts. Why? Because, in their view, original sin has affected every part of a person, including a person’s mind and will. It is therefore impossible for anyone to choose God on their own. Thus God must first do a work in a person’s heart which enables that person to choose God. In other words, “God…actually brings about a willing response from the person who hears” the gospel [3, p.693].

God predestined the world. Sometimes called Molinist, this group of Christians seeks to present a third option to the two views above. They believe that God, before creating anything, thought about all the possible worlds He could create. Then, He thought about all the possible choices of every creature, in every situation, in every possible world. After considering all the choices and outcomes of all the situations in all the possible worlds, He chose to create the world which He liked best. That is the world (a.k.a universe/reality) that we are living in today. How does this relate to predestination? As William Lane Craig writes, “God knows in exactly what circumstances people will freely respond to His grace and places people in circumstances in which each one receives sufficient grace for salvation if only that person will avail himself of it” [4]. The point is, God, by predestining the world we live in, has also predestined the opportunities for each person to encounter Him. The view seeks to maintain the ability of all people to choose God, while maintaining God’s grace as a necessity for their choice.

So which view resonates best with you?

No matter what view you hold, the doctrine of predestination is intended to be of great comfort for Christians. It reminds us of the grace God has shown us (Ephesians 2:8-9). It motivates us to go where God sends us (2 Timothy 2:10). It encourages us that God has a purpose for each of us, even if we can’t see it (Genesis 50:20). And ultimately,it humbles us, knowing that no one wanting to come to faith in Christ will be left turned away (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9).

I hope these summaries have been helpful. For those interested in learning more about the above Christian views, here’s a list of recommend resources:

 

Calvinist/Reformed

Molinist

 All of them (and some more)

Review of Evolution vs. God

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Evolution-vs-God-movieThe other night I watch a short thought-provoking documentary entitled Evolution vs. God.  In the film Ray Comfort interviews students and professors from well-respected universities who believe in Evolution but don’t believe in God.  Using a few  simple questions Ray attempts to show that believing in Evolution is a belief based on faith rather than science, and therefore the belief may be dubious.

The video is worth watching. The questions Ray asks are insightful and the responses he receives are interesting. But the film has one flaw. It gives the impression that belief in God is incompatible with belief in any kind of Evolution. And this is simply not true. As the chart below illustrates, there are at least three different ways someone could believe in God and still believe in Evolution.

Views On The Origins Of The Universe

The point is not that Evolution is true, but rather belief in Evolution should not be a road block to belief in God. As Christians we are free to believe a version of Evolution or to reject Evolution in all its forms. Our job is simply to go where the evidence leads and believe (by faith), the view that makes the most sense in light of who God is, and what He has done.