Redding Reformed Fellowship

Does God Speak to People Today?

2011-11-19T09:58:00.001-08:00

This past week I came across this great, great posting from John Piper. I have posted it below in its entirety.
It is very important that if you start reading it, that you read it all the way through. Do it. You will be blessed, I promise.

If you would rather listen to it than read it, you can do that here.

Pastor Gene

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Let me tell you about a most wonderful experience I had early Monday morning, March 19, 2007, a little after six o’clock. God actually spoke to me. There is no doubt that it was God. I heard the words in my head just as clearly as when a memory of a conversation passes across your consciousness. The words were in English, but they had about them an absolutely self-authenticating ring of truth. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God still speaks today. . .

I couldn’t sleep for some reason. I was at Shalom House in northern Minnesota on a staff couples’ retreat. It was about five thirty in the morning. I lay there wondering if I should get up or wait till I got sleepy again. In his mercy, God moved me out of bed. It was mostly dark, but I managed to find my clothing, got dressed, grabbed my briefcase, and slipped out of the room without waking up Noël. In the main room below, it was totally quiet. No one else seemed to be up. So I sat down on a couch in the corner to pray.
As I prayed and mused, suddenly it happened. God said, “Come and see what I have done.” There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that these were the very words of God. In this very moment. At this very place in the twenty-first century, 2007, God was speaking to me with absolute authority and self-evidencing reality. I paused to let this sink in. There was a sweetness about it. Time seemed to matter little. God was near. He had me in his sights. He had something to say to me. When God draws near, hurry ceases. Time slows down.
I wondered what he meant by “come and see.” Would he take me somewhere, like he did Paul into heaven to see what can’t be spoken? Did “see” mean that I would have a vision of some great deed of God that no one has seen? I am not sure how much time elapsed between God’s initial word, “Come and see what I have done,” and his next words. It doesn’t matter. I was being enveloped in the love of his personal communication. The God of the universe was speaking to me.
Then he said, as clearly as any words have ever come into my mind, “I am awesome in my deeds toward the children of man.” My heart leaped up, “Yes, Lord! You are awesome in your deeds. Yes, to all men whether they see it or not. Yes! Now what will you show me?”
The words came again. Just as clear as before, but increasingly specific: “I turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There they rejoiced in me—who rules by my might forever.” Suddenly I realized God was taking me back several thousand years to the time when he dried up the Red Sea and the Jordan River. I was being transported by his word back into history to those great deeds. This is what he meant by “come and see.” He was transporting me back by his words to those two glorious deeds before the children of men. These were the “awesome deeds” he referred to. God himself was narrating the mighty works of God. He was doing it for me. He was doing it with words that were resounding in my own mind.
There settled over me a wonderful reverence. A palpable peace came down. This was a holy moment and a holy corner of the world in northern Minnesota. God Almighty had come down and was giving me the stillness and the openness and the willingness to hear his very voice. As I marveled at his power to dry the sea and the river, he spoke again. “I keep watch over the nations—let not the rebellious exalt themselves.”
This was breathtaking. It was very serious. It was almost a rebuke. At least a warning. He may as well have taken me by the collar of my shirt, lifted me off the ground with one hand, and said, with an incomparable mixture of fierceness and love, “Never, never, never exalt yourself. Never rebel against me.”
I sat staring at nothing. My mind was full of the global glory of God. “I keep watch over the nations.” He had said this to me. It was not just that he had said it. Yes, that is glorious. But he had said this to me. The very words of God were in my head. They were there in my head just as much as the words that I am writing at this moment are in my head. They were heard as clearly as if at this moment I recalled that my wife said, “Come down for supper whenever you are ready.” I know those are the words of my wife. And I know these are the words of God.
Think of it. Marvel at this. Stand in awe of this. The God who keeps watch over the nations, like some people keep watch over cattle or stock markets or construction sites—this God still speaks in the twenty-first century. I heard his very words. He spoke personally to me.
What effect did this have on me? It filled me with a fresh sense of God’s reality. It assured me more deeply that he acts in history and in our time. It strengthened my faith that he is for me and cares about me and will use his global power to watch over me. Why else would he come and tell me these things?
It has increased my love for the Bible as God’s very word, because it was through the Bible that I heard these divine words, and through the Bible I have experiences like this almost every day. The very God of the universe speaks on every page into my mind—and your mind. We hear his very words. God himself has multiplied his wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us; none can compare with him! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told (Psalm 40:5).
And best of all, they are available to all. If you would like to hear the very same words I heard on the couch in northern Minnesota, read Psalm 66:5-7. That is where I heard them. O how precious is the Bible. It is the very word of God. In it God speaks in the twenty-first century. This is the very voice of God. By this voice, he speaks with absolute truth and personal force. By this voice, he reveals his all-surpassing beauty. By this voice, he reveals the deepest secrets of our hearts. No voice anywhere anytime can reach as deep or lift as high or carry as far as the voice of God that we hear in the Bible.
It is a great wonder that God still speaks today through the Bible with greater force and greater glory and greater assurance and greater sweetness and greater hope and greater guidance and greater transforming power and greater Christ-exalting truth than can be heard through any voice in any human soul on the planet from outside the Bible.
This is why I found the article in this month’s Christianity Today, “My Conversation with God,” so sad. Written by an anonymous professor at a “well-known Christian University,” it tells of his experience of hearing God. What God said was that he must give all his royalties from a new book toward the tuition of a needy student. What makes me sad about the article is not that it isn’t true or didn’t happen. What’s sad is that it really does give the impression that extra-biblical communication with God is surpassingly wonderful and faith-deepening. All the while, the supremely-glorious communication of the living God which personally and powerfully and transformingly explodes in the receptive heart through the Bible everyday is passed over in silence.
I am sure this professor of theology did not mean it this way, but what he actually said was, “For years I’ve taught that God still speaks, but I couldn’t testify to it personally. I can only do so now anonymously, for reasons I hope will be clear” (emphasis added). Surely he does not mean what he seems to imply—that only when one hears an extra-biblical voice like, “The money is not yours,” can you testify personally that God still speaks. Surely he does not mean to belittle the voice of God in the Bible which speaks this very day with power and truth and wisdom and glory and joy and hope and wonder and helpfulness ten thousand times more decisively than anything we can hear outside the Bible.
I grieve at what is being communicated here. The great need of our time is for people to experience the living reality of God by hearing his word personally and transformingly in Scripture. Something is incredibly wrong when the words we hear outside Scripture are more powerful and more affecting to us than the inspired word of God. Let us cry with the psalmist, “Incline my heart to your word” (Psalm 119:36). “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). Grant that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened to know our hope and our inheritance and the love of Christ that passes knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 1:18; 3:19). O God, don’t let us be so deaf to your word and so unaffected with its ineffable, evidential excellency that we celebrate lesser things as more thrilling, and even consider this misplacement of amazement worthy of printing in a national magazine.
Still hearing his voice in the Bible,

John Piper

Is "Heaven is for Real" for real?

2011-11-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

I finally found time to sit down and read the book, “Heavenis for Real,” by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent. I hadn’t really had any desire todo so, since I figured I kind of new what was coming. The subtitle, “A littleboy’s astounding story of his trip to heaven and back” sort of spills the beansas to what will be found between its bright yellow and orange covers (completewith a picture of little Colton). After a few requests from members of mycongregation, however, I dove in and after two sessions, had it finished off.

To give my impressions of it, I think it needs to be dealtwith on different levels.

First, just as a piece of literature. From this level I haveto say that the book is just awful. I hate to be so blunt, but in my opinion,it is. It just reads like it was written not only about 4 year old Colton, but byhim. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

The most irritating aspect of the book is the repetitivenature of the events. Apart from the description of the actual events that leadto the youngster’s “trip to heaven and back,” the book follows an eventuallypredictable cycle; Either a question is asked (an open ended one, the father iskeen to remind the reader), or, more often than not, Colton just out of theblue says something that he could not have possibly known, regarding either theevents of the time he was in surgery or, more often, the layout of heaven, theattire of the trinity, relatives he had never met and God’s attitude towardthings; after that comes an dramatic reaction by Colton’s father, “That sentmy head spinning,” “My heart skipped a beat,” and so on (and on, and on . . .),which leads to a question of clarification and more revelation from Colton’stime in heaven.

This literary device just gets very old quickly andcontinues through the whole book.

The use of italics to set off the father’s thoughts alsowears on one after a while.

And that’s the good news about the book.

Of course the controversy (there IS controversy about thisbook, isn’t there?) and the purpose of the book is found in the content of what is recorded. This is not(purportedly) a work of fiction, these are presented as real events. How shouldwe react to what is put forward by the author?

The second level of evaluating the book, as I see it, is thequestion, “is it factual?” from the point of view of experience. Did ColtonBurpo really experience the physical trauma that the book records, and did thethings he is recorded as saying actually come from the mouth of this youngster,or from the imagination of the authors?

That question I am unable to answer. I see no reason on theface of it to doubt Mr. Burpo, apart from ones that would seriously impugn hischaracter, which I have no intention of doing, and yet . . .

But that fact makes the book all the more difficult to dealwith.

Which brings us to the third aspect of the book, itstheological aspect. The questions are numerous; Do people die and then comeback to life? If they do, do they go to heaven (or hell) and then get sent back?Are the things that Colton relates about his experience in line with the Bible?What would be the purpose of this miraculous report? Why from a three year old?

Do people have these near death experiences? We hear aboutthem every once in a while. As of late they have become much more common . . .and much more profitable. I wonder if there is a correlation between the two. Isuspect so.

According to the summary of the hospital records supplied inthe book, though, Colton didn’t die, so this is not a “there and back again”experience.

Three year old Colton, on whose word we are supposed toaccept the rest of the experience, says “I died. But just for a little bit.” I’mnot sure which we are supposed to accept, and it ends up not really mattering.

The father goes on to bring to mind the two episodes in theBible when people saw heaven without dying, Paul (2 Corinthians 12) and John onthe island of Patmos (the book of Revelation). My inference here is that this ismeant to “explain” how it could be that his son experienced what he experienced.

So now this is not even a traumatic near-death (or “shorttime death”) experience, this is just a vision that happened while the threeyear old was under general anesthesia; a vision of heaven and God and Christand the angels and the end of time etc.

So it is on par with what the Apostle John received when hereceived a vision (or series of vision) when he was “in the Spirit on theLord’s day.”

In a way this is helpful, since now we don’t have to dealhere with the whole dying and coming back problem (and it is a big problem).This was a vision, except that it wasn’t a vision. It is presented as a “tripto heaven.” It is presented as something that really happened. So this toddlerhad an experience better than John’s, more on par with the apostle Paul, a man“who was caught up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2).

The interesting and greatly problematic question in thisconnection is, are we to assume that whereas Paul; writer of scripture, Apostleof God to the Gentiles, recorder of 2/3 of the New Testament was expressly forbidden from revealing anything he had seen on his “trip toheaven,” that Colton Burpo, three year old son of a Wesleyan minister was givena similar trip and allowed to speak of what he saw (in fact given messages tobring back), all interpreted through the grid of a three year old’sunderstanding and ability to explain. So, for example, the eternal wounds ofChrist who died for our sins are “markers,” like from a felt pen.

A further question is what is the message that is revealedas a result of Colton’s trip, and by the book. The message shared by Coltonseems tailor-made for the Burpo family. This is not a message for the church,or even an evangelistic message (like the rich man hoped for, when he askedthat Lazarus be sent to warn his brothers), but seems mainly to have been toshock Colton’s mom and dad, and to comfort them to learn that their miscarriedbaby and “Pop” (Colton’s grandfather) are in heaven having a good time.

As a side “benefit” (sarcasm intended) it gives the smalland reckless Colton a “healthy” (sarcasm intended again) lack of fear or evencaution around moving vehicles. When he darts out into the middle of a parkinglot and is scolded by his dad and lectured about the danger of getting hit by acar, he responds, “Oh good! That means I get to go back to heaven!” Great.

In addition to Colton’s experience of the throne room of Godthere is thrown in for good measure, a vision of the end of times, albeit apeculiar one; one in which not all Christians are involved in the ongoing fightagainst the powers of darkness, but only the men. “The women and children gotto stand back and watch . . . but the men, they had to fight.”

Again, this is the bottom line, what is the purpose of thismiraculous and moving report of heaven? What has God told us or not told us in hisexcellent word about heaven that is in need of either correction oraugmentation by the report of a three year old, or a thirty three year old forthat matter? The answer is “Nothing.” God’s word is complete. We don’t need anaddendum to the Bible called “Heaven is for real.” If you are not convincedthat heaven is for real from the words of Christ and His apostles in thescripture, you are not going to be convinced by the word of Colton Burpo. Thisseems to be the thought behind these kinds of books. We need something morethan the Bible to really grab hold of people, really twist their emotions toget them to really accept the things the Bible teaches. What a sad statement about our evaluation ofGod’s word.

One of the testimonials on the back of my paperback copy ofthe book says, “Heaven is for Realwill forever change the way you think of eternity.” Therein lies the greatdanger of this book and books like it. It presents a distorted (at best)picture of heaven, removes the consideration of it from its proper context, anddistorts biblical data, in some cases seriously. One example will suffice.During one of Colton’s recitations of his travels he says that he saw Godsitting on a throne. It is bad enough to report that God the Father, whomheaven and earth cannot contain (2 Chronicles 2:6), and who does not have abody (John 4:24), who no man has seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:16) is able tosit on a physical throne and be seen in his fullness by a little sinful humanboy; but then he reports matter-of-factly that not only does Jesus sit on athrone at his right hand (a glimpse of orthodoxy) but that Gabriel sits on a throne at God’s left hand. Angels do not sit inthe presence of God, they stand. The only theology that has Gabriel sitting ona throne is not Christian, but Muslim.

In the end, this book is not cute, it is not well written,it is not biblical. Its method is crude, its purpose is lost, its message isconfused, and its facts are a dangerous mixture of bible quotes andmisinterpretations of much of what the Bible has to say about the hereafter.

Christians, and anyone wanting to gain a Christianperspective on heaven, will do very well to stay far away from this book. Irecommend the Book written by the one who created heaven, and the one who camefrom there and ascended back, who went to prepare a place for his people there,and who will come back and receive us to Himself and take us there. Read theBible. There are also plenty of good books which open up the teaching ofscripture in a responsible way. One suggestion is the aptly titled “BiblicalTeaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell” by Edward Donnelly, published by Bannerof Truth. You can get through Monergism Books, a great resource for books onall subject related to Christian doctrine.

Pastor Gene

Gaining and Keeping the Hearts of Our Young People

2011-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

In our men's study breakfast this past month we discussed the importance of having a biblical mindset in the critical task of raising our children. We talked about the importance of Proverbs 23:26, "My son, give me your heart." Notice it does not say to give me your obedience or give me your physical presence (as noted by the author of the book we are studying), but "give me your heart."
That is the challenge, isn't it, to gain the hearts of our children. It cannot be done without much prayer (with and for our children) and much time spent with them (the modern mantra of "quality time instead of quantity time" is an un-biblical idea).
One of the greatest tragedies that a Christian parent can face is to see their child come to their teenage years and reject the faith. But how do we do all that we can to see that does not happen? Obviously we can't guarantee that it won't, even if we apply ourselves biblically to the task. Even those who have done all the "right things" to encourage their children to "give me your heart" have no absolute divine promise that such children will remain in the church, though we pray that they will.
The other day I came across a really insightful and rightly-focused article on the Christian Coalition's blog. It takes a fresh and helpful approach; instead of considering those who have left, and trying to see "what went wrong?" he considers those who have stayed in the church and to whom God has given a vital faith and asks the question, "what went right?" What is it that sets apart the kids who stay in the church?
Give this a read. If you are a Christian parent of young children be sure to give this a read.

Here is the link.

Blessings,
Pastor Gene

Casey Anthony, Justice, and You

2011-07-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

If you heard a strange sound around 11:00 this morning (July 5) what you likely heard was the nation's collective jaw dropping as the verdicts in the Casey Anthony murder trial were read in Florida.

After the biggest media circus trial since the O.J. Simpson trial, the jury, after a deliberation of only 10 hours, returned Not Guilty verdicts on all the counts except for the "relatively minor" charge of lying to police (that this is a minor offense in the eyes of man can be the topic of a future post). After adjusting for time served, Casey Anthony could be back out partying before the end of the week.

The shock at the verdicts was palpable, and the pundit reactions were immediate and forceful. How could this happen?
Let me add this right here, I am not going to re-try the case here. I have my own thoughts, like everyone else, but my purpose is not to rehash or second-guess the jury's verdict.

As it was quickly pointed out, the jury (who collectively refused to talk to the media -- good for them!) did not say that Ms. Anthony was innocent, but only that the State failed to prove her guilt of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. Hair splitting? Perhaps, but perhaps not.

Why does this concern us? For us Christians especially, the idea that justice has failed to be done in this case is at the forefront. We have a visceral reaction to the thought of a murderer getting away with his/her crime, especially when the victim was a child, and especially especially when the victim was the accused's own daughter. If Casey is indeed, as the vast majority of people believe, factually (if not legally) guilty, then she is a monster of the worst sort and a picture of the depths of human depravity.

But what if she is not? What if the media and the for-hire legal news station contributors are wrong? To be perfectly objective, we don't know. Despite the police work and the legal team preparations and the arguments presented in court and analyzed ad nauseum by the cable news folks, we don't know what happened. We don't know all the facts, or who was lying and why. All that we seem to know for sure is that the Anthony family is deeply in need of God's grace and the work of His Spirit.

So how should we as Christians respond to today's verdicts? Three things came immediately to my mind after learning of the verdicts and they are these:

1. If Casey Anthony is actually, in reality, innocent, as a jury of her peers has concluded, then we can and should rejoice that justice was done, and that an innocent mother, faced with the accusation of having done the absolute worst thing that a mother could be accused of doing, has been vindicated and will be able to get on with her life, though tragically minus her daughter, and we can pray that the Lord will use this situation in His way and His timing to convert this daughter of Eve, and redeem her from her sin and give to her life eternal.

2. If Casey is in fact guilty, and did kill her daughter, and somehow a skilled defense team, through the well-spun web of lies, re-directions, and massaging of evidence both circumstantial and forensic, has fooled the jury, and fooled the system, we can rest in the certain knowledge that they, and she, has most assuredly not fooled God. Like so many others who have duped the world, it remains an unalterable truth that "God is not mocked." "'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:19). The Almighty is not in the habit of forgetting, and though justice may be delayed, it is not avoided.

3. Let none of us think that we are, before the judgment bar of Holy God, any more innocent than Casey Anthony or Susan Smith, or O.J. Simpson, or Jefferey Dahmer, or any of the countless figures throughout history who are infamous for having done unspeakable things.

We are all sinners. The best of us are as worthy of death as the worst of us; and I don't mean just death by lethal injection or electrocution, but eternal death in an eternal hell. We are all lawbreakers, and were each "storing up wrath for the day of wrath."

But for us, Christian, God has been gracious. Jesus Christ, who, on the last day will serve as judge, jury, and executioner, has come down from the bench, and bared His own arm to the lethal injection of the wrath of the Holy God against sin. He took God the Father's just and righteous wrath, which is the sentence for all who sin ("the wages of sin is death") (Romans 6:23).

We need not despair when it appears to us that justice has not been served. It will be, if not sooner, then certainly later.

Glorifying God in Your Work

2011-06-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

I picked up this bit of wisdom from John Piper's blog the other day.
I'm reminded of the statement that is often attributed to Martin Luther, erroneously it turns out, but a proper understanding nonetheless; namely, that if you are a shoemaker, make the best shoe you can for the glory of God. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Some good practical advice. The link is below.

12 Ways to Glorify God at Work

What is Pastor Gene Reading?

2011-06-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

I thought it may be of some interest, especially to members of my congregation, to know what books I am currently reading, and have read recently.

Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be - Kevin DeYoung, Ted Kluck

I have been doing quite a bit of reading online regarding the Emergent Church when I came across this book by a couple of guys from west Michigan, one of whom is a pastor in a Reformed church. It is a helpful, and a think fair-handed treatment of the Emergent church "conversation."

Love Wins - Rob Bell

One of the hottest books out . . . and one of the most controversial, and with good reason. Rob Bell, the author of Velvet Elvis, has taken a further step in demonstrating how far he is from orthodox Christianity. In taking notes on the book as I read it, my ongoing thought was where does one begin in critiquing the book and its teaching. Every pastor should read this book, but only to be able to intelligently interact with it and as a watchman on the wall, to warn those under his care to keep as far away from this unbiblical and thoroughly dangerous book.

Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth About the Antichrist - Kim Riddlebarger

A great book on the theology. The title really says everything that needs to be said about the content of the book. Kim Riddlebarger (some of you may know him as one of the hosts of the White Horse Inn) has done a fine job of wading through the texts concerning the mysterious figure of the antichrist and presenting it at a popular level.

A Praying Life - Paul E. Miller

Just got started on this one, on the recommendation of a blogger that I read and respect. A book on prayer is certainly something we could all stand to read.

The Masculine Mandate - Richard D. Phillips

I'm reading this one along with the men of our congregation as we go through it at a monthly study / breakfast. It is refreshing, biblical look at manhood and masculinity. Phillips bucks the trend of evangelical treatments of masculinity; books such as "Wild at Heart" by John Eldridge and presents a scripture-centered look. The book is really an expanded exposition and application of Genesis 2:15.
I, and the other men, are enjoying working through it.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

I include this one for the sake of completeness. I don't get to read too many novels, but when my wife Cindy finished reading this bestseller I thought it would be a good read, and it was.

Pastor Gene

Cremation and Christians

2011-06-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is a question I have been asked and answered many times, "is it acceptable for Christians to be cremated?"
It is a sensitive issue, and an option that is becoming more common as funeral expenses (along with everything else) continue to skyrocket.
I came across a post over at Ligonier Ministries website and thought I would share it with you.
The question it addresses is "does the Bible say anything about cremation?" and it opens with this interesting statement, "No. Cremation, however, may have something to say about the Bible"
Intrigued? If so, check out the link here, and I'll leave the comments open so we can discuss it if you wish.

Pastor Gene

Acceptable Methods of Birth Control (VoF)

2011-05-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

The Voices of Faith question for this week was simple, "What is your view of birth control?"

Several biblical principles come into play to answer this question from the Christian perspective. Two separate questions actually need to be answered; Is birth control a Christian option at all, and if so, which methods fit with a Christian worldview?

As to the first question, is it an option for Christians to limit the size of their family? Though it seems like an obvious answer, there are some Christians who believe that the only form of Christian family planning is no family planning. It is certainly true that one of the purposes of marriage, though certainly not the only one, is procreation, and the scripture says that “children are a heritage from the Lord" (Psalm 127:3).
That being said, once they are born the must be cared for, and to have more children than you can sufficiently care for is irresponsible or worse, since "if anyone does not provide for . . . members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8). A couple is not pleasing God who have more children than they can adequately provide for.

Since this is the case, the question of acceptable methods of birth control is one that we should give some thought to.
At the beginning, and the base, of such a discussion is the Bible's teaching that from the point of conception children are “real,” not “potential,” persons, and destroying any fertilized egg is effectively murder and contrary to God’s law.
Birth control methods, therefore, that act by preventing fertilization such as various barrier methods (condoms, diaphragms), spermicides, and the "rhythm method," are lawful, since they prevent pregnancy as opposed to terminate it.
Any methods, however, that terminate a pregnancy at any stage, including those that function by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg, are not options for any Christian. Popular contemporary methods of these forbidden means of taking life include IUD's and RU486.

There is one other category of birth control that is a more difficult case, that is the variety of oral contraceptives and patches that are so popular today that utilize hormones. The problem with these is that the mechanism is either not clearly understood, or they work by a combination of preventing ovulation and by rendering the uterus incapable of sustaining a pregnancy, which puts such drugs in a dangerous "fuzzy" area. These methods are therefore not an option for Christians.

Throughout this post I have referring to Christians and contraceptive methods acceptable for them, but the regulations of the law of God regarding the preservation of life has reference to all people. It is no more acceptable for a non-Christian to terminate a pregnancy than it is for a Christian.

Finally, it should be mentioned that for non-married people there is one and only one biblical option, abstinence.

PG

The Christian's Response to Bin Laden's Death (VoF)

2011-05-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

First, let me say that I was as glad as everyone else to get the news (in my case via a text from my sister) on May 1 that Osama bin Laden had been found and killed.

As the news spread and reports began to come in I have to say that I was uneasy with many of the scenes of celebration throughout our country. Not the joy at seeing justice done, which I'm sure was part of the emotional mix, but the party atmosphere that has since been described as "spiking the football" and a "Super Bowl party" (Why so many football analogies). It just didn't sit well with me as many people, many of which were very young (if around at all) when 9/11 happened, danced around looking like they were just happy to have found another reason to party.
I asked myself at the time, "what is the proper response that I, as a Christian, should have to the news." I was happy then when Voices of Faith changed their regularly scheduled question to ask how a "person of faith" (the newspaper phrases their questions very broadly) should respond to bin Laden's death.

In talking to people since then, I know that many Christians have struggled with how they should respond to bin Laden's death, and as I have thought (and read others' thoughts) about it, it is clear that it is an issue that doesn't have a single, simple answer. Our responsibility as Christians is to think God's thoughts after him. A few thoughts on what this means for us:

The scripture tells us that God himself has said, "As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live;" (Ezekiel 33:11). We should share this reaction. We would rather have seen bin Laden's repentance than his execution. Bin Laden spent his adult life not only carrying out and ordering others to carry out unspeakable acts against other human beings, but he also spent his life in idolatrous rebellion against God. He trafficked in the most extreme sect of a false religion, daily storing up wrath against himself for the day of wrath.

While he lived, there was always a chance that God, in his inexplicable and boundless mercy, would grant repentance to this man who was still made in God's image, as warped and corrupted as it was. We might think that bin Laden was beyond salvation, but we should quickly remember that God is sovereign and he has saved countless people that humanly speaking were beyond redemption. God is mighty to save. When you think about it, if he can save me, he can save anyone.
With his death bin Laden's opportunity for repenting of his sin and rebellion is now past. That is not something to celebrate.

On the other hand, to see temporal justice being meted out on evil is certainly a cause for rejoicing. In Exodus 15:1, speaking regarding the destruction of Pharaoh's army said, "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea." Justice is part of the nature of God as well, and to see evil overcome is praiseworthy.

Finally, God's word assures us that government functions as "the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer" (Rom 13:4).
Vengeance is not for us to seek individually, but judgment on evil, even through the agency of our Special-Ops forces is a cause for thankful praise to our holy God.

Let me conclude with a quote from Proverbs 24 that gives wonderful instruction, for us as well as for any who may follow in the late terrorists footprints:

[15] Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;

do no violence to his home;

[16] for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,

but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

[17] Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

[18] lest the LORD see it and be displeased,

and turn away his anger from him.

[19] Fret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not envious of the wicked,

[20] for the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

[21] My son, fear the LORD and the king,

and do not join with those who do otherwise,

[22] for disaster will arise suddenly from them,

and who knows the ruin that will come from them both? (ESV)

PG

A Word About "Voices of Faith"

2011-05-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Part of the purpose of this portion of our website is to expand on my "Voices of Faith" (VoF) answers. Some of you, however, may have no idea what VoF is, so here is a brief explanation.

Our local newspaper here in Redding, the Record Searchlight, runs a feature each Saturday called Voices of Faith. For this feature the paper has assembled a panel of writers from widely divergent religious positions (Jewish, Muslim, Christian Science, Unitarian, Anglican) as well as several Christian denominations. I write each week presenting a reformed Christian perspective.

The questions are given to the writers in advance, and each person submits their answers, which appear in the next issue of the feature. The catch is that we are limited to 150 words. While this forces us to be concise, it is often a bit too restrictive for us (for me at least) to give a good answer. In those cases, and since I know that many people read VoF, I thought that this forum would give an opportunity to expand a bit on some answers.

You will not find an expansion of the answer to every question here (some of the questions are, to be honest, quite inane), but occasionally I'll want to flesh things out a little more.

If a post is an expansion on a Voices of Faith article, I'll flag it with (VoF) in the title.

PG

Well, here we are . . .

2011-05-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new blog. I plan for this to be a repository for a few different types of information:

Extended answers to some of the "Voices of Faith" questions from the Record Searchlight.
In answering the questions posed by the editors, we are limited to 150 words. Now, if you have ever done any writing, you know that 150 words is about the length of one good paragraph, and in trying to answer the questions in such a way as to give clear distinctions between the Christian view and the views of the myriad of other "faith communities" represented in the feature, it is hardly every enough. Though it does serve as an exercise in being concise.
Here I won't have that restriction, so I will take the opportunity to give longer answers.
(By the way that explanation I just gave was 114 words -- and I really didn't say much of anything, so you can see how restrictive 150 words is).
Reflections or thoughts that I have on topics of interest to our church and to the Christian community at large.
During the week, in addition to preparation for Sunday worship service, various Bible studies, meetings, administrative duties, visiting members and potential members, writing ads, and so on, I try to keep up on what is going on in God's world and in the church. I'll try to be consistent in sharing with you some of those things, and try to give a biblical perspective on them.
Suggested further reading for you.
As I read the books and magazine that I do, and as I wander through cyberspace during the week, and read blogs and stories from across the web, I will share some of them here. There are many good, Christian writers and bloggers out there, and I will try to pass some of their wisdom along to you. As well as steer you away from those that are wastes of time or downright dangerous to your spiritual health.
Limited interactions with comments.
Comments from members of my own church, Redding Reformed Fellowship will always be addressed either on the blog or in person. I am also happy to respond to honest questions or challenges to specific views I hold and present. I am especially happy to talk with people concerning Christ and their need for the forgiveness of sins that comes only through Him.
However, I have neither the time nor the inclination to enter into the time-pits of continuing debates with those who seem to have time for nothing else.

So read and enjoy. "Follow" us, "Like" us, Subscribe to our RSS, do all of those things that today's social media would have you do to show support for us and to spread the word about Redding Reformed Fellowship and especially about Jesus Christ, the only hope for the world and the folks in it.

Pastor Gene