Category: Bible Knowledge

Last week Donald Trump tweeted the following: “How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is dishonest”. You might not take Trump seriously and already understand that the practice of politicians using faith to score points is nothing new, but his comment does lead us to think about some of the common mistakes people make when they think about Christians. We’re perfect We are definitely not perfect. And we know that we’re not. We still sin like everyone else but Jesus came to save people just like us. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” (Luke 19:10) We know that we’ll never be perfect but that’s ok because Jesus already died for us so we can go ahead and do whatever we want Although it’s not a case of doing good to get into heaven, we endeavour to be more like Christ because he paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, and because of the gift of God’s grace, (Ephesians 2:8-10). We judge others all the time Although we can identify sinful behaviour, as Christians it’s not our place to judge others. When a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus, he said: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7) We’re no fun Living as a Christian doesn’t mean that we’re stripped of our personalities. Christians can be just as much fun as anyone else. The Bible is full of examples of joy and although we’re not always happy, we have a lot to be happy about. We spend our time plotting to convert everyone to Christianity Sharing news of God’s grace and love is important to us as Christians but it doesn’t mean that we spend every waking moment constantly figuring out how we can turn every single person we come across into a believer. We’re anti-science and we believe everything in the Bible in a literal sense Most Christians believe that science and Christianity are compatible. Francis Collins, the Christian scientist who was appointed head of the National Institutes of Health by President Barack Obama, sums this up well: “I have found there is a wonderful harmony in the complementary truths of science and faith. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome.” Some Christians interpret the Bible in a literal sense but many understand the Bible through a mixture of literal and figurative interpretation. We only read the New Testament The Old Testament, along with the New Testament, is crucial in revealing to us God’s nature and helps us understand the whole story of God’s love and grace. We only go to church on Sundays There are many Christian denominations and not all of them attend church on Sundays. For example, Seventh Day Adventists celebrate the Sabbath on Saturdays and Catholics attend Mass on Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings. In between all that Christians go to church throughout the week for various reasons.

Addressing the first converts of the early church, Peter said according to Acts 2:38, “…Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.“ You will receive the Holy Spirit. It’s inevitable that when you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit takes a place in you. And it’s true because after all, as Paul says, we were meant to be temples of the Spirit of God. Humans are very well spiritual beings before we are physical beings. Man is flesh, soul and spirit all at the same time, and while it’s important to build an awareness of a lifestyle that builds on our spirituality, there can also be an extreme to the belief. To embrace our spirituality means that we embrace the idea that without the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish nothing. And it’s important that we have a very firm grasp of this because even being to “spiritual” can remove us of the enabling power of the spirit of God. However, many Christians today tend to over-mystify living in the Spirit by placing too much emphasis on signs, wonders and manifestations pushing God’s will into the background. As a result, some will think that just because demons don’t manifest, mouths don’t foam or jewels and gold don’t appear, God isn’t moving. There is nothing wrong with seeking signs and wonders and by all means we should strive to see God move miraculously. However, the pursuit of signs and wonders must never overshadow the ultimate pursuit of God. How are we to have a healthy view of our spirituality without losing the essence of what it means to be spiritual? Spirit-empowered but rooted in the Word God’s truth exists not only in prophecies, words of knowledge and discernment, but also in the written Word of God. In fact, God’s prophetic words will never go against what has already been written in scripture. That’s why it’s healthy to weigh out spiritual movement with the Word of God. Spirit-empowered but practical To be spiritual means to believe that God can move miraculously in the area of healing, but also firmly acknowledging that God can do so by miraculously working through doctors, medication and proper diet and exercise. God is Spirit and therefore is power, but He is also truth and thus exists in the realm of form. Spirit-empowered but not distracted Many Christians can get too distracted by signs and wonders, and may often conclude that when people don’t get healed or congregations don’t get slain that God doesn’t appear. Remember that the greatest miracle happened through a seemingly normal Baby Boy who was born in a stable and who would become the Saviour of the whole world.

How valuable are we? In the eyes of others that worth can be very variable depending on what they can get out of you, but in the eyes of God you’re worth more than you think you are. Economics teaches us that the value of something is highly dependent on how much someone would be willing to pay for it. If we follow this principle when determining our self-worth then we are worth a whole lot because God was willing to pay for the price of His own Son’s life to have you. So if I am that valuable to God, why do some people feel worthless? It’s too much of a reality to deny that people are losing hope, losing peace and losing their very lives to the lie that they aren’t that valuable. Here are 4 lies that steal our perspective of just how valuable we are to God. Lie #1 | You are what people around you say you are People around us can look at us and see the bad things in us, and even though their observations are accurate, that doesn’t mean what they say is true. The things that we do and the things that people see us do do not reflect our worth at all. It may show our performance, our responsibility and our trustworthiness, but never our worth. God has determined your worth, and He says your worth enough to be called sons and daughters, and sons and daughters never lose worth based on what outsiders think. John 15:15 says, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Lie #2 | Your net worth determines your overall worth The world can lie to us by saying that our bank accounts and net worth determine how much we are truly worth. According to Gift Economy, 23.6 percent of the deaths amongst the wealthy from 2008 to 2010 were cause by suicide. People who base their worth on their wealth are blinded because only the blood of Christ is payment enough to determine how much you are worth. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Lie #3 | Your failure affects your self-worth When we fail, we can feel like we become worth less compared to when we were successful. That is far from the truth. Even when man fails and misses the mark, God loves us and makes a way to build us up. In fact, it is his grace that makes us successful and not our own works, and even when we fail, God never fails. Lamentations 3:22 promises to us that “because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.” Lie #4 | Your sin has destroyed your identity Some people get caught up in their past and still others are haunted by the struggles they presently face thinking that our sin degrades our worht. And, yes, sin can be destructive and it does have the power to steal and destroy our worth and even our lives, but God gives life irregardless because He knows you’re worth it. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”

I once paid a visit to a friend of mine at his home. It was a beautiful and huge house with many rooms and my friend was happy enough go give me and a couple of other visitors a tour. He showed us all the rooms except for one that remained shut the whole time and had a big red “No Entry” sign on it. That was because that was where my friend kept his eighty-pound German Shepherd. When he told us all that, no one even bothered to check that room out. It’s so funny how many Christians find themselves in a spiritual parallel with this house visit. God takes us around a tour through life and shows us all sorts of wonderful things, but many people keep their eyes glued to that shut door that is shut tight. We want that door opened and we ask God constantly to open it for us, and the sad part is some people pry that door open on our own only to find an eighty-pound heap of trouble pounce on us. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we are to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” When God closes a door, he closes it for a good reason and that is because He has a path already set out for you. He knows which way you are to go to fulfil His good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives, but sometimes we just want to “lean on our own understanding.” Those shut doors could be anything for you right now. It may be a business venture, a relationship, a ministry opportunity, a client or a job offer. When God closes that door, He closes it because He loves you and has all the best intentions to protect and guide you. He is our Shepherd constantly guiding us to green pastures and still waters. Often it’s easy to fall for the trap of thinking that we know what’s best for ourselves. Though are intentions may be right, good intentions without the trust of the Lord can only bring trouble. We must always trust that God knows best because this life was always His from the beginning. When He bought us by the price of His own Son, it wasn’t because you deserved it but because He loves you and wants to make your paths straight. What closed door is God allowing you to face today? Have you trusted in God to open the right doors for you or are you still prying your own doors open?

We all need rest and the chance to be still. For many of us today, life is very, very busy. If we’re at work, we might not know when to stop. We struggle with a work-life balance. Outside work we might face the demands of family life. Church sometimes doesn’t help; there are always meetings to go to and jobs to do. The day seems too full and we feel we need to take a break, but we feel guilty. The Bible is much more generous to us than we sometimes allow it to be. It doesn’t load us with guilt for not being productive at every moment of the day. It teaches us that rest is good, and that building a proper rhythm of work and rest into our week is both good for our bodies and spirits and honouring to God. So here are 10 Bible verses from the NIV about rest, drawing on Psalms, Proverbs and the Old Testament. 1. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work (Genesis 2:2). 2. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure (Psalm 16:9). 3. Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him (Psalm 62:1). 4. Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him (Psalm 62:5). 5. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). 6. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you (Psalm 116:7). 7. The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble (Proverbs 19:23). 8. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). 9. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). 10. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence (1 John 3:19).

4 ways evangelicals have destroyed their own movement The Evangelical Christian movement that was committed to spreading the gospel no longer exists in America. Rather, it has morphed into a demographic subset with certain belief and behavior patterns that, day in and day out, have very little to do with any historical conception of what it meant to be an evangelical – even if some exceptions still “evangelise.” Evangelicalism generally exists today in order to preserve itself and its institutions or to advance the agendas of people who happen to be committed to preserving evangelicalism and its institutions. A movement that began with preachers standing on boxes in the fields and riding from one town to another to preach the gospel has now fragmented, and evangelical leaders have adopted the agendas of politicians and theologians as their own personal preservation projects. This is a far cry from the historical roots of evangelicalism in the 1700s and its resurgence in the 1950s. Evangelical Christianity saw some of its most significant growth under the preaching and vision of John Wesley and George Whitfield, who traveled far and wide preaching the gospel. In his book, How To Pray: The Best of John Wesley on Prayer, Wesley shared: “I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God’s creational intentions.” Note how Wesley says nothing about “godly leaders” or “moral values.” Modern day evangelicals still look back to the ministry of evangelist Billy Graham as the gold standard for what it means to be an “evangelical.” Graham shared his heart in an interview: “I want to tell people about the meaning of the cross. Not the cross that hangs on the wall or around someone’s neck, but the real cross of Christ… With all my heart I want to leave you with the truth, that he loves you, and is willing to forgive you of all your sins.” It’s worth noting that Billy Graham deeply regretted the times he got involved in politics, especially with Richard Nixon. While these statements from evangelists who defined the evangelical movement capture the heart of evangelicalism, theologian Roger Olson gives us a more concrete picture of what evangelical Christianity is: “Historically, theologically, and spiritually it is a trans-denominational movement of mostly Protestant Christians who share belief in the necessity of a personal decision for Christ for authentic Christianity. It is a movement that emphasises the Bible as supernaturally and uniquely inspired and authoritative for faith and practice. It is a movement that believes salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. It is a movement that practices evangelism and social transformation in a variety of ways. Finally, it is a movement that values traditional basic Christian beliefs.” Evangelicalism started and thrived as a movement that shared the message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to save us from the power of sin and death and addressed social needs such as ending the slave trade, opening orphanages and schools, and providing hospitals where there were none. Today, evangelicalism has fragmented into a political voting block rather than a movement for sharing the gospel. Several key factors are driving the dissolution of evangelicalism in America: Using evangelical platforms for political ends It’s no secret that Republican candidates see Liberty University, a school that at least has evangelical roots (I’m not sure how evangelical it is any more), as a key platform for launching their campaigns and speaking to voters. While there is something to be said for inviting leading public figures to engage in debates and discourse in a university setting, we have to admit that Liberty has become more of a campaign platform that political leaders can use to spread their own messages rather than a platform for preaching the gospel. If you want to destroy evangelicalism, keep using evangelical platforms to spread the messages of politicians. Politicians will keep coming to us because they understand the influence of evangelicals better than we do. Evangelical leaders aligning themselves with political leaders Evangelicals have long abandoned a prophetic role in society where they remain neutral in the midst of political debates. Whether it’s Jerry Falwell Jr. openly endorsing Donald Trump or Rick Warren giving a “Wink, Wink” endorsement of Marco Rubio by joining an advisory committee, evangelicals are using their personal influence for the sake of presidential hopefuls rather than the gospel. This diverts their attention and waters down their potency as messengers of the gospel as their politics create yet another wedge between themselves and those listening to their preaching. Unlike Paul, who viewed himself as a soldier for Christ who was duty bound to avoid any distractions or secondary causes, evangelicals tangled up in politics continue to divert attention away from the cause of Christ. Mind you, the Bible does not prohibit Christian leaders from engaging in voting and civic activities according to their convictions. But it’s the misuse of their power for a cause other than Christ, and even the potential confusion of a political cause with the cause of Christ, that’s the issue. Using the gospel to save America rather than using America to preach the gospel Our religious freedom gives us tremendous opportunities to speak boldly and openly about the new life found in Jesus. We are free to serve and love others in the public sphere because of our faith. However, many American evangelicals have turned this around and used the gospel as a tool to save America from God’s judgment. Rather than using America’s freedom to advance the gospel, they are putting America first by employing the gospel as a cultural modification tool. While culture warriors would point us to the stories of the Kings of Israel and Judah as justification, there is no evidence in the Gospels, book of Acts, or epistles that Christians came remotely close to this misuse of the gospel…