What You Believe Matters - Part 3: Spine Issues

 

02-07-2022

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose.When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out loudly, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household…and he rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire household,” Acts 16:25-31; 35b.

Author and speaker Ken Davis shares the following true story: “In college I was asked to prepare a lesson to teach my speech class. We were to be graded on our creativity and ability to drive home a point in a memorable way. The title of my talk was, "The Law of the Pendulum." I spent 20 minutes carefully teaching the physical principle that governs a swinging pendulum. The law of the pendulum is: A pendulum can never return to a point higher than the point from which it was released. Because of friction and gravity, when the pendulum returns, it will fall short of its original release point. Each time it swings it makes less and less of an arc, until finally it is at rest. This point of rest is called the state of equilibrium, where all forces acting on the pendulum are equal.

“I attached a 3-foot string to a child's toy top and secured it to the top of the blackboard with a thumbtack. I pulled the top to one side and made a mark on the blackboard where I let it go. Each time it swung back I made a new mark. It took less than a minute for the top to complete its swinging and come to rest. When I finished the demonstration, the markings on the blackboard proved my thesis.

“I then asked how many people in the room BELIEVED the law of the pendulum was true. All of my classmates raised their hands, so did the teacher. He started to walk to the front of the room thinking the class was over. In reality it had just begun. Hanging from the steel ceiling beams in the middle of the room was a large, crude but functional pendulum (250 pounds of metal weights tied to four strands of 500-pound test parachute cord.). I invited the instructor to climb up on a table and sit in a chair with the back of his head against a cement wall. Then I brought the 250 pounds of metal up to his nose. Holding the huge pendulum just a fraction of an inch from his face, I once again explained the law of the pendulum he had applauded only moments before, "If the law of the pendulum is true, then when I release this mass of metal, it will swing across the room and return short of the release point. Your nose will be in no danger."

“After that final restatement of this law, I looked him in the eye and asked, "Sir, do you believe this law is true?" There was a long pause. Huge beads of sweat formed on his upper lip and then weakly he nodded and whispered, "Yes." I released the pendulum. It made a swishing sound as it arced across the room. At the far end of its swing, it paused momentarily and started back. I never saw a man move so fast in my life. He literally dived from the table. Deftly stepping around the still-swinging pendulum, I asked the class, "Does he believe in the law of the pendulum?" The students unanimously answered, "NO!" (Ken Davis, How to Speak to Youth, pp 104-106.)

Now, I’m not sure any of us would be willing to place ourselves under a pendulum, although Edgar Allen Poe would love for Father Time to give us each a first-hand glimpse! But we all believe in the law of the pendulum…

In a very real way, all of us - every last single one of us - live our lives based on what we believe. Some beliefs change, mature, or become rejected over time…others grow stronger. Life has a funny way of teaching us what we believed yesterday is nothing more than a lie today, including spiritual beliefs.

What we were taught to believe as children - within the confines of Christianity - more often than not changes over time. Why? First and foremost, we eventually open the Bible to read, study it for ourselves - allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us, not a flawed human being. Secondly, what we were taught to be concrete facts as kids often crumble when we face struggles in life we never thought we would have to endure.

We would like to add a third reason for why our beliefs change. We have to give full credit to Beth Moore for this one. During a “Women of Joy” conference she referenced something which really ministered to Missy…and something she fleshes out a bit more in her teachings on the Psalms. Moore lays out what she calls "spine issues" and "rib issues". “Spine issues comprise the backbone of our faith. . . . disagreement may mean one of us is in Christ and the other is not...Rib issues tend to be more interpretive and less heretical,” ("Stepping Up", p.159)

In other words, we discover some ideas and issues are not as important as others. 

She goes on to give several examples, listing under "Spine Issues" beliefs such as Jesus is the only way, truth and life, and no one gets to God any other way, the resurrection is fact, and miracles did occur.  Under "Rib Issues" things such as spiritual gifts, worship styles and music, and bible versions are discussed.

Truth be told there are about 1,000 rib issues for every spine issue. Nonetheless, we cannot equivocate on spine issues. These are central to our faith and establish a sure foundation which cannot be shaken no matter what may occur in our lives. It is these which we should defend - at all costs. However, it seems the rib issues - including baptism and communion, music and lighting, etc. are what seem to consume us. It seems we major in the minors and minor in the majors.

It seems many who are leaving the church are doing so because their beliefs are changing…but primarily to the negative. Again, this is neither right or wrong - it is part of the human experience and the way God designed us. We just pray we are changed for the positive - for growth, for maturity.

Consider Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians where he openly criticized the church there as they were falling short of God’s desire for their personal growth. They were stagnant and Paul would not stand for this.

In a very disappointing manner, he regrets he could speak to them only as infants. He writes, “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready,” (1 Cor. 3:2).

God wants us to grow! God wants us to change! God wants us to grow from mere “believe because you were told to” faith, to a mature "standing on the promises" faith. He wants us to move beyond the elementary stages of milk and into the meat of the holy Scriptures. However, as we strive for a deeper spiritual life - a deeper walk, if you will - there are some truths - "spine issues" - we must cling tightly to, while there are others - "rib issues" - we should reconsider.

It’s unfortunate but for some people a “rib” issue has become a “spine” issue and a “spine” issue has become a “rib” issue. We have to be mindful of this and be compassionate to people when we wander into these areas. The healthy local fellowship will be one where there is no debate over "spine" issues and open discussion of "rib" issues. The healthy local fellowship will be one where the spine is strong and straight. It can withstand outside pressure and maintains stability and balance. Ribs do serve a purpose…they are just not primary to the function of the body of Christ. A healthy congregation knows the difference.

So, do you believe in the law of the pendulum? Good. Do you believe in God? Good…but so do demons AND they quiver and quake. Maybe, we need to strengthen our spine and eat some more meat…

Straightening Spines…

Steve and Missy

What You Believe Matters...

 

01-25-2022

This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ I posted watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’ “Therefore, listen to this, all you nations. Take note of my people’s situation. Listen, all the earth! I will bring disaster on my people. It is the fruit of their own schemes, because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word. There’s no use offering me sweet frankincense from Sheba. Keep your fragrant calamus imported from distant lands! I will not accept your burnt offerings. Your sacrifices have no pleasing aroma for me.”

Jeremiah 6:16-20 (NLT)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

I Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)

Warning: This is going to be a long post…begin at your own risk…

This past week I (Steve) read a very interesting article. It was actually a message delivered to a gathering of people who were planning on what to do next in the United Methodist Church. It is going to split some time this summer - and these individuals had come together to pray and seek what the Lord’s wisdom would be for moving forward.

The speaker, David F. Watson, is Lead Editor of Firebrand - a wonderful Wesleyan/Holiness publication (which you should find on the interwebs and subscribe to for free here: https://firebrandmag.com/). He also serves as Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. 

His presentation to the group included this incredible quote: “The world’s largest Methodist body is about to divide into at least two denominations, and with this division, the question of identity will arise for each emerging group. Who are we? We know what we’ve been against for the last fifty years, but what are we for? What will be our public witness? Other Wesleyan denominations will have to answer these questions in the years ahead as well. None will be unaffected by the relentless pressures of postmodernity, secularism, and various forms of fundamentalism, which may be progressive, conservative, or even institutionalist. However we address these matters, the Wesleyan/Methodist movement will be different in the days ahead.”

Now, you may be asking, “What does this have to do with me?” In response, we would refer you to these two statements from above - "Who are we? We know what we’ve been against for the last fifty years, but what are we for?" And, "None will be unaffected by the relentless pressures of postmodernity, secularism, and various forms of fundamentalism."

An important, not so subliminal message is here…what makes us, we who are Arminians/Wesleyans, what we are at the core of our theology? This is a very serious and life-altering question. To answer it in one letter would be superfluous (your $2 word for today).

Therefore, the next few newsletters will venture into what makes us us. However, it would make the greatest sense to look at what are the commonalities and differences between the two biggest subdivisions in Christianity (not including Catholicism).

The following comes from the Society of Evangelical Arminians and is presented by an Arminian Baptist, James M. Leonard, whose excellent work can be found at Arminianbaptist.blogspot.com.

“Over the centuries, Calvinists have so successfully vilified Arminianism that people who are Arminian are afraid to say so. This is true even though Arminianism is the default theological position of Christian Protestantism; indeed, many people are Arminian and don’t even know it, and even deny it. Arminianism is so widespread that even the strongest Calvinist churches are filled with Arminians. It is ironic, then, that people are afraid to say they’re Arminian; for example, many Independent and Southern Baptists are typically Arminian, but nonetheless often call themselves Calvinists!

The purpose of this survey is to help people who have an Arminian theology realize that they are Arminians and to help them understand that it is okay to be Arminian. The questions deal with the most pertinent issues which define Arminianism and distinguish Arminianism from Calvinism.

1. Do you believe that Jesus died for every human being?

• If you answered yes to the question, then at least you agree with one of the central tenets of Arminianism, and you would be generally unwelcome in Calvinist circles

• This is perhaps the most glaring issue which divides Calvinism and Arminianism

• Most Calvinists believe that Jesus died only for certain people, although there is some debate whether Calvin himself held this view

• If you believe that Jesus died only for those who would eventually believe, then you truly are a Calvinist and not an Arminian

2. Do you believe that humans are so depraved that they can do nothing to earn salvation and that they cannot choose to believe in Jesus without the intervention of God’s grace?

• If you answered yes, then you agree with Arminius and Arminianism

• Calvinists affirm the same doctrine, but often claim that Arminians do not, despite near, if not complete unanimity among Arminian theologians in affirming the doctrine

3. Do you believe that a person can resist the convicting power of God’s grace?

• If you answered yes, then again you affirm another one of the central tenets of Arminianism, as reflected in Jesus’ words, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I have longed to gather your children together…but you were not willing” (Matt 23:37)

• Calvinists argue that God has determined which individuals will believe; to make their faith possible, he calls them to salvation in such a way that their own wills are overpowered so that they cannot possibly resist the call to salvation

• Arminians believe that God truly wants everyone to believe; but when God enables a person to believe, he does so in such a way that the individual still can resist the convicting power of the Spirit–faith is not a necessary outcome of God’s enabling grace

4. Do you believe that you are born again when you put your faith in Jesus?

• If you answered yes, then you hold to a major tenet of Arminianism and you probably are not a Calvinist

• Calvinists believe that God must first give a person new life to enable faith; without first being made to share the new life, they think that a person cannot believe

• Arminians argue that people are not given the gift of the new life until they believe

• Arminians hold that when a person believes, he is united with Christ and only then does he partake of the new life and is born again; a person does not share in the new life without first being united with Christ by faith, for “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16)

5. Do you believe in “election?”

• If you answered yes, then you might be an Arminian

• Calvinists believe in an election independent of faith

• Arminians believe that election is “in Christ;” i.e., anyone who is “in Christ” is elect, but that faith is essential to become united with Christ. Therefore, election is conditioned upon faith

6. Do you believe in predestination?

• If you answered yes, then you might be an Arminian

• Arminians assert that believers are predestined to final salvation, not that people are predestined to believe

7. Do you believe in eternal security?

• The issue is whether people who truly believe in Jesus for salvation can possibly shipwreck their faith and forfeit their salvation, or conversely, once people have genuinely put their faith in Christ, whether their final salvation is unconditionally guaranteed

• If you answered yes and do believe in eternal security, you might be an Arminian

• There is some question of whether Arminius himself ever actually taught that believers may make shipwreck of their faith and so forfeit their salvation

• The Remonstrants—the early Arminians, people who sided with Arminius in the theological debates of 17th century Holland—originally took no position on this issue, though they ultimately came to the conclusion that believers can make shipwreck of their faith and so perish

• If you answered no and don’t believe in eternal security, then you affirm something which many Arminians strongly affirm, and you certainly would not be welcome in the Calvinist camp

• The official statement of faith of the Society of Evangelical Arminians only affirms that “persevering in faith is necessary for final salvation,” without commenting further on the possibility of making shipwreck of one’s faith.

• All Calvinists believe in unconditional eternal security (some without qualification and some because they think that faith and its continuance is due to unconditional election).

• Most Independent and Southern Baptists base their claim to be Calvinists on this sole issue and the traditional inclusion of the possibility of apostasy for genuine believers as an essential part of Arminian theology. However, in light of uncertainty among early Arminians on this issue and the fact that such Baptists agree with the Arminian position against the Calvinist one on every other point of disagreement, eternal security should not be a determining factor in the question of whether one is an Arminian or a Calvinist

8. Do you believe in the penal satisfaction view of the atonement?

• If you answered yes or if you answered no, you might be an Arminian

• The penal satisfaction view of the atonement asserts that Jesus’ death entailed a payment for sin. It assumes that the justice of God requires that sin be punished and that the just wrath of God was diverted away from deserving sinners and poured out instead upon Jesus as their substitute

• This view is held by most Calvinists and by a majority of Arminians (especially those who claim the nomenclature “Reformation Arminianism”), although some Arminians reject the notion that God punished his Son Jesus

• Arminius affirmed the penal satisfaction view of the atonement

9. Do you believe that God exhaustively knows the future?

• If you answered yes, you might be an Arminian

• Calvinists and most Arminians believe that God exhaustively knows the future.

• Some Arminians think that a denial of this doctrine is a rejection of basic Christian Theism, and that those who deny the doctrine cannot therefore be Arminian

• The Society of Evangelical Arminians affirms the doctrine, and one cannot belong to the society unless one is in agreement with it

10. Do you believe in the sovereignty of God?

• If you answered yes, then you might be an Arminian

• All Calvinists and all Arminians affirm the sovereignty of God, but they differ on God’s endowment of freedom to human beings

• Some Calvinists define sovereignty as God ordaining and predetermining all things and events, so that human choice is merely an illusion

• Some Calvinists don’t explicitly deny human freedom, but attempt to redefine it to fit their view of sovereignty

• Arminians affirm basic free will and that humans really do make genuine choices, undeniably affirming human culpability in sin

• The Arminian view of Sovereignty is that God has the power and authority to do anything he wants, and nothing can happen unless he does it or allows it;

• Arminians believe that God is sovereign enough to endow his creatures with free will

• The Arminian view of Sovereignty and human freedom is motivated by its understanding of the character of God as being holy so that 1) God is not the author of evil; and 2) humans are culpable for their sins

In summary, you can be an Arminian and believe

• the doctrine of unlimited atonement (Jesus died for everyone)

• the doctrine of total depravity (people are incapable of believing in Jesus apart from the intervention of God’s grace)

• the doctrine of resistible grace (God dispenses grace in such a way that people may resist his convicting grace)

• the doctrine of election (all those who are “in Christ” are elect)

• the doctrine of predestination (believers are predestined)

• the doctrine of eternal security or the alternative view that true believers can turn from their faith and so perish as unbelievers

• the doctrine of the penal satisfaction atonement (God punished Jesus for the sins of the world)

• the doctrine of omniscience (including that God foreknows the future perfectly)

• the sovereignty of God (God can do whatever he wants, including endow humans with a free will)

As I stated earlier, the default position of Christian evangelicalism is Arminianism. And as can be seen in this brief outline, it is okay to be Arminian.”

We know this one was long…but we should all take a long look at what we believe, why we believe and Who we believe in…Here’s to a fruitful and spiritually profiting journey ahead! We hope you join us as we learn more about our faith and its incalculable importance to every believer and non-believer. As Blaise Pascal wrote: “Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

We believe. Do you?

Steve and Missy

"You Can't Handle the Truth!"

09-14-2021

“For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change my mind, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid. But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace. Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the LORD,” Zechariah 8:14-17

“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” - Jesus, in John 8:32

99% of the time - I (Steve) will not engage in social media arguments/quarrells/debates. But, I may have done that last night…

There are “preachers” who have great notoriety, huge followings, multiple campuses, and books galore. Yet, an issue Missy and I have with some is that they twist scripture, pull it out of context, or state a half-truth to rile up their fanbase. (See, I am still in a tizzy. Can you tell?)

A self-proclaimed (and who am I to argue?) “evangelist” wrote the following words on Facebook: “God has a mighty plan for your life, but the enemy wants to snatch it away…”

Now, I am going to be cool about my response but also maybe just a tad sarcastic...as I was on the Facebook thread for his post. Let me be clear - nowhere in the Bible does it say, “God has a mighty plan for your life.” Nor, does it say, “The enemy wants to snatch it away.” Both statements ring a bit of truth (which is always a treacherous and dangerous thing) but are profoundly false when held up against the judgment of God’s word.

My response - here expanded and in technicolor - was simply this: “God does not have a mighty plan for your life. If we continue to say that, what will it mean to the child who has been abused and neglected only to find themselves in a children’s home? What about the child who is aborted? What about the mother who has buried her child due to an overdose? What about the father who learns that his child has committed suicide due to bullying? Do you get the picture?

One person reacted to my response by reminding me of Jeremiah 29:11. (If you need to take a sec, look it up.) Not being sarcastic - at least right now - I actually wondered aloud to myself how long it would be till someone quoted/misquoted that verse to support the evangelist’s statement. Less than five minutes for those of you who are counting...

And, of course, the individual pulled that verse out of context, trying to apply it in order that her belief system and theology would not be upbraided. She never mentioned one time about Israel being in captivity when God made that promise. On a side-note - she did scope out my Facebook page and said,“And, he’s a preacher! I pray he repents and gets saved!” Someone else stated I was going to hell. Oh well, you can’t have everybody love you I guess.

Back to our main point today - Missy and I nearly always do an eye-roll and grunt “Ugh” when someone misuses scripture to fit a situation or to make their self-appointed theology acceptable to others. Why? It is one of the greatest tools the enemy has in disrupting, dividing and disappointing potential followers of Jesus.

Seriously, if you were reading that evangelist’s statement or heard a preacher say it and it was immediately after you had been beaten up by your alcoholic partner the night before what would you really think? It might be along the lines of, “Well, if that is God’s mighty plan for me, I don’t think I want to be any part of that.” And who would blame you?

Which is why we chose Zechariah for the opening scripture. Here, God speaks through his prophet Zechariah about truth. The passage is solely for the children of Judah and the house of Israel. How do we know this? It says so couple of verses before! The verses which come later speak to us (non-Jews/Gentiles). There God says, “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the LORD to bless us. Let’s worship the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’ Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD of Heaven’s Armies and to ask for his blessing,” Zechariah 8:20-22.

See how important knowing and understanding truth is? After all, it is the primary focus of Jesus’ words in John 8, where, of course, he is speaking of himself. We read later on in 14:6 of John’s gospel Jesus’ statement: “I the way, the truth and the life.” In other words, to know Jesus is to know the truth and it is precisely that Truth which sets us free.

And that, our friends, is God's plan for the world - not just you, not just us. The world. Remember Jesus’ late night visit with Nicodemus? During that recorded conversation the ultimate truth was revealed: “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God,” John 3:16-18. That is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help us, God.

Fans of the show “The X-Files” will remember the opening scenes of the show where the taglines, “I want to believe” and “The truth is out there,” scrolled across our screens each week. Yes, the truth is out there. You can believe it. And Truth’s Name is Jesus.

Steve and Missy