When Faith Falters

*This article originally ran in the local Hillsdale Daily News

As a pastor I have the opportunity to talk with people about their faith. I have spoken with those whose faith is strong. I also have the privilege of speaking with those who are struggling with their faith. Whether we like it or not, at some point in our lives we will all face difficult challenges. For some, challenges will come early in life, growing up in a difficult situation. For others it might come later, dealing with sickness and age. For all of us, we will face temptation and suffering in this life. It is easy to wonder why these things happen.

It is easy to question whether God is really in control and whether our faith means anything at all. The truth is that we cannot always know why things happen the way they do. The Bible tells us that no purpose of God’s can be thwarted (Job 42:2). The Bible also tells us that God is working all things together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

How do we handle these difficult times? What we need in these times is not a quick “How to Have a Happy Life” message. What we need to know in the midst of our struggles is that there is something more secure than our daily ups and downs. We need an anchor to keep us secure the midst of the storms of life. The Bible describes that anchor in the book of Hebrews.

In Hebrews 6:19-20, “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.

The anchor is referring back to earlier in the book – to Jesus – where he is described as being designated by God a high priest. The Old Testament priest served as the one who went between God and man. The ‘inner place behind the curtain’ refers to heaven where Christ ascended after his resurrection (Acts 1:9). Jesus’ entrance into the heavenly temple is the guarantee of our salvation.

The way that this is explained is rather interesting. First, the word ‘anchor’ is a familiar one to us – it refers to a heavy device to hold a ship in place. In the early church, the anchor became a symbol for safety, security and hope. It has been found on the walls of Roman catacombs where Christians would be buried.

This anchor, mentioned here, is unusual though because, rather than going down, it goes up. But that makes sense because Jesus is the one who has secured our salvation – he is the anchor of our hope. This is shown to us by the use of the word ‘forerunner’. The word can carry simply the idea of someone who has gone before. Christ went to heaven before us. But, the fact that the word ‘anchor’ is used here…I think that there is something else meant by Christ as the forerunner.

You see, this is the only time that this word is used in the whole New Testament. However, it is a word used in other works in the Greek language to describe a small ship that goes ahead of a larger vessel. The way it would work is like this: when a ship wanted to come in to the harbor but it was not yet time – often due to tide or approaching storms – a forerunner would go ahead of the vessel, carrying the anchor for the ship. The forerunner would go safely into the harbor and secure the anchor for the ship, guaranteeing its safety during the storm. The ship could not be dragged away by the storm because the anchor was already set.

This is the picture we have here. Regardless of the storms in our lives and regardless of how long it will be before we reach the safe harbor of God’s rest – our anchor is secure.

What is needed when a marriage falls apart or a child rebels is not some quick ‘how to’ manual. What you need is faith in Jesus. One thing that makes this image all the more important is because it does mean that storms will come. We all know that we face doubts and trials to our faith. Storms come. Our hope is not that things will be perfect, in this life, but that our salvation is secure in the midst of our struggles.

Why Does the Church Matter?

As a pastor in a small community, I meet with many people who consider themselves Christians but do not attend any church. Many people today believe that the church is not necessary for their faith. For some they have been hurt through difficult experiences while, for others, they see the great hypocrisy that goes on in the church. For these reasons, many have said ‘good-bye’ to the church. 

This article is not written to defend the church as though these problems are no big deal. I believe that they are a big deal. But I believe that the church is so important for Christians that it should not be given over to those who cause problems or live as hypocrites. I believe this for three reasons.

First, the church is the Bride of Christ. It would be difficult for me to hear someone tell me that they truly love me but hated my wife. My wife is such a big part of my life. When someone says that they love Christ but hate the church that is what they are saying. The church has been purchased by the blood of Christ upon the cross. He did this “so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

In Revelation 21:2 we see a picture of the church as the New Jerusalem, prepared “as a bride adorned for her husband.” Of course the church, this side of eternity, is far from being holy and without blemish. There is an “already but not yet” aspect to the church just like there is with our own holiness. If we trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins then we know that we are holy before God. But we also know that we continue to struggle with our sin.

Second, the church is the Kingdom of God. In the Old Testament, God worked through the nation of Israel. If someone wanted to be saved then they would become part of the nation. However, in the New Testament, we read about how there is no longer any distinction between Jew and Gentile (Romans 10:12). In the New Testament, the church is said to begin in Jerusalem and Judea and to spread to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). It is through the faithful ministry of the church that God calls his people to Himself.

This does not exclude the fact that God calls us into a personal relationship with Himself through Christ. It just means that there is something more than a personal relationship. God saves us into a community of like-minded believers. We need one another for our faith to grow. A Christian outside of the church is like an Old Testament Israelite outside of the covenant community.

Third, the church is a family. Shortly after the Day of Pentecost, we read that the Christians were regularly meeting together; “they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). The church is the community of God’s people where we should find encouragement, instruction and safety. The church is not perfect, of course, but the promise is that one day it will be perfected.

In the end, too many people look for the church to fill the wrong holes. Many people want the church to provide youth programs or marriage seminars or twelve steps to their best life. But the church does not exist for any of these reasons. The church’s purpose in this world is the faithful worship of God and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. We all need to be reminded of what God has done to save us and we are called to gather every week to worship God and to grow in our faith.

We are told, in Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

It’s hard to imagine but by the time Hebrews was written (around 64 A.D.) Christians were already starting to abandon worshiping together. But the author of Hebrews wants to encourage God’s people to continue meeting together for spiritual growth, for mutual encouragement and for faithfulness in worshiping God.

Understanding the WHOLE Bible

One of the joys I have in pastoring a local church is meeting with new people who have questions about the Bible. The Bible is a big book. It contains 66 individual books and covers a period of history, spanning thousands of years. It covers everything from the time of creation until the time when Jesus will return to bring re-creation…and who knows when that will be! 

Because of the size and scope of the Bible, many people have struggled to understand it. This has not been helped by the fact that nearly every denomination, church and Christian has their own interpretation of what a particular passage means. There are true disagreements that need to be worked through but that should not blur the clear message of the Bible.

In my meetings, I have found four different approaches to the Bible:

For some, the Bible is nothing more than a religious ‘fortune cookie.’ They crack it open each morning to find a nice saying that will help them through the day. While it can be good to meditate on specific verses, or passages (like Psalm 23), this can also have a negative impact on understanding God’s word. It is reading the verses ‘out of context.’ This is a problem because Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd”) makes so much more sense when we consider David’s life as a shepherd as well as the dangers he faced throughout his life as the king of Israel. Why can David say, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” when he is threatened by death every day?

For others, the Bible is a big jumble of thoughts and ideas all put together. It is common for me to hear the statement that there are contradictions in the Bible. Though, when I ask where, it is often the case that the accuser does not know of any. But the Bible can be a difficult book to understand if you take it in pieces or ignore large parts. How do we handle the wars of the Old Testament and the coming judgment spoken of in the New? How do we understand Old Testament Israel and its relationship to the New Testament church?

Still, for others, the Bible is a big self-help manual. It tells you how to eat properly, have perfect children, run a good business and transform the world into heaven now. This approach drives all kinds of self-help books.

But perhaps the biggest category of people that I meet with, in our community, are those who have given up on reading the Bible at all. Too often the Bible has been used as a weapon for division rather than God’s word that provides our hope for salvation. The ‘Good Book,’ as it is often called, for many does not bring anything good. Good News often becomes burdensome and legalistic.

But what if the Bible wasn’t written for any of these reasons? What if the message is altogether different and, even, simpler? 

For the past three summers we have had the pleasure of hosting a community Bible study at the local library. The first year we studied “Jesus in the Old Testament” and, last year, we looked at “How to Handle Difficult Passages.” This year we are going to try something a bit different by covering the whole Bible in 8 weeks. It might sound impossible, but I believe it can be done. We’ll do this by looking at topics, or themes, that arise in Genesis chapters 1-3 and we will trace those themes throughout the historical, poetic and prophetic books of the Old Testament and see where they go into the New Testament from the Gospels through Revelation.

The topics we’ll cover are: 

1. Creation, 

2. Mankind, 

3. Marriage, 

4. God’s Presence, 

5. The Sabbath, 

6. The Trees of the Garden of Eden and 

7. The Serpent, Sin and Judgment. 

On the 8^th week we will look back over the whole study to see what we have learned about Scripture, God, Man, Sin, Salvation, the Church and the End.

I believe that the Bible has only one story from Genesis to Revelation. I invite you to come and learn what that one story is at this year’s community Bible study. This study will be held every Monday night, beginning July 11^th at 7:15 p.m. at the Hillsdale Community Library. Coffee and snacks will be provided. If you have any questions, please call 437-4462 or email hopcbs@gmail.com.

The Day the World Didn't End

Sigh…another end times prediction has come and gone. In case you missed it, May 21^st was supposed to be the beginning of Judgment Day. Family Radio founder and owner, Harold Camping, had declared that through special revelation and a keen sense of mathematical calculation he had come up with the day that Jesus would return. 

Now he has altered that prediction – since it didn’t happen – to say that the world was judged spiritually and that now all that waits for us is final judgment. There are two notes about his new prediction. The first is that, once more, he has set a date. When it didn’t happen in September 1994, he moved it to May 2011. Now that it hasn’t happened again he has moved it back to October 21, 2011. Third time is a charm? I doubt it. This is the new ‘end date’ for the world according to Camping. 

The second note is that, according to Camping, no one else can be saved from this point on. This is building on what he has taught in the past regarding the church no longer being the home of Christians but, instead, ruled by Satan. This is clearly against the Biblical promise of God’s Spirit being poured out on all flesh and the Satan not prevailing against the church (Matthew 16:18).

Well, I must confess that I did not skip my usual weekly tasks of writing sermons and preparing for Sunday’s services last week. This is not because I don’t believe or want Christ to return. On the contrary, we pray the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday (“thy kingdom come”) and I often find myself praying, at other times, for that final day.

After all, the way that it is described by John in Revelation 21:3-4 what Christian wouldn’t long for the new creation? “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And, yet, date setting and hoping for Christ’s return is not new. Ever since Jesus ascended, after his resurrection, many have been speculating when it would happen. His own disciples, prior to the ascension asked if the time was then (Acts 1:6). Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica about the end but encourages them to keep from being idle and focusing too much on that last day.

Harold Camping’s date setting is wrong. Jesus himself said that the day could not be known. Matthew 24:36, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” But this is not his most fundamental error. He claims to have special knowledge straight from God regarding certain numbers repeated in the Bible that prove his predictions.

It’s not the dot-to-dot nature of his Bible study that concerns me most (though it is wrong) but the fact that he claims to have special knowledge not found in the Bible. This is an important point for Christians to remember. Yes, we might learn something that other generations have missed in Scripture (though doubtful) but we must subject what we believe and teach to Scripture itself. This is called the ‘rule of faith’ or ‘scripture interprets scripture.’ If someone claims something that is contrary to clear Biblical teaching then there is reason to distrust that person’s claim.

This is why the Bereans are spoken of so well in Acts 17:11 because they “received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” I want to encourage you all to be students of the Bible. I will give the same advice that I gave to the congregation this past Sunday. If you hear a claim from someone about receiving special revelation from God – doubt it. 

It is one thing to begin in Scripture and, from there, to come to understand certain truths about who God is, who Christ is, what he has done and the promises he has made to come a second time. But it is quite another thing to claim insight into the mind of God and into his secret will. Scripture tells us that the secret things belong to the Lord (Deuteronomy 29:29) and when Christ will return is certainly one of those secret things.

The Trinity in Salvation

As a Christian, it is easy to focus upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. After all, we believe that if Christ had not been born, suffered, died and raised to new life then we would be lost in our sins. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

For this reason, focusing on Jesus Christ is a natural part of being a Christian. But we cannot forget that Jesus is not the only person in the Godhead. One of the most difficult Christian doctrines to comprehend is the Trinity. This is the belief that there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and that these three persons are one God. 

This doctrine is important because each person of the Trinity has a role in our salvation. We see the work of the Father throughout Scripture. He is the one who called Abraham to follow after him (Genesis 12:1-3). He is the one who credited Abraham’s faith as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). The Father is the one who sent the Son (5:36-37). The Father is the one who draws us to salvation as Jesus himself testifies in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

The Father’s work began before the world began. We read of this in Ephesians 1:3-4, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” These words of the Apostle Paul are amazing because they tell us that the Father is active in salvation.

The Son is also active in the work of salvation. It was the Son who accepted the task given to him by his Father. The one who was eternally God came down and was found to be a man. Jesus humbled himself and was obedient to his Father even to the point of death upon the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). We know that this was not something that Jesus went through without feeling. In the Garden of Gethsemane he was in agony to the point of sweating drops of blood (Luke 22:44).

Jesus was born of a virgin and lived a life of poverty and suffering. In the end, one of his disciples, named Judas, turned him over to be beaten and killed. Jesus was crucified upon a cross of wood. Paul tells us why it is that Jesus suffered thus, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). The Apostle Peter gives further instruction, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

This is why Christians love Jesus. He died for our sin so that we might live for God…both now and in the age to come. He has gone before us and is our anchor and promises that those who trust in him will be saved (Hebrews 6:19).

But what of the Holy Spirit? What is the Spirit’s role in salvation? To be certain, the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity does not draw attention to himself but, instead, gives attention to the Father and the Son. But the Spirit does work in our salvation. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:13-14 that we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit and that the Spirit “is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

The Spirit prays for us when we do not know what to pray (Romans 8:26). The Spirit is our comforter and our helper who is always with us (John 14:26 and John 15:26). Jesus tells his disciples in John 16:7, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all active in our salvation. The Father calls, the Son redeems and the Spirit seals. This is why Christians are baptized into the name (singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is also how we pray: to the Father, by the power of the Spirit in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ.