Is It All Relative?

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It amazes me that intelligent people embrace the idea that truth is a subjective concept. If you are one of those people, I would like to engage you directly. The modern trend is to compartmentalize religious belief, reducing its relevance to the realities of life. Yet most of us acknowledge God in some form. I’m not going to try to address atheism here. That requires a different treatment as a staunch atheist believes he knows the truth. I would speak to you who consider faith a personal matter with no absolutes. I freely admit that I hope to convince you that there is only one source of truth and ultimately that is the God described by the Christian Bible. However, that isn’t the main thrust of this entry. For now, I just want you to think about your beliefs logically.

When we speak of faith in religious terms it somehow becomes less substantial, yet even the Bible uses words such as substance and evidence to describe what faith is. It is no less real for being intangible. We put our faith in things and in people every day. Why should our faith in God be any different? In fact it should be the strongest faith we have, because He will never fail us. That’s not to say that He won’t disappoint us from time to time because being God he doesn’t always do what we think He should, but He has in mind the best for us that we usually cannot see. Yes, I’m now speaking out of my own faith. I wish I could say it does not waiver, but it often does. However, my certainty that truth remains is not shaken. It is faith in my ability to understand it that is really in question.

We have faith because we believe something to be true. It may be as simple as the certainty that the chair upon which you are about to sit will hold you up or as abstract as the trust you put in a person you believe to be of good character. It is when what we believe to be true turns out to be false that our faith is shaken.

How then can truth be relative? How can what is true and what is false vary from person to person? Would we apply this idea to any other area of our lives? If I may borrow a somewhat clichéd example, let’s say I believe the earth is flat. That works for me. It gives me comfort because if it’s flat and I stay away from the edge I can never fall off. It makes me happy to believe that. Is it true? What if I lack the means to prove that the earth is in fact round? Is it flat because I can’t prove it is round with the tools at my disposal?

Some things are admittedly a bit harder to prove, but let’s start by establishing that truth exists whether or not we know what it is. Without that basis, all other argument is worthless. If something is so just because I believe it and it doesn’t have to be so for anyone else, what is the point of discussion? In fact the very idea of relative truth is unsupportable because the idea itself cannot be deemed true. It’s a comforting illusion because it frees us from responsibility, but try that in a court of law.

In The Name of Jesus II

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A few weeks ago it seemed to me that God gave me the topic for last Sunday. It was something I’d been thinking about for a while and tied in to my quest to understand how God works through us today. That weekend I spent the afternoon looking into the name of Jesus and wrote down some of my thoughts. It was only on Saturday before I was to speak that I got the revelation that put it all together.

In the previous installment I pointed out how the meaning of Jesus name, Yahweh Saves, sums up the gospel and the reason why we can wear His name. This became even clearer to me as I saw how the pattern was woven between the old and new testaments to bring the message to completion. To set this up I need to go back and do what I didn’t think I had time for at last writing. I need to provide at least a little background on the significance of naming.

The giving of a name indicates authority. This is illustrated in several accounts in the Old Testament where Kings changed the name of their subjects, but we’ll focus on the instances where god did the naming. In so doing we will address another aspect of naming, meaning. Even today, most of our names have a meaning. We generally don’t choose names that way anymore, but especially since many of them have Biblical roots, a bit of research will turn up a definition. We are more likely to choose a name because we just like the sound of it or because we want to honor a relative. In ancient times a name often reflected the circumstances under which a child was born or something of meaning to the parents. After all, if we go back far enough there isn’t’ a lot of family around to draw from.

Here are some examples of authority and meaning in names we all know well. Abraham was born Abram. Yahweh (not yet known as Yahweh) called Abram out of his country to make a nation of him and set his grand plan in motion (Gen 12:1-3.) Though he and his wife were childless God changed his name to Abraham, which means Father of a Multitude. He also changed Abraham’s wife’s name to Sarah, meaning princess. Because they laughed at the idea that they should conceive a child in their old age, God gave them the name of their son, Isaac, meaning he laughs (Gen 17-18.)

Now who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor? Can you imagine this elderly, childless couple calling across the field to one another, “Father Of A multitude!” “Yes Princess?” How must that have amused those around them even as the idea amused them? Then God delivers the ultimate “I told ya so” by calling their son He Laughs.

We see another illustration of prophetic meaning in Jacob. He was born holding on to the heel of his twin brother and thus was named one who takes by the heel or supplants (Gen 25:26.) Jacob would indeed supplant his brother Esau, taking from him his birth right and his father’s blessing (Gen 27.) Why it is that God worked through such a situation is another subject that I don’t think I will understand as long as I live here, but I think it is yet another example that shows us how far God is willing to go and just who he is willing to save. In the next chapter of Genesis Jacob gets his new name. After wrestling with the angel of God all night, he is given the name Israel, Strives with God. This is his story and the story of his nation throughout its history. Yet God will redeem His people. It is a fitting name for all of those who will be saved through the name of Jesus.

Now we come to the name of God. Herein is the wondrous beginning and end of the story. When He appeared to Moses in the burning bush and instructed Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, Moses asked His name. Here’s that bit of the conversation.

Ex 3:13-15: 13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”

Note the change in verse 15 from the translation of His name to the capital letters LORD. This quirk of modern translation comes from the overzealous application of the commandment not to take His name in vain by Jewish scholars. Yet it is clear from the context of scripture that this extreme caution did not originate in ancient Israel. Nations far and wide knew the name of Yahweh. Today it is relatively unknown. Many passages in the Old Testament will make much more sense when read with this understanding.

There can be no better description of God than that which He chose in his name. He is outside of any reality we can ever comprehend. He defines what reality is. He simply is; no other explanation can do Him justice. Yet we would like to have that thought completed. He is what? The entirety of scripture is dedicated to giving us that answer. Books have been written around the various names given to follow I AM.

Yet one stands out among the others. It is the name He gave to his only son. It is the ultimate completion to the question. Read what the angel told Joseph.

Matt 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus’ name is the Greek rendition of the Hebrew Yeshua, meaning Yahweh Saves or Yahweh is Salvation. See how God took something we view as almost trivial, (until it’s our name) to provide a powerful illustration of His plan for mankind! The name of Jesus is so special and so wonderful not primarily for the authority given to us through it, but because it shows us the reason why relationship with Yahweh is even possible (Luke 10:17-20.) Consider also Peter’s words, as he responded to the religious authorities who questioned by what name a miracle had just been performed.

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

Whose name is it? Just in case there should be any doubt, let me show you a couple of places where the connection is made between the name of Yahweh and the name of Jesus. Both instances quote the Old Testament prophet, Joel.

The first reference comes from Acts chapter 2. One might call this the official launch of the church. The quote is taken from Joel 2:28-32 and begins at verse 17. The second is Romans 10:13. This is part of a passage well known to many Christians. It was probably read to you when you were saved. Look first at the excerpt from Joel 2:32 below and see if you make the connection. Remember what we learned about the rendition of God’s name in the Old Testament.

Joel 2:32: “And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered…

Rom 10:9-13 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

From this we can see that the name of the Lord is Yahweh and that the name of the Lord is also Jesus. It is the name of Jesus given to us by which we believe and are redeemed. In the very meaning of that name is the entire story of the Gospel and God’s relationship to man. I hope this strengthens your faith as much as it did mine. What started as a rather cynical attempt to call out those who profane it by using it for their own purposes became something so much better. I have been reminded of the true power behind Jesus name and the source of life to be found in His word in the Bible. If you have yet to make the decision to follow Him, I hope that this will encourage you to know more than His name. He made the ultimate sacrifice because He loves you and wants you to know Him completely. In a book that is itself miraculous, having been written over millennia and assembled by mere men yet all fitting together to proclaim His message, He has given us the path to life. Don’t wait any longer! Accept the truth! Call on the name of Jesus. Give yourself to Him and be saved.

A Rational View of Health Care

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This is so well written I thought it worth sharing.  What appears below is just an excerpt.

Confessions of a Health Care Rationer | First Things

There are two major alternatives to the allocating of health care on the basis of personal wealth. Both involve a large number of individuals agreeing (or having imposed on them) that the amount of health care they receive will not be in strict accord to how much they have paid for it. The cost will be distributed over the healthy as well as the sick, even though the benefit will inure only to those who are ill or who need health care to prevent illness. People accept the certainty of a bearable cost to avoid the risk of an unbearable one. But to the extent that these collective programs sever the connection between paying for health care and receiving it, they generate increased demand for health care. The individual feels that he has already paid for health care. When he is sick, or thinks that he is sick, he feels fully entitled to care with no consideration of cost. After all, he has already paid for it, hasn’t he? Given the limited amount of health care that may be bought with the aggregate funds of the group, this untrammeled demand for it must always result in rationing. This is true whether the collective effort is a private insurance plan or a government program. Rationing is inevitable in all collective health care financing schemes

The Theology of Aliens

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Being an avid consumer of science fiction, I’ve given some thought to whether life on ohter planets is possible in Yahweh’s universe.  The more I read about the amazing precision it took to get just one livable planet, the less likely it seems that there are others.  On the other hand, what would limit the creator of the universe from doing that?  I’m certainly not the first to tackle these questions, but I find them interesting.  Certainly Jesus would not have had to die more than once, and He is called the only begotten of the father.  So, if there are others and they also sinned, how would they get the message?  We have enough trouble believing in Him when He lived and died among us.  How many of us would buy the story if Jesus were an alien?

But is that really so much harder to believe?  Yes, actually.  If I had known at the time I first wrote this how much historical evidence we have of Jesus I would not have asked the question.

What if they did not fall?  Then there is no need for redemption.  We were not intended to live in our current corrupted state.  Would God permit fallen man to interact with such a civilization?  Before I knew of C.S. Lewis’s work, I began to imagine the stories that could be written from these questions.  If I thought I had the skill to generate anything better than a nursery book when it comes to fiction I might try my hand at it.

Getting Mobilized

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Last week I got a new cell phone. I’ve wanted one for some time now because I want to be able to read text messages. Really I just want to be able to use all the features of my phone wherever I happen to be. For that I need a phone that talks.

I think there is a low-end talking cell phone provided by one of the other carriers but not by Sprint. It was a very low end phone if I remember. I need to be able to get text pages from work even if I can’t read them when I’m not at home, so that wasn’t an option. Right now, to get a fully speech enabled phone you need a “smart phone” running Symbian or Windows Mobile unless you go for the new iPhone. I’m curious about how well a blind user can work with a speech enabled touch screen like that of the iPhone and I have to give Apple credit for building it into every phone. However, it’s one of the most expensive options and I’d have to get out of my contract and change carriers. That’s a really expensive phone!

About a year ago when I smashed my phone in a fall I considered getting a speech capable model, but I didn’t want to spend the money and then find I hated the thing or just couldn’t really use it effectively. I opted for a cheap upgrade, and then discovered by accident that it had rudimentary speech capability. I understand several models now do this if you know how to dig it out of the menus. Mine was a Samsung M300. It can read caller’s names when they call and as you scroll through them. It reads menus and contact details. The voice is very crude, but it was much more than I thought I had. It does not read the web or text messages. It does not read what you enter in text fields.

Now that I’ve gotten into Facebook and to a much lesser degree Twitter, I’ve become envious of the people who send updates from everywhere. Sometimes I wonder at the wisdom of what they’re saying from where, but that’s another topic for another day. I wanted to do that too, and when my wife went swimming with her phone, my opportunity arose. We had the same model and she likes it. They don’t sell it anymore so I gave her mine and got a brand new HTC Snap.

I’d already been doing some preliminary research in hopes that I might be able to get a talking phone. I didn’t necessarily want one as powerful as the one I bought. Mainly I wanted text messaging that I could read. I was disappointed with the information available from Sprint. The phone they recommend on their web site (LG Rumor 2) may indeed do what they claim, but it sure doesn’t seem to say so in the manual. I say “seem to” because the PDF manual is not formatted for accessibility. Most of the words all run together when read by a screen reader. From what I have read and heard from others, every other carrier is doing a better job of providing the information blind customers need to determine what to buy. AT&T even sells Mobile Speak at a steep discount. Nevertheless, because of my contract and my wife wanting to keep the phone she likes, I bought a Sprint phone.

The HTC runs Windows Mobile 6.1, so I downloaded and installed Mobile Speak from Code Factory. Symbian users have another choice in a program called Talks, but as far as I know Mobile Speak is the only Windows Mobile option. The install routine sets the screen reader and magnifier up as a 30 day demo on your phone. I’m still running the demo, but since it’s the only option I have I will be paying up soon. I’ve had it for just over a week.

Installation was easy, but Code factory makes you jump through hoops to buy the license. It’s a transferable license, so it will be good on any phone, but you must go through one of their dealers and there is no fully automated way to buy from any of them. Come on folks! That’s ridiculous for such a high tech piece of software. I should modify that slightly. I didn’t check with AT&T, assuming I could only buy it there for an AT&T phone.

As with any screen reader, there’s a bit of a learning curve. It took me a while to remember the basic commands and I’m still not proficient at them. It reads most basic functions well, but there are some problem areas. Naturally, the first thing I did was go to Facebook’s mobile site. After struggling through my login on the tiny keyboard, I was delighted to hear it start reading through my friends’ updates. Moving around is easy enough, but if you’re used to all the tricks a modern screen reader on a PC uses to help you find what you want on a page a mobile phone browser is going to take some adjustment. The obvious solution seemed to be the dedicated Facebook app provided by Microsoft. That didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped. It is usable, but Mobile Speak doesn’t reliably read each item completely as you move to it. I think a cursor delay feature as found on PC screen readers could help but I don’t know that it would fix it. Using the program’s review cursor it is possible to find out what’s on the screen, but this is an impractical solution when not much fits on a mobile phone screen. In short, not every application is going to work with the screen reader, just like in Windows on a PC.

One of the first thoughts I had as I experienced my first crash was, “I can’t believe I just bought a phone running Windows!” Whether the occasional application crashes are attributable to Mobile Speak or something else I can’t say, since this is the only phone of this type I’ve ever had. It’s also slow. Again I don’t know if that’s just being a Windows Mobile phone or if Mobile Speak really puts a drag on it. I have found that just like a Windows PC, a Windows phone has to be rebooted from time to time.

You’d think from this review that I’m not happy with my purchase. I guess I am slightly disappointed, but since when has a first generation of any piece of software been free of bugs. Yes, actually Mobile Speak is up to 2.1 I think, but still the whole technology is pretty fresh. I expect it will get better. For now I am just thrilled to have a phone I can use to do everything I want to do. I know I’ll find some things easier as I learn both the phone and the screen reader.

If You’re Going to Pray

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I guess my charismatic is showing. I’ve written to the point of probably being tiresome of my struggle to understand why God does or does not answer prayers for healing. My faith in that area is admittedly weak, but I can’t help wondering at some of the prayers I hear. People ask for God to influence the doctors to make good decisions. They ask for the medicine to work. They ask simply that God “be with” someone.

I don’t mean to be critical. I’m much too flawed to claim any greater understanding than anyone else, especially on this topic. I just wonder why, if we believe that God moves at all today, we would ask for less than we really want. I realize that for many this reflects their dispensational thinking. God changed, even though He says that He never changes, and doesn’t involve Himself in the miraculous anymore. It seems to me the most miraculous thing ever is the transformation of the human spirit that happens when the Holy Spirit is given control. Why God should be acknowledged by theologians to do this today and not to perform mere healing of a physical malady is beyond me. Is the leading of the human being by an all powerful supernatural Spirit who can be everywhere at once not a miracle?

I don’t know why God doesn’t answer prayers that it seems from scripture that He should. I know all the stock answers to that question having grown up in that environment, but none seem sufficient in themselves. Indeed we must pray in faith. I suppose that we cannot ask for more than we know that He will give, but this is the way I see it. If I believe that He is able to do anything, I must believe that He is able to do everything. I don’t understand what He will do, but I know what He can do. Whether it is for me or for someone else, though I may be yet uncomfortable with the asking, I’m not willing to ask for less than the best. I’m not praying that the doctors be influenced, unless it is that they are convinced of His power by what they see and come to know Him. I’m not praying for future scientific advances, except that they improve quality of life for everyone. I’m praying for complete healing. If I dare to ask the creator of the universe for anything, why not ask for what I really want? The companion prayer is that He teaches me to want what He wants. Then, I know beyond doubt that He will answer.

Getting All Emotional

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I don’t know that it’s good to publish things like this, but if I can detach myself from it a little I find the questions interesting. How did God intend our emotions to work? What roll should they play in our daily lives? How seriously should they be taken? These questions are more personal to me than I like to admit. I have come to identify with the Spok character from the original Star trek series. I prefer control. I would rather have none at all than be subject to them.

The first time I remember feeling what I learned to call joy was in a worship service at the age of eight. I had no name for it then, though that was probably the only time I would know it in its pure form. I knew nothing of worship as others would explain it to me later. I did not look for it. I stood and sang those simple scripture based songs to the Lord and the joy came bubbling up. My dad explained to me that it was the Joy of the Lord. I have had that feeling on several occasions since, but I no longer trust it. Every time I felt it I took it for God’s endorsement of whatever I was thinking about or doing at the time. I’m still prone to look favorably upon anything that brings that feeling, but I would no longer dare to say that it constitutes God’s favor. I’m quite willing to believe that if it was ever anything to do with God it was only during that first, pure experience. My subsequent experience leads me to suspect that it is easily counterfeited by spirits that are other than holy. It may require no external impetus at all. I think it is no more than that which we call ecstasy. I think the untrustworthiness of joy comes from its essentially selfish application. I am joyful because I’m getting something I really like or really want. It may be redeemed only as we grow to find it in giving it to others.

What then of love? One must first ask which kind of love? C. S. Lewis, using the four Greek words we translate as love, explains that all kinds are good but three are corrupted without the fourth. Agapé, used in scripture to describe the love of God, must provide the selfless giving component that keeps the self-serving loves in check. Since discovering the phrase “god is love” (1 Jon 4:8) in my Braille new testament at the age of seventeen, I have been trying to know and understand love. Does agapé include emotion? Can love of any kind be said to exist without emotion? I think most people would say no, especially women. Yet none of us can feel it all the time. If we choose to perform loving actions while not feeling loving emotions, are we acting in love or hypocrisy? For all of my trying to do it, feel it, and know it, I don’t think I understand it. I believe I have felt it, but I don’t trust my feelings. I trust in love only because God is love.

I’m not going to try to tackle hate. I don’t think there is anything I hate, unless it’s me. Anger has its place. If God can be angry then it’s no sin, but He’s the only one I’d trust to act on it constructively. I strongly dislike being around anger. I think it frightens me a little, even when I am not its object. Yet I feel it. I most often feel it towards myself. I do not find pleasure in it.

Then there is fear. Just a few verses down from the one I referenced above John wrote that perfect love drives out fear. Even I who put little stock in cultural taboos feel a little uncomfortable admitting to fear. Men aren’t supposed to admit things like that. I certainly don’t need another reminder that my love is not perfect. Yet I am afraid. I am afraid to be found after all unacceptable. My faults and failures literally fill enough pages to make a book. I keep a private journal. Despite all I know of God’s love and grace I still find it hard to imagine how He can love me.

So, here I am. I find joy a rarity not to be trusted and love an unsolvable mystery. Anger knocks at the door with regularity, driven by the threat of ultimate failure. If it were not that I do retain hope in Jesus, I don’t think I could live. I know that if my emotions don’t agree with the truth, then my emotions need to change. I remind myself often of the blessings God has given me. Maybe one day I’ll learn to rejoice in those blessings and in their source. Howe we feel is largely connected to how we think. How many times have I said that to others? I do find myself smiling as I write this. Oh how easily we can be swayed. A frustration for me is that for all my talk of control I really don’t have much. I resort to filling my time with neutral distractions so that I won’t think about anything. So why am I smiling? I made a providential typo a few lines back. I originally wrote, “Howe we feel is largely connected to how we thank.”

In the Name of Jesus

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How many times have we heard the phrase, “in the name of Jesus” in church or among Christians? I can’t count the number of prayers I’ve heard end in some variation thereof. I’ve done it myself from force of habit, as if He needed to be reminded. As my wife likes to ask, what are we doing and why are we doing it? I don’t think most of us know. It’s a bit of traditional Christianese we’ve picked up through exposure. Depending on the tradition we prefer, we may have been taught to invoke it as one would a Magical incantation, guaranteed to put God’s seal of approval on whatever we want.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t use it. In fact we should proclaim His name often and everywhere. Look at the book of Acts. See how it was used there. It is by His authority and for His glory that we use His name. It is good to remind ourselves and others whose we are and by what right we may approach God for any reason. He did give us His name. I would that we understand what that means, and treat it with the respect it is due. To that end, let’s look at what Jesus said about his name.

The history of names and naming has great significance in the Biblical narrative. If I hope to get this posted in a reasonable amount of time, I won’t be able to treat the subject with anything approaching thoroughness, so I will limit myself to a brief explanation of Jesus’ name, because it weaves a strong thread into the subject of the name as it relates to authority. The name, Jesus, is a Greek rendition of the Hebrew Yeshua, meaning Yahweh saves. The vary name illustrates the means by which we ware it. It is given to us through the death and resurrection of its owner. We have been bought at the ultimate price (1 Co 6:19-20.) By our acceptance of that name and all that it carries with it we become partakers in it (John 1:12-13.)

If I do a search for name in the New Testament, there is still much more than I can cover in an afternoon’s writing, so I’ll try to hit the highlights. The first thing I learn from Jesus’ words about His name is that it cannot be appropriated by those to whom it has not been given.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'” (Matt 7:21-23 NASU)

This passage raises many questions that I will not attempt to answer here. If the demons were cast out, prophecies fulfilled, and the miracles performed without Jesus having approved the use of His name by these individuals for so doing, by whose power were these things done? It is true that we do not know that there were any results. Jesus only tells us what they claimed. The point I want to bring out is that even if the thing we wish may be considered good, we may not use His name without His authority. See also Acts 19:12-16.

The next thing I find is that we will not necessarily desire all that comes with His name. When we seek to represent Him in the world, we may find ourselves persecuted. So far in this country the occurrences of persecution have not generally risen to the levels suffered by the first Christians, but our generation may see it happen. It is happening around the world today. You can read about it at Compass Direct and the Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Blog. This should come as no surprise to us. Look at what Jesus told his disciples (emphasis added.) See also Matt 24:9.

16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 ” But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22
You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” (Matt 10:16-22 NASU)

We are privileged beyond measure to bear His name, but with it comes the responsibility to represent that name as He would. Even in places hostile toward Christianity, one may often take the label, as long as he does not engage in any of the activity that is core to its meaning. It is when we begin to act like Jesus that we see both the blessings and the persecutions that He promised would come.

This is a bit less organized than I would like, but It has already taken the better part of a day and I am nowhere near saying what I had hoped to say. The scripture is so rich in truth, and when I begin to dig through it I find it difficult not to unearth every gem it contains. I desire to tell the whole truth as far as I can understand it, and there is so much on this subject.

So, I am going to change direction somewhat to get back to what I had hoped to share. I’ll use an illustration. . I started to use power of attorney as an example. Maybe in our degraded society it makes a better analogy, but I like that of a traditional marriage arrangement better. After all, we are called the bride of Christ. When Linda married me, she took my name. She remains an individual, but she is also now part of me. Everything that she does now carries my name. Whether or not she is conscious of it, her actions reflect on me. So do mine on her, and unlike God I am not perfect, so I hope I don’t embarrass her too much. Linda can and does on occasion at my request conduct business on my behalf. She has that power based on my consent and on the strength of our marriage. If I for some reason become unable to conduct my affairs, she has the right to do so in my place because she has my name. I know that she never would, but if she began to use that authority in ways that were harmful to me or in direct opposition to my wishes, it would create a division between us that could only be healed with time and determination. The more so because I lack the vast reserves of mercy and grace that are in the nature of our Heavenly lover.

This is how it is with us who belong to Jesus. We have been given His authority on the earth. He told us what it was to be used for and what the result would be. He told us to go and make disciples (Matt 28:19-20.) He told us signs would follow (Mark 16:15-18.) He told us it wouldn’t always be easy. Read the book of Acts to see how everything He said was illustrated in the account of the church’s beginning.

We’ve already seen that His name is not endued with power just because it proceeds from our mouths. Were otherwise the most profane among us would wield unimaginable destructive power. His name is given power when it is used by one who has authority to use it and furthermore is using it according to His will. We’ve been taught that if we have enough faith all we have to do is ask and we will receive. Jesus certainly did say that the smallest faith can move mountains, but He did not say that faith would work out of its proper context. Faith in a lie is faith without power. If God wants that mountain to stay right where it is, you can shout yourself hoarse but you’re still going to have to go around or over it. In that passage Jesus is illustrating the power of faith in God. In another place He makes plain the context of that faith.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7 NASU)

“Ask whatever you wish” is in the confines of abiding in Him and His words in us. In this condition, we can ask with full expectation of receiving, because we know what He wants and we want what he wants. It is neither a license to have whatever pleases our flesh, nor even to have what seems good to us for the benefit of someone else. The latter desire is commendable, but still may be outside the will of an omniscient creator who knows what the future holds for all of us. It can only be by the leading of the Holy Spirit that we have such certainty for a specific situation. If we do not know Him well, we can only guess at what He wants. We would all do well to spend much time in prayer before presuming to use His name, for in so doing we presume to be acting on His behalf. We don’t need to look far to find the damage done by people who claim His authority while having no right to it. Even a Christian, though rightfully reborn into His name, cannot expect His blessing unless acting and praying according to His will.

Yahweh Saves. There is no better name with which to communicate the love, forgiveness, and redemption that is at the center of our relationship to God. We preach the good news every time we speak the name of Jesus, but that good news is often overshadowed or even concealed completely behind our own selfishness, pretence, and misrepresentation. I pray that we would remember the preciousness of that which we have been given, and not be found taking His name in vain.

Summits and Valleys II

The Lion's Roar Posted on by

I’ve written at some length of the uncertainty I feel about the topic of healing and how the scriptures are to be understood. I’ve told of my personal struggle with it and how I feel about my blindness. Something new happened today, and since it involves the same group of people I wrote of before, it seemed fitting to continue the story.

Since today was a fourth Sunday, The group from Summit church was back again. It was a little different today. First, we invited them to come earlier and have lunch as a show of appreciation. I’m glad we did that, though I must confess I have not been one of those who appreciated them. Each time they came I hoped for a reason not to go, yet I came because this was something that Pastor wanted, and I do my best to honor and respect my pastor. By the way, that’s not hard to do because he deserves every bit of it. My feelings toward the coming of Summit had more to do with me than with them. In fact, after today I think God may be planning to forge us together in a way neither of us would think possible.

The last few weeks have been particularly difficult for me, and I really didn’t want to go today. Before getting ready to go, I wrote a prayer in my journal. I asked that Yahweh would speak to me in a way that at least for the time would leave me with no doubt. I also made a promise that whatever it was He said I would do. I recognize that I have no standing from which to cut any kind of deal with the creator of the universe, but in my desperation I decided it was worth a try. I made no assumptions about how He should answer, and what He did I could not have foreseen.

Several times as the worship proceeded I was on the verge of tears. I have felt so far away. I read the Bible daily and pray, even if sometimes perfunctorily as we settle in for the night. I do what I think is right, yet I often feel that I don’t really know what is right. This confusion is especially acute in regard to how best to serve the Lord in the ministry He seems to have given us. People who actively believe and pray for healing make me face that confusion head on as well as the issue of my own blindness. I was brought up believing in healing, so being blind has always secretly felt like another failure. I am confronted daily with the unavoidable evidence that I am not all that I should be. What A hypocrite I am to tell others they can fulfill God’s purpose for their lives just as they are, when I secretly think I cannot unless I can obtain healing for myself!

The message consisted of a string of testimonies that the Summit people gave concerning how God had healed and saved those whom they had prayed for. The jaded skeptic in me wasn’t quite ready to believe them all, but I know god can do it, and I can’t imagine a situation where he would be more likely to do it than to bring someone to Him. Since I’m not prepared to believe they all got up there and lied, I must believe God did all of that. It was wonderful to hear. I really like redemption stories.

What happened next was something I always sort of dreaded. I’ve done it once or twice before, but I never felt right about it. How can I pray for someone else’s healing when I don’t have mine? The simple answer is that God is sovereign, and I cannot claim any more or less power based on something I would have no control over anyway. If God heals me, it will be no more because of my own power than if He does not. How many times have I said that we must get beyond ourselves if we hope to find fulfillment? This is no different. Though God in His mercy may choose to make exceptions, most of us are going to have to begin to give before we will receive. That is what was said today and I recognized the truth of it.

I thought I might be spared, since Linda immediately grabbed me and started praying for me. Maybe she would use up all the time. Then as we finished up a young friend of our came around in front of us obviously intending that we pray for her. All I could do was honestly talk to the Lord about how I felt and what I wanted. I pretty much gave up on mine years ago. I just told Him that I didn’t know how to pray for this but I really wanted to see this wonderful young woman so full of potential made well. The only faith I had was that He could do it if He chose. I don’t think she’s up running around without her wheelchair, but God immediately took away the pain she was in.

Then the tears did flow. God did not speak to me in any of the ways I thought He might. No one came up to me with prophetic words that only God would know. He did not condemn me for my many failures and shortcomings. He gave me no specific mission or confirmation of the one I have chosen. He didn’t even tell me how much He loves me. He simply did the one thing I would never have expected. He answered my prayer. Yes, that’s the sad truth. My faith has been that weak. I did not believe He would answer my prayer, even though it was completely unselfish. There are no mustard seeds here. It’s more like a mold spore, but god can use even that.

My questions are still unanswered. I don’t know how we teach people to serve God within the context of their disability while at the same time telling them they should be healed. I still think much of what goes on in church services is nothing more than emotionalism and that the Holy Spirit may be called present only because He dwells within the believers involved. I still think both of our groups have a lot to learn, but I am beginning to see that we might be able to learn from each other. I’m willing to put aside my angry response to a threat that isn’t there and ask forgiveness for it. I’m willing to hope that there is a way for everything I believe to be true to be reconciled into a ministry that meets the needs of a group of people who need to know that God loves them no less for their disabilities and intends that whole or not they should have a purpose in His kingdom. I am certainly encouraged that His purpose remains for me.

On the record

The Lion's Roar Posted on by

I’m thinking this morning about the perils of online communication. We all know that a word once spoken can’t really be taken back, no matter how hard one tries to do so. Much more so if one writes it down and releases it to the public. In the old days, if you wrote a letter, you had some time to consider what you wrote. You might even go back and retrieve it from the mailbox. The age of email and instant communication has changed all that. I would be surprised to find anyone who has been online for very long who had not sent an email he wishes he could recall. How many public embarrassments have we seen in recent years because supposedly private email got shared with the world? Nothing that leaves your computer can really be considered private, though for most of us the risk of that steamy love letter you wrote ever making the nightly news is pretty small.

Not so with public forums. If you blog, chat online, post to a discussion group or mailing list, share on a social network such as Facebook, leave product reviews, etc, everything you said is likely to be retained for years to come. Even if your identity is shielded, a determined researcher could probably trace it back to you. Again, for most of us that’s not a problem, but it is something to be aware of. It could have a real impact on your future. For example, would you want a potential employer, or your current one for that matter, to be able to stumble into your rants about how much you hate your job or what an idiot your boss is? I hasten to add that I don’t feel that way. The reason will become clear shortly.

Social networks present a whole new set of considerations. I wonder if people think about who is reading or could be reading the things they post online. Email has been around long enough to have an established code of etiquette. The same can be said for online chatting. I haven’t seen one for social networks yet, but I’m sure somebody has composed one. At best it can only be a set of general guidelines, since what one considers annoying another may consider a part of the experience that makes it unique. I’m thinking of multiple or trivial status updates as one example. I’ve read rants about it, and as with anything else it can be taken to excess, but to me it’s part of the charm of the venue. I know some of my friends now better than I ever did even though I haven’t seen them in years.

I read an article a few months ago about the pitfalls of “unfriending” someone. If he is one you might meet in person it can create an awkward situation. What do you do with a friend request you really don’t want? Again it’s going to get complicated if you meet this person face to face. Facebook seems to have quietly acknowledged this problem by allowing you to block friends’ updates from posting to your home page without dropping them completely. What do you do with a friend request from a coworker? What if it’s your boss? What choice do you really have? Fortunately I like mine, but I can’t say it doesn’t cause me to be a little more careful what I say. I’m also less likely to say it during office hours. That’s a little accountability I don’t mind having. It definitely reduces the temptation to punch the little button on my desk and peek at Facebook on my home machine during the day.

Speaking of that, it’s past time to be at work and I’ve just had to dial into a meeting I forgot. I don’t feel too guilty though after having been online until after 1:00 in the morning. I’m going to cut this short and go ahead and post it because it has been too long since I wrote something.