Not of this World
We are not of this world
We are children of God
We are forgiven everything
We must forgive others of everything
We give freely as we have been given freedom
We see ourselves as the problem
And Christ as the solution
Grace was not free for God
And it will cost us everything as well (on earth)
The Educated
The Educated will never accept us
Because we challenge their beliefs
We work against all they hold dear
Fundamentally they look for human solutions
While we see humanity as the problem
We see God as the solution
They believe either God does not exist, is irrelevant, or is part of the problem
Religion does not solve the problem for them
For us the solution will never come from people
The Bible is Hard to Understand
It is the direct thoughts of God
It truly explains life accurately
It doesn't give easy answers to questions
Some things we cannot understand
Faith is believing when you can't explain why
God did not create a religion
Christ is a living God and Person
Being a Christian is more than a prayer
God wants you to wrestle with Scripture
Over your entire life
Make Old Things New
The difference between other religions is
You are supernaturally helped
By the good creator God
His Spirit actually lives within you
To encourage and transform you
Faith is formed over time
And requires a great effort
The Bible is like Christ Himself
Christ's birth, death, and resurrection resolves
The conflict between man and God
Faith is a living process
You live out your faith as you make choices
But God will guide you through other people
Compassion
Feel Others Pain
Be Compelled to Meet their Needs
We are God's response to suffering
We are the feet and hands of God
Start serving with what we have
The resources will follow
Be generous so God will be glorified
Be the answer to our own prayers
Science = Atheism
Most people now believe that Science must be true
But that God only might be real
Science sees spiritual things as irrelevant
Scientific methods are now used to study people and religion
This is why people feel no need for philosophy, religion, history, and literature
Technology Discourages Thinking
Science and technology have reduced interest in learning
Education is being replaced by entertainment
In an age where learning is easier than ever
More people publish books than ever before
But less people read than ever before
Most people feel they are too busy to think
Brittle Society
efficiency or resilience
cheapness or responsibility
Would you rather be rich for a brief time
And then be homeless most of your life
Or would you rather have a stable and dependable income though modest
Modern society has chosen the first
Ancient societies chose the second
They lasted for a long time
We won't
Agrarianism
Most of history the vast majority of the population were farmers
The longest lasting civilizations were agrarian
This technological level gave us the humanities
Philosophy, religion, history and literature as we know them
People were more moral when they lived farther away
And had less contact with each other
People shared the belief that the idea of God was rational
European Ideas
Politics of of Reformation Netherlands
Economy of 19th Century British Empire
Culture of Enlightenment Prussia / Germany
They fought wars over what we think now is not so different
Until unbelief got a dangerous foothold
We spread the Gospel around the world
But did not follow it ourselves
We gained the world and lost our souls
The same people who invented human rights
Brought the world into almost 3 World Wars
And invented some of the most evil weapons in history
Money is their God
A country that is operated like a Business
Where money is their God
Better than the alternatives is not a good enough answer
We need to be more creative in problem solving
But we don't value education
We teach people not to think
We have no history, literature, or philosophy
We have invented little
Our rhetoric does not match our actions
Because we believe the ends justify the means
And we always choose the easiest course of action
America's World
Modern Society cannot exist without
The current situation in the Middle East and Africa
The current situation in China
The current California world culture
This is the world America created
We like to blame our problems
On other parts of the same system
It is like blaming the foot
For what the mind decided to do
Or to blame the trumpet
For the what the composer wrote
Don't Fall For
Easy Believe-ism or Cultural Christianity
You cannot separate Salvation from
The Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Christ
Or the Reality of evil
And Everyone's part in it
Being Christian means Changing
Our lifestyle
Our goals
Our activities
Being saved means you cannot keep it to yourself
Faith and salvation Cannot be Earned
But is is Not Easy either
Positive Christianity
We are away from God on earth
To build our faith
Where we must believe
With only indirect evidence
That we cannot fully understand
We get excited about living
After death without pain
This should motivate us to
Not give up on pleasing God
God will transform us
By cleaning away the bad
In His eternal timing
Ambitious Christians
God helps us overcome
Our fear of death
Because we know
Things will be better afterwards
God's Spirit living within us
Is our guarantee
Do as Much as we can
Not as Little
Because God is slow to anger
And quick to forgive
Science and Theology Do Not Mix Well
Using Science to prove the Bible
Just increases the blind trust people have of scientists
God does not have to justify Himself
With scientific arguments
If science could explain God adequately
Then we wouldn't need the Bible or faith
Furthermore you cannot prove theology through science
You cannot prove spiritual things through physical means
The point of faith is
That you believe despite a lack of complete proof
Real Debate over God
The debate isn't a technical one
Over whether God is real
The debate is an emotional one
About blaming God for evil
When we are the ones who invented evil
In psychology they call this projecting
Arguments do not belong in theology
And arguments between Christians over theology
Undermine the public perception of the Church
Prove your faith with your actions
And speak of your personal experiences
It is hard to argue with that
The Focus
We seek answers in the Bible
To explain our situation
To give us direction
As a guide for our decisions
And hope for the future
But we see it all from our point of view
Maybe we should try interpreting Scripture
As primarily talking about
God and His point of view
Maybe this would focus us on His plan
And worship of Him
And our needs would then be less severe
Ask what we can do
Not what we can receive