Ask the Pastor

What is the best way to witness to someone who doesn’t believe the Bible?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Your question is becoming more and more relevant.  As our society moves beyond our Christian heritage, you will find fewer Biblically literate folks.  However, that doesn’t mean Scripture has no place in witnessing.  Scripture tells us that the Word of God is living and active—and its power doesn’t rely upon the faith of the hearer.  So please use Scripture to witness, but consider using it in the context of your faith story.

In John 9 Jesus heals a blind man.  The Pharisees, trying to trap Jesus, ask this man to testify that Jesus is a sinner.  His response is a model of personal witness.  He responds, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see,” (John 9:27, ESV).  The main thrust of his witness was simple:  Christ changed me.

Of course people need to hear what God has said, but they also need to know it makes a difference.  In sharing with others, share why and how you came to believe in Christ and the difference He makes.  Help them see that your faith is more than pie-in-the-sky, don’t-go-to-Hell kind of stuff.  Let them see that your faith changes how you live, and leads to a more abundant, peace filled life.

Ask The Pastor runs weekly in the Beecher Herald.

Why does God allow suffering like we’ve seen in Haiti?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Through out history theologians and pastors have tried to answer such questions.  Evil and suffering are very hard to synthesize with belief in a loving God.  I don’t pretend to have the answers, but let me share some key thoughts.

First, God is a loving, powerful God but not just a loving, powerful God.  He is also wise, all-knowing, holy, righteous, just and wrathful.  Any adequate answer about suffering must deal with all of God’s attributes, not just one.  For example, while preventing all suffering from happening might seem loving, it might also violate other aspects of God’s character.

Second, because God is all-knowing, He sees not just the immediate suffering, but how that suffering connects to every other event—past and future.  Jonathan Edwards’ perspective is quite helpful in this regard.  He suggests that God sees through a microscope and a macroscope.  In the microscope God sees each event individually.  In this regard He rightly hates suffering.  In the macroscope God sees each event as it connects to all other events.  In this way, He may be inclined to allow that which He hates, because of outcomes we can never fathom.

Ultimately our response to tragedies like Haiti’s comes down to trust.  Can we trust God enough to say, “While I may never understand, I trust God’s reasoning in allowing this tragedy.”  Having trusted His reasoning, we are then free to respond with His love.

Can you think of any reasons, outside the Bible, to be Pro-Life?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

I can think of many, such as unique DNA.  Within moments of conception the new baby is blessed with his own DNA.  This DNA tells us 1) the baby is human and 2) she is not the mom or the dad.  In other words, from moments after conception the DNA tells us it is a distinct human individual.

Also, being anti-life subjects human dignity and value to a cost/benefit analysis.  For example, only 7% of abortions are performed for tough cases such as rape, incest or serious health problems.  That means the overwhelming majority of abortions aren’t done out of medical necessity (in fact, fully 50% of women having abortions admit to using it as a form of contraception).  So if, in the mother’s eyes, the costs of bearing the child are greater than the benefit, then she aborts the child.  Doing so devalues that child and it devalues all of us.

We find the similar logic used to argue for euthanasia and assisted suicide.  Where the cost of life is higher than the perceived benefit, Doctor’s should be able to help end life early, we are told.  Again, connecting the value of someone’s life to the costs of keeping them alive devalues all of us.  Once we connect the dignity of human life to some cost/benefit analysis, we are only as valuable as we are perceived to be.  The big question then becomes who gets to make that determination.

While my Pro-Life views are primarily religious, they are solidly supported by science and logic.

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

No, I don’t, but not for religious reasons.  For me, it’s a practical matter.  In the past the resolutions I’ve made (to read the bible more, or to exercise more or what have you), all ended up in the grave of good intentions.  As I talk to folks around me, they seem to have similar experiences.

Instead, I make a daily resolution:  to follow Christ more closely by living more obediently to His Word.  This is the heart of Christianity, daily focusing our energy into applying Christ’s teachings to the circumstances of life.  This resolution can be followed at work or play, with family or alone.  In every circumstance my goal is the same:  to follow Him by obeying Him.

Christ said, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me, (John 10:27).    As you ponder your New Year’s resolutions, why not make your resolution to daily follow Christ?  In doing so we find a rewarding life, and receive eternal life.

Did Christmas begin as a non-Christian holiday?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Before Christ’s birth was celebrated on December 25 the Romans and the Iranians celebrated their gods.  For the Romans it was the Day of the Invincible Sun.  The Iranians celebrated the birthday of the idol Mithras (also a Sun god).  Both celebrations were timed to follow the shortest day of the year.  This history, however, does not mean Christmas began as a pagan festival.

In fact, it began as a rival festival—a Godly alternative to the pagan revelry surrounding December 25.  Different congregations had observed Christ’s birth at different times.  Noting the parallels between the false gods Rome worshipped and the True Son of God, Church leaders choose December 25.  In doing so they weren’t seeking to baptize a pagan holiday but to start an alternative holiday.  And we can see they were right.  1668 years after the first ‘official’ Christmas the idols of Rome are forgotten, but the Son of God is still worshipped!

Was Jesus really born in 1 AD?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

While the calendar we use is based upon the birth of Christ, Christ was actually born a few years B.C.  A Christian monk named Dionysius Exiguus began the practice of dividing the calendar into B.C. (before Christ) and A.D. (Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord) in the sixth century.  His purpose was twofold.  He desired to allow for accurate dating of Easter and to move away from the Diocletian system, which honored an Emperor known for his cruelty to Christians.  As he devised this system, Dionysius wrote that the current year was 525 years after Christ’s incarnation, or A.D. 525. Nowhere does Dionysius explain this claim, he just states it as fact.  While Dionysius devised this system, it was 200 years later when Bede popularized the convention in his work Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

Modern scholarship questions Dionysius’ dating based upon our knowledge of events mentioned in the Gospels.  Both Luke and Matthew indicate that Jesus’ birth took place before King Herod’s death in 4 B.C.  From this information, we can safely date Jesus’ birth in or before 4 B.C.

More precision is impossible.  We simply do not have enough evidence, inside or outside of Scripture to place an exact year upon Christ’s birth.  Yet, we can confidently say that Christ was not actually born in year 1 A.D.

Who was present at the first Nativity?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

The Gospels tell us that Mary and Joseph were present, and shepherds arrived soon after the birth.  These shepherds came to see the child whose birth the Angels proclaimed (Luke 2:8-15), and the Scriptures foretold (Matthew 1:22, 23).  When they arrived, the Shepherds Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.  From there they departed to tell others the good news!

Traditionally we also place the Magi in the stable soon after Christ’s birth.  However, they did not visit Christ in the manger.  As Matthew’s gospel attests, they visited Him in a house (not a stable), when he was a child (not a new born) (Matthew 2:1-12).  Likely they arrived in Bethlehem a few months after Christ’s birth.  Like the shepherds, these men recognized Jesus to be more than a baby; He is the promised Savior.  This Christmas we cannot return to the manger in Bethlehem, but we can accept Jesus for who is:  the Lord and Savior of mankind, the greatest gift ever given.

Christians and the Environment

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Q—My friend and I argue about environmental issues.  He doesn’t think Christians should be worried about it, but I do.  What do you think?

A—I think we should not worry about anything (Matthew 6:31-34).  I think we should also be wise stewards of all of God’s blessings, including our environment.  However, that doesn’t necessarily mean we must save the planet.  Before we can determine was wise stewardship looks like, we must ask ourselves, “What does our Master desire that we do with His property?”

So, does God want us to save His planet?  I doubt it.  Genesis 3:17 clearly teaches that God cursed the Creation and Romans 8:20-22 supports this.  The New Testament also foresees a day when God will destroy this earth with fire and create a new earth in its place (2 Peter 3:12; Revelation 21:1).  Since He cursed it and will destroy it, I don’t think He wants us to save it.

So, what does He want us to do?  Genesis 1 pictures all of creation as a life support system for mankind.  It teaches us that mankind sits at the pinnacle of the created order—and everything else is intended to support our life.  Wise stewardship, then, is caring for the planet to maximize human life.  From shelter to clothing to gainful employment and all that life entails, we are to invest Creation in support of all aspects of human existence.  This means all environmental policy, personal or national, must be judged by its impact upon people.

Ask the Pastor

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Q—Do you have advice on looking for a church?

A—My advice is to find a healthy congregation where you can use the gifts God’s given you to serve Him. Begin by listing the congregations close enough for you to become involved. As Christians, we are called to serve others. So, if I drive an hour to church, I likely won’t have time to serve in the ministries of that church.
Having made a list, pray over the list. Then plan to visit each congregation on your list. During your visits, avail yourself of any information you can concerning the congregation. Ultimately we are looking for a healthy church. Such a church is centered on God’s Word (1 Timothy 3:16, 17); God centered in worship (Psalm 100); driven by the mission of the Church (Matthew 28:19, 20); intentional in disciplemaking (Matthew 29:19, 20); and marked by loving community (John 13:35). Through prayer and careful consideration of the congregations you visit, the Spirit will lead you to the place where you can worship, serve and grow as you follow Christ side-by-side with brothers and sisters.