“Faith and Fear” 1 John 5.5-12

The sermon is titled “Faith and Fear” from 1 John 5.5-12.  I preached this sermon on May 3, 2009 at the Kandiyohi Church of Christ in Kandiyohi, Minnesota.

Idolatry, Then and Now: A Follow Up

            Back on April 30^th I posted a blog titled Idolatry, Then and Now in which I shared some insights regarding the subject of idolatry from Christopher J. Wright’s book The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative.  In the post I tried to avoid any mention of examples of how Christians (especially in our Western context) engage in idolatry today, asking instead for the readers wishing to make a comment to name some examples of what they believe are idols and forms of idolatry.  One thing the comments reveal is the wide array of forms which idolatry can take on which are very subtle, for we Christians would ever participate in anything that we believe to be idolatry.  Thus that which becomes an idol to us will almost always be something that appears as a good thing, perhaps even a biblical thing.

            So what are some forms of idolatry that people, even Christians, in our culture struggle with?  One of the comments in the original post provided a link to a lecture on by Tim Keller titled “The Grand Demythologizer: The Gospel and Idolatry” (click on the title to reach a link that will give you an audio or video option to listen to his lecture) based on Acts 19.21-41 which was delivered at the 2009 Gospel Coalition National Conference in which Keller seeks to help us discern and confront idolatry.  He defines idolatry as anything that takes us from the glory and grace of God.  You will appreciate the breadth, depth, and balance Keller employs when naming specific forms of idolatry and how people/Christians become enslaved to those idols.  His treatment of the topic is saturated with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Keller believes the main reason why North American Christianity is very indistinguishable from its surrounding culture is because the church has not confronted the idols people worship.

            I also want to mention one other example that my friend and colleague Wes Woodell mentioned on his blog.  This is the recent news that Thomas Nelson Publishers will be producing a New King James Version of the Bible titled The American Patriot’s Bible with both an American Flag and an American patriotic picture as the cover of the Bible.  I could easily just go off on a tangent about the problems and compromise of the gospel that occurs when honest patriotism becomes nationalism, which is taking place in the United States of America in the 21^st century and allows Christians to cloak God in the ethos of the American Nation.  I would be upset to see a Bible cloaked in the ethos of any nation.  God is bigger than all nations and tribes and above all nations and tribes.  All nations and tribes, along with every other person and institution, will bow to the knees of Jesus and acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is Lord.  This does not mean that I hate the United States of America of which I am a citizen of.  It simply means that I refuse to make an image out of God, adorning God in the ethos of patriotic culture (or any culture) as depicted by the colors of red, white, and blue.  

            So enjoy Tim Keller’s lecture.  I believe this is the most pressing issue facing Christianity in the North American and Western culture – will we remain true to our Christian confession that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah?  We need to keep conversations like this going, for it is the only way we can help each other discern truth from the lies.

The Danger of Miscommunication

A first grade girl handed in the drawing below for a homework assignment.

After it was graded and the child brought it home, she returned to school the next day with the following note;    Dear Ms. Davis, I want to be very clear on my child’s illustration.  It is NOT of me on a dance pole on a stage in a strip joint.  I work at Home Depot and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the recent snowstorm.  This photo is of me selling a shovel.

In A Word? Inaword!

To accept this nomination from my friend Jason, I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and nominate 10 other blogs for the “I heart your blog” award. Here goes…

1. Where is your cell phone? Pocket
2. Where is your significant other? School
3. Your hair color? BROWN
4. Your mother? Beautiful
5. Your father? Heaven
6. Your favorite thing? Recreation
7. Your dream last night? Nothing
8. Your dream/goal? Life
9. The room you’re in? Cafe
10. Your hobby? Bookstores
11. Your fear? Fear
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Anywhere
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you’re not? Dead
15. One of your wish-list items? Macbook
16. Where you grew up? LaPorte
17. The last thing you did? Eat
18. What are you wearing? Clothes
19. Your TV? Old
20. Your pet? Someday
21. Your computer? Dell
22. Your mood? Pleasant
23. Missing someone? Always
24. Your car? Sentra
25. Something you’re not wearing? GLASSES
26. Favorite store? Barnes & Nobles
27. Your summer? Moving
28. Love someone? Strongly
29. Your favorite color? Black
30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? March

So here are the ten people I am going to nominate:

Adam Gonnerman, Al Sturgeon, Bill Williams, Bobby Valentine, Charles Kiser, John Dobbs, John Mark Hicks, Matt Dabbs, Matthew Morine, and Wes Woodall.

Giving to God & Placing God First: A Lesson From My Daughter

          As a Christian, I believe that one of our responsibilities is to give back to God as we have prospered (tithing/offering).  We have began giving our daughter, Caryn (who will turn 4 years old this comming New Year’s Day), a dollar each Sunday to place in our church’s offering basket, trying to teach her the value and responsibility of giving to God. 

          Yesterday, my daughter received a “Happy Holloween” card in the mail from her Grandpa and Grandma Martin (If Grandpa and Grandma read this…Thanks!).  In the card was five dollars (5 one-dollar bills which looks more impressive to a little child).  Naturally Caryn was excited.  Her mom and I began to talk about what she could do with the money, like saving some of it rather than spending it all on a toy or coloring book.  However Caryn looked up and said to us “First we have to give some to God.”  Naturally, her mom and I agreed and verbally assured her that this was the right thing to do but this was also a lesson for us from God.

          I confess that there are times, more often than not, when I receive money (paycheck, gift, etc…) and I first think of the bills I must pay, a book I have been wanting to buy, a new restaraunt that I want to try, etc…  This is not to say that I do not think about giving to God.  For I do remember to give to God but this is not my first thought when I receive money.  My daughter reminded me that what is important is God first.  Placing God first with our money is just as important as placing God first in all of the other decisions we make in life. 

Tornado

     Earlier tonight the county I live in (Kandiyohi County, MN) was placed under a severe thunderstorm warning.  As the storm began picking I thought I ought to go to the car and grab the flash light in case the power went out. 

     As I left the house, I heard the storm sirens sounding and noticed that the wind was picking up.  So I thought that I should get back in the house and turn on the news to watch the live weather broadcast (those broadcast that sometimes blur the line between reporting news and sensationalizing potential news). 

     As I went to walk back up my drive way I looked up to the sky and there it was… a tornado that looked to be right behind my house (actually it was probably a half a mile to a mile south).  Because I was not sure whether it was heading to the east or heading north (which would have placed my house in the direct path), I rushed inside and got my family into the basement. 

     If you have ever been in a tornado before then you know that the intensity of the noise level is a good indicator of whether it is coming to you or going away from you.  Since the sound appeared to be disipating, I ran outside with my video camera and managed to tape some great footage of the tornado.  KSTP News out of Minneapolis did come by the house and get a copy of my VHS recording (I am still in the dark ages when it comes to vidoe cameras) but I don’t think the footage made the final news cut.  Any ways, here is a link to another video of the tornado that hit the southern side of Willmar (Willmar, MN Tornado, Friday, July 11, 2008).

     I should mention that even though it appears no one was killed, there were at least two people injured and a good deal of property damage (including homes).  That does temper my excitement.  As much as I love big storms, I do know that for every major storm there is at least one person who will suffer because of the storm.  So even though I do love storms, I wish they were not a part of our world.

In Transition Absence

A week ago my family and I began our move to Willmar, Minnesota from Ithaca, New York.  We have finally arrived in Willmar, where I will serve as the Preacher/Evangelist with the Kandiyohi Church of Christ.  In the mean time, we still do not have internet service (I am in the public library typing this) so I will be absent from making any blog posts or reading and commenting on any other blogs for another week or so.  Thanks and have a wonderful day!

Rex

Prayers for the Family of John Dobbs

Some of you know John Dobbs personally, many of you know him through reading his blog which is linked on this blog site.  Please keep his family in your prayers as they have suffered the tragic loss of their son, John Robert, who was involved in a tragic accident.

Off to Kandiyohi, Minnesota

Tomorrow I am off to visit the Kandiyohi Church of Christ in Kandiyohi, MN.  They are a great group of believers.  Perhaps this is where God is taking my family next as we lives our lives being about the business of our Lord.  I have alredy visited churches in North Augusta, Georgia and Ocean Springs, Mississippi.  The congregation in North Augusta has already selected someone else to serve as their next minister but the opportunity in Ocean Springs is still a possibility and one in which I should hear more about in a week or two.  So if you have a moment please pray for me that God will clear his will and if he should give me a choice between Ocean Springs and Kandiyohi, that I will be given wisdom to make the right choice (decision making is a struggle for me). 

Update on Jared

This is a little late but hey… better late than never.  Last Wednesday Jared was released from the hospital.  He is doing well and starting to become really alert to others around him.  Additionally, he is sleeping well as well as eating as if each meal was his last and of course pooping as though someone was paying him a lot of money for every single messy diaper.

Caryn is really taking to being a big sister and a big helper for her Mom and Dad.  She has even volunteered to change Jared’s diapers (sometimes, I wish she actually could).  The other night, another area Church of Christ was hosting a worship and fellowship evening.  I took Caryn with me and it was such a joy hearing her try to sing praises to God as well. 

The picture I have uploaded is one of Caryn helping feed Jared.