Something New

Posted on
Reply

Hi followers,

I’ve started another blog about an exciting new hobby of mine…amateur astronomy!  On it I will be posting all sorts of cool stuff for geeks and nerds like me and how it all relates to God.  I’m just getting into the whole astronomy thing so it’s going to be a growing experience but I’m pretty excited about it!  Please check it out…the address is http://acrosstheuniverseinnotime.wordpress.com/.  I’ll still be posting on this site whenever I get the chance so stay tuned!

~Tim

Famous Last Words

Posted on
Reply
Image representing Steve Jobs as depicted in C...

Image via CrunchBase

Do last words have any special meaning?  Are they the last messages conveyed by a dying person left for instruction, wisdom, or legacy?  Are they just random nerve endings firing in our brain in a last-ditch effort to keep our body from dying which are uttered as words?  I suppose we’ll never know for sure.  However the subject is quite intriguing.  It is often said that a person’s last words can summarize what their life was all about, the essence of their personality represented in one final sentence.  Sometimes last words are viewed as a glimpse into the afterlife when the dying person is somehow able to see the eternal aspect of the soul and supposedly see heaven or hell.  Are any of these true?  We’ll never know until we experience death ourselves.

One instance of famous last words that I believe will become very famous are those of the recently departed Steve Jobs.  Jobs’ last word are very intriguing for a couple reasons.  Jobs’ sister Mona Simpson gave his eulogy at his funeral when she mentioned his last words.  He had his children, his wife, and his sister by his side when he died and gazing at each in turn, he then looked past them and remarked, “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow”.  Now it is unclear in what tone of voice he uttered these words because it was read at his funeral and then published.  But the tone is what is so interesting.  The fact that he clearly was looking beyond his family and looking at something behind them that was not there leaves me to think that he might have had a revelation of something, or saw something for the first time.  What he saw must have either been beautiful or terrifying.  The tone of his voice would have indicated which emotion he was feeling but we are left to guess.

Was the late Apple CEO gazing at eternity?  What was it like?  Apart from the “Oh wow” we know of, we have no idea what was going on inside of his head at that instant before he fell into a coma.  There have been numerous stories of people glimpsing heaven or hell before death, and even dying and coming back describing what it is like.  The Bible tells us that we die and after that we experience the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).  We’ve all been taught that after we die we go up to heaven where we give an account to God for our entire life.  Every deed we’ve done, thought we’ve thought, everything we’ve not done will questioned and then according to God’s justice we’ll be congratulated or sentenced.  While this is partly true, the way the Bible really teaches it is that God will read to us the deeds of our life from a book as we stand and listen.  It will be more like a court trial when the accused is read the charges against him by the judge.  God judges according to His holiness, which just means His “otherness” from us or His “set apartness” from us.  God’s holiness is so pure and is the embodiment to moral perfection.  He is everything we aren’t but should be.  His holiness incites in our souls a fear because we are so imperfect compared to Him.  Deep down we know that we should not be near to God because He and His holiness is so terrifying that we are afraid.

Could this be what Steve Jobs saw in the final moments of his life?  Did he see with unveiled eyes the holiness of God?  Was then his exclamation of “Oh wow” one of fear and terror as his human unholiness was revealed to him compared to God’s?  As Hebrews 10:31 states, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Sinners who fall into the hands of God have everything to fear because of the judgment approaching them.  The fire of hell is a stark reality that they will soon experience for eternity.  Constant torment as retribution for a lifetime of wickedness and rebellion against God is what they are about to be condemned to, with no way out I might add.  The sentence is final and the execution swift, the consequences, forever.  It is truly a frightful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But perhaps there was hope for Steve Jobs.  His biographer, Walter Isaacson, had wrote that Jobs had been thinking a lot more about God when he found out that he was terminal.  He told Isaccson that he wanted to believe in an afterlife and that he was about 50-50 on the concept.  Perhaps he had heard the Gospel and was contemplating it, or maybe even believed it.  Whether he did or not we’ll never know.  But that would have certainly changed how we interpret his last words.  For someone who dies in faith in Jesus, the judgment is not something to be feared, but something to rejoice in because they have been declared righteous and justified before God.  God’s holiness is not seen as a fearful indictment but a beautiful sight leading to praise and worship.  If that was the case with Steve Jobs, his “Oh wow” could have been an exclamation of beauty having finally been able to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.

But the rest of the story of Steve Jobs is unknown to us, at least this side of eternity.  The question is, what will your eternity look like?  Will it be infinite agony and torment in hell for the wickedness of your life?  Or will it be infinite joy with God in heaven for the faith of your life?  The time remains for you to affect the ending of your story.

Happy Reformation Day

Posted on
1

The far, far lesser known holiday celebrated on October 31st is Reformation Day.  It is the remembrance of the day when Martin Luther, then a monk in a Roman Catholic church, protested the sale of indulgences to be made righteous before God.  His letter of complaint and essay of his position on man’s justification was nailed to the door of the Schlosskirche cathedral in Wittenberg, Germany which became known as the “95 Theses”.  The year was 1517 and the Roman Catholic Church was moving throughout Europe selling indulgences to raise money to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.  The Roman Catholic theology stated that man was not justified and made righteous by faith alone, but that faith must be active in charity and good works to be saving faith.  So by extension, donating money to the church could contribute to one’s good works and thereby his salvation.  Luther asserted that since forgiveness is God’s alone to grant, the Catholic church was in error claiming that indulgences had the power to forgive sins.  Although Luther never intended to confront the church, the protest against Roman indulgences sparked a European shockwave that spread to all reached of the continent.  The new movement called the Reformation was fueled by such people as Luther, William Tyndale, Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, and John Knox and quickly spread like wildfire.  The Reformation liberated thousands of parishes from the chains of the Roman Catholic Theocracy and lead a restoration back to God’s Word as the only source of divine revelation.  The key points of the Reformation were established as the Five Solas: Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, by grace alone, faith alone, Sola Scriptura, scripture alone, Solus Christus, in Christ alone, and Sola Deo Gloria, glory to God alone.  These five “solas” became the battle cry of the reformation leaders and they were held dearly, even to the death.

From the Reformation sparked many new denominations of churches that we categorize as Protestantism.  These denominations developed from various Reformation leader such as Martin Luther, Charles Wesley, John Calvin, and others.  The Reformation forever changed the way the world views God and reads the Bible and we have so much to be thankful for from the brave men who stepped out of line to ask tough questions and challenge the daunting status quo.  Today, while the rest of the world is celebrating Halloween and dressing up as zombies or whores, maybe spend the evening reflecting on God’s power to awake the dead from the bondage of slavery and give new life, both to the soul and to the Church.  The Reformation was certainly one of the most important events in human history so let’s not easily forget it or take it for granted.  Peace.

What Did He Just Say?

Posted on
Reply
Rev. Jonathan Edwards, a leader of the Great A...

Jonathan Edwards: America's greatest theologian Image via Wikipedia

I just started reading the book Think:  The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper and so far, as is to be expected when one reads a Piper book, is pretty academic and mind-exploding!  In chapter 2 Piper is extolling his love of Jonathan Edwards and his musings on the Trinitarian God.  This quote from Edwards comes from his paper “An Essay on the Trinity” and it is simply too good to not share.  I had to read it a couple times before I totally understood it, but it seems to me the most complete and robust explanation of the Trinity and how each Person relates to the Other.

This I suppose to be the blessed Trinity that we read of in the Holy Scriptures.  The Father is the deity subsisting in the prime, unoriginated and most absolute manner, or the deity in its direct existence.  The Son is the deity generated by God’s understanding, or having an idea of Himself and subsisting in that idea.  The Holy Ghost is the deity subsisting in act, or the divine essence flowing out and breathed forth in God’s infinite love to delight in Himself.  And I believe the whole Divine essence does truly and distinctly subsist both in the Divine idea and Divine love, and that each of them are properly distinct persons.

That totally blew my mind!  And it gets even crazier because on the next page Piper includes another excerpt from Edwards’ paper on how the Trinity glorifies itself and delights in itself.

God is glorified withing Himself these two ways: (1) By appearing…to Himself in His own perfect idea [of Himself], or in His Son, who is the brightness of His glory. (2) By enjoying and delighting in Himself, by flowing forth in infinite…delight towards Himself, or in his Holy Spirit.

…So God glorifies Himself toward the creatures also in two ways: (1) By appearing to…their understanding. (2) In communicating Himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in, and enjoying, the manifestations which He makes of Himself…God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in.  When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified  than if they only see it.  His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart.

God made the world that He might communicate, and the creature receive, His glory; and that it might [be] received both by the mind and heart.  He that testifies his idea of God’s glory [doesn't] glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.

So there it is.  A rather complete and robust exegesis on the doctrine of the Trinity in less than 200 words!  I didn’t think that existed!  Just some food for thought since I don’t have time to write any more.

Peace.

True Beauty

Posted on
Reply

Last night we learned of one of the most tragic and saddening deaths of perhaps this young century.  Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple passed away from a several year long battle with pancreatic cancer.  Steve Jobs’ influence in the world of technology is one that simply cannot be regarded with anything else but praise.  Jobs took a fledgling desktop computer company called Apple in the early ’80′s trying to compete against giants such as Microsoft and IBM and turned it in to one of the world’s most valuable companies at the time of his death.  After being fired once from his post at Apple, Jobs is widely remembered as the Comeback Kid success story of the business world.  Under Jobs’ guidance and brilliance, Apple has created some of the most amazing computers and devices the world has ever seen, from Macintosh computers, iPods, Macbooks, to the revolutionary iPhone.  Apple products have long set the standard for industry change while also raising the bar aesthetically as well.  Steve Jobs will be missed by all those whose lives have been impacted by Apple in any way, shape, or form.  The world has lost a true visionary and genius.  My prayers go out to the Jobs family; may they find comfort and peace in their Creator in this time of intense grief and sorrow.

But this post is not about Steve Jobs.  This post is about Someone else.  That someone knows a thing or two about creating beautiful things and being a revolutionary and genius.  He also happens to be the creator of ALL things, including Steve Jobs.  He is the Sovereign Creator of the universe…God.  While all the things in this world may hold a unique beauty, they all declare something about the One who created them.  Humans for example are created in the image of God.  Our primary purpose in life is to model God with all the things we do with the gifts He has given us, our brains, our talents, our ability to think and reason, our creativeness, and our emotions.  All of those are gifts from God and were meant to be used to say something awesome about the One who endowed us with those gifts.

Our God’s beauty is on display all the time in nature and the beauty of the heavens.  Have you ever been stargazing on a clear night and been captivated by the sheer beauty of the cosmos?  It’s an amazing feeling because you are gazing at the beauty of God and his wisdom and power.  God is the source of all the beauty in this world and we, as His image-bearers have the responsibility, and the privilege, of giving Him praise as we behold it.  Martin Luther once said “All of a Christian’s life is one of repentance.”  While that is true I think in light of the truth of God’s beauty and wisdom, and power we should also say “All of a Christian’s life is one of praise!”  He alone is worth of all our praise.

“Misguided Christian Outrage”

Posted on
Reply

I just stumbled across this article while browsing the Resurgence website a minute ago and thought I’d pass it along to you readers.  I was specifically thinking of the attitude Christians take when dealing with political issues, such as gay marriage, school prayer, or whatever moral or ethical issues we generally get upset over.  This article by Russell Moore is short but thought-provoking.

http://theresurgence.com/2010/03/02/misguided-christian-outrage

From Inside These Walls…

Posted on
Reply

Last week at Bible study I heard something truly amazing and faith-stirring!  We are

Who is your mentor?

going through the book of Acts and we’re almost to the end.  At this point in the narrative Paul has been on house arrest for two years awaiting a trial for his alleged crime against the Jewish nation for not obeying the Jewish laws and teaching other not to obey.  Paul was falsely accused and given no chance to defend himself until he requested an audience with Caesar.  Paul was later granted his request and sent to Rome.  We know from history that Paul was again jailed in Rome and spent the rest of his life in prison before he was martyred for his faith.

From prison, Paul wrote a vast majority of the New Testament, including the epistles of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Philemon, and 1 & 2 Timothy, which were written just before his execution.  Paul knows that he will never again be able to visit or preach at the churches he planted throughout his ministry and poured so much blood, sweat, and tears into so he uses his time in prison to impart vital words of wisdom, correction, and encouragement before he departs from this life.  People do the same now days also.  Often times, when someone knows their time is coming to an end they will do such things as write a last will and testament, give special directions on what to do with property and inheritances, to imparting last words of wisdom.  Much like Yoda tells Luke just before he dies that “When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be…pass on what you have learned” and “there is another Skywalker”, so too do we do in this world.

Paul’s letters from prison were delivered to the intended person or church where tradition tells us the letter was read aloud to the whole congregation.  How sweet a treasure that must have been to receive a letter from their most beloved Apostle, mentor, and friend!  Like receiving words of wisdom from beyond this life, it must have been a most joyful moment, yet somber and educational.  Paul, writing under the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is weaving together the different parts of his ministry to create one giant tapestry of theology and doxology.  Later cannonized in the 4th Century, these letters would become the foundation of Christian life and world view.

The amazing experience I was referring to earlier was a Pauline experience my friend Mike had when he was in high school.  He shared with us how when he was a sophomore in high school he began writing to a man who was in prison.  A member of his church gave him his name and address in the prison and they began to correspond regularly.  The prisoner, John, was a man who was on his second sentence for a repeated crime.  Since his first stint in the can he had been converted by God and was made a believer.  Over the course of about a year and dozens of letters John poured out his heart to Mike and offered countless words of encouragement to a young high school student.

In his letters to Mike were countless scripture references, words of encouragement, exhortations, prayer requests, and godly advice.  This man, though locked up and separated from mainstream Christianity certainly knew his Bible and treasured it more than life itself!  John describes himself as a hearer of the Word, but not a doer before his conversion; and much like Paul, considered himself a Pharisee zealous for the wrong things that he thought were right.  But when faced with the overwhelming conviction of his sins fell to his knees and believed on Christ for his salvation.  He recounts his conversion in his letters just like Paul.  He offers exhortations to continue the work God has begun in Mike’s life, and gives the hope for why we do the things we do and why we suffer, the glory of the name of God.  By far the most enlightening part of the letter was when John revealed to Mike that although he is physically in bondage, he is freer that any of his fellow prisoners because he has been set free from the spiritual bondage that held his soul captive for years.  Though he was confined to the walls of the prison, he has access to the throne of God in heaven!  He also recalls all the blessing of the outside world and how he no longer takes for granted those blessings now that he no longer enjoys them.  The Word of God has also become precious to him.  He eagerly looks forward to the church service on his tier and the weekly Bible studies he and the 4 other Christian prisoners have.  He is a true embodiment of a man who loves the Lord with all his heart, mind, and soul despite the fact that he is a sinner.  He looks to God for help in every aspect of his life because he knows what he was like without God and never wants to go back to his former self.  This man’s life resembled Paul’s in so many ways and I was in awe of the heart he has for the things of God and his passion to pass them on to others!

It was amazing sitting there in Bible study listening to Mike read one of those letters to the group.  I felt like I was pastor Timothy in Ephesus reading Paul’s letter to fight the good fight of faith.  Much like Timothy was receiving priceless words of advice from his mentor and good friend, so too was Mike receiving advice from a mentor, even one whom until then he had never met.  I couldn’t help but think about what an awesome experience that must have been for Mike at such a young age to hear words like that coming from a man who had lived a life of decadence and sin and reaped its consequences, but was full of joy in the Lord for his salvation!  The letter he read to the group was dated September 22, 1999, and even though it is 12 years old it seems as though John was reaching out to me personally in the present moment and I was suddenly Timothy receiving a cherished letter from my mentor.

That got me thinking, who is my Paul?  Who do I look to as an example of godly living and selfless servanthood?  To be honest, I’m not sure.  I believe we all need to find our “Paul” and like the disciples, sit at the feet of their mentor as soak in as much as possible.  Men and women who have gone before us and experienced things we know nothing of are our most valuable resource apart from Scripture and God has sovereignly placed these people in our lives for our benefit.  We should earnestly seek them out and learn from them all that we can to train our lives for godliness.  As Paul writes, “we must always be ready to give an account for the hope that is in us”, “have this mind that was also in Christ Jesus”, and “run with perseverance the race that is set before us”.  God has unique and surprising ways of teaching us and molding us into the image of His Son Jesus, and if we keep our eyes of faith open and focused we will be able to see all that He intends for us and we will one day receive the reward for our faith and hard work when we meet our Redeemer in heaven.