The Journey

Life is a messy journey.

I preach every Sunday, and one of the things I like about sermons is that they always wrap up neatly at the end. There’s an introduction, content, application, and some kind of conclusion that wraps the whole thing up. Something was accomplished. It’s finished, and I’ve done something worthwhile.

I wish life worked that way. I wish I could go home after preaching a sermon and it become immediate reality for me. I would love God with all my heart, pray throughout the day, see God in everything, carry my cross, and always be courageous about my faith. I used to think most preachers I met were fakes, plastic people incapable of real feelings. They reminded me of Hallmark cards. But now I think they were just trying to live up to the ideal they preached, and trying to be like that all the time is exhausting. You can’t show too much of yourself, because then people might find out that you sin, too. Then you’re a fake. Then your sermons aren’t true anymore.

The Old Testament gives me encouragement. The same Elijah with success on the mountain became suicidal soon afterward. In fact, Job, Jonah, and Jeremiah were all suicidal at one point. Look at David. We like to separate the cheating, murdering David from the David who slew Goliath with 100% faith. But they were the same man. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he still had the capability to be completely selfish and destructive.

Life is a journey. A messy, unpredictable, and sometimes frustrating journey.

I guess that doesn’t sound very spiritual. The Christian Life is supposed to be black and white. But the people I read about in Scripture weren’t ruled by the black and white. They wept, bled, and sinned. They struggled, and weren’t always sure what to do. They did wrong even when they knew what they were doing was wrong. Yet, somehow God still used them to fulfill His will.

The worst sin ever committed in human history was murdering the perfect Son of God. But God used that to bring about the best thing in human history: our redemption. Maybe the same God who used a mess like that to bring about something good can use my messy attempt to follow Jesus today. Maybe He can even use my mistakes.

I’m not depressed, and I’m not struggling with some huge sin. I’m just coming to grip with the idea that bringing Christian truth into real life is a long, and sometimes emotionless journey. You grow up thinking it’s supposed to be exciting. And in some ways it is, but really most of the time it comes down to me doing what God wants me to do even when I really just feel like being a baby. And then going to my knees because I was being a baby anyway.

I am thankful for the journey. The key is that throughout all the mess you read about in the Old Testament, God is always there. He never forsakes. He always stays true. He teaches and guides even when we think He’s nowhere to be found. That same God works in our lives no matter how messy it gets, and that pushes me to seek Him more and more. And so I’m thankful for the messy journey. Because every fall and every triumph is another step with God. That gives me the joy to keep pushing, because I know one day I won’t have to push any longer. I’ll get to sit at His table, and that’s what keeps me going.

Two Crazy Stories

I’ve got two crazy stories to tell. One will be brief, since you probably already know it because it’s in the Bible. The other one happened to me about a year ago.

In Acts 16 Paul implements a mission strategy to reach people that he’s already had success in: go to a religious place and talk about Jesus. In this case he goes to a group of praying women, and then Lydia and her household are baptized after Paul teaches them. Pretty cool, the strategy worked.

If it worked before, it would probably work again, right? So Paul goes to another place of prayer to try and convert some people, but a wrench gets thrown in the mission strategy. A crazy fortune-teller girl starts pestering Paul, and the text even says Paul gets pretty aggravated by it. After all, he’s trying to do God’s work and this annoying girl just won’t go away. He has a couple of options: do something about it, or continue on with his previous strategy. But, Paul decides to go for it and do something. Eventually he casts out her spirit of divination, which leads to even crazier events.

The whole town gets pretty mad, and Paul and others get thrown into prison. Again, Paul could easily just get annoyed again by another plan foiled. But, instead he sings to God, and an earthquake comes and frees all the prisoners. You know the rest. Paul converts the jailer and his entire household.

The interesting thing is that Paul set out with a plan for God, and that plan was cut short by some pretty bothersome circumstances (an annoying girl and a prison sentence). But, Paul had something special: a willing heart. He was willing to be sidetracked and allow God to do something crazy, and in the end his story of success here was probably much bigger than it would have been had he just gone to another place of prayer.

Something similar happened to me. About a year ago Alisha and I were visiting some friends in Austin (Chris and Rachel Bennett). I had been preaching most Sundays in Hart lately, so I was looking forward to one Sunday where I could just listen instead of preach.

That Saturday night Chris was joking about me being a preacher, and made some joke about if I was somehow called on to preach last minute would I do it. We talked about it for a bit, and I told him I could probably do it because I preach every Sunday, so I have a lot to pick from. But, of course, in what universe would I randomly be asked to preach at a visiting church? And why would I even want to? “That’s so prideful to think about. I don’t even want to,” I thought. “This will be nice to just listen for once.”

The next morning I sat in Chris’s Bible class, and happened to flip through some of my sermons wondering what I would preach if I happened to be asked to preach last minute. It was like I couldn't shake the thought. But I laughed out loud, put my sermons away, and inwardly chastised myself for being so ridiculous. “Pay attention,” I thought. “You’re being prideful.”

That Church happened to have a guest speaker that morning. But when Church was starting, I asked one of the elders about it, and he got frantic when he realized the man wasn’t there yet. It was like a beehive getting stirred as they ran around trying to figure out where this guy was. I thought, “There’s no way this guy won’t be here. He’s got to call or something.”

Alisha (being a good wife) told Chris to volunteer me to speak, but I was kind of frozen because it was like my thoughts were coming true. “I don’t even want to preach today, what on Earth is going on?” I thought. Eventually, right after the Lord’s Supper, one of the elders approached me and told me, “Looks like you’re up.” So I went to the back and tried to find something recent enough I remembered well, and when I found one Chris came back to pray with me. When we were done I told him I had to look over my lesson, because I had preached it a month earlier. Right then one of the elders came back and wanted to pray with me. And when he finished the prayer, they were introducing me. It’s then I prayed, “God, this is weird. I haven’t even looked over this. Looks like you’re up, too.”

I got up there, and did the best I could. I preached a sermon I had done recently called, “8 Modern Lies About Christianity” as a part of a series on Colossians. Among the lies were things like, “Being right is more important than living right,” “Christianity is primarily about what happens on Sunday,” and "Christianity is primarily a political religion." Based on people’s faces I wasn’t sure if it was going well or not. I thought maybe I was making people angry.

Well, I preached as best I could and stepped down, not sure what to think (and still dazed that I even preached to begin with). But I’m not exaggerating when I say that I think every last person in that Church came to tell me that sermon dealt with exactly where they were and that they needed it so badly. It was the strangest thing. I was in shock.

On top of that, they paid us for speaking, which happened to be around the exact amount we needed that month because of some unexpected expenses. I don’t know what happened from it all, but I do know God was in it. Here I was expecting to lay down my preacher hat for a weekend and just go somewhere, when God threw one of the coolest opportunities I’ve ever had right in my lap. I could have said no. I could have let someone else do it. But because I was willing (though inadequate, scared, and incredibly nervous) God used me to do something special.

I think that’s how God works. He doesn’t need talented people. He needs people to raise up their hands and say, “I don’t know what it will look like, but here I am for Your purposes, God. Please use me.” And, He will.

Note: The guest speaker had a flat tire and had left his cell phone at home.

The Disconnect

I've noticed a trend of disconnect.

Recently I was studying the history of science for a class I was taking, and I started to notice a common thread between many of the scientists. They began to get so wrapped up in what they were studying, that they forgot about the world around them. Many of them became sour old men with no friends. They missed relationships, the beauty of the outdoors, and among other things, God. There was a disconnect.

I've also been studying a little bit about pagan religions for one of my classes. One of the things pointed out was that their religion (usually) had almost no relation to moral effort in everyday life. Their worship at the temple, rituals, and sacrifices had nothing to do with ordinary life choices. That religion didn't necessarily make them try to treat people better, and that was normal.

There's a trend here: We tend to believe in and appreciate something and at the same time forget that thing's very nature. I've seen this for a long time in myself and other Christians. We can boldly proclaim something in a sermon, but the next moment live in complete contradiction to it. What is that? How can that be possible?

Bible students, for whatever reason, seem to be especially prone to this. While many have great hearts and motivations, there's always those who use religion to puff themselves up. It's as if when they stand up to speak about the Bible that equates to them inventing the truths they speak of.

I enjoy studying, I really do. I love reading Christian books and having my mind pushed. But I never want to stop asking, "What does this have to do with me?" I want Christianity to be more than something I say I agree with; I want it to change my very nature.

Rob Bell, Universalism, and The Cross

Two articles have been written lately about Rob Bell's upcoming book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.

The first one is written by someone criticizing his upcoming book. You can read it here:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/02/26/rob-bell-universalist/

The second one is by CNN writing on the controversy this book is erupting. You can read it here:
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/01/what-is-a-heretic-exactly-in-the-evangelical

I suggest you read at least the first article and watch Rob Bell's video embedded in it before reading my post.

Rob Bell has been a popular and controversial figure for some time. His Nooma videos have been seen by countless people, he is a pastor at a very large church, and he has written several successful books.

His next book seems to be a mystery as to its true content. Many are holding out judgment until its release, and many are criticizing its supposed premise beforehand. I obviously have not read his book, but only have his video and public silence since this controversy started to go on.

I don't really want to criticize Rob Bell or the book directly, but this controversy has brought up a few questions. For one, is Hell a real place? How could God judge people and cause them harm? And what place does the Cross play in all of this?

Hell is a controversial subject. Many people have abused the notion of Hell to manipulate and coerce, and many have used it as a sole motivating factor for conversion. On the other end it seems many have abandoned the very idea of Hell as barbaric and outdated. As you can see in many of the comments on the above mentioned articles many people are extremely offended by the idea of eternal punishment, and especially that a loving God could be behind it.

I would contend, that regardless of public perception and opinion, you cannot call yourself a follower of the Jesus in the Bible and disregard any idea of Hell (or punishment, or judgment, or whatever term you prefer). Maybe you could throw out the traditional idea of Hell (A deep cavern of fire with Satan as the master torturing his victims for eternity), but you cannot throw out the whole thing. Judgment by God is all over the Scriptures.

I think at the heart of this topic is not really the actual idea of Hell, but the idea that a loving God could actually cause harm and punish people who disobey Him, be it for eternity or for a small amount of time. But, the Bible is clear. The only thing that awaits people who live contrary to God's will suffer from it. Consider these verses:

"But these people, like irrational animals - creatures of instinct born to be destroyed - speak blasphemies about things they don't understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed, suffering harm as the payment for unrighteousness." 2 Peter 2:10-13

"But by the same word the present heavens and earth are held in store for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7

"This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don't know God and on those who don't obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." 2 Thess. 1:7-9

I'm not one of those people who enjoys talking about Hell and the judgment that awaits those who live in rebellion to God. As a 21st century American born into a postmodern generation, I do not like that idea at all. But just because my cultural influences and intuition tell me to find that idea uncomfortable, it does not stop that idea from being reality.

It's funny how doctrinal change in the Church tends to flow with culture. This is why we have the Scriptures. Men change their minds based on what their cultures hold in high esteem. Today we hold tolerance as the ultimate virtue. But God does not. "Tolerance" as it is often used today is nothing more than a cowardly acceptance of wickedness. Should we "tolerate" hate, murder, racism, child abuse? Should God? And why are we so angry for Him for postponing judgment until our lives are over, and then executing His judgment fairly upon everyone?

At the heart of the matter is the Cross. Most false teachings attack the Cross. The prosperity gospel says, "If you bless God, He will bless you with material possessions." Yet, our Savior lived homeless, persecuted, and finally tortured and executed among two criminals. The Cross stands in defiance of the prosperity gospel. Living as Christ's disciple does not guarantee peace in this world, and in fact we can expect the opposite (John 15:18-19). It is the same with the idea of Heaven and Hell. If there is no such thing as a coming judgment, then why bother with the Cross?

Some might say that the Cross does show God's love, but that it's not God rescuing us from Himself, because that doesn't make sense (many comments on the articles mentioned say as much). But there's no way around it. The Cross without judgment is senseless. Does God really need torture and death to show His love for us? Hasn't He already showed us that? He gave us life, food, friends, family, and many other joys. Did He really need to prove He loved us?

God created the Universe, this beautiful world we live in, and us. He created us, above all else, in His very image. This is a beautiful gift to us. We can create, think, make art and music, have families, eat and drink, build, and pursue. Yet, since the beginning man's message back to God has always been the same:

"We don't trust You. We know you say not to eat this fruit, but we think it's good. We know you say not to lie, cheat, commit adultery, act selfishly, slander Your name, and many other things. But we would rather live our own way, so just go away."

Each of us have sinned (Rom. 3:23), and this treachery cannot simply go unpunished. Of course we are untrue to our nature and can say one thing and do another, or hold a standard in some cases and then change our minds when it is convenient. But God does not sway. He is holy, just, and right. In His world that is His own, betrayal must be met with death.

Yet, His love remains. He watches us rebel and declare our trust in ourselves, but He loves us all the same. And He sent His Son to pay that price and bring us back. It wasn't flippant, and it wasn't a merely symbolic act of kindness and love. It was the grand act of love that bought us back to Him. In short, without judgment the Cross is an absurdity.

Yet, not everyone will accept that love. Many have spurned it, and many will spurn it still. What should we expect God to do? Save them anyway? How does that make sense? His gift is free, and He only bids us trust Him and live in Him. And here we stand offended that He would still punish people...

What arrogance.

Many have what C.S. Lewis called "all thrills and no work." They want the good feeling and peace that Christianity produces, but they don't want the harsh realities that go with it. Men want to fashion their own idea of a religion that provides themselves with the best results (good feelings, public approval, license to live the way they already do) without any requirements upon themselves. But we cannot approach God like that, or I'm afraid we'll simply be following ourselves.

We have to approach God as children, recognizing our place. He is God, and we are not. We are the ones who have wounded, taken advantage of, and betrayed. We cannot come to Him demanding that He act a certain way when He is Sovereign. If we really believe that God is good, then we have to believe that in the end God will do, above all, what is right. So while judgment may confuse and frustrate us here, that does not give us the license to change the clear teaching of judgment in the Scriptures.

And it makes the Cross that much sweeter, and should motivate us to share its message with all who will listen.

The Gospel - A Resource for Teaching the Gospel to Others

Hopefully this embedded link works.

About 4 years ago, while I was in Russia, I began studying the Bible with people who had little to no knowledge of God or the Bible. This was very difficult for me, because (usually) in America I could teach people about Christ with some sort of reference point. Most non-Christians have at least been to Church once or have heard something about Christianity. But, as I said, in Russia this is usually not the case.

I grew a lot in my teaching when I was forced to teach people who knew nothing about what I was talking about. I had to change my language, approach, and really focus on boiling things down to simple points that could later be expanded upon.

I made this 6 part study to be used with many kinds of people, though it's far from answering every question that people can ask, nor will it work for every type of culture or background. I put it on here hoping it may be useful for someone, hopefully in sharing the Gospel with someone else.

At the end of this I also added a summary of a class I did on evangelism for the purpose of encouragement and inspiration in sharing your faith with others.

I'll explain how this was intended to be used. In my teaching style (especially one-on-one) I like to use three main methods: Scripture, principles, and discussion questions.

Scripture - In this study you can see that I have many Scriptures in parentheses, which I would read along with the person I'm studying with (taking turns or whatever they're most comfortable with). This is obviously the foundation of any Bible study, and the rest of it just serves as a help to bring those Scriptures over to our daily reality.

Principles - You'll notice many of the paragraphs start off with a bold, italic sentence. This is a principle that summarizes the point I am trying to make (similar to how I often write in blog posts). The principles are important, because I try to make things easy to understand, simple, meaningful, and memorable. Often when I'm studying with someone I'll use these principles as my launching point and just use the paragraph to make sure I discussed the main idea of that principle.

Discussion Questions - The last part is discussion questions, which are also vitally important. For one, they are important because it is completely necessary to know where someone is when you're studying with them. You may not want to move on at times if it seems like they're getting a totally different idea than you are trying to communicate (one of the reasons I prefer one-on-one over preaching). This also puts you on a more level playing field with the other person, because you answer the questions as well. This is a good time to be personal, and maybe a little transparent. It also gives the other person time to process out loud whatever you've been reading/discussing.

At the beginning of each lesson I have the main points for the teacher to get across, as well as an outline of the lesson. I also have assignments at the end of some of the lessons, in the hope that the other person will start off practicing some simple parts of Christianity from the very get-go.

This is definitely a work in progress. It's not a perfect study, and there's lots of other concepts I struggled with not adding in here. But, I tried to go for simplicity as much as I could (some of it still needs to be simplified more, for sure).

If it's helpful for anyone at all, I'd love to hear about it. And if you have any questions about it whatsoever I'd be glad to answer those.

Link (in case the embedded part doesn't work):
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B3KBSOdcQZNnOThiMjNhZDUtYmQxMC00NjkyLTk5NzItNmQyMWE0Y2I5MmE1&hl=en

The Gospel COMPLETE in PDF

Crucifying Sin: Make War!

I've been thinking about sin for a while. I don't like thinking about it too much. For one, Christianity isn't about just abstaining from bad things, but it's a pursual of something. Sin sometimes gets too much attention.

Still... I'm weighed down by it. I watch it ruin people's lives every day: marriages are broken, emotions are spoiled, friendships ruined, jobs lost, children abused. We constantly want to be first, to have the attention, to be right... and it ruins us. Sin is a disgusting poison.

I'm about to finish preaching a series on crucifying sin in our lives, so I thought I would share some of those thoughts on here as well.

One of the things in our Christian culture that strikes me as strange is that we have a tolerable level of sin that we accept as normal. It's okay to cheat on your taxes once in a while, make dirty jokes here and there, treat people badly when we're having a bad day. Just don't do anything too terrible. Why is that? Why do we treat sin like it's something we have to accept?

I watched this video a while back, and while it may be a little dramatic, I think it makes the point well.



Sin absolutely wants to crush us, and it never stops its pursuit. Sometimes I feel like we're naive villagers walking through a war zone without a clue. Gunshots are everywhere, but there we are, believing that if we pretend everything is fine, it will all just go away. But that's not spiritual; it's idiotic.

I mean, people whose life goal and pursuit is to follow God at all costs are caught up in immorality every single day. They're not all bad men; many of them have great intentions. And I don't claim to have the answers to all of that, but sometimes I wonder if they were in war mode against their sin. At what point do we stop and say, "That's enough. I'm going to declare all-out war against my evil desires because I don't want them ruining any more of my life, or anyone's around me!"

I love what God told Cain when he was about to do the unthinkable and murder his own brother. He told him, "Sin is crouching at the door. It desires to have you, but you must master it!" The same goes for us.

I truly pray that God would give me the same hatred for evil in my life that He has. It put His Son on the Cross, it hurts the innocent every day, and we cannot avoid its presence. We must fight it. There is no tolerable level of sin.

Everyone Has a Dark Side

This is one of the hardest truths in life that I have had to face. Everyone has weaknesses. No matter how good a person is perceived to be, there’s always the chance that they will hurt you, betray you, humiliate you, or neglect you. And maybe the worst part is, sometimes the person that does those things is me.

I have been hurt by family, and by my closest friends. I imagine all of us have. Part of me thought that would all change within the Church, but in some ways it’s been the opposite. The nature of Christian relationships is that you’re much closer to people than you would otherwise be, because of that intimate spiritual connection found only in Christ. But, the closer you are to someone, the more potential they have to do you harm. We can take many things from strangers, but from a brother… there are no words. David says it like this in Psalm 55, “For it is not an enemy who insults me, for then I could bear it. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend.”

Just as bad is being hurt by those you highly respect: teachers, ministers, those in other high positions. I’ve been publicly humiliated by those I’ve greatly admired, and I cannot begin to explain how devastating that was to me. And I shamefully admit that I have likely done the same to others in times of weakness, selfishness, and pride.

There are many ways to react to this dark reality of life. One is to deny it, to believe that people don’t really hurt each other like this, or that it doesn’t really hurt to be treated badly. One is to buy into the lie that we deserve whatever this person has done, because we are essentially bad people. Another is to put up a wall, unwilling to trust other people, because there’s always this fear that the closer they get, the more it’s going to hurt when betrayal comes. But I think the way of God is very different from these.

I believe God invites us to, in spite of our sinfulness, have intimate relationships with other people, because we have a different motivation than the rest of men. In one of Jesus’ beatitudes, He puts it like this, “blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” Whenever I forgive and accept those who humiliate me, hurt me, and betray me, I am actually taking on God’s nature… because that’s what He has done to me. Our lives, if nothing else, are on the whole an exclamation point screaming that all we really care about is ourselves, and that God is anything but a priority to us. We have loved the gifts, but ignored the Giver. We have taken for granted His blessings, but complained bitterly about our problems. Mercy to my brother or superior who demeans me seems nothing in comparison to what I have done to Almighty God. My motivation to forgive is that I have done far worse to God, and yet He has forgiven me.

But that doesn’t stop it from hurting. I have shed many tears over harsh accusations, character assassinations, gossip, public humiliations, and brutal attacks on my intentions. I have been so hurt by those I trusted that I wasn’t sure I had the strength to walk out my own front door. But the second part of this reality that I must face is that the roles could easily be reversed. It is not beyond me to betray, to hurt, and demean. So, when all my tears are shed, mercy is my only option.

And, in the end, the only perfect one is God. I must be like David, that though I may be completely surrounded by enemies disguised as friends, He is my only real sustainer and validation. He alone is all-loving, just, compassionate, and unwilling to do evil. I can hold on to that, realizing that one day sin will be completely finished. On that day I can trust my brother without fear, because we will be with God and all that will be left is love.

The Gospel Summarized

I'm teaching a class soon at Church on evangelism, and part of it is learning how to explain the Gospel message very simply in just a few minutes. I thought I'd put it up here. Let me know if you have any suggestions or if you find it helpful.

“What is Christianity all about in really simple terms?”

1. God created us to be with Him. The Bible teaches that God is good, and that He created everything that exists. He made people so that we could enjoy an intimate relationship with Him. He promised that if we lived His way, life would go well and He would fulfill all our needs.

2. We have rebelled against Him. The first man, Adam, decided to break that relationship with God. God told him not to eat one piece of fruit, but Adam didn’t trust God and ate it anyway. When he did that, he sinned. We all do that every day. When we lie, cheat, hurt other people, honor other things above God, and act selfishly we’re basically telling God that we don’t trust Him, and that our ways are better than His ways. Because we’ve rebelled against Him like this, the only thing left for us is eternal punishment.

3. Jesus paid our price of rebellion. But the great news is that God loves us even though we continually rebel against Him. So He came to Earth as a person, Jesus, to save us from ourselves. He paid our price of rebellion by being tortured and killed on a cross 2,000 years ago. He paid that price for all people, everywhere. He loves us so much that He died to bring us back into a relationship with God so that not only will we not be punished, but we’ll get to be His children again and experience life in the best way possible.

4. We can reject His love. But we can choose to reject that love. We can choose that we’d rather live whatever way we want to, or that we don’t believe it, or that we’ve got better things to do. If we do that, God will have to punish us. No matter if we ever seek God out or not, doing nothing is still rejecting His free gift. He wants to be with us, but there’s nothing He can do if we refuse His love.

5. We can accept His love. But we can also choose that we do need God, and that we want to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. We can choose to trust in that sacrifice and trust that God knows what’s best for us. If we do that we can not only be forgiven for our rebellion, but we can then experience life in the most fulfilling way possible. This love is free for anyone who wants it, no matter what bad decisions they’ve made in their lives. It’s not about being a better person, but understanding that none of us are good people, and that only Jesus’ sacrifice can make us into good people. God loves us so much that He desperately wants us to accept His love, but we can also choose to reject it. He loves you very much, and He wants to be with you. He is wanting for you to choose Him.

Harry Potter and Spirituality

I just finished reading the 7th Harry Potter book. I know I'm a little late on the scene, but what an amazing piece of literature. Good writing makes you feel like you're there, and the Harry Potter series definitely succeeds at that. I started reading because I was watching too much tv, and I wanted something more productive for relaxation. I actually feel really good after reading the series, kind of encouraged in my spiritual walk. Maybe that sounds strange, but I think just about anything can bring you closer to God if you approach it right.

I guess there's been a lot of religious debate over the series, since it uses words like "magic" and "witchcraft." However, if you've read the books you know that the kind of witchcraft presented is not near the kind the Bible is against. It's not about some kind of religion, but fantasy. In that way it's no different from Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings, both authors being professed Christians. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, also claims to be a practicing Christian, and some Christian themes come out especially in the last book.

I got several things out of the series. First, I love the picture of Dumbledore in the books. He is the representation of wisdom and good, who eventually dies on purpose in order to help extinguish evil (sound familiar?). Like the lion Aslan from the Chronicles of Narnia, the fictional character has two characteristics that paint, in some ways, a representation of God's nature. First he is strong and wise, his power demanding respect from everyone he encounters, even from the most vile characters in the book. But he is also a loving character, well-liked. He takes special interest in Harry, later on showing much trust in him and being open with his affections. God also carries these two qualities seamlessly: love and power. He demands respect by His power, creating worlds by mere words. But we also see Him hugging lepers, and letting people beat, mock, and belittle Him in order to save mankind. I love this about God, that He is supreme and approachable both.

I also love that in the book, the main characters are some of the most unlikely to do great things. Harry is an orphan who was treated badly by his aunt and uncle, and he doesn't show particular talent in most areas. He seems to be an unassuming teenager struggling with identity and relationships and other things that most people can relate to. But this concept (the unassuming becoming heroes and saving people) was not thought up by Rowling first. God has always worked that way. The Old Testament is full of such stories. I think immediately of Gideon, very young and from an obscure family. He goes on to lead Israel in victorious battles. I think of Amos, a seemingly random farmer and shepherd from the country, whom God uses to confront a nation. "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty." Most people love the idea of weak people doing great things, but I believe that's because God wrote it into us to love it, because that's how He works.

And finally, I love the idea of another world, an enchanting and magical world. This alone, I think, has made the world of Harry Potter so alluring and interesting to millions of readers. People love the idea of other worlds, whether it be the idea of aliens and other planets or from pure fiction. The Lord of the Rings and many other fantasy stories are enchanting, because they appeal to a part of our soul that God made to feel wonder and be curious about something beyond what we are experiencing. C.S. Lewis said, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." And, of course, we were. This world is not meant to be the end. Mankind was made to be with God, to live on in eternity. God built in us that desire, which excites us even on a fictional level. If authors can think up such interesting and engaging worlds by their own imagination, imagine what the real world will be like thought up by the God who created imagination itself?

Less Theologians, More Disciples

I've been thinking for quite some time about this topic. What is it God wants me to be? What exactly is a Christian? What should my goals be? What makes someone great in the Kingdom of God? What makes someone a "mature" Christian?

Our religious world is eaten up with study. We love it. The Evangelical world today is a largely academic one. We have degrees in theological studies, Biblical studies, divinity, and loads of others. Even much of what we do when we gather together is sit and learn. We listen to someone speak on Sundays and we sit in classes. We are encouraged to "study" our Bibles.

I'm not saying all this is evil. I am saying that religious academics don't necessarily produce better Christians. In many cases it may actually create worse ones. It's amazing how much we love learning but hate doing.

I go to an official Bible school, and when I'm finished I will receive a bachelor's in Biblical studies (which I am grateful for). But with an academic approach to the Scriptures comes certain tendencies of thinking. I once heard a fellow student say, "I wonder what I need to study and how much I need to know before I become a great theologian." I've wondered a lot since then how God felt about that statement. I'm sure this person had good intentions and today wouldn't say that again, but I couldn't help but feel bothered by that statement. "I want to become a theologian. I want to have all the right answers." That was his goal. What does God want me to want? To know as much religiously as possible? Or to become as much like Jesus as possible?

Society today holds academic achievement in the highest regard. Some parents will absolutely lose it if their children even consider not going to college. But academic achievement means nothing in the Kingdom of God. In His Kingdom we are to be like little children who only want to make our Father happy. We need not understand His commands because we are too concerned with obeying them. It's amazing to me how Churches' requirements for ministry positions are religious degrees, and on top of that they pay them more the more they know. Does having more degrees make you a better minister? I'm not saying it doesn't, I'm just not saying it does. The fact that I could be a complete scoundrel but have a doctorate in divinity should tell me something about credentials in the Kingdom of Christ.

I know that there is a certain amount of academics needed in Christianity. But we are called to be followers of Jesus, not scholars of Him. While knowledge and study may better equip and stimulate our obedience, it's still a means to an end. The end is to be a devoted and loving follower of Jesus Christ. Knowing Him and His commands make that clearer, but they aren't the thing itself. There are far too many of us who know plenty about God, but know Him personally no more than we could personally know a textbook.

Filled minds do not produce spirituality.

Knowledge is a dangerous thing when it comes to God. It killed the Pharisees, and it's killing us. It's a strange thing, isn't it? To make ourselves somehow superior by having knowledge we received but did not create. Anything I know about God or His Bible I know because He let me know it. How can I feel arrogant or more mature because I learned something? The essence of learning is submitting yourself to something higher than yourself. You are taking in something that you did not make.

My primary goal in life is to be a devoted follower of Jesus in every aspect of my life. I want to have His priorities, His heart, His way of thinking, the identity He wants me to have, and everything else in my life that needs to be affected by Him. Good theology creates that. But if my study isn't increasing my discipleship to Jesus, why am I doing it?

I am convinced that the Church needs more disciples, and less theologians. Jesus' final call was to go into all the world and make more disciples. Good disciples may make good theologians, but good theologians don't always make good disciples.