www.john330.com

Hercules

2011-08-11T08:17:00.000-04:00

"Hercules, you've got nothing to say to me, cause you're not the blinding light that I need."
-Owl City, Galaxies

All of us have things in our lives that we can turn into "Hercules"... things that we love and we desire to give our hearts to, but we are always in danger of putting these things or people in a higher place than God.

When we recognize these things in our lives, it is important to remember that they cannot fully satisfy the way God can. They are not the blinding lights that we need. No matter how amazing it is, nothing in this world is permanent. The danger we create for ourselves is that we could potentially put all of our faith and trust into something that is not eternal.

Keep your eye on Him, the "North Star." He will never leave, never disappoint, and never be overcome by the things of this world.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." -John 1:1-5

Spring 2011

2011-05-19T09:43:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to write something about this past Spring semester for a while now, but I've been distracted and/or lazy and/or busy. Anyways here goes.

I'll start from the end (for some reason). The past few weeks I really stressed myself out by working three overnight shifts in the computer lab and worrying to death about everyone leaving for the summer. Recently my best friend and roommate of five years moved out of our apartment, getting ready to move in with his soon-to-be wife Leisa. Of course Ryan and I will still be best friends, but it was definitely a major change to see him leave and not be my roommate anymore. I'm glad we're both still living in Lynchburg for another year though.

Now looking back... there are several aspects of this year that I want to recount:

1. FCC
This has been the best semester at FCC yet! I used to have to drive by myself... for the past few months, there have been times where I've had to arrange two cars because we had so many people. What a blessing it has been! Kim, Jonathan, Jane, Katrina, Christie, and EB helped create a new dynamic at church that I have never before seen. From my ordination service, to Easter, to Youth Sunday... every step I saw God working in my heart and in the lives of others. Truly He is good and is starting a work at FCC that I don't think we would have seen without the help of our volunteers this semester.

2. Life Group
While I was at Passion 2011, I got a vision for my job at the ILRC Computer Lab. I felt that my work there could be used for the Gospel. Now to be working in the computer lab at a Christian university doesn't lend itself to much ministry, but I was determined to find a way. I talked it over with three co-workers... three men of God that I have grown to trust and love. Stephen, Phil, David, and I got together to discuss a Life Group program that we could offer to the c-lab's student workers. We made a plan, presented it to the higher-ups, and offered it to the workers not knowing what the response would be. We had enough response to offer two groups this semester. I decided to have one at my apartment that met on Sunday afternoons. We went through part of Philippians over the course of the semester. I was so encouraged to see God use a vision He gave me and actually create something from it. This group made a huge difference in my life this semester and I hope to continue it in the Fall.

3. CMT
No, not Country Music Television. The Center for Ministry Training. As if two jobs wasn't enough, I decided to take on another role in October. Dr. Wheeler asked me to help his office coordinate internships with the North American Mission Board. Because I knew the it would be great opportunity to work with him, I decided to accept. Getting to work with Dr. Wheeler, Dr. Earley, Val, Ryan, and others from the CMT has been truly amazing. These are all men of God who are passionate about the Gospel and how the CMT can spread the Gospel through church placement, church planting, and by sending our students out into the mission field. I am just now hearing of people who have been placed at churches for the summer, and I'm so humbled to have been a part in helping them find those positions.

4. Impact Georgia
Ohhhhh boy. Impact. Nothing has ever challenged me more. You ever seen a music major try to half-run a business? It's not pretty. Luckily Matt is the man and knows what he's doing (sort of) more than I do (maybe.) Honestly we are both stumbling through this and have no idea what God's going to do with it, but we are trusting Him.

This may need to be a To Be Continued post. I feel like I have more to say, but words are currently failing me. That's all for now!

2011 Sermon

2011-05-05T01:34:00.001-04:00

Kevin's Sermon from May 1st, 2011

Psalm 16

2011-04-13T02:50:00.000-04:00

It's amazing to me that this journey of faith and trust in God has gone on this long. But when I stop to think about it, I really should not have expected any less. What I am learning now is that life will never be different. I prayed a prayer that God would show me that I would trust Him, and at the time I expected to receive a single revelation. What truly happened was that I welcomed a new way of life... one that forces me to trust God every day. Learning to trust God has not and will not be a short journey. It is a journey I will take the rest of my life.

The hardest thing I've been learning lately is to thank God for the difficult times. As I look back on my life, the times that defined me the most were in the midst of my deepest trials. I have been trying to view hard situations as blessings. I try to see them as growth opportunities, but in my humanity, I don't want to. I want to be bitter about it. But God has been breaking me down and helping me have the faith to trust Him in this way.

Psalm 16 really spoke to me in this area the other night when I read it. These verses encouraged me and I hope they will do the same for you.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Prayers

2011-03-31T20:29:00.000-04:00

When I was at Passion, God gave me the idea to start a small group ministry at work. I'm a supervisor at Liberty's Computer Lab, and for a long time I had felt that I was not able to use this job for the advancement of the Gospel. So I came back and decided to start some small groups. I discussed this with some fellow supervisors, and the four of us made a plan to move forward. I am thankful for this dream that God birthed in me, and for the men I share it with. We answered this call and God used us to start two "Life Groups" with our student workers.

The group that I was leading decided to go through Philippians. We have been going through chapter one all semester, and this past week, we got to verses 27-30. The first part of verse 27 is one of the verses that grabbed my attention at Passion: "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." This verse is part of what inspired me to pursue this small group ministry.

As I looked at these four verses, I kept seeing things that reminded me of our need for others. Anyone who has known me for very long knows how strongly I feel about our need for other people in our lives. I saw words in this passage such as: "I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel" (verse 27). Paul also talks about our suffering for Christ, and in verse 30 says: "since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have." Paul seems to be saying here "I know what you're going through. I know the hard times you've had... I've been there."

As I was praying over these four verses in preparation for Sunday's Life Group meeting, I could not get away from the fact that we needed to pray for each other. I kept thinking about James 5:16... "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." I know we all seek that healing, and I knew we all needed it.

So we prayed. One person would share, and then the rest of us would pray for that person. The second part of James 5:16 says "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." We who are saved by the blood of Jesus are made righteous in Him. Therefore our prayers are powerful and effective. Knowing this, why do we not pray more? Why do we do we not pray together? Sunday's Life Group meeting retaught me this important lesson and I hope to pray with other believers more often.

Control Continued

2011-03-10T17:25:00.002-05:00

First off, I don't like to use the internet to complain. Some people do it and that's fine, but it's usually not me. For that reason, I've been struggling over writing this blog post. I don't like to whine because, even in the midst of hardships, I consider myself one of the most blessed people on the planet. As I was talking with God about it, I remembered 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." The purpose of this post is not to whine or complain, but to show my own weaknesses so that Christ may be glorified through them.

After writing Tuesdays post, I encountered a situation where I found myself doubting God's ability to handle it. I spent much of yesterday afternoon and evening in a frustrated and angry mood. And why? Because I didn't have control. I wanted control. I NEEDED control. I didn't have it, and it drove me crazy. Before, the situation was manageable. I could handle it. But not anymore.

Let's be honest here... what I truly needed was for God to take control away from me. And I'm glad He did. It showed me that He's still working on me.

This is an area where I need a lot of growth. Praying that God will keep helping me work through it!

Control

2011-03-08T11:37:00.000-05:00

We're control freaks, aren't we? We would really like to be in complete control of our situations, even when we've seen that fail over and over again.

My continual prayer is that I would give up control. Every day I wake up and I think about the decisions I will make and how they will affect me and those around me. There are some things that are up to me: Will I give today to God and devote myself to carrying His name? Will I treat people with love? These things are internal. They are based on my actions and how I respond to my emotions. But there are so many things outside of myself that I have absolutely no control over, and it is these that I seem to always fight for. Why? Don't I know that God, who spoke a word and created the universe, is in control of all of it?

I am praying today that God would soften my heart to relinquish control of things I have no control over, and that I would follow Him wherever He leads.

Part of the Plan

2011-03-05T15:49:00.002-05:00

The Illusionist, which came out in 2006, is a story about a magician who uses his abilities to try to win back a girl he loves. That's the really short version... that's definitely not all there is to it, but I don't want to give away much of the story for those of you who haven't seen it. It's a really good movie and I definitely recommend it. It came out at the same time as another magician movie that had some bigger names in it, so it kind of got overshadowed. If you missed it at the time, it's not too late. But anyway!

In the movie, a lot of bad things happen. The main character, played by Edward Norton, appears to go through many trials. From an outside perspective, things do not really go his way.

However, toward the end of the movie, we learn that everything went according to his plan. Though things seemed bad on the surface, something much deeper was going on. Something that no one could have foreseen. Everything that happened was part of his plan all along.

I believe our lives can be like that. God knows the end result and uses circumstances that seem to us to be negative. We complain that God has forsaken us. We beg Him to help things go our way. We tell Him what we want with our lives and hope that He makes it happen. But we don't know the end. We don't know what He's doing to shape us into the people we were meant to be.

While it may appear to us like things are bad, we may later find that everything He was doing was done to create who we are now. And that's more important than anything we've been through.

Of course, not everything turns out for our good. But that's why we need to learn to live life for God and not for ourselves. We can always count on Him to glorify Himself through us if we allow Him to. It's not an easy thing to give up control, but it is much more fulfilling. When we stop praying selfish prayers and start praying "God, help me do whatever it is that would glorify You the most", He can begin a work in us that is far beyond what we could imagine for ourselves.

A New Chapter

2011-02-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

I have been completely blown away by what God is doing lately. More than anything I am learning that He will always do more than I expect and do it in ways I wasn't expecting. There is a lot I want to talk about, but for today I'm just going to talk about one thing.

I was incredibly blessed yesterday to be ordained in the Gospel ministry at my church, and to have many of my best friends and my family there. Pastor Dane and FCC have prepared me for ministry in infinitely more ways than I could have ever imagined. When I first started there in August 2007, I wouldn't have told you I'd still be there today. Yet, three and a half years later, God still has me there, and I am eternally grateful.

A good friend asked me if that day made me feel any different or view ministry in a different light. I had to think about it, and it was hard to put into words. Therefore, I write this post.

In practice, not much is different after being ordained. I was already called to ministry before yesterday. I had already decided that my life would be all about the Gospel. What happened yesterday was a more of an awakening.

I knew the seriousness of the ministry I was called to. I knew that it meant dedicating my entire life to His purpose. But I believe this service truly inspired me to make my entire life look like the Gospel. I am beginning to recognize that God has set me apart for the name of His Son Jesus Christ. I recognize my responsibility to others to present the Gospel and the truths of the Bible clearly and effectively.

What example can I set for my friends? How can I guide them in their walks with Christ? In what ways do I need to pray for someone? What can I do to help bring my church closer to God through our worship services? These are all things more prevalent on my mind. I don't know if anything miraculous happened yesterday, although I believe what Pastor Dane said when talking about the anointing of David: "It is the Spirit of God that prepared and empowered David to be king and it is the same Spirit of God that empowers ministers of the gospel today."

As unworthy as I feel to be set apart for this calling, I embrace it. There is no other way I would want to live my life. I have tried to live it for myself and I am always terribly disappointed. I pray that His Spirit would be on me continually that I might make my life look like the Gospel.

Yesterday's service was a humbling experience, but an empowering one. I know that I have a God who will sustain me. I know I have brothers and sisters in Christ who I can lean on in hard times. Whatever I face in the coming days and years, I have dedicated everything to the name of Jesus Christ.

Thoughts on Jesus (after Passion 2011)

2011-01-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

This post was going to be called "Thoughts on Passion 2011" but I thought that would have been against everything that they taught us this week. So thus, the title is "Thoughts on Jesus (after Passion 2011)" or the longer title: "Thoughts on Jesus based on what I learned and how the Spirit moved in my heart at Passion 2011"

First off, I want to say that I'm actually a little excited that Passion's over. Of course I loved it and in some ways I wish it would last forever... but this time, God put so many things on my heart that I want to do and showed me so many ways I want to be different. I'm excited to go back to work and to FCC and to my friends and share what I've learned with them.

Now, I don't want to iterate every little specific thing that I learned. That would be way too much to read, and I'm pretty nice and don't want to ask you to read very much on my blog. To start off, I'll share some of my favorite quotes. (Note: all quotes are paraphrased because I can't write very fast while listening to a speaker)

"We were enemies, but God made peace with us."

"Choose to chain yourself to Christ or something else will chain you."

"It takes the renewing of the mind to discern His will for us individually."

"Whatever He's called you to do is more than you can do on your own."

"There is either more of the Spirit, or more bondage to sin. The mind does not allow us to stay the same."

"Change how you think and it will change how you feel."

"Does your life look like the Gospel?"

"Jesus' mindset was all about glorifying God."

(I'm going to have to write a whole blog post on Andy Stanley's message about Appetites, so I'll do that later.)

"Jesus says to us: 'You follow me? Then I'm all you've got.'"

"Are the Word of God and the Spirit of God enough for you?"

"God's design in loving us is that He be made much of."

"Jesus is praying for us and asks that we would see how glorious He is." (John 17:24)

"...self can never satisfy a heart made for God."

These quotes barely even begin to explain what God did in my life this week. I'm blown away that He loves me enough to keep seeking after me and desiring to use me for His glory! I hope I can make my life look more like the Gospel, and I know that Christ in me can accomplish this. I come away from this experience longing to make everything I do about bring glory to God. It's not going to be easy, and I don't make light of that. Otherwise I know that I will fail almost instantly. But I know that Jesus' power is more than enough to bring this about in my life, and He can do it for you too!

New Years Resolutions

2010-12-27T20:27:00.000-05:00

A New Year is a pretty decent time for a new and better outlook on life. I know a lot of "New Years Resolutions" get broken after a few weeks/days/hours, but here are some things I want to try to start the year off:

1) Spend less time on the internet; spend more time reading.
2) Be more healthy by eating better food, drinking less soda, and working out.
3) Prioritize free time more effectively.

If I can stick to these goals (following some specifics I've laid out) for the month of January, I'm going to buy myself an Inspiron Duo. (I don't want to hear your objections, Mac users) Hopefully by then, these things will become habits.

I would make it a resolution to write in my blog more, but there's no use making promises I can't keep! Either way, I'll try to provide updates more often.

Psalm 95:3-5

2010-11-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

"For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods. In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land."

The hands that hold the depths of the earth are the ones that hold us. The maker of the sea and the dry land also took the time to create us. I think maybe the reason we have so much trouble trusting God is because we don't really believe this. We may know it, say it, and think it. But how can we live it? That's the hardest part. How can we possibly live like we really trust Him?

I'm finding that my struggles to trust Him are rooted in the fact that I don't truly believe He's as big as He really is... and I'm sure that I don't see Him that way because I try to . I try to be in control... I try to get what I need on my own. I give Him most of my heart, but I still need a little control on my own. But as He's taught me before, I'm not truly surrendering to Him unless I give Him everything. And until I completely let go, I will never be able to see Him as He truly is.

I need to begin praying that God would make Himself and His power known to me as I begin to surrender everything to Him.

Impact Georgia Update

2010-10-29T19:26:00.000-04:00

I spoke to a lawyer today about getting Impact Georgia declared as a non-profit organization! Looks like it will be a lot of work, take a lot of time, and cost a lot of money. I would like to ask you to start praying that God would provide for us and help us get started! It's important for us to get this done so we can start accepting donations and get ready for camp in March.

So far we have started a (temporary) website and are currently working on some promotional things. My friend Courtney is helping us out with marketing using her stellar graphic design skills. We are also working hard on many behind-the-scenes items.

Right now, we are really just asking for your prayers! We have a lot to do, but we are trusting God to lead us every step!

One Phone Call

2010-10-19T01:49:00.000-04:00

Have you had one thing in your life that made all the difference? For me, it was a phone call. Almost four years ago, my youth minister John Mark gave me a phone number. I called that number and left a message asking about a summer worship leader position at a camp. That person called me back, and we started talking about it. That person was Impact Florida's Executive Director, Chad, who is now one of my greatest friends and mentors.

For the last four summers, I have spent at least some amount of time in Orlando working with Impact Florida. While there, I have made many lasting friendships and had some of the most memorable moments of my life.

In 2008, while finishing up a summer in Florida, my friend Matt said to me "Kevin, one day I think you and I are going to work together. I don't think this is the end for us." Two years later, standing outside a 7-11, we talked about a vision for making that possible. We decided to take a leap of faith and make it our goal to expand Impact's mission beyond Orlando.

Sometimes God creates profound moments when we least expect it. I never could have dreamed that one phone call would make such a difference. Because of that, Matt and I are making plans to start Impact in the city of Atlanta, GA. We are currently working toward having camp as soon as March 2011. It's crazy, and without faith in God, it will be impossible. But God does not call us to what's easy... He calls us to what brings Him glory. What an honor to be used for His glory!

Journey of Character

2010-10-18T12:18:00.000-04:00

Today I just want to share a blog written by someone I respect a lot. Some people say they want to improve their character, but never do anything about it. Sarah is not one of those people. Her courage and faith in God have inspired me. Check it out!

http://journeyofcharacter.blogspot.com/

First post in like 2 months

2010-09-30T17:34:00.002-04:00

Well I stopped writing in this for a while. I have a problem writing unless I feel inspired by something, or someone. In this case, I have been inspired by someone who I have written about before.

If you remember, I wrote about my friend Jeff Burham a few months ago. He, his wife, and his son are all together in Botswana Africa now, where Jeff is a missionary with Flying Mission Services. I recently took the opportunity to partner with him financially, and I cannot express how honored I am to be able to do that. If you really want to find joy, support a missionary. It is definitely worth it.

I got the chance to talk to Jeff today. I wanted to post something he said (with his permission) that really got my attention:

"I'm glad we [FMS pilots] are here to help, otherwise most of these people we fly to the major hospitals would die. One lady the other day had to have a C-section for her baby and lost a lot of blood. All she needed was some blood and they didn't have any to give her. We had to fly her accross the country for some blood."

He went on to tell me that Botswana is the size of Texas. Imagine having to fly across Texas for basic medical services. Hearing stories like this remind me of all the luxuries we take for granted here in the US.

Partnering with Jeff financially is as much a spiritual exercise for me as it is monetary support for him. I hope I never forget the hardships that people suffer, and I hope I never stop caring enough to do something about it.

Our Most Fundamental Choice - by Ryan

2010-07-12T19:27:00.000-04:00

Here’s another post!

It’s been awhile since I contributed to Kevin’s blog but here’s another semi-intellectual, partially-educated post.

Well it’s fairly simple. Logically, only two circumstances can exist and only one side can be right. There’s either Theism or Atheism (non-Theism if you prefer). It’s the most fundamental of arguments and it’s intriguing because it MUST be one or the other.

Noting this, we’ll put a few different things aside. Atheism is pretty cut and dry. If there is no god, there is no god. Theism is a bit different though. If you argue for Theism you’re also challenged with defending a particular form of Theism (Various Religions). However, for this let’s just discuss plain and simple, is there or isn’t there a god? (probably, not certainly)

Often, this argument revolves around how the earth came to be. It’s a Creation v. Evolution showdown every time anyone gets into this. The problem with this is that it revolves too much around the details. Mainstream Christianity tends to hold to the idea that the earth is roughly 6000 years old and the earth was created in 7, 24 hour days (however you punctuate 7 and 24 there). Even within Christianity there are quarrels about this theory and alternate theories about the earth being created over a long period of time. Evolution then counters that in many different ways that are too familiar and not worth listing. In my opinion, people get too lost in trying to defend the details before defending the fundamental ideas behind their argument such as, can the universe even exist? I, personally, don’t hold to a particular view when it comes to Creation but I do believe the earth and the universe ULTIMATELY had to be created by a creator.

There’s a bit of an issue when it comes to the universe. If one is to assert that there is no infinite creator than they must assert that something else is infinite. It goes to back ancient philosophy where the best explanation for the universe is an infinite regress back in time. We can’t have nothing and then have something. Plus, it’s difficult to fathom the idea of there being nothing. If I try to imagine nothing then all I see is black but even that black backdrop I see in my mind wouldn’t exist. Out of this idea many come to the conclusion that the universe is infinite. First, how would we have gotten to this point if we had to travel an infinite amount of time to get here? Second, the other explanation for the universe is the idea of the Big Bang. This doesn’t necessarily serve the non-theists needs however, because it contradicts the idea that the universe is infinite which is arguably very necessary to the non-theist’s idea. The Big Bang now begins to serve the theist a bit more. This is because, most importantly, the theory of the Big Bang shows that the universe had a beginning. If the universe, in fact, had a beginning, then it wouldn’t be logically impossible for there to be a separate, infinite creator that gives motion to the universe. Here’s an analogy, and though analogies aren’t perfect, we’re ultimately presented with our most fundamental choice. Does adding an infinite number of train cars to a track give a train motion or does the locomotive give motion to the finite number of train cars?

-Ryan

It's July

2010-07-08T20:59:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, it is in fact July. I'm also going to warn you in advance: this is a boring blog post.

July means several things for me. First, it means that I am quite ready to take a break from classes. Come Friday, I will be done until August 23rd. I'm very excited for this break!

I leave for Florida on the 18th. I talked about that in the last post so I won't go into much more detail, except for one thing: I've decided to go on a "technology" break. I won't be bringing my laptop, and I don't plan to have my cell phone turned on most of the time. I hope that God will use that time of removed distraction to really help me grow.

This Sunday at FCC, Dr. Fowler from Liberty is speaking. I always love hearing him preach. I was also very happy to see Pastor Dane back at church last night. I got to go out to dinner with him and his family. I love having a partner in ministry that is such a good friend as Dane... it surely makes ministry more fun and rewarding than it already is.

Currently I am learning how much I need to let God be in control. Although I may feel like I know what is best for me, I realize every day that I don't. He has proved himself faithful to me, and I pray that God will help me take that knowledge and put it into practice.

Summer Report

2010-06-25T10:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry I took a month off of writing. I have been taking more classes, working on a lot for church, and moving to a new apartment. Plus, things around Liberty have slowed down for the summer so I haven't had much to write about. Lynchburg is a very different place without all the Liberty students here, but so far it has been a great summer!

Today I was thinking about a lot of stuff I have to look forward to. On July 18th I will be heading down to Orlando to work with Impact Florida for two weeks. I love that organization and I couldn't be more excited to go on "vacation" to serve God with the awesome people that are already there.

I have been working on my ordination through Faith Community Church, and I'm excited to go through that process. So far I have stated answers to Bible knowledge questions and affirmed my adherence to the doctrinal position of the church. I have a few more months of work to do before everything is complete, but I look forward to defining my beliefs in a concrete form. I am working through this with a board of five incredibly Godly men that I deeply respect, and it is an honor to have this opportunity.

I'm excited for what the next few years of seminary will teach me. The more classes I take, and the more I learn, the more excited I am about being called to the ministry.

Through all this excitement and anticipation... the one thing I always try to remember is this: nothing is more important than what God has called me to do today. How can I serve Him where I work? In my apartment complex? While I'm at the store? Even though God has given me amazing things to look forward to, I never want to miss what could be right in front of me right now.

Perseverance through Uncertainty

2010-05-26T08:48:00.001-04:00

Read an awesome passage last night while thinking about the topic of yesterday's blog post.

1 Peter 1:6-9
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

Though we do not see Him now, we believe in Him. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Seems like a theme of scripture, doesn't it? God called Abraham to leave his home to a land He would show him. It doesn't say that God showed Abraham the land, and then he went. He went by faith that God would show him the land at the right time.

God is showing me that true faith comes from perseverance through uncertainty.

"Trust" continued...

2010-05-25T14:31:00.000-04:00

Isaiah 55:8-9
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
       neither are your ways my ways,"
       declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
       so are my ways higher than your ways
       and my thoughts than your thoughts."

It is becoming more apparent to me that God takes great joy in revealing this to us. Not by revealing His ways to us, but rather by helping us accept that we have such a minimal understanding. As God continues to show me that I can trust Him, I am learning that "trusting Him" means something completely different than what I think it means. So, before I can truly trust Him, I have to relearn what that even means.

As part of my nature, I like to know why I am doing something. If I am given a task at work, I like to know what it will accomplish. If I have an assignment for a class, and I feel there is no purpose to it, I will often get frustrated and lack motivation to complete it. What I am starting to learn is that God may call us to do things, and we may not even know why. The hardest thing, I am finding, is to trust God through these experiences.

This completely changes my idea of what it means to trust Him. I am starting to find that He may or may not reveal to me the ultimate purpose behind things He has called me to do. I may not find out "why" until much later.

It would be much harder to trust God in times like this if He had not already showed me all the ways that I can trust Him. He has been faithful thus far, so can I trust Him at times when I do not know what the outcome will be? Can I be faithful to what He has called me to even if it is not what I expect?

Anxiety and worry can plague any one of us, no matter who we are or what we do. Trusting God, it seems, does not mean a lack of worry. It means worrying, but trusting God anyways. Surely we will have fears for the future, or uncertainties about the direction of our lives. If we did not have these fears, what need would we have for trusting God?

Several people have been quoted saying something like "Courage is not the lack of fear, but triumph over it." I would submit that trust in God is not the lack of worry. It is looking our uncertainties in the face and saying "I may be afraid of you, but I know Someone who has an understanding far beyond mine. And I trust Him, even through He has not revealed His ways to me."

THEO 678 Blog - Part 4

2010-05-21T12:38:00.000-04:00

How is a Christian to respond to cults? How are we to present an apologetic to people who have skewed the Gospel? It is often much easier to present the Gospel to someone who has never heard it than to someone who has rejected it. So what do we do? How can we help people see the truth of Jesus who have believed lies about Him?

We are called to make disciples of all nations, which means that we are not excused from sharing the Gospel with members of cults, despite their preconceived notions. Several groups also feel threatened by Christians, which makes our mission even more difficult. Groups like this often have a persecution complex, where the true sign of a devout follower is how much he suffers for the sake of their church or religion. How is this different from Christians who are martyred for their faith? Often members of a cult will seek persecution, while a Christian welcomes martyrdom if it comes. So, often, these groups will see Christianity as a threat and attempt to elicit negative responses from us. How do we overcome this? The easy answer is this: love.

Sounds too simple right? There are ways to present apologetic responses to them, but if you're like me, it's hard to remember what to say and how to say it. This is something we can work on and practice, but we can always show people the love of Jesus. If they expect us to be offended or disgusted by their beliefs or practices, we must respond with acceptance and love. Even if they continue to reject us and our beliefs, we must stand in confidence that the Holy Spirit can use us to show people who Jesus really is.

THEO 678 Blog - Part 3

2010-05-20T22:55:00.000-04:00

Many of the groups discussed so far this week are defined as 'cults', which deny an essential or several essentials of the Christian faith. These cults will often require that its members stay faithful to the leader or leaders of the cult, lest lose their salvation. The members are also required to conform to a set of rules of purity and will often have to confess sins publicly. In this sense, community is more important than the individual, which will often lead to the idea that members are saved as a group and not individually.

However, while some churches may not stray from essential doctrines, there are ways that a church can become cultic. This is not to say that the church has strayed completely away from Christianity, but it would be in danger of leaning toward one of the characteristics of a cult. Sound confusing enough? I will try to explain what I mean.

First of all, a church is in danger of being cultic if it believes that they are the only 'true' believers. This is not to say that they believe they are the only ones who are saved, like many cults do. However, a cultic church will believe that their doctrines and methods are the best. In this same light, a cultic church will attempt to separate themselves from other Christian groups and will only accept leaders who are exactly like them. Again, this is not because they do not believe other Christians are saved, but simply because they have held to a minor doctrine that has caused them to break fellowship with others. One doctrine can, in these groups, become the filter through which all other decisions are made.

What is the danger of this? The loss of the importance of the Gospel. If the advancement of the Gospel is not as important as the defense of a minor doctrine or a certain way of doing things, the church is in danger of missing its purpose. The Gospel of Jesus must always be kept as the priority.

THEO 678 Blog - Part 2

2010-05-19T23:53:00.001-04:00

"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself." -Hebrews 7:25-27

Anti-Messiah Cults believe that Jesus' work was not sufficient. And the main reason is because they need His work to be insufficient, because each Anti-Messiah cult has a prophet that is said to be the fulfillment of the second coming. The "third Adam," if you will. How can these cults justify this belief based on Hebrews 7? Jesus died once for all for the world, so another sacrifice is not necessary. His atonement is fully sufficient for all people. How do these cults justify a prophet who is said to complete something that was already completed by Christ?

These groups are somewhat similar to the groups discussed yesterday. However, the types of cults that are in this classification are more specifically centered around a prophet rather than just a doctrinal system. These are dangerous because many of them seem to want to unite all people into one "true religion." Some say that Moses, Jesus, Buddha, and other religious leaders were all prophets, but the founder or leader of these religions had come to be the final prophet.

The overarching principle behind these cults and the cults discussed yesterday is this belief: one is saved by works because the blood of Jesus is insufficient. The problem is that it is impossible to know how much is enough to be saved. Where is the assurance? Through Christ, we have assurance because we could never do enough on our own to be saved. Through faith in Jesus, His blood covers our sins and gives us salvation.

THEO 678 Blog - Part 1

2010-05-18T23:22:00.000-04:00

This week, I will be writing blog posts related to my Western and New Religions class at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. Today we discussed Anti-Trinity religions, such as Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostals. The goal of today's blog is to refute these denials of the Trinity.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive defense of the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is certainly not to be considered a exhaustive discussion of this topic. I realize that I will not be creating a comprehensive apologetic on this topic. I do, however, wish to bring some important points to light. I will first defend the deity of the Father and the Holy Spirit, and then the deity of Jesus, which is most often contended. I will end by showing how a denial of the Trinity is incongruous with Christian doctrine.

God the Father is affirmed by scripture to be the only God. He is affirmed to be fully God, uncreated and eternal. Mark 12:29 says that the Lord God is One. Here, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Isaiah 45:22 also states that there is no god other than The Lord. The Holy Spirit, as God, is said to be a part of creation in Genesis 1. In Acts 5:3-4, Ananias is accused of lying to the Holy Spirit. Later, in the same passage, it is said that he did not lie to men, but to God. Peter obviously believed that the Holy Spirit was holy, and deserved to be worshipped as God. In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, implicating that all three are Deity.

Jesus is called a lot of different things by different people. By some, He is called a great prophet or teacher. Clearly scripture portrays Jesus as much more than this. John 1 calls Jesus the Word, who was with God from the beginning. It says that Jesus was present in creation, and was with God at creation. This shows that Jesus is not a created being, but is himself God. Most importantly, He claimed to be God on several occasions! In John 10:30, He claimed to be one with the Father. Jesus also said in John 8:58 that "before Abraham was, I AM." Here, He use the name for God, found in Exodus 3:14, for Himself!

It is clear that Jesus believed that He was God, and that those who follow Him believe that He is God. Therefore, there is no way He could simply be just a "good teacher" or a prophet. He is either God Incarnate, or He is a false prophet. I, obviously, believe that Jesus is God. There are many more reasons I could cite for this, but as I said, this is not meant to be an exhaustive apologetic. Simply, it is meant to show that these Anti-Trinity groups, such as Mormans and Jehovah's Witnesses, cannot be considered "Christians" by my definition.

You may say "well, Kevin, they believe in Jesus, isn't that enough?" I do not believe this is the case. First of all, these groups do not consider Christians, such as Baptists, Methodists, or Catholics, to be saved. Both Mormons and JW's, who may claim to desire fellowship with Christians, cannot believe that one is saved unless he or she is a part of their church. Most importantly, neither group believes in the full Deity of Jesus. Mormons believe that Jesus was a god, but not equal with God. The sacrifice of Jesus, according to their theology, is not sufficient to atone for sins! There is a works-based salvation involved in their theology, which is clearly contradictory to Ephesians 2:8. This is also prevalent in JW theology.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was first the Archangel Michael, and that He is not God. He did live a perfect life on Earth, but was not bodily resurrected. They instead believe that Jesus was raised as a Spirit. For this reason, their theology is incoherent with the Bible.

The purpose of this post was simply to show that these two groups are not in agreement with orthodox Christian theology, especially in regards to Jesus. His Deity is an important part to true salvation, and must be adhered to in order to truly understand who Jesus is.