Tickled Theology

Ear Tickling. It always makes me think of a feather in my ear. Which makes my ear itch. But as interesting as this mental picture may be, ear tickling is a serious subject in the modern world. (and always will be) What does this term mean?

Well, lets take a look at what Scripture says on this subject. In Second Timothy 4:3 we find this verse. 

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

One of the first thing that comes to mind when we hear this is the Health and Wealth craze we currently endure. The preachers who tell people God will bless them if only they would smarten up and send in a donation. God will just send you a check for double that amount. Its dangerous teaching that people just like to hear. Then we also have the type who are motivational speakers or comedians who are "preachers". Also dangerous. But is that all?

I don't think so. I think that there is more to this verse than we see at first glance. When Paul wrote this he was waiting execution. (most likely) Paul gives Timothy some sound final advice about preaching. I believe that in this book we have some information that is a tad deeper than some people assume.

I started looking into more ways of "ear tickling" that go on in our modern world. I found another blog (credit where credit is due, the other blog is at  http://blog.yanceyarrington.com/2012/02/14/another-kind-of-ear-tickling/) and it also dealt with this issue. I thought the list of ear tickling warnings was quite interesting. Here it is...

1. When they give the impression their people could never understand the Bible without their help.
2. When they want to dazzle the congregation with their erudite knowledge of the original biblical languages (which they clandestinely learned from a computer program in their office) even though it really has no bearing on that particular passage for the day.
3. When they refuse to use lower shelf terms in order that the message might be more accessible for the hearer instead opting to employ obtuse, technical theo-jargon because not doing so might make them sound too normal.
4. When they’ve obviously exhausted their congregation with 20 weeks of word-by-word (not verse-by-verse) teaching on three chapters in the book of Romans and, even though they’ve run the sermons series into the ground, still continue with the homiletical drudgery because they believe they’ve got the preaching chops to make it happen.
5. When they use their sermons to moralize the Bible in order to moralize their people because it’s easier to work the Law over your congregation than show them their need for the Gospel.
6. When they go over that extra 20 minutes week after week because somehow, it would be a great injustice for all they’ve learned in their study to be constrained in the 45 minutes already allotted in that hour and fifteen minute service.
7. When they walk people through the Scriptures each Sunday showing the Bible to be the best “How To” book of success on the planet but miss the truth that it’s the Story of Redemption telling us the Good News we have failed but One has come and succeeded for us.

I agree with this concept. Jesus condemned the Pharisee, not the Publican in Luke 18:9-14. What I see is many preachers who preach sermons that are taken out of context, or extrapolated to a degree that is unsustainable by any proper form of reason, or that make big, grand statements on complex subjects with far too much authority in their voices.

This last group concerns me most. In the modern world we have few leaders. So those who take a stand are noticed. This is good, to a point. But what I am seeing is too many preachers and teachers who are taking things and making a stand on a subject where they are relying only on their own interpretation of Scripture. That is what caused the Roman Catholic Church to crumble in the Renaissance, and it is happening again before our very eyes. The ironic tragedy is that those who claim to have corrected the R.C. errors are now often falling into the same pit of self-verifying Theology. Things are not true because a great preacher says them. Things are true that are in line with God's point of view. If the preacher has God's view (as far as he can) then praise God. But many preachers want to define truth completely. They cannot.

Why can't we define truth completely? Why can we not say exactly who is a Christian and who is not? Because it is God's to judge. Oh, don't get me wrong, we know it is by Faith Alone. But who has faith? How much is needed? In what? We cannot answer these questions about people completely. Why? Because to understand this completely would mean we understood God completely. We cannot do that. To understand God completely would make us God's equals.  Yes, we can understand as much of God as He shows us, but we cannot assume that only what we have seen is part of God.

This is the error that hurts me the most in the modern world. Passing finite judgement on what is a true and false conversion. Yes, I believe false conversion can exist (to an extent). But it is not ours to judge those things. (Romans 14:10) I'm very alarmed by preachers who believe that they  can judge in five minutes who is saved and who is not. If this prayer is valid but that one is not, where do we end? What "salvation prayer" is listed in the Bible? There isn't any one prayer like that listed. I believe that that is an intentional situation that the Author gave us to deal with. Remember, man looks on the outside but God looks at the heart. (1 Sam. 16:7b) The prayer cannot save, the Faith does. Let us let God judge faith. He'll do His job, let us worry about ours. I Cor. 4:1-5

Predicting Prophecy

My cousin texted me yesterday. She was wondering where in the Bible the Nike sign was mentioned. After telling her that anyone who claimed Nike was in the Bible was pulling her leg, I became intrigued. I asked who had told her that. She replied saying that it had been discussed in a school close by. Someone there was convinced that the mark of the beast in Revelation was associated with the Nike Swoosh.

Well as much as that humored me at first, the more I think about it, the more serious this issue becomes. People often point at new tech or company logos as the mark of the beast. I've heard that it was the bar code, now people claim it will be bio-chip implants. Nope, turns out its the Monster Energy logo, or was it Nike?

As you can see, people like to guess what the mark is going to be. We have several references to the mark in the book of Revelation that people look at for their guesses. Many are listed here.

Rev 13:16 "a mark"
Rev 13:17 " the mark"
Rev 14:9 "his mark"
Rev 14:11 "mark of his name"
Rev 15:2 "his mark"
Rev 16:2 "the mark of the beast"
Rev 19:20 "the mark of the beast"
Rev 20:4 "his mark"

 Most guesses are ridiculous, but some are almost believable. These verses are at the same time both very clear, but also leave a lot of room for interpretation. Predicting prophecy is always dangerous. That being said, I can tell you exactly what the mark of the beast will be. It will be an outward mark of their inward decision. The way some people talk you would think that it is some secret mark you could accidentally get. But I believe it will be a real world way to see a spiritual decision. It won't be one of those things you buy without making quite a few decisions beforehand.

Don't be fooled. The Devil has many ways of confusing people. One is by using a complex prophecy (like Revelation) and getting so many ideas out there that we don't focus on what we do know. We know that we are Christ's body, and as such we should trust Him. So do not worry about the mark, worry about being an obedient, faithful follower of Christ. Christ cannot deny His own. (II Tim. 2:13)

Instead of worrying about a mark you don't want, focus on the marks in your life you do want. We are to be visible Christians. In the book of Acts we see that the people took note that the disciples had been with Jesus. That is the mark we are to strive for. (Acts ch. 2) If we focus on the right answer, we don't have to worry about all the wrong ones we don't want. If x + 4 = 6 we know that x=2. In that problem x cannot be 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. In the same way, if we know we are following Christ, we know we will not take on the mark of the beast. Instead of worrying about all the wrong answers, worry about the right answers that you do know.

The mark frightens many people. Part of that is because it is such a clear image. But the choices you and I make are just as important today as the ones those people will be making in the future. Billions of people have died without that mark and will still be judged by God regardless of that physical sign.

But what about the rest of the book of Revelation? Is it going to happen by 2018? (as a well meaning preacher told me this year) Has it already happened? (like the preterits would claim) Will we be raptured? Will we be left behind?

To answer the last two questions. God says He will not pour out His wrath on us as Christians but on the unbelievers (Romans 1:18) We also know that Christ is the head of the Church. I do not believe that Christ would pour out the Wrath of God on His own Body. Will we suffer? Maybe. Will we suffer God's Wrath? I cannot see how. As Christians we are indeed exempt from God's wrath.

Conclussion

What am I driving at? Well, I think we worry far too much about what we don't know and don't want, and not enough about what we do know and do want. We know Christ is victorious, that we are to be His Followers. Prophecy is important, but let us not worry about what is God's business, let us worry about what He has made ours. If we are obedient in what we do know we will be quite busy enough.

Living Love

God loves you. That is the theme of so many songs, sermons, and motivational speeches in the modern world that we start to zone it out. We hear John 3:16 so often we almost forget it's meaning. But God does indeed love us. This point is very important for our understanding of God and Who He is.

But sometimes we feel like God has to love us. Or we feel like even though God loves us, He probably dislikes us. But the truth of the matter is that God not only loves you, He likes you. He made you, and He like the things He makes.

That concept of God not just loving us but liking us, is something we tend to forget. We hear so many Judgement and Wrath sermons at times we forget that God is only punishing us to improve us. He only punishes us because He cares what happens to us. (Heb. 12:6) If God didn't care then we would need no correction.

With that in mind, lets take a look at why God's wrath and judgement are also important. Before we get into it too far, let us ask this question: What is God's Wrath and why is it poured out?

God's wrath is mention often in the Bible. In the New Testament we see it in John 3:36, Romans 1:18, 2:5, 3:5; Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6 and other places. We hear about vessels of wrath that are prepared for destruction, (Romans 9:22) the falling of Wrath upon the sons of disobedience, (Eph. 5:6) and the wrath of God remaining on people (John 3:36). What is His wrath turned upon?


Well, some would say His wrath is upon the person who sins and others would say upon the sin itself. Which is right? If we state that God is wrathful against our nature we must say that those who were born and died before they could realize this and repent (children/infants) would be condemned by their own nature. Either that or God makes exceptions for them and ignores their natures. Both are dangerous in their implications. God does not ignore sin at times and not others. To say he does is to defy His very nature.

So is it then that His wrath is only against sin? If this is the case we run into some other interesting situations. If it is only against sin, then Jesus death should have covered all sins, therefore there should be no more wrath of God. But there continues to be wrath, and will be in the future. (Rev. ch. 16 and 19) And also if Jesus death covered all sin and it is only sin that receives God's wrath, then all sin is covered and no one would be punished. But we see that that is also not the case.

So it is not our nature or sin that is the only recipient of God's wrath. What then? Let's think about this one. God punishes not just sin, but the choice to sin. (Joshua 24:15) So what does that mean? Well this means that God can and does forgive a sinner (like you and me) and that His wrath is poured on those who choose not to follow and obey Him (Eph. 5:6). Therefore, we need to realize that God does not pour out His wrath against those who are unaware, but those who are aware, and have made their choice.

Conclusion

So does this mean once we are forgiven we no longer suffer under our previous sinful choices? No, it does not. What we sow we will reap, even if we are forgiven for the act of sowing. Forgiving a man for breaking your arm will not heal the arm itself. A repentant murder's victims do not rise from the dead. This applies also to our spiritual and emotional sides as well. When we are forgiven by God, we will still live with the consequences of sin. Samson repented, yet his sight was not restored. However his strength was. Whats the difference? His strength was a testament of God's glory, and therefore it was useful to glorify God one last time. We need to have faith that God will glorify His name and take care of us even in the hard times we go through because of our sin.

Cultural Condemnation

A few months ago, a friend of mine was reminiscing about his childhood. We remembered all the foolishness we spent our time on, and how we had enjoyed those things. As the conversation continued we eventually got to the teen years. He stopped. His face became grave. Even though many of the things he had been up to at the time had been fun then, they carried weight into his life even now. We continued our talk on a much more somber note. "With all the evil out there," he stated emphatically, "parents are foolish if they think they can control what their kids are up to."

That thought has stayed with me since then. I don't have any kids, but I can only image what all they will have access to when I buy some iPod 87 S or whatever for my offspring. How do we lessen that evil impact?

Hmm... maybe we are asking the wrong question. Even though we can clearly see that we have more access to information than we did even a generation ago, does that mean we are then also more inclined to evil? No, access to evil does not make the person more sinful. It just makes it easier for his or her fallen nature to show itself. 

We fall for the classic human problem. We look on the outside and forget that it only is an indicator of what was already going on inside. God won't judge us by what we did, but by our motives and our heart. 

I Sam. 16:7b For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Jesus makes a similar comment in the Gospels as well. (Matt. 5:28) He tells us that murder is not a worse sin than unjust anger. Lust is adultery. Just because we don't dare to carry out our desires does not mean God cannot see them. He can and will judge us upon these criteria when we stand before Him. 

But back to the modern problem. We have such easy access to such vile fleshly content one is concerned about the influence that it has on our children and also on us. Just because we were born with an unGodly nature does not mean that we give in to it once we come to Christ. We are told to crucify our flesh daily. Part of this is indeed in denying our modern culture too much access into our lives.

For us, that means self-control. For our children (here I speak hypothetically) it means that we must try to first show them the righteous path that honors God, and also control what they are influenced by. The amount of time and concern we give to them will not only be noticed by them, but by all who come into contact with you.

Secondly, we must accept that they are also fallen humans. As much as it pains parents to admit, their child is indeed a fallen, sinful person. We will fall, so will our children. What we must do is show our children that falling is not unforgivable. We need to lead them to God and show them what faith can do. In trying to raise children, we humans often try to make them perfect. We cannot. Instead, we should lead them to the Perfect One. He alone can help them. But children will not readily follow what their parent's do not apply themselves. So to raise God fearing children, we need God fearing parents.

Conclusion

So what am I trying to say? Well, mainly this. The culture we live in may make visible sins more easily available to us than in the past. But that does not change the fact that we would have had the same motives and desires had we lived in Victorian England or Colonial America. God will not judge us more harshly for the culture around us. He will judges us for our own sins. We have all fallen. He will judge our Salvation by Christ's Sacrifice and our acceptance (or denial) of it. However, the Bible also talks about judgement for reward. (I Cor. 3:11-15, Mark 9:4, Luke 6:35, 2 John 1:8, Rev. 11:18) This will indeed be based on how we lived our lives and our hearts. Desired action is just as relevant before God as actions we have carried out. Let us not just clean the outside of our lives, but clean the inside. (Matt. 23:27) This can only be done with the constant help of the Holy Spirit. May God lead, and may we follow.

iDolatry

The iPhone 5 was revealed yesterday. My high school students were talking about it for a while already, and were looking forward to seeing what new goodies would be released with this new iPhone. Apple products are something I enjoy as well, and I also was quite pleased with the latest little iToy.

I watched the video release that afternoon with some of the students that were interested. The short clip started with a VP of Apple saying that our iPhones are something we have with us all the time; they are the single item we use the most in our lives. Honestly, that sounds about right for our modern world.

He went on to describe the unique relationship (his words) we have with our iPhones. I will say that Apple knows exactly what they are doing with commercials and product timing. With only a few new features they can still make it look like any other tech than the latest toy is a complete waste of time.

Don't get me wrong. I like Apple's quality and setup. They are the most competent electronics company that has emerged in recent times. (in my opinion) But I have noticed that many people relate Apple products with excess and self-indulgence. And I can see that if you did have to upgrade each and every time some new Apple came out that it would be incredibly expensive.

So whats my point? Well, like so many things in the modern world, we can take our tools that we use and start holding them far to highly. If we obsess about Apple, the Cowboys, the Yankees, or even great authors we are coming dangerously close to breaking God's command against idolatry. His first commandment states we are not to have other gods before Him. Command number two says we are not to make or create something that takes a priority over Him. These commands overlap, but the second is the one that we should concern ourselves with today.

As Christians we don't intentionally have other gods. But we do ever so often have a problem with making something into a godlike priority in our lives. For some people this can even be things that are Church related, be they the songs we sing or the translation we use. For others it can be jobs, sports, movies, friends, knowledge, respect, or technology. We should not make these things into something they are not.

So what do we do when we realize we have indeed created something into an idol (given it too high a priority)? Well, first repent. Admit it to God and stop. For some things we need to quite completely. If this item comes between you and God, you might need to give it up. Sacrifice without the right motive will not help, but sacrifice with the proper motive is what may be needed. After we get our priorities straight, the thing that was an idol may well be useful to us again. Remember, most things in themselves (sports, tech, ect.) are not evil. The way we use them or obsess about them is. So if you can use the item, watch the sport, or whatever your issue before God may be; if it can be managed in a God honoring way, it is fine. What we find often after giving something up for a while is that we don't really need or want to go back to it at all. And if that is the case, that's also fine. Just remember that those who do still use that iPhone, or watch sports, or whatever it may be, may be doing so without the problems you had. Don't assume that God will convict them of the same thing; because they may not be struggling with it. God is constant, it is we humans that are fickle.

Theater Theology

Charles Spurgeon, the great preacher of the 19th century, was known for his dislike of theatre. It is worthy to note that many of his era thought that London theatre was rather bawdy. In his time, he openly condemned the actions of fellow preacher Joseph Parker for attending so often and publicly. In our era we see that movies have not become any more decent than in the time of Spurgeon and Parker; however, we do have a unique (but often inconsistent) rating system for what is released today. So should we join Spurgeon in the open condemnation of both theater and its attendees? Or should we attend regardless, in the manner of J. Parker?

As it often does, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, I believe. There are many movies, plays, books, and songs that an obedient Christian aught to avoid. (May the Holy Spirit convict you personally in this and follow whatever conviction He may give you.) I believe this follows similar lines of thought to what Paul wrote about to the Church in Corinth about meat offered to idols. (see post Yoga: Evil Exercise? for more details) But some movies, plays, books, and songs that are most likely not written by Christians can contain a surprising amount of Biblical truth in them.

Its all well and good to say that we can learn from movies, but what examples can we give? Well, on a personal note, I very much enjoy the animated movies that have become more common in today's world. Some of them are a bit crass at times, (with Dreamworks having more likelihood of this than Pixar) but many are quite good and serve a purpose. For example, my favorite one of recent release is "The Lorax". In this flick that was made to promote environmentalism we find many truths that can cut  rather deeply. I wonder at times if some of the writing staff may indeed have a Christian worldview. Even if they did not, the truth in the movie is wonderful.

How Bad Can I Be, the song that the Once-ler sings in the middle of the movie, is one of the most simple examples of how looking out for number one, the theme of today, is actually a terrible idea. Greed is portrayed as wrong (shocking, I know) and we see that it can hurt others. The permanence of wrongdoing is shown as well. In the revival of the trees we see the revival of truth. I could not help but compare the Truffula tree seed to the seed Jesus talks about in the Gospels.

Yet another important detail the movie brings out rather well is when the Once-ler states, "That seed is no more just a seed than you are just a boy. Its about what it can become." This applies not only to seeds and boys, but to both righteousness and unrighteousness.

The final bit of Loraxian wisdom I want to touch base on is this. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothings going to get better. Its not. Not only does this mean we need to be good stewards of God's creation, (Gen 2:15) but it also applies to you and me. Unless we care about our own state before God, we will not change. God does not change our actions forcefully, He always waits for us to take initiative. We need to pick up the armor and start caring.

Cookie Compromise

^{Ephesians 6:10-17  10} Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up theshield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This passage was one of my favorites as a child. Little boys are fascinated with warfare. They love swords and shields, guns and arrows, bulging muscles and exotic karate moves. Here we find Paul telling us that our Christian life is like a battle. How do the two relate? Aren't Christians supposed to be passive? What's war got to do with it?

The first thing that we will touch on is the fact that it is indeed armor. It is designed to protect us from attack. From whom? It tells us there in verses 11-12 that we fight against the Devil and evil forces. Many Christians today live life so comfortable with the enemy's forces that they need no armor, they already live in that camp.

My wife and I were visiting my parents' house over Labor Day weekend. As usual, my mother had many delicious sweet treats available. After 3 cookies I decided I was done. But the next day the remaining 2 of those particular cookies were tempting me. Seeing as I used to weight 245 pounds and do not wish to weigh that again, I resisted the temptation. They continued to tempt me all morning, and I mentioned this to my wife and my mother who were sitting there at the table chatting. They both seemed to think the best way to get over the temptation of eating the cookies was to simply do so and move on. That way I wouldn't be tempted anymore.

As common a philosophy as this is in our world when we relate to food; many people try to apply the same 'wisdom' to their spiritual lives. They simply give in and think the sooner they give in the sooner they will cease to be tempted. So they throw off any armor they had put on and surrender to the other side. That is foolish for weight loss, but far worse in our spiritual fight.

I will not go into great detail about the various pieces of armor, as many people of greater qualifications have done so in the past already. However, there is one more point I would like to make. In this entire passage we need to note one thing. God supplies the armor; we make use of it. In the battles in our lives we cannot just pray for God's help and sit on our back pockets. No, we need to follow through. We put on the armor, tighten the belt, grasp the shield, and pull the sword from its sheath. Paul often refers to our spiritual war as a race, a prize, and a war. What do these have in common? Effort.

^{Philippians 2:12} So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling

Does this sound like action? Note that Paul does not say earn your salvation, but rather work it out. We can be saved and be weak Christians, tossed to and fro like the Corinthian Church. We can also be like the Galatian Church, trying to add works to our salvation. Neither of those methods are what we are talking about here. What we need to do is not add to salvation but show it.

Conclusion

So what am I saying? That we are to earn God's favor or maybe our salvation? NEVER. We cannot earn our salvation or God's merit. What we do does not affect His love; it affects our lives. We cannot sit idly by and think God will fight all our battles. He promises to be with us, not to let us sit and watch Him. He conquered Death and Satan; and He expects us to follow Him into the victorious battle, not sit and eat popcorn while cheering others on.