It's not surprising to me that the recent poll on religious knowlege in America was so low. In a country that sees itself as religious, but doesn't want to appear too religious so that it would be intolerant, we wouldn't know very much about our own religion much less others.
There were some groups that did very well on the quiz/poll. Those groups were atheists and agnostics, who will often have to or want to defend themselves against those they see as an enemy. The best answer to this problem is the same one that they use. learn about your religion. Don't say that you are something but can't describe it in any detail.
There are many resources to draw from including pastors and religious leaders, books about religion including commentaries, various holy books (wich you can read), and perhaps the best resource available to Christians...The Bible.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Joshua Chapter 2
We are going to be jumping into Joshua, chapter 2 this week.
As we saw last week in chapter 1, Joshua has assumed command of the Israelites. He is charged by God to lead them in invading and displacing all the current residents of the promised land.
Chapter 2 starts off with a familiar theme. Joshua sends 2 spies to scout ahead of the main army and to report back on the status of the people they will soon face in battle.
If this sounds like something you might have read before, it's because it is almost identical to the strategy that Moses used when the Israelites first came to the promised land. In fact, Joshua and Caleb were a part of the original group of 12 spies that went over into Canaan.
Now, as leader of the nation, Joshua needs intelligence about their opposition. So he sends his spies to report back to him about Jericho, the first major test of their invasion.
The spies come to an inn run by a prostitute named Rahab. They were supposed to slip into the city and secretly get information on it before quietly going back to Joshua.
They failed.
As verse 2 shows, the very night they entered the city, men from the king of Jericho are alerted to their presence, and even to their very mission.
Rahab hides the men, and lies to the king's soldiers as to their whereabouts, and then helps the spies escape back to Joshua. She only asks one thing, that her family be spared when the Israealites destroy the city and everyone in it.
They agree to do so, and eventually make their way back to Joshua, where their report encourages the whole nation of Israel that God has given Jericho to them.
Notice two things. First off, Rahab is a foreigner. She is not of the nation of Israel, and God's instructions to the Israelites were to utterly destroy everything and everybody in the nations they were going to invade (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).
So why are they making deals with her? Are the spies not breaking the very commandment of the God they are serving?
In a word, no.
It would take a complete article to explain the details, but the Bible is clear that there is only one true family of God, that is the family of faith, or 'true Israel'. Genetics do not determine it, but rather the loving election of individuals by God to be a part of his family. Romans chapters 9-11 will help clear this up for you.
Rahab demonstrated, by her faith in what God had already done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt and into the promised land, that God had chosen her and her family to become one with his family of faith. She did not know this, but God had already worked out the plan that would make her a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ. Awesome to think that God used a foreign prostitute to further the line from which the King of Kings would be born of.
To sum up the first point then, the spies were not 'aiding and abetting' the enemy. Rather, they were unknowingly carrying out the plan that God had in mind to save his people. For more on Rahab, see Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.
The second thing I saw was that faith in the sovereignty of God and faith that he will accomplish what he wills does not negate action on our part. We may not know every detail about how it will come about, but when God tells us to do something, he expects us to act in a way that honors him and seeks to do what he wants us to do.
Joshua knew that God would lead the Israelites to victory over the inhabitants of the land. God had told him this in the first moments of his new leadership. (Chapter 1:1-9)
But even knowing this, Joshua still had to send spies. He still had to form a battle plan.
God tells us things everyday. We can be comforted knowing that God will accomplish them. We can also be comforted knowing that if we seek to follow his will for our lives, and to bring about what he tells us to do, even if we don't get all the details right, God will have to power and will to 'fix' our mistakes to honor his wishes.
Praise God for his power and direction in your life today.
As we saw last week in chapter 1, Joshua has assumed command of the Israelites. He is charged by God to lead them in invading and displacing all the current residents of the promised land.
Chapter 2 starts off with a familiar theme. Joshua sends 2 spies to scout ahead of the main army and to report back on the status of the people they will soon face in battle.
If this sounds like something you might have read before, it's because it is almost identical to the strategy that Moses used when the Israelites first came to the promised land. In fact, Joshua and Caleb were a part of the original group of 12 spies that went over into Canaan.
Now, as leader of the nation, Joshua needs intelligence about their opposition. So he sends his spies to report back to him about Jericho, the first major test of their invasion.
The spies come to an inn run by a prostitute named Rahab. They were supposed to slip into the city and secretly get information on it before quietly going back to Joshua.
They failed.
As verse 2 shows, the very night they entered the city, men from the king of Jericho are alerted to their presence, and even to their very mission.
Rahab hides the men, and lies to the king's soldiers as to their whereabouts, and then helps the spies escape back to Joshua. She only asks one thing, that her family be spared when the Israealites destroy the city and everyone in it.
They agree to do so, and eventually make their way back to Joshua, where their report encourages the whole nation of Israel that God has given Jericho to them.
Notice two things. First off, Rahab is a foreigner. She is not of the nation of Israel, and God's instructions to the Israelites were to utterly destroy everything and everybody in the nations they were going to invade (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).
So why are they making deals with her? Are the spies not breaking the very commandment of the God they are serving?
In a word, no.
It would take a complete article to explain the details, but the Bible is clear that there is only one true family of God, that is the family of faith, or 'true Israel'. Genetics do not determine it, but rather the loving election of individuals by God to be a part of his family. Romans chapters 9-11 will help clear this up for you.
Rahab demonstrated, by her faith in what God had already done for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt and into the promised land, that God had chosen her and her family to become one with his family of faith. She did not know this, but God had already worked out the plan that would make her a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ. Awesome to think that God used a foreign prostitute to further the line from which the King of Kings would be born of.
To sum up the first point then, the spies were not 'aiding and abetting' the enemy. Rather, they were unknowingly carrying out the plan that God had in mind to save his people. For more on Rahab, see Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.
The second thing I saw was that faith in the sovereignty of God and faith that he will accomplish what he wills does not negate action on our part. We may not know every detail about how it will come about, but when God tells us to do something, he expects us to act in a way that honors him and seeks to do what he wants us to do.
Joshua knew that God would lead the Israelites to victory over the inhabitants of the land. God had told him this in the first moments of his new leadership. (Chapter 1:1-9)
But even knowing this, Joshua still had to send spies. He still had to form a battle plan.
God tells us things everyday. We can be comforted knowing that God will accomplish them. We can also be comforted knowing that if we seek to follow his will for our lives, and to bring about what he tells us to do, even if we don't get all the details right, God will have to power and will to 'fix' our mistakes to honor his wishes.
Praise God for his power and direction in your life today.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
THE TWO DRAWERS
We have these two drawers in our kitchen that have become catch-alls for "things". These "things" seemed important at one time in the past. These two drawers had become so full that you could find only those "things" in front. To search through the full drawer was only frustrating.
Well one day I had enough. I decided to straighten these two drawers out. SO, I drug the trash can over and I got a chair. I sat down (on the chair) and began to straighten. I found several pens that didn't work. Screws, nails and metal pieces that didn't go to any thing. Memos that had faded to a non-readable state. One drawer had 10 or 12 votive candles scattered all over, a single piece of gum and candy. Keys to nothing, coupons 2 and 3 years out of date. Well, I'm sure you get the point. There was very little of value left.
As I was going through the drawers, a thought occurred to me that these drawers are like my mind. I fill my head with worldly "things" during the day. During the week. During the month. You get the idea. I do this to the extent that good spiritual "things" have a hard time getting in. I just use the "things" on the top or in the front. These "things" do not have to be sinful. They are things like television, vacations, church work, golf, children's games. My point is that our minds become so full that we have trouble communicating with God.
Where I'm going with this is in Philippians 4:6-9. I will let you look it up. Basically, vs 6 & 7 tell how to obtain God's peace, and vs 8 & 9 tell how to keep it.
Verse 8 is what I thought of when cleaning the two drawers:
Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are true,
Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,, think on these things.
If we keep our minds on the "things" of vs 8, we will become closer and closer to what God wants for us in our lives. So, I think we need to "straighten" out the drawers of our minds daily. That way we will be able to find God quickly. We will not have to search through the clutter.
Jim Capps
Well one day I had enough. I decided to straighten these two drawers out. SO, I drug the trash can over and I got a chair. I sat down (on the chair) and began to straighten. I found several pens that didn't work. Screws, nails and metal pieces that didn't go to any thing. Memos that had faded to a non-readable state. One drawer had 10 or 12 votive candles scattered all over, a single piece of gum and candy. Keys to nothing, coupons 2 and 3 years out of date. Well, I'm sure you get the point. There was very little of value left.
As I was going through the drawers, a thought occurred to me that these drawers are like my mind. I fill my head with worldly "things" during the day. During the week. During the month. You get the idea. I do this to the extent that good spiritual "things" have a hard time getting in. I just use the "things" on the top or in the front. These "things" do not have to be sinful. They are things like television, vacations, church work, golf, children's games. My point is that our minds become so full that we have trouble communicating with God.
Where I'm going with this is in Philippians 4:6-9. I will let you look it up. Basically, vs 6 & 7 tell how to obtain God's peace, and vs 8 & 9 tell how to keep it.
Verse 8 is what I thought of when cleaning the two drawers:
Finally, Brethren, whatsoever things are true,
Whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,, think on these things.
If we keep our minds on the "things" of vs 8, we will become closer and closer to what God wants for us in our lives. So, I think we need to "straighten" out the drawers of our minds daily. That way we will be able to find God quickly. We will not have to search through the clutter.
Jim Capps