I received a text from a good friend about the goal of single adult Bible studies:
"A singles ministry is not meant to be an intervention of hopeless, loveless people, nor is it to be a Christian bachelor/bachelorette pad where people are simply to mingle and receive roses. Seeing to it that all the people get hitched should not be the ultimate goal."
I could not agree more. I personally do not believe that I am called to singleness, but I believe that singleness is a calling.
Unfortunately, these days a particular view has come upon those in the Church who are single. They are looked upon as the unlucky ones. Those poor, miserable wretches! No one loves them! He/she seems like such a nice person. Why can't they find a girl/guy? For anyone who has thought this, has the thought occurred to you that maybe they should not? It may be that God is calling that particular person to singleness, either for a time or for life. There is nothing wrong with that. Choosing to live, or being chosen to live, as Jesus did (and likely how Paul did) should not be viewed as a failing or something to be pitied.
The Church today is in bad shape in many ways, and one of those ways is marriage. The divorce rate is up over fifty percent! 50%!!! That's pathetic! That is essentially the same as unbelievers, and it makes me sick! Marriage is sacred. When you say, "I do," it is for life. There is only one reason I can see in Scripture that makes divorce acceptable,
"It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32). Why does the Scripture suddenly get ignored when someone decides, yes decides, they do not "love" the other person any more?
Understand this: love is a choice. God has commanded us to love others. He is just and good, and He will only command us to do that which it is possible to do. That means we can choose to love, and that means a spouse chooses to love their spouse.
What about when money becomes an issue?
Did you not promise, "For richer or poorer?"
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless" (James 1:26).
The state of marriage in the Church is sad, and it should be a source of shame in all believers. If you cannot be truthful and steadfast in something like that, why should the unbeliever believe anything else you have to say?
I say all this about marriage for the following reason.
Singleness is not contemptible. In fact, I believe that more should choose it than do. The state of marriage in the Church is evidence that at least one of the two people there should have remained single. It may be that one or both of the people that end up divorced have looked to the other to satisfy them in a way that only God can. They should have been looking to Him. They should have been seeking Him, and they should have been seeking Him together! I don't remember the exact statistic, but the vast majority (somewhere around 90% to 95%) of couples who pray together regularly, stay married, and they are happy in that marriage.
If you are married, you need to be seeking and focused on God in your marriage. If you are single, you should seek to know whether God would have you get married or stay single. Both are good, but you need to know which way to go.
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ministry. Show all posts
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Jesus & Santa
The holiday season is here again. I think almost everyone enjoys the holiday season, if for nothing else than the time off with family and friends. I think most of us would envision this: the whole family sitting together around a Christmas tree in comfortable pajamas, presents being opened, stockings hung over the fire that warms the room with its light. It is a cozy scene, but what is it really about?
When I was younger and both sets of grandparents lived close, my family's tradition was to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family at his parents' house, Christmas morning at home, and then Christmas Day with my mom's side of the family. On Christmas morning, my brother and I would wake up really early to see what was stashed under the tree. I had been told, from as early as I can remember, that Santa Claus was going to bring me presents as long as I was good. I was also warned that, "He can see you when you're sleeping." This is creepy. After hearing this, I imagine that a number of children were no longer worried about the Boogey Man. They were more concerned about his rotund partner, Santa Claws, watching them and waiting in the shadows.
Children being kept up at night watching their closet door is not what I want to take issue with, however. For years I believed that Santa Claus visited every house of every child all over the world to bring them presents. I believed it was true like I believed I would one day grow up. Children eventually find out that Santa is not real. For some, this can shatter their view of reality and effect their thought process and trust: This person and event that my parents told me was true was not true. It was all a lie that I believed for years. My whole family knew it was fake, and yet they watched me believe this. I feel like a fool. I won't be taken in so easily next time.
If they realize that Santa was a lie, I wonder how they will reconsider what their parents have told them about God. Will they begin to question the fact that Jesus came to die for their sins? Will they begin to question the Gospel message or their standing before God? Will they begin to question God Himself? "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13). Paul speaks about food here, but the message is still clear. If what we do might cause another believer to stumble, we should give it up.
J.I. Packer tells us, "We do not start our Christian lives by working out our faith for ourselves; it is mediated to us by Christian tradition, in the form of sermons, books and established patterns of church life and fellowship. We read our Bibles in the light of what we have learned from these sources; we approach Scripture with minds already formed by the mass of accepted opinions and viewpoints with which we have come into contact, in both the Church and the world... It is easy to be unaware that it has happened; it is hard even to begin to realize how profoundly tradition in this sense has molded us. But we are forbidden to become enslaved to human tradition, either secular or Christian, whether it be "catholic" tradition, or "critical" tradition, or "ecumenical" tradition. We may never assume the complete rightness of our own established ways of thought and practice and excuse ourselves the duty of testing and reforming them by Scriptures." (J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God [Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958], pp. 69-70).
There are many believers who enjoy the myth of Santa Claus. It is fun to watch our children enjoy the anticipation of the gifts under the tree. However, I think it would be irresponsible of us to ignore the possible negative effects down the road.
Even if the kids are not negatively effected by the reality of their favorite elf being fictitious, why are we taking any focus of Jesus to give it to a mythical icon anyway? I remember how I viewed Santa Claus when I was a child. He was almost an idol. I tried to be good every day leading up to Christmas according to what I thought Santa considered good because, "He knows when you're awake," too, in order that I would get rewarded in return. Does this not sound like idol worship?
Ultimately, what you decide to do about Santa is between you and God. I am telling you how I see it. Personally, if God ever decided to give me a wife and children, I will tell them of the Christ. Jesus will be the focus of the entire season. They will get presents because the Magi brought presents to Jesus when they came. For those of you who have seen the Bethlehem Star Presentation (http://www.bethlehemstar.net/), you know that they arrived in Bethlehem on 25 December of 2 B.C., and that is the reason we give gifts on Christmas. Don't let anyone tell you the Christmas was moved to coincide with the pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice. It wasn't. If it was, why is it not on 21 December? That is a bit off topic, though.
I will not tell my kids that Santa is watching them to decide whether to reward them with presents or punish them with coal because it is not true, and I do not want to lie to my kids. It also takes away from the focus of Jesus on the day we have set aside to celebrate His entry into this world to redeem mankind to Himself. Glory be to God. He must become more... Santa most become less. I think that, if we asked St. Nick, he would agree.
When I was younger and both sets of grandparents lived close, my family's tradition was to spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family at his parents' house, Christmas morning at home, and then Christmas Day with my mom's side of the family. On Christmas morning, my brother and I would wake up really early to see what was stashed under the tree. I had been told, from as early as I can remember, that Santa Claus was going to bring me presents as long as I was good. I was also warned that, "He can see you when you're sleeping." This is creepy. After hearing this, I imagine that a number of children were no longer worried about the Boogey Man. They were more concerned about his rotund partner, Santa Claws, watching them and waiting in the shadows.
Children being kept up at night watching their closet door is not what I want to take issue with, however. For years I believed that Santa Claus visited every house of every child all over the world to bring them presents. I believed it was true like I believed I would one day grow up. Children eventually find out that Santa is not real. For some, this can shatter their view of reality and effect their thought process and trust: This person and event that my parents told me was true was not true. It was all a lie that I believed for years. My whole family knew it was fake, and yet they watched me believe this. I feel like a fool. I won't be taken in so easily next time.
If they realize that Santa was a lie, I wonder how they will reconsider what their parents have told them about God. Will they begin to question the fact that Jesus came to die for their sins? Will they begin to question the Gospel message or their standing before God? Will they begin to question God Himself? "Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble" (1 Corinthians 8:13). Paul speaks about food here, but the message is still clear. If what we do might cause another believer to stumble, we should give it up.
J.I. Packer tells us, "We do not start our Christian lives by working out our faith for ourselves; it is mediated to us by Christian tradition, in the form of sermons, books and established patterns of church life and fellowship. We read our Bibles in the light of what we have learned from these sources; we approach Scripture with minds already formed by the mass of accepted opinions and viewpoints with which we have come into contact, in both the Church and the world... It is easy to be unaware that it has happened; it is hard even to begin to realize how profoundly tradition in this sense has molded us. But we are forbidden to become enslaved to human tradition, either secular or Christian, whether it be "catholic" tradition, or "critical" tradition, or "ecumenical" tradition. We may never assume the complete rightness of our own established ways of thought and practice and excuse ourselves the duty of testing and reforming them by Scriptures." (J. I. Packer, Fundamentalism and the Word of God [Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1958], pp. 69-70).
There are many believers who enjoy the myth of Santa Claus. It is fun to watch our children enjoy the anticipation of the gifts under the tree. However, I think it would be irresponsible of us to ignore the possible negative effects down the road.
Even if the kids are not negatively effected by the reality of their favorite elf being fictitious, why are we taking any focus of Jesus to give it to a mythical icon anyway? I remember how I viewed Santa Claus when I was a child. He was almost an idol. I tried to be good every day leading up to Christmas according to what I thought Santa considered good because, "He knows when you're awake," too, in order that I would get rewarded in return. Does this not sound like idol worship?
Ultimately, what you decide to do about Santa is between you and God. I am telling you how I see it. Personally, if God ever decided to give me a wife and children, I will tell them of the Christ. Jesus will be the focus of the entire season. They will get presents because the Magi brought presents to Jesus when they came. For those of you who have seen the Bethlehem Star Presentation (http://www.bethlehemstar.net/), you know that they arrived in Bethlehem on 25 December of 2 B.C., and that is the reason we give gifts on Christmas. Don't let anyone tell you the Christmas was moved to coincide with the pagan holiday celebrating the Winter Solstice. It wasn't. If it was, why is it not on 21 December? That is a bit off topic, though.
I will not tell my kids that Santa is watching them to decide whether to reward them with presents or punish them with coal because it is not true, and I do not want to lie to my kids. It also takes away from the focus of Jesus on the day we have set aside to celebrate His entry into this world to redeem mankind to Himself. Glory be to God. He must become more... Santa most become less. I think that, if we asked St. Nick, he would agree.
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