Archives For God

Why Would a Good God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People?

April 19, 2013 — 1 Comment

Runners continue to run towards the finish line as an explosion erupts at the finish line of the Boston MarathonAt the time of this writing, one suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing is dead, with the other one on the run. Another stark reminder of the tragedy that happened so recently.

The bigger question many ask is this, “If God was such a good God, why would he allow bad things to happen to good people?” It’s easy to see the brokenness of the world around us and be overwhelmed. That inner sense of right and wrong given to us by our Creator screams for justice. It’s natural for us to wonder why God doesn’t put a stop to it. Is he cruel? Does he care? Is he powerless? Does he care?

Jesus gives us a clue to answer in a story about weeds. It’s a long passage, but well worth the read:

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus goes on to explain the illustration to his disciples, and in the explanation we discover why God allows evil to fester in the world:

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. Matthew 13:37-41

Here’s the truth: the weeds represent everything that causes sin and all who do evil (verse 41). So, why would a good God allow evil to flourish? Look back at verse 29. Because the weeds (sin) and the wheat (humanity) are so intermixed, that to destroy one, he’d have to destroy the other.

The mistake we make is to think that evil is something separate from us, something easily wiped away if God would only do it. The reality is something darker. When sin entered the world, it infected all of creation, including humanity. We’re now fused together. So, here’s why evil exists: God allows evil to exist because to destroy evil He would have to destroy humanity.

Does God hate sin? Yes. Does God love humanity? Yes. So, he allows humanity to exist a little while longer, even with the scourge of sin, out of love, to give us a chance to repent. There will be a day when sin is destroyed, when God comes to judge the world. Until then, evil will exist.

QUESTION: Does this interpretation help your understanding of the problem of evil?

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If God is a Good God, Why Would He Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People?

February 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

2.22.13War. Famine. Tsunamis. Genocide. Starvation. Earthquakes. Child Trafficking. Murder. Hurricanes. Why is there so much evil in the world today? More importantly, if God really is a good God, then why would he allow such evil to flourish in the world today?

We’ve all wrestled with this existential question before. We’ve all been overwhelmed with the chaos in the world. It’s why you don’t like watching the news anymore. Who needs to be reminded every night that this world is going to hell?

But this question is more than just abstract. It’s personal. You’ve experienced loss, hurt and heartache. You’ve gone through difficult circumstances and lost loved ones before their time. Where was God then? If God is a good God, then why would he allow bad things to happen to good people?

This question cuts to the core of whether or not we believe God is a good God. Is God good? Is he too weak to stop the evil in the world? Does he even care? I know the trite answer is “God has a plan,” but when you’re overwhelmed by the mass brutality of mankind, it’s easy to question that pat answer.

There is an answer, but it might not be what you think. This topic is what we’re talking about this Sunday at Mt Vernon Church. If you’re in town, come at 9:00 or 10:30 to hear the answer. If you’re out of town, watch us live (or archived later on) at www.mtvchurch.tv (we’re live at 10:30 CST). See you then!

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8 Reasons Why Your Prayers Go Unanswered

February 7, 2013 — 1 Comment

2.7.13There’s nothing more challenging to your prayer life than unanswered prayer. Why do our prayers go unanswered? Does God not care? Is he too weak to answer all of our prayers? Or is it something else?

Here are eight biblical reasons why our prayers may go unanswered:

1.    We don’t ask. I know this seems simplistic, but many of our prayers simply go unasked. “You do not have, because you do not ask God.” James 4:2

2.    Praying for selfish reasons. This knocks out a lot of our prayers. You can pray for $1 million all you want. Probably not going to happen. “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3

3.    Sin in your life. Habitual sin can create a barrier between us and God, hindering our prayers. Keep a short confession list with God. “If I had cherished sin in my heart,
 the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18 “If anyone turns a deaf ear to the law,
 even his prayers are detestable.” Proverbs 28:9

4.    Broken relationships in your life. Our relationship with God and our relationship with others are intrinsically linked. One always affects the others. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” 1 Peter 3:7

5.    Lack of ­­persistence. This may be the number one killer. Many of us simply give up too easily. “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1

6.    Spiritual warfare. Whether we want to admit it or not, spiritual warfare is a reality. “Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days.” Daniel 10:12-13

7.    God’s timing. We may be willing to settle for ‘good enough’ right now, while God is waiting for ‘best’ around the corner. Trust in his timing. “There is a time for everything,
 and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

8.    Love. Sometimes, we ask for things that will hurt us in the long run, and the most gracious thing God could do is leave our prayers unanswered. Garth Brooks got it right when he sang his song, “Unanswered Prayers.” “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

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My God is For Me

February 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

1.25.13When God looks down from heaven at you, does he shake his head in disappointment? It’s easy to think that sometimes. If you grew up in a religion of rules and regulations, its easy to feel defeated when you don’t live up. Like a cop pulling out behind us when we’re driving, many of us have a natural fear when we get too close to God, because we’re sure we’re going to get in trouble for something.

Yesterday in our Catfish series, we talked about the myth that God is fed up with me. If you’re honest with yourself, you probably don’t live up to your own standards, so how could you ever imagine living up to God’s standards?

The truth we find from Scripture is the powerful truth that God is for me. If you read the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15, you see God’s heart for us, “But while he was still a long way off, his father [God] saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20)

Romans 8:31-32 says the same thing: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Psalm 23:6 says, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When we realize that God is for us, our relationship with Him completely changes:

  1. We don’t hid from God but run to God. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
  2. We don’t live for God’s approval but live from his approval. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
  3. We don’t fear what happens to us because we know that God is working in us. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.”

To watch the entire message, please click here.

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The Next Generation Has the Wrong Idea About God

January 29, 2013 — Leave a comment

1.29.13Last Sunday I mentioned a book titled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, by Christian Smith. This book was critical to me during my doctoral dissertation a few years back. Smith and his research team spent years interviewing thousands of teens to find out what American teenagers believed about God. His results were impeccably researched and met the highest academic standards.

Here is his conclusion: “we suggest that the de facto dominant religion among contemporary U.S. teenagers is what we might well call ‘Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.’ The creed of this religion, as codified from what emerged from our interviews, sounds something like this:

  1. A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.
  2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
  3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
  4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
  5. Good people go to heaven when they die” (162-163).

This belief system is a mix of world religions, modern media influences, and personal narcissistic tendencies. The result is a deeply flawed set of beliefs that does not line up with Scripture in the slightest.

As believers, our job is to separate fact from fiction and dispel the myths with the truth of God. As Paul states it, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5

As a youth pastor, I saw this set of beliefs lived out in the lives of many of my students. If this truly is the prevailing religion of the next generation, then we have a lot of work to do.

QUESTION: Have you seen any of these beliefs played out in the lives of today’s young people?

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Why Jerry Springer Would Love the Old Testament

January 28, 2013 — Leave a comment

1.28.13Growing up, the Jerry Springer Show set the standard for low-brow talk shows. Every week, it seemed like he would set up shop in a trailer park and just have at it. Do that many people not know who their ‘baby daddy’s’ are or that their boyfriends are having an affair with their sister? The few times I watched the show, I shook my head and wondered, “Where do these people come from?”

Here’s what I love about the Old Testament: it’s the story of God using a broken and flawed people to do His work, many of whom would have been great candidates for the Jerry Springer Show. Consider some of the ‘heroes’ of the Old Testament:

  • A guy who threw his wife under the bus and pretended to only be her brother every time they moved somewhere new (Abraham).
  • A guy who got completely drunk and passed out naked in front of his kids (Noah).
  • A guy who’s wife turned into a pillar of salt and whose daughters got him drunk so that he would impregnate them (Lot).
  • A guy who thought the best way to take care of a problem was by killing someone (Moses).
  • A guy who mistook his daughter-in-law for a prostitute and slept with her, getting her pregnant (Judah).
  • A guy with serious anger issues who would let foxes run loose in grain fields and rip the gates off of city walls (Samson).
  • A guy who lusted after another man’s wife, slept with her, then killed the husband (David).

These are the heroes of the Old Testament, and they’re all deeply flawed characters. If God can use them, God can use you. Never count yourself out.

 

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Catfish: Untangling the Lies We Believe About God

January 25, 2013 — 1 Comment

1.25.13By now you’ve heard of the term “catfish” being thrown around by the media these past few weeks, although you might not know exactly what it means. Urban Dictionary defines catfish as “someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.”

Falling for a catfish is believing a hoax. Manti Te’o of Notre Dame is the most notable example. Yet everyone who believed in the myth of Lance Armstrong also bought into a hoax. Believing a hoax can be more than embarrassing. In the case of Lance Armstrong, it can destroy the lives of people around you. Early detractors of Armstrong were bullied and intimidated, sometimes out of the sport entirely, just to keep the hoax alive.

As a pastor, there’s incredible spiritual application here. Are there hoaxes that we believe about God? When it comes to our view of God, have be been the victim of a catfish? Starting this Sunday at Mt Vernon Church, we’re starting a five-week series called Catfish: Untangling the Lies We Believe About God.

Here are the myths we’ll be tackling:

Myth: God is fed up with me. If you have that sneaking suspicion that God is always mad at you, that you’re always in trouble with him, then you’ve been catfished.

Myth: What matters most to God is whether or not I’m a good person. Think God just wants to you be a good person and be nice to others? Think again.

Myth: God’s chief aim is to make me happy in life. Do you treat God like a spiritual vending machine or the giant therapist in the sky? Don’t be fooled.

Myth: God is not good. If God was a good God, then why would he allow bad things to happen in the world? We’ll be tackling the problem of evil to conclude the series.

If for some reason you can’t make the services, you can always watch online here, Sundays at 10:30 am (CST).

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7 Things I Wish I Could Tell Every High Schooler

January 10, 2013 — 4 Comments


1.10.13I recently had the privilege of speaking to our teenagers at Mt Vernon Church. In that talk I shared “7 Things I Wish I Could Tell Every High Schooler.” Here are the seven things:

1. Once you graduate from high school, you’ll be amazed at how little you care about those high school friends you spent so much time trying to impress. I guarantee you, you’ll look back at all those hours wasted trying to impress the ‘cool kids’ as wasted time. Don’t give into peer pressure to impress people you won’t really care about five years from now.

2. Drinking doesn’t mean you’re cool; it just means you have a problem making dumb decisions. The alcohol industry spends $2 billion a year in advertising getting people to drink. Why? Because they want you to become addicted (which means more money for them). If you’ve got a mom or a dad who drinks too much, I know that you don’t think it’s very cool that they’re wasted all the time. But I guarantee you, they probably thought they were the ‘cool kids’ in high school because they broke the rules. Don’t go down that path. It’s not worth it. 

3. 98% of your high school relationships won’t last past college. The average marrying age (in MS) is 26 for guys, 25 for girls. Chances are that your high school relationship won’t be the person that you marry. So don’t act like you’re married! Don’t ditch your friends, don’t change who you are. Most importantly, don’t give up pieces of yourself that you intend to save for your real spouse one day.

4. Every sexual mistake you make now destroys intimacy with your future spouse. I know you’re curious, I know you’re tempted, and I know that all those Hollywood actors make pre-marital sex seem cool, but don’t do it. I’ve counseled with hundreds of teens who’ve made sexual mistakes. ALL of them regret it. How many people do you want your future spouse to sleep with before they get to you? Then behave in the same way.

5. You’ll start acting like an adult when you want to. Adulthood is a choice. Adulthood is not automatic. You don’t become an adult when you turn 18, 21 or even 30. You become an adult when you start acting like it. The myth of adolescence has lured generations of Americans to waste decades of their lives. I know some 14-year-olds that are more mature than 35-year-olds. Adulthood is a choice.

6. The most important ingredient to getting ahead in life is hard work. It’s really that simple. Most people don’t have the determination and discipline to see things through. So that I don’t get lumped in with a former presidential candidate, I won’t say that 47% of Americans are lazy, but the principle behind those remarks isn’t that far off. If you want to get ahead in life, work hard. Most people aren’t willing to put the time and energy into it, leaving more for you.

7. God wants to use you RIGHT NOW to change your world. Many of the world’s revivals have been started by teenagers. Who says the next one can’t be started by you? I love what 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Live that out, and watch what God does through you.

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The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

January 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

1.8.13The Circle Maker is a call to action. A call to prayer, specifically. After reading this book, my first response was spiritual: I knew I needed to pray more. Through the mediums of spiritual truth, historical examples, and personal experiences, Mark Batterson is relentless in his pursuit to inspire you to pray.

And not just pray; pray big. Pray God-sized prayers. I’ve read books before on prayer, about the need, the necessity, or even step-by-step methods on prayer. Batterson’s aim first and foremost is simple: he wants to inspire you to pray. He wants to stir up your spirit, break through your lethargy, and drive you to your knees in prayer. In that regard, he is successful. More than simply sharing familiar Bible stories on prayer, he shares well researched historical examples of prayer.

Yet Batterson’s greatest argument for prayer is the example of his own life. Through story after story, miracle after miracle, it’s impossible for him not to believe in a miracle-providing God, and it’s hard for the reader to as well. What makes The Circle Maker so effective as motivation is that it comes out of a place of personal passion and conviction for him. It’s difficult not to get swept up in his passion for prayer and his vision of the greatness of God.

The title “Circle Maker” comes from the Jewish legend of Honi the Circle Maker. A century before Christ, Israel suffered a calamitous year-long drought that affected the well-being of the entire nation. On that fateful day, a man of faith and determination took his six-foot staff and drew a circle in the dirt around him. When he was finished, he called to heaven and prayed: “Lord of the universe, I swear before your great name that I will not move from this circle until You have shown mercy upon your children” (12). And the rain came. As Batterson writes, “It had been difficult to believe the day before the day.” The day after the day, it was impossible not to believe” (13).

The “Circle Maker” is a beautiful metaphor that captures the determination and faith necessary to see God move in mighty ways. Too many times our prayers are self-centered, sporadic, and anemic. Way pray only for ourselves, not for God’s glory or the good of others. We sporadically, perhaps only at meals, as if God only cares about us getting enough to eat. And we pray anemically. We pray for things that we know will already happen. We pray for weak things, small things. God has more power than simply blessing a meal, helping on a test, or keeping someone safe on a car ride.

Somehow, someway, God has tied his power and supernatural intervention to the prayers of his saints. So, if we want to see God move mightily, to perform miracles and transform lives, we need to have the faith and determination of Honi the Circle Maker. The layout of the book draws three circles, three different aspects of prayer that are critical for us to understand:

  • Dream Big – If we’re going to see miracles, we need to expect miracles. We need to believe in the greatness and the power of God.
  • Pray Hard – Prayer is about persistence. If prayer was easy, then everyone would be doing it successfully. Circle-Making prayers are prayers that don’t give up, even if we don’t see immediate results.
  • Think Long – To see the full answer to our prayers, we need to view life from the lens of eternity. Prayer doesn’t change God so much as it changes us and how we view life. Prayer brings our perspective on life in alignment with God’s.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. This book drove me to my knees in prayer. This book did exactly what I needed it to do. It drove me to my knees in prayer. I was inspired by the God who answers big prayers, and by the believers with the faith to pray big prayers. One of my Personal Growth Goals in 2013 is to spend a solid week (168 hours) on my knees (literally) in prayer. This is far above and beyond what I do currently. I want to pray more. I need to pray more.

2. I don’t see the miracles in this book in my own life. Is it because I don’t see the prayers in this book being prayed in my life? I have a confession to make: I don’t pray like I should. I know since I’m a pastor I probably ought to see miracles happen in my life regularly, but I don’t. I constantly see God’s blessing on my life, but I don’t experience the miracles. I believe it’s because my faith is too small. My persistence in prayer is too weak. I aim to change that.

3. There is so much more that God wants to do for us than we give him credit for. We live like God only wants us to ‘get by’ in life.  One of the greatest values in this book is that it helps us escape our prison of normalcy and catch a glimpse of a grand life that God wants for all of us. We can get so used to simply surviving in life that we forget that God wants us to thrive.

4. “Circle-Making” Prayer must become a staple in anyone’s life for them to be used mightily by God. The next movement of God will be birthed by prayer. If you want God to use your life in mighty and miraculous ways, dream bigger, pray harder, and think longer. Let everyone else live a pedestrian life. Pray like it depends on God, and work like it depends on you.

 

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Abby’s Story

December 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Everyone has a story. When you know their story, you get a glimpse into God’s beautifully redemptive work throughout an entire life. Here is Abby’s story, one that we shared at Mt Vernon Church earlier this year.

Thank you Abby, for sharing your beautiful story with us.

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