Real Deal “So I saw on Facebook….or Twitter,” this is a common sentence we hear or say often these days. Social media and the ever increasingly pervasive internet has changed the way we interact with information. There is just so much of it! I have thought for a long time about writing a blog, doing a podcast, or making videos for youtube but to be honest I was paralized for a while at the thought of adding to the exponential growth. It feels like pouring a drop of water into the Pacific Ocean. It is amazing how much information is so readily available. The other night my sons and I were watching the movie ‘National Treasure’ with Nicholas Cage. During one of the scenes, the protagonists were piecing together the complicated mystery and were in need of a crucial piece of information. As they were traveling across states to retrieve the intelligence, with the FBI in hot pursuit, my son asked “why don’t they just google it?” I then explained that back then (in the ancient history of 2004) not everything was available on Google as it is today. There is so much information, but also so much misinformation. That’s the Truth? Just yesterday some of us were discussing an outrageous post on Facebook. The subject matter is not important, but what is important is that the next day I saw others reporting that the information was incorrect. We have a real problem differentiating between what is fake news and what is real fact. I read a quote from a Nazarene pastor, T. Scott Daniels, referring to the days when Galileo was battling false views of the universe with his observable scientific data. Daniels states, “But in a world of printing presses, secrets are hard to keep.” There are two really powerful ways to keep people from knowing the truth. The first is, if you can control the flow of information and only tell someone what you want them to know or think, then you can control, to a large extent, their beliefs and actions. For most of human history the majority of the human population has been subject to a famine of information. These people were not unintelligent or foolish, but they were uninformed, not by their own negligence, but as a result of leaders and rulers who manipulated the information for their own advancement, or simply the incredible obstacles to mass communication. As Daniels said, the printing press changed our world because the ability to spread ideas and understanding was greatly increased. The second way to keep people from knowing the truth is to dilute the sources of information so as to make certainty seem difficult, if not downright impossible. The printing press was an amazing step forward allowing unprecedented access to new ideas and information that previously could only be known by the elite of the society. However, with the advent of the internet and especially social media the pendulum has swung the other way diluting the truth with astounding amounts of error and fake news. Please understand that I am not arguing that we should eschew the use of these platforms, but we must realize, as one meme quotes Abraham Lincoln, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” True Story So what are we to do so that we do not find ourselves at the mercy of the people who really know what is going on? Well, we must be vigilant to filter everything through the things that we do know. We have to take the time and expend the effort to research things that are important without becoming obsessed with any single issue to the neglect or detriment of our personal priorities and convictions. But most of all, we need a source of information about the most important questions in life that we can know is true and trust absolutely. So where’s the link to that? The Apostle Peter when recounting the experience that he and James and John had on the mount of transfiguration with Jesus states this in his second letter: 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The reality is that we, as believers, have a trustworthy word from God more fully confirmed. The message of the gospel that answers the questions of our origin, purpose, and future are all answered in the ‘more fully confirmed’ message of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. I interpret Peter’s point in this text to mean that having the written word of God and the indwelling Holy Spirit is superior to having even the experience that the Apostles had with Christ. We must trust and study God’s Word first, then interpret and filter the rest of the content in our world through the worldview formed and forged by the Truth!
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Right now, amid the conflicting reports about the extent and severity of the Covid-19 pandemic it has become increasingly difficult to know what is true. One thing that seems relatively simple to grasp, however, is that there will be effects far beyond the health of individuals who contract the disease. There will be economic fallout from the lost business and lost production. Whole industries will be affected by this kind of downshift in the economy. Many people will even be affected in regards to health, because of unavailable care in the midst of the virus. The post today is not about the coronavirus but about the issue of unintended consequences. David’s Dead Deacons In 2 Samuel 11, we read the account of David’s illicit affair with Bathsheba. Later in Psalm 51 as David is crying out to the LORD in genuine repentance he says “against you only have I sinned.” I have often thought about David’s sin and how it affected not only David, but this woman who he took from another man. Also, Uriah, who lost not only his wife but even his life. The nation, as well, was affected by the behavior and sin of the king. But I had missed that Uriah was not the only unnecessary death. Consider the account: 22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” In reading this account it seems clear that to insure that Uriah fell in the battle a company of soldiers were sent into danger. This unwise maneuver not only ended Uriah’s life but theirs as well. No doubt David did not intend for any of these men to die. When he had his fling with Bathsheba he did not intend for Uriah to die. When he set his eyes on her in the bath he did not intend for his baby to die. But they all died! Because sin always brings collateral damage. A Bad Deal Sin is usually not a matter of calculation, which is part of the problem. We convince ourselves in the moment that it isn’t really that bad or that no one is going to get hurt. But that is never true! There is no such thing as victimless sin. Remember in Ps. 51:4 when David cries out “against you and you only, I have sinned.” He goes on to say that God is justified in His speech and blameless in His judgment. When we sin we make ourselves accountable to the just judge of the universe. We also sin against ourselves in that we were made to bear the image of God and so we fall short of that image bearing responsibility (Rom. 3:23). The problem is that we cannot fathom the factors involved in even the “smallest” act of sin and so every act of villainous treason against Almighty God will unavoidably have collateral damage. Damage Control Of course this ought to serve as a warning to avoid sin at all cost. We believers should never say that “we will continue in sin so that grace may abound.” Paul is explicit in Romans 6 that this is carnal, worldly thinking not Christian, spiritual thinking. One of the surest ways to judge the reality of a relationship with Christ is to see how coming to know Christ has affected our relationship with sin. But also this account from David’s life should teach us that even in the worst of circumstances and situations, even in the darkest place of sin and shame, hope in Christ remains! David was confronted by his sin and in response he came to God with a broken and contrite heart. David repented and turned from his sin and cried out to God for grace and he received the joy of God’s salvation. Our damage control is not found in covering up the truth or denying our sin but in seeking the hope found in the glorious good news of Christ! Getting Started As most of you know, I have what some may call the gift of gab. I have always seemed to have plenty of words to express in most conversations and have rarely been speechless. However, starting a conversation is a different story. It’s the beginning, those first few words, that are so hard to know just exactly what to say. I have found this to be the case in public speaking as well as general conversation. Introductions can seem awkward and uncomfortable, but are necessary for clear and careful communication. Introductions are hard because we want to impress people and capture their attention so that they will receive our message. The message I want to receive from this introduction is to keep reading! A Little Late I have wanted to start a pastor’s blog for a long time. I actually discussed it with Brandon a couple of years ago but just never got it off the ground. With the onset of the pandemic the need for another way of connecting with everyone seemed prudent so that helped bring the idea back to the forefront. Part of the problem had been my technological naivate, I honestly just didn't know how to get started. So I asked Lucy to help and she got this blog up and going. I probably should have begun with this article but the first two articles just seemed apt for the moment. What’s Coming The plan for the future of this blog is to release an article each Friday on some biblical or Christian worldview issue. If you have ideas of topics that you would like for me to write about please let me know, I would welcome the interaction. There are literally a million blogs out on the internet so why would I write one? Well this one's for YOU! I am not writing this blog in hopes that thousands of people all around the world would read it. I’m writing it for you. My ambition is to write a short (hopefully!) article each week for you, the members of Marshall First Baptist church, you, the citizens of Searcy County Arkansas, you, brethren and friends who are dispersed in the world but always in our hearts! When you were a child you may have been one of those kids who was always trying to get back to the front of the line. Whether it was for a snack, a game, or a ride, you can probably remember that sense that if you didn't get that extra piece or extra turn you would be missing out! It is probably a universal part of the fallen nature to not want to miss out. Certainly it is a sign of immaturity when we cannot delay gratification for a greater good or purpose. We know that it is not always wise to hurriedly seek that next "good" thing. But honestly we just don't want to miss out. False Hunger I saw a meme the other day that said “you're not hungry, you're bored!” I am sure we have experienced those times when we feel like we have been eating all day but we just keep consuming. Dietitians often advise us not to eat while watching media or while otherwise distracted because we will end up eating more than we would have otherwise. These are examples of what I am calling ‘false hunger.’ The idea is that we are using one good thing in God’s world to try to fill the void left by something else. The fact that we continue to experience this emptiness causes us to continue to crave and consume even though the appetite never seems to be satiated. This is not just about food! We can have this kind of false hunger invade any part of our lives. We can become captured by entertainment or hobbies or relationships that become for us a way of seeking to fill a deeper and more basic need. I also want to stress this does not mean that any of those things are necessarily wrong -- only out of place. #2 Combo The combination of false hunger and fear of missing out becomes very dangerous. These two concepts together begin to spiral our behavior away from the disciplines, devotion and delight that can truly fill our souls and awaken our hearts. It is this concoction that says to us ‘just click on one more youtube video’ or ‘just check Facebook one more’ or ‘just eat one more slice.’ As we continue this way we actually get more ravenously hungry for what our soul truly needs. As we continue to feast on all the things that can never satisfy we find ourselves more and more malnourished of the spiritual meat and drink. Fasting Failure So what if we decide that enough is enough and we are going to cut out the things that are masking our true spiritual hunger. Well if all we do is subtract, then we are going to find ourselves spiritually and physically hungry. Regardless of what we may find that we need to fast from, whether it be french fries or facebook, yogurt or youtube, pizza or pinterest this subtraction must be replaced by a better addition. One sure way to fail at fasting is to focus on what you're missing instead of rejoicing in what you are gaining. So what are you gaining? First, greater discipline in the foundational elements of daily Christian life. If you find yourself needing to fast because something has gained too great a place in your life then no doubt something else has not had the place it ought to have. So if you're fasting from Facebook replace it with time in the Book. If you are fasting from food let those stomach reminders be a call to prayer. You get the idea! Second, while you break your dependence and allegiance to whatever you are fasting from, turn to the Lord with loyal and sincere devotion. Do not follow your whims, but lead your life with steadfast devotion to the God whom you serve and love. That leads us to our final and greatest gain, delight! Take the enjoyment and pleasure that you would have been seeking in other things and find it in Christ! He is the delight of the redeemed heart and the center of the saved soul. Let us delight ourselves in the riches of His grace and in the beauty of His face (2 Corinthians 4:6). Scripture tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desire of our hearts which if we are truly delighting in Him will be to have more of Him (Psalm 37:4)! Why?
There are many ways that we begin questions. When, what, how, where, but this question of why seems to be the most elusive and haunting. Sometimes we begin asking why questions about small things “why did I get chicken and not a burger?” At other times the why question is brought on by fascination and curiosity such as a little child asking 347 why questions all before lunch. But in times of pain and real reflection, the why question seems unanswerable because what answer could possibly be good enough? Why God? In Psalm 10, the psalmist cried out to God with the 'why' question. Psalm 10:1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? He then goes on to recount the horrible attitudes and actions of the enemies of God. He also communicates how hard this is for the followers of God and asks 'why?' This makes sense because God is the only one with the answer to the why question. He is the only one who could give the answer to the broken believer. So when we, in times of distress and despair, turn to God with the why question we are in good company. We have turned to the only one who can truly meet us where we are and give us what we need. What We Need Usually when we begin asking the why question what we are looking for is a reason or a purpose! The problem we have in the situations that bring us to this inquiry are often beyond our scope of understanding. Because of this many have concluded that there must not be a God and that there must not be a reason. But this answer is neither true nor helpful. First, our very existence and our ability to contemplate truth necessitates the existence of God and the existence of a God who creates a consistent and relatable universe. Second, this is not helpful because our struggles and pain are not made better by simply saying “it doesn't matter.” Actually, that makes it worse. The Answer So what answer does the Psalmist give us in Psalm 10? First, his question leads him to cry out to God to act. The Psalmist looks to the Lord and cries out for Him to lift up his hand. We, in our trouble, need to cry out to God to help us. He will! Ultimately, this is not the reason for all that is happening in Psalm 10 but it is an effect and a good one that we would rely all the more on our God. Second, he remembers who God is! Psalm 10:16a The LORD is King forever and ever. This means that even when the Psalmist does not fully comprehend the reason, he can trust that there is a reason. Because of the reality and reign of God, believers can always rest in the fact that there is a purpose, even when that purpose is beyond our ability to understand or not good for us to know. Finally, the psalmist knows that the Lord hears and does what is right! |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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