ACMNP | Ministry of the Month (03.15)

 

 

ACMNP (A Christian Ministry in the National Parks) has been around for a long time. It is the only opportunity that I know of which brings people from all different Christian backgrounds to worship together on government land. By focusing on Jesus and worshiping Him, the interdenominational ministry is able to bypass the denominational battles. It is a way to witness and worship in God's creation that cannot be done elsewhere.

This ministry is based in Denver, Colorado. But, it sends out teams of college students and seminarians through-out the country. In this way, the ministry is also able to form Christian leaders, both towards a vocation in church-work and apart from it. I love the fact that a biology, psychology, astro-physics, any-sort-of major can come and serve the Lord in this ministry for the summer.

As you can imagine both the struggle and the reward are great. The participants in this program are thrown into a life-changing crucible. They meet all sorts of people from all around the world. They have a variety of backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses, but they learn to work together as a team in each park. Their faith-life is challenged and strengthened. They may often feel alone, but they know they are held in Christ's presence.

 This journey of a lifetime begins with a training conference. The first one is next month in Denver, Colorado while a back-up conference (for the later applicants) will be in May in either Atlanta or Indianapolis. Then, the students finish their semester of school and head out to their park for the summer.

There is an additional Advanced Leadership Program which meets in Denver later this month. In the advanced program, seminarians are chosen (mainly alumni) who can undertake more responsibilities above and beyond leading worship on the weekends and evangelizing on the park grounds. They will be placed in parks that may not have had a team in the past or with other opportunities to build a more permanent outreach program within the park community.

I had the opportunity to serve in this ministry last summer at Glacier National Park in Montana and I have been accepted as a participant in the Advanced Leadership Program for this upcoming summer somewhere in northern California (the specifics are still being addressed). At the end of the summer, my spendings and earnings came out pretty even (if I would have stayed home, I would have been able to make a bonus towards tuition). Still, the privilege of serving in this ministry was priceless. And, only God knows what a difference we made in the lives who were able to worship at the park because of our ministry there.

The costs for the conferences are considerable as well as traveling to and from the parks. If you would like to assist me personally, contact The Raven. Otherwise, the ministry could really use your support (I think there are even ways to personalize your gift such as buying T-Shirts for certain teams or Bibles for a certain parks!!!). If you have any questions, I can get you in touch with the ministry's leadership, they're really great to work with and will probably be open to suggested gifts. If you know anyone who would be interested, make sure they apply.

More ways to assist:

• Pray.
• Write a devotional.
• Attend one of the worship services.
• Spread the word, if you know people visiting the parks, they need to know about ACMNP!!!!

• Follow along on their blog.
• Sign up for updates.
• Pray.

***The ministry of the month encourages an annual donation of approximately $25 for its ministries (that seems the most reasonable way to help without hurting yourself too much). If there is a charity you are called to fall in love with and give the most to, that's a blessing. There is no obligation and this blog has no sort of compensation or really affiliation with the ministry that it is supporting (in general.. I am currently involved with this month's ministry).

*****Please, give me feedback on what you think of the charities/your experiences/charity suggestions... I'd extremely appreciate your input.

Romans 5 | Lent 2015

Here's the rough draft of the sermon today, it was clearer in presentation, but you should be able to get the gist from these notes:

Boast

1 That the Hearers Boast in His Love 

Gen. 17:1-7, 15-16 God’s fertile covenant… Abram becomes Abraham and Sarai Sarah.

Mark 8:27-38 Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say that I am?” “John the Baptist… Elijah… one of the prophets.” “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things… killed and raised again after three days… he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.’ …

‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father…

Romans 5:1-11 Justified by faith, have peace with God through Jesus and access into his grace through faith… Here we stand. We boast/rejoice in the hope of the glory of God… even more we boast/rejoice in our sufferings knowing… suffering produces endurance, endurance character, character hope, and hope does not put us to shame.

Because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Even while we were weak, Christ died for the ungodly… For one will scarcely die for a righteous person, maybe for a good person but never an evil sinner… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We have now been justified by his blood… saved from the wrath of God… If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life… we boast/rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have been reconciled.

(following, one man then sin for all)


2 Message


+ Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God the Father and Jesus Christ,
His Son, our Lord. Amen.

All these words, hear them with your ears. But, hold them in your hearts.

“Lord, I need you.”[1] That is the beginning of our epistle today. Paul had begun his letter to Rome, the metropolis of the time, declaring that he is not ashamed of the gospel. He is obliged to share it to both Greek and barbarian; both the foolish and the wise; the Jew and the Gentile; white collar and blue collar; policeman and criminal; homeless and movie star. The fact is that “the righteous shall live by faith.”[2] But, he knows that we are not righteous. And, it is only by this faith that we can be made right again. We need Jesus Christ to be saved, he is “our one defense… our righteousness.”

But, Paul wasn’t always this way. Do you remember the first time he is mentioned in the Bible? It’s in the book of Acts, the second book the historian, Luke, wrote after the Gospel of Luke. After Pentecost and the Holy Spirit is spread into the hearts of thousands of people, one of those people who had been chosen to serve the Church stands alone. He was full of grace and power… doing great wonders and signs among the people… He spoke to the leaders of the synagogue and they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking…

This bothered them. They did not know what to do, so they called him a heretic. They claimed that he spoke against the patriarchs of Israel and against God Himself. This was enough to seize him and bring him before the elder, the scribes, and all of the people. The brought in a council of fake witnesses. But, even as they spoke against him and slandered his name, as they turned to look at him they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

The high priest asked him what he had to say for himself and the servant of the Church told the Israelites their own story. It was a story of a people whose ancestors had witnessed the glory of God. It was the story of a people who suffered. But, in this suffering, they were given the law. They turned the law into their god. They made a building for their Lord, but in the end worshipped the hands who had built the structure more than the hands who had formed them in their mother’s womb. They put God in a box rather than letting him live in their hearts. They circumcised their flesh, they did everything perfectly on the outside, but their insides were hardened. They had killed all of the prophets who had risen to help them. But, they couldn’t even complete the law they worshipped.

As you can imagine, this enraged all those who heard it. The elders, the scribes, the people around the Stephen ground their teeth. But, he did not look at them. He looked into heaven. He saw Jesus. He did not see Jesus sitting on the sidelines, but standing at the right hand of God. He was not a spectator but the only defense that Stephen had against his accusers. Jesus was his righteousness, the only one who made him right with God. You can almost picture Stephen saying, “My one defense, my righteousness, Lord, I need you.” But, his last thoughts were not of himself. They were of his accusers, the martyr cried, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

I can almost see him looking up in one last glance, just out of the corner of his eye, to see the young man named Saul who was holding the garments for those who threw stones at the man who appeared to them as defenseless. God would later change Saul’s name to Paul. And, Paul would be charged with the task of reminding the Church that by faith in Jesus Christ we have peace with God (not let us have peace), we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Now, this phrase is a little hard to understand to us. When you think of “rejoice,” cheerful little smiley faces fill your head. A fake cheesy face makes a pose. Maybe someone even jumps for joy. But, the word here is the same as “boast.” Now, doesn’t that paint a different picture? “By faith in Jesus Christ, we can boast…” Now, instead of a pretend grin, a guttural shout rises to our lips. There is a pride, a confidence that arises within us. “We boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

This “glory of God” could also use some explaining, the “glory of God” is his presence. In all those scenes of Revelation, those who surround God are in his “glory.” On the mount of Transfiguration, the glory of the Lord is upon Jesus Christ. To be in His company is to stand in His glory. This is what we hope for. This is the hope that faith in Jesus Christ gives us. This is the hope we boast about.

We can even boast in our sufferings. That is what Stephen did. Although he was persecuted, he was proclaiming what God has done. He retained his faith and he saw Jesus standing in the glory of God, at His right side. He was also given the solid hope to stand there one day. This way-of-living, this worldview, effects everything else. We can even boast while we’re suffering. We know that this suffering is giving us the endurance we need to keep on boasting in our God. This endurance gives us the character we need to live in Him. This character clings onto the hope with which we had begun. Hope leads to hope.

This is why Saul became Paul, the faith in Jesus Christ which gave him the hope of the glory of God changed him. Jesus became his defense and his righteousness. This was the same in the Old Testament lesson, Abram was transformed into Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, not because of what they had done, not even because of the suffering they went through, but because of their hope in God’s promise. This hope does not put us to shame.

It would be easy to make this into a process of itself… to glorify suffering itself… to look for suffering in order to produce endurance… character… hope… But, the suffering is nothing apart from faith.

The opposite may also be thought of, does this mean that we do not need to suffer? Maybe we can skip that whole part of life after all. If we already have the character of hope built by faith isn’t that enough? That faith will be weak.

“Get behind me Satan.” Is what Jesus snarled at Peter. Peter had just claimed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. But, then when Jesus started to explain that the Son of God must suffer, Peter rebukes him. More than anyone else, Peter reminds me of the second plant in the parable of the sower… he shoots up in faith, but then falls. But, here, for the first time in perhaps his whole career as a disciple of Jesus Christ, Peter actually understands what’s going on. Jesus spoke plainly about his death and Peter isn’t in for it. No one likes the fact that we were born into sin. Suffering is a part of this life. Jesus says that the life of a disciple is a life of persecution. It’s so much easier to avoid it. It’s easier to point blame or get rid of the problem. It’s simple to stomp down on others rather than reflecting on our own hearts. We are so weak… so sinful…

Although Jesus had never been the problem, he became the solution. He is our scapegoat. While we were still weak… still ungodly, Christ died for us. God showed his love in this. Instead of the wrath we deserve as His enemies, we have been given reconciliation. He suffered for us. Now, we boast in God through Jesus, our reconciler. If we try to save our own lives, we will lose them. If we find our answers in avoiding the situation, getting rid of the problem, stomping down on others… If we find our answers anywhere apart from the love of God which has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, our lives are lost. But, if we give our lives to live for Christ’s sake… for the gospel’s sake… we will be saved. We will be secured in our hope, we will live in the peace of God through Jesus Christ. Amen.


Now, may the peace that passes all our understanding guard our hearts and minds as we boast in the love of Christ Jesus, from this time forth. Amen.



[1] “Lord I Need You” Sermon Music Video


[2] Rm1…

The Beauty of Hozier's Church | Audio Review

If you like this song,
you might not want to watch/read this...

At first this song seems great, "take me to church." That's what our culture needs to hear. Although there is a natural need for worship, the singer lacks absolution. Although he has practiced a sort of love and communion, it ends.

The music video relays the story of idolaters. The two main characters are homosexuals who attempt to burry their secret. They fail. Their worship of sexuality is severely punished. The other characters who find the secret judge the others. They break into the main character's house, drag him out, and burn him alive with his secret. They worship legalism. They bow down to the Law.

The Law is a good thing. But, apart from Grace, (just like everything else) it is nothing.

Tullian calls this sort of legalism/idolatry cheep Law. The accusers believe that they are able to build utopia. They can create a culture free from sin. They just need to burn up their neighbors in order to do so. They're too blinded by the plank in their eye to see what their hands are doing. They don't have a view of deep Law, but only cheep Law. They don't realize that no one can complete the Law other than The One who has already done so. They don't realize that their sin is just as bad as their neighbors. All of these characters long to worship, but do not recognize the One to worship...

Our world cries out for Church. But, if in Church only the Law is found..... Then, that's not Church at all. (Need an example, check out what Jesus says to the Pharisees, the brood of vipers and white washed tombs...)

The Church is a place for sinners...
If you have to be perfect to be welcomed in,
the Church's doors would have all been closed a long, long, time ago.

Once, you understand the meaning of this song, its disturbing. But, it should be. The hard fact is that the world needs Church. But, the caring, loving, grace-filled, people have often become little more than an empty, hardened, condemning steeple.

TASKMASTER | Super Inc.

"'The average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s.' It turns out the problem wasn't limited to an age group. In 2007, The New York Times reported that three in ten American women confess to taking sleeping pills before bed most nights. The numbers are so high and unprecedented that some are calling it an epidemic....

 

This came across my screen about the same time that the news broke about the meteoric rise of Americans claiming no religious affiliation, shooting up from 7 percent in 1990 to 16 percent in 2010. When those under the age of thirty were polled, that percentage more than doubled again, to nearly 35 percent. While the numbers themselves were a bit of a shock, I wish I had been more surprised by the findings. From my vantage point as a pastor, I can tell you, it is truly heartbreaking out there.

 

The Good News of God's inexhaustible grace for an exhausted world has never been more urgent...

 

Anything else is an unquestioning embrace of performancism in all sectors of life. Performancism is the mindset that equates our identity and value directly to our performance and accomplishments. Performancism casts achievement not as something we do or don't do but as something we are or aren't... what people think of us are more than descriptive; they are synonymous with our worth...

 

It is high time for the church to honor its Founder by embracing sola gratia [by grace alone] anew, to reignite the beacon of hope for the hopeless and point all of us bedraggled performancists back to the freedom and the rest of the Cross..."

 

The Taskmaster (above) was thrown off by the need to perform his own works, create his own merit, build up his own version of himself. Because of his irreconcilable past, there would be no way for him to be a "good guy again." But, that's not where the story ends.

 

 

In some way, even this character had been used for good all along. Although he could never pay the world back for the damages he had done, he had merit and use to those who knew his value.

In another way, God gives us merit and use even in our weakness when we come to Him.

"The Gospel of Jesus Christ announces that because Jesus was strong for you, you're free to be weak. Because Jesus won for you, you're free to lose. Because Jesus was Someone, you're free to be no one. Because Jesus was extraordinary, you're free to be ordinary. Because Jesus succeeded for you, you're free to fail..."

Read more in "One Way Love" by Tullian Tchividjian.

Check out his streamed event next month.

Find out more about the Taskmaster's origin.

Radiance | Transfiguration Saturday 2015

 

 

***Audio coming soon.

Radiance

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Because we have received this mission just as we have received mercy, we do not faint, instead, we have renounced the hidden shame. We do not walk in craftiness nor falsify the word of God, instead, by making known the truth, we commend ourselves to every conscience of men before God.

And, if our gospel is concealed, it is concealed to those perishing in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that the radiance of the gospel of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God, does not shine. It is not because of ourselves that we proclaim, but because of the Lord, Christ Jesus, and we are servants of you, for Jesus[’ sake]. For God spoke: “Out of darkness, light will shine.” He shined in our hearts, for the radiance of the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Christ.


Children’s Message: “Alleluia”

What word do we stop saying during Lent? Guesses… It’s “Alleluia!!” Do you know what that means?? … It’s “Praise Ye the Lord.” That means “Everybody Praise God.” Why do you think we don’t say it during Lent? … At a funeral, if one of your friends was crying because they loved the person who died and they missed them, would you say, “Praise God!?” No… They probably wouldn’t like that very much. It’s the same way in Lent. Lent is the time that we think of the price that Jesus paid for us, he died so that we can live. It is the time that we miss him the most. And, then on Easter, we shout “Alleluia!!” Because Christ has won. He rose from the dead and we share that word with others.

Lead them in the song “Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluia, praise ye the Lord…”

Mark 9:2-9, 2 Cor. 4:1-6

+ Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God the Father and Jesus Christ,
His Son, our Lord. Amen.

All these words, hear them with your ears. But, hold them with your hearts.

(That the hearers lift the veil to share the light… repentance to proclamation.)

There was a man who didn’t know what “Alleluia” was. He had enough of his life behind him to realize that something was missing and just enough of his life in front of him to know he needed to find it soon. | He did not want to run out of time before he found what was missing. | He might have been a lot like you or a lot like me.

He decided to start a journey, he wanted to find what would fit in the hole in his heart. He packed up a bag full of clothes, bought his ticket, and flew out to experience the world in the East. It wasn’t very long before he realized that everything over there seemed to be backwards from where he had come. They ate their food with sticks instead of scepters. Their voices made different tones to create different meanings instead of the monotony he had grown up with. They didn’t even wear the same types of clothes or drive cars. Most people walked everywhere they went.

He had lived there for a while and some of the most inspiring things came from the festivals he saw. Many of them were filled with rituals and prayers. The ones that stuck out the most always had to do with light. Whether it was sending candles over the water or attached to paper balloons and sent into the sky, flames on a menorah or celebratory fireworks, something about the flame stood out to him. It was easy for him to relate it to his own life. In a way, he thought, he was just another light, a flicker, in the vastness of the world and its universe.

Although, he traveled his heart was still empty. He met many different people from many different nations and he grew to understand them. As he got to know them, he grew close to them. He learned that in other countries shame is the worst thing you could ever bring to your family. Men lived for honor and glory, but if they gave into shame, it would be quick blot out any good deed. They would live in dismay as if they were cursed.

As he traveled, the man remembered that his time was running short. He had to find the thing to fill the emptiness. He decided to come back to America. He would take the train from state to state. Maybe he would find it there.

After riding by coach for days on end, he realized that the United States was far more diverse than he ever realized. There were mountains, valleys, fields, and seas as well as people of all different cultures, shapes, and sizes. He heard stories from other travelers who had come across bears and other wild beasts. As they relayed their fear for their lives, he remembered the rituals of the East. He thought of just how small of a flame he was once again.

Although he had traveled from coast to coast, north to south, and even into the non-continental territories of his homeland, the traveler did not find what he was looking for. He remained empty. Money spent and exhausted, he finally decided to go back home. He might have been a lot like you and a lot like me.

It seems like there is so much going on in our lives. We have full schedules and obligations. Finding enough time to get in our hours at work, eat a decent meal, and sleep the hours we need is hard enough let alone going to the gym or reading the Bible. By putting others first, we become last. And, somehow we become empty, our lights are dimmed, we forget to sing “Alleluia.”

I’m not going to tell you how to manage your time, I don’t have a “ten-steps-to-a-better-life” program. I can only tell you what happens next. The traveler, disgruntled, unhappy, alone, gets to his house which he hasn’t seen in many months. He unlocks the door. He walks in. He is home. But, the void is still there. It isn’t very long until he decides to check his mail. There, he finds an invitation. It’s from his good friend. She has invited him to church.

Now, this doesn’t seem like a big deal to most people. But, to our traveler it is everything. This means that he matters. He matters to someone. He takes his friend up on the invitation. He doesn’t realize it right away, but the church has been what he was looking for. It had been there, back at home, this whole time. Even more-so, it’s not the Church that he had looked for, but the hope that fills his heart when he comes and hears the Word of God. It’s not this building, but the assembled witnesses and fellow servants of the Lord, Jesus Christ, whom he comes to know and love.

Being an American, he had heard of Jesus before. He was the one who said just looking at a woman with lust-filled intent was a sin. He was the one who said that slander is murder. He is the one who condemns those who are immoral. But, as he is drawn in by this invitation, he begins to understand that Jesus is so much more.

Jesus is filled with grace and love and truth. The reading for today draws us back to the time of Elijah. Do you remember when he ran away? He was running for his life, fleeing from those who persecuted him. He ended up climbing to the top of a mountain, hiding there in a crevice. | Empty. | There was a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But, it is not until a voice confronts him and commands him to go back home that he hears the Word of God. He continues his ministry by the Spirit.

It is later, when Elijah is about to leave, his time is running short, that his friend Elisha begins to feel the void. Everywhere that Elijah and Elisha goes, Elisha reiterates with surprise, “Do you know that the Lord is taking Elijah??” What will we do when he leaves? Elijah gives him a gift, the gift of the Spirit, and Elisha is able to carry on the ministry without his friend.

There is another man who is mentioned who had once ran. Moses met his Lord for the first time on holy ground, speaking from the fiery bush. He knew that he was empty, he was burnt out; he was missing something. And, the Lord filled him with mission. He chose Moses to free his people, to take them to the Promised Land. But, first to take them through the wilderness so that they might better-know their Lord.

Still, both Elijah and Moses are just flickers, little lights, in an impossible huge world. Their embers created sparks in the lives around them, but they were nothing, they were empty, apart from God. It is these men who Jesus has join him on the mountain-top. They were not there to eat, drink, and be merry. They were not there to take over the government. They were not there to build tents. They were there to radiate the knowledge of God.

The flames of these apostles were first lit by the Spirit of the Lord. Because they had seen his face, they could do nothing other than spread his word. They understood the promise, that God’s people would be made righteous again. They would be made clean. They would be fixed so that they no longer lived in shame, emptiness, and darkness. Their emptiness was filled. They would live in the light of God. Jesus Christ died so that they might live in the forgiveness of their sin, their emptiness, and their darkness.

At the other side of the cross, Paul writes about the boldness he has because of the hope that is in him. Just like Elijah; just like Moses; just like us, the scales were removed from Paul’s eyes. He could do nothing other than to radiate the light that he had blinded him on the road to Damascus. He does not lose heart. He does not live in shame, being disgraceful or underhanded. He does not lie, tampering with what he had witnessed. He shares the truth.

This is not because he wants to. It is because it is his life. It is no longer he who lives, but Christ who lives in him. Although he had once been blinded by the darkness and the shame of the world around him, Paul has now become blinded by the light of God. He becomes the servant of all those who would cling onto God’s Word with him. All who hear this good news, the story that brings fulfillment into empty lives, will believe. There’s something in us that just know it’s true.

The only hindrance is the god of this world, the one who snarls and roars, claiming that you are no better. You are a disgrace. You lie. You are empty. But, the light of Christ blows that all away. He points out how thin and unstable his enemy’s arguments truly are. Just in seeing Christ, we see the image of God. He has made himself known to us. And, it was of him who God spoke to the world and said, “Let light shine out of darkness.”

This news radiates in our lives. We become like the kid who has heard something so exciting that he just can’t help but share. He goes around the neighborhood on his bike and yells loud enough to wake up the neighbors. He lights up his Facebook and Twitter feeds, even his Instagram gets posts that Jesus Christ has come. Although we are sinners, we no longer live in shame. Although, we have been fumbling around in this dark world, Christ has become the light so that we can see. He gives us the hope, the mission, the boldness to live lives not with emptiness, but with meaning. “Alleluia!”

It seems so strange to end on a note of praise. Lent starts this Wednesday and our “Alleluia”s will be taken from us. We will mourn. For forty days, we will remember what Jesus Christ has done for us. He entered the world in order to save the world. And, that salvation came with a price. He died. Even in our lament, we radiate his message, his news, his witness. We cannot help but praise him for what he has done, to share the news with our neighbors, in a bold hope that after this season is over we will celebrate with a stronger “Alleluia!!” than we had ever known before. “Praise ye the Lord.” Amen.

Now, may the peace that passes all our understanding guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, from this time forth. Amen.

What's The Point... Of Prayer?? | Craig Answers

 

What Is the Point of Prayer?

  Question:
  Dear Dr Craig,

I have recently moved on from Christianity to agnosticism, but I regularly check out your Q and A section as much of the content there is more sensible and thought provoking than the kind of thing I hear from a lot of Evangelicals.

So I figured that if there even is a satisfactory answer to my enquiry, you'd know about it.

My question is this: what is the point of prayer? Here prayer is defined as an attempt to communicate with God.

God either can read our thoughts or he cannot. If he can read our thoughts, there is surely no need to try to transmit or broadcast them to him as he already knows what they are. If he cannot read our thoughts, then any thought-based effort to contact him is futile. It doesn't matter what type of prayer it is (eg petition, thanksgiving, repentance), there is no point in making any effort to send it up to him.

Of course, Christianity generally holds that God is omniscient and therefore able to read our thoughts, so the first of these scenarios would be the applicable one. The characteristic of omniscience makes the concept of prayer all the more redundant as it means God already knows any information that might be communicated to him, and exactly what the best thing is to do about it, so prayer could not in any way influence his decisions.

I am well aware that the Bible commands us to pray in numerous instances, but in the light of this argument this strikes me as an incredibly arbitrary thing for a good God to command, and thus makes the reliability of the Bible all the more questionable to me.

Currently it seems to me that the idea of prayer is most sensibly explained as an addictive placebo that gives people a greater sense of control over their circumstances than they actually have.

But just maybe there's something crucial I've missed, and if so I would be grateful if you could point out what that might be.

Thanks,

Joe
UK

Dr. Craig responds:

Boy, Joe, the reasons you moved away from Christianity to agnosticism had better be a lot stronger than this, or you’re in real danger of backsliding!

Yes, God can read our thoughts. So how is that problematic for the spiritual discipline of prayer? You say, “there is surely no need to try to transmit or broadcast them to him as he already knows what they are.” Hold on, Joe! Seriously, do you think prayer is a matter of providing God information? You defined prayer as communication with God. You don’t communicate with another person through a third-person relationship. You enter into what has been called an “I-thou” relationship. You speak to another person, not just about that person. Your girlfriend or wife would be decidedly unimpressed if you rationalized never telling her “I love you” on the grounds that she already knows that! Anybody that obtuse is on his way to a break-up! Two people who are in love with each other want to speak to each other, to build an intimate relationship with each other.

So, sure, God reads my mind, and that enables me to pray to Him at any moment, even when audible prayers would be inappropriate. I can shoot up a thought-prayer, “Thank you, Lord!” or “God, give me wisdom!” at a moment’s notice. This is what people in a relationship do. Can you imagine anyone so obtuse as to say, “I don’t have to thank John for what he did for me because he already knows I’m grateful”? Or “I don’t have to apologize to Susan because she already knows I’m sorry”?

Moreover, did it not occur to you that such personal communication may be good for you? I-thou relationships open you up as a person, to make you a more loving, transparent, and vulnerable person. Prayer to God is the same way. God knows what is good for us and so wants us to talk to Him.

Of course, Joe, I’m talking about the prayers of someone who has experienced a spiritual rebirth and so is in a right relationship with God. I’m not talking about the rote or scripted prayer recited by an unbeliever. Doubtless, that sort of prayer is meaningless to you as an agnostic. Your prayer needs to be something like, “God, reveal yourself to me! I open my heart and life to you.”

You have a second, different objection to prayer: “omniscience makes the concept of prayer all the more redundant as it means God already knows any information that might be communicated to him, and exactly what the best thing is to do about it, so prayer could not in any way influence his decisions.” This is an objection to the efficacy of prayer. What the objection overlooks is that God can take prayers (or the lack thereof) into account in His providential planning of the world. Knowing that Joe would freely pray in a certain set of circumstances, God may actualize a world in which Joe’s prayers are answered; but had God known that Joe would not pray, God may have actualized something else instead. Prayers, then, are not an effort to change God’s mind. Rather God takes account of prayers in choosing which world to actualize. Prayers thus make a counterfactual difference: if I were not to pray, then something else would have been the case instead. Knowledge of this sort is called “middle knowledge,” and there’s a lot on this website about this fascinating topic.

Joe, on the basis of your question, I can’t help but suspect that while you may have been nominally a Christian, you never really experienced a true relationship with God. If that’s right, then walking away from a nominal, lifeless religion may be the first step toward finding a life-changing, spiritual relationship with God. Keep going!







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Rescue Freedom | Ministry of the Month (02.15)

 

 

February is the month of love. Saint Valentine's Day is remembered, praising the opportunity to unite hearts as one. It seems as if every third commercial reminds a man to bring flowers home for his wife. But, our earthly love is broken.

One of my seminary professors used to say that adultery, the abuse of an institution meant to bear life and make a relationship thrive, only brings death. Jesus' reiteration of the old Law, that adultery is committed in the heart, adds severity to this command... including lust as an equivalent to steeling your brother's wife.

There is a "joke" around today that three-fourths of men have admitted to watching porn and the other fourth are lying (the number of women is fewer, but growing). Maybe part of the problem is the assumption that porn doesn't hurt anybody... It's easy to rationalize away the fact that it's harming your own relationship with the opposite sex or the fact that the sensual act has been caught on camera in the first place (you never think of the man behind the lens). The whole thing's staged. How did the women arrive at the filming room? How sick and tormented must her life, her relationships, her sensuality be in the first place?

These women need our help...

Not our views...

The charity of the month is Rescue: Freedom.

It is difficult to realize just how much goes into saving women from the fate of sex trafficking. We often get it wrong. We want to help, jumping into our neighborhoods and going undercover in order to expose the perverted beast. But, there are already institutions set up by people who know what they are doing. They are the ones who both know how and know what they need to do to get things done.

One of the best ways we can help is also one of the easiest. Donate.

There is hope:

Ella’s Story

Although very poor, Ella’s family had a small home in their Moldovan village. As one of the oldest of 11 children, at age 15 Ella needed to work to help provide for her family. One young man told her of opportunities in Moscow. She didn’t want to go to Russia, but one day he demanded she go with him, forcing her into a car along with her close friend. She was told to keep quiet as they crossed borders. He sold her in Moscow and when she screamed she was a virgin, they laughed at her, knowing she’d bring better money.

Ella was forced to sleep on the forest floor during winter days and taken to outlying roads by night to prostitute herself. Beatings and drugs were a daily occurrence. Twice she ran away to the police, but they simply brought her back to her traffickers. A third time she and her friend called an aunt working in Russia. Finally, they were able to escape their horror.

She came to our partner’s aftercare home totally broken; sure that she no longer had any future. Day by day, Ella began to experience more hope and healing. She even had the opportunity to stand and testify against her trafficker. Her relationships with family, broken during the tragedy, began to be restored. Ella is now studying social work at the local university and is teaching fellow students about trafficking by sharing her story. She wants to work in the aftercare home in Moldova when she completes her degree.

***The charity of the month encourages an annual donation of approximately $25 for its charities (that seems the most reasonable way to help without hurting yourself too much). If there is a charity you are called to fall in love with and give the most to, that's a blessing. There is no obligation and this blog has no sort of compensation or really affiliation with the charity that it is supporting.

*****Please, give me feedback on what you think of the charities/your experiences/charity suggestions... I'd extremely appreciate your input.

***********For help with porn addiction check out XXXchurch.