Dear Victorious,
I am reading the book of Revelation in the New Testament and am getting very frustrated. It's just plain confusing. The imagery is like reading something out of Harry Potter (or worse)! Seriously, animals with multiple heads, covered in eyeballs, with wings on all sides and that sort of thing. How on earth can we understand or interpret this kind of stuff? How can I get to what really matters in this book of the Bible?
Pedro C. - Gallup, NM
Dear Pedro,
For starters, you can stop focusing on the great imagery. Those images are representative of something much larger. For example, something covered in eyes might be illustrating the concept of all-knowing. There are good commentaries available that will help you understand the meaning of the imagery. But without them, you can still ask yourself what could be represented in such things. And when you try to answer that question, consider the context that Revelation is written in. It's the End Times, where the final battle between God and all things evil occurs. So the imagery is likely to represent some aspect of God and/or His judgment. Or it could represent some aspect of evil that is being (or about to be) judged.
Don't get caught up in this imagery either. If you can't understand it or can't imagine something that it could represent, just move on. Chalk it up to representing something that you can't (yet) understand. God will help you understand all that you need to understand. The book of Revelation is a book of judgment for those who are not in Christ Jesus. And it is a book of hope for those who are. If you understand that much, you're better off than most people!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
When God Is Mean
Dear Victorious,
I have a friend whom I've been witnessing to and she continually brings up incidents in the Bible where she says that God is mean. For example, she'll use the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the great flood, or turning Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. Even the death of Jesus on the cross is something she says was God's will and is proof that God is mean. She says she "can't believe in a God who would do such things to innocent people." What can I say to such a claim?
Gloria O. - Spokane, WA
Dear Gloria,
There probably isn't much that you can say. Perhaps the better thing for you to do is get on your knees and ask God how He would like you to respond to your friend. After all, your responsibility ends when you are obediently witnessing to your friend (or anyone else God puts in your life and calls you to witness to). Their response is definitely not your responsibility.
What you need to realize is that when someone says they can't believe in a God who would do this or not do that ... what they're really saying is that they refuse to believe in the God who is. Instead, they choose to believe in a God that they conceive of in their own minds. Another way of saying it is that they refuse to believe in a God who won't meet their expectations. And you may have to let them.
What you can do is continue to pray for your friend. Continue to look for opportunities to love on her. Ask God in prayer to soften her heart, to reveal Himself to her, and to open her eyes to the truth. And then you let God be God.
I have a friend whom I've been witnessing to and she continually brings up incidents in the Bible where she says that God is mean. For example, she'll use the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, or the great flood, or turning Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. Even the death of Jesus on the cross is something she says was God's will and is proof that God is mean. She says she "can't believe in a God who would do such things to innocent people." What can I say to such a claim?
Gloria O. - Spokane, WA
Dear Gloria,
There probably isn't much that you can say. Perhaps the better thing for you to do is get on your knees and ask God how He would like you to respond to your friend. After all, your responsibility ends when you are obediently witnessing to your friend (or anyone else God puts in your life and calls you to witness to). Their response is definitely not your responsibility.
What you need to realize is that when someone says they can't believe in a God who would do this or not do that ... what they're really saying is that they refuse to believe in the God who is. Instead, they choose to believe in a God that they conceive of in their own minds. Another way of saying it is that they refuse to believe in a God who won't meet their expectations. And you may have to let them.
What you can do is continue to pray for your friend. Continue to look for opportunities to love on her. Ask God in prayer to soften her heart, to reveal Himself to her, and to open her eyes to the truth. And then you let God be God.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Promise Keepers
Dear Victorious,
Several years ago, I remember going to stadium events hosted by Promise Keepers. It was a vibrant men's ministry that seemed to offer hope and renewal for men. To be honest though, life went right back to normal. Years later I don't think my life looks much different than it would have if I hadn't gone to the Promise Keepers events. So what really happened back there? Was I deceived? Was I duped? Did I just get an emotional high ... that couldn't last? Was Promise Keepers just a sham?
Louis D. - Paducah, KY
Dear Louis,
No, I don't think you were duped. And no, I don't think Promise Keepers was just a sham. They're a legitimate Christian ministry as far as most people are concerned. And that would include the government which grants them tax-exempt status and of course the donors who fund them, as well as the men who pay to attend their conferences and buy their resources.
Promise Keepers, in my personal opinion, missed an enormous opportunity to be a "horizontal church" partnering with local churches. They started strong and had an amazing impact, especially at getting the spiritual attention of men worldwide. However, their leadership fumbled and they lost their leadership position. Without that leadership, they lost the influence and were not able to provide the ongoing discipleship that men need.
Sadly, Promise Keepers is not unlike many other ministries that people are passionate about ... at first. Then they tend to lose their luster for the masses and their field of ministry becomes much more narrow. Promise Keepers is alive and well today. (Visit them at http://www.promisekeepers.org/.) They are still a conference factory, a resource center and do ministry on a day-to-day basis.
Perhaps a good question for you to answer might be what you would have wanted to have happened after your early Promise Keepers experiences. Did you really expect Promise Keepers to change your life or transform you? In other words, what were your expectations for Promise Keepers ... and were those really appropriate expectations?
Several years ago, I remember going to stadium events hosted by Promise Keepers. It was a vibrant men's ministry that seemed to offer hope and renewal for men. To be honest though, life went right back to normal. Years later I don't think my life looks much different than it would have if I hadn't gone to the Promise Keepers events. So what really happened back there? Was I deceived? Was I duped? Did I just get an emotional high ... that couldn't last? Was Promise Keepers just a sham?
Louis D. - Paducah, KY
Dear Louis,
No, I don't think you were duped. And no, I don't think Promise Keepers was just a sham. They're a legitimate Christian ministry as far as most people are concerned. And that would include the government which grants them tax-exempt status and of course the donors who fund them, as well as the men who pay to attend their conferences and buy their resources.
Promise Keepers, in my personal opinion, missed an enormous opportunity to be a "horizontal church" partnering with local churches. They started strong and had an amazing impact, especially at getting the spiritual attention of men worldwide. However, their leadership fumbled and they lost their leadership position. Without that leadership, they lost the influence and were not able to provide the ongoing discipleship that men need.
Sadly, Promise Keepers is not unlike many other ministries that people are passionate about ... at first. Then they tend to lose their luster for the masses and their field of ministry becomes much more narrow. Promise Keepers is alive and well today. (Visit them at http://www.promisekeepers.org/.) They are still a conference factory, a resource center and do ministry on a day-to-day basis.
Perhaps a good question for you to answer might be what you would have wanted to have happened after your early Promise Keepers experiences. Did you really expect Promise Keepers to change your life or transform you? In other words, what were your expectations for Promise Keepers ... and were those really appropriate expectations?
Monday, January 4, 2010
God's Glory
Dear Victorious,
I've read and heard, including in the Bible, references to "God's glory." What exactly is "the glory of the Lord," or "God's glory?" How would you define it?
Sonjalese M. - Palm Springs, CA
Dear Sonjalese,
It's really just a manifestation (i.e., visible display) of God's character --- His ultimate power, His transcendence (i.e., ability to transcend time and space) and His moral perfection. Put another way, it is God revealing Himself to mankind.
Keep in mind here that mankind is not able to comprehend all of God's glory. So that which is revealed is only that which we are capable of grasping. The truth is none of us can really know the extent or the fullness of God's glory (at least while we're here on earth in human form).
I've read and heard, including in the Bible, references to "God's glory." What exactly is "the glory of the Lord," or "God's glory?" How would you define it?
Sonjalese M. - Palm Springs, CA
Dear Sonjalese,
It's really just a manifestation (i.e., visible display) of God's character --- His ultimate power, His transcendence (i.e., ability to transcend time and space) and His moral perfection. Put another way, it is God revealing Himself to mankind.
Keep in mind here that mankind is not able to comprehend all of God's glory. So that which is revealed is only that which we are capable of grasping. The truth is none of us can really know the extent or the fullness of God's glory (at least while we're here on earth in human form).
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Prayer Requests
Dear Victorious,
When someone asks me to pray for them, I am sometimes in a quandary as to what to pray. I mean, what they want may not be what I think is best - or what I think God would want for them. So do I tell them I can't pray for that? What else can I do? It feels insincere to agree to a prayer request and then not pray it.
Marcel J. - Brampton, ON
Dear Marcel,
Yes, it would feel insincere to agree to a prayer request and then not pray it. It would also be sinful for you to do that! So how should you pray when you don't agree with what's been desired? It's simple. Just pray for God's perfect will to be done in the situation.
So, for example, your friend John asks you to pray that he get this job - but you think he's not qualified. You might say something like, "Yes, John, I will pray for you about that."
Then you pray and ask God to work His perfect will in John's life. You ask God to give John this job, if it is His will that John have this job. And if it's not God's will that John have this job, then ask God to help John accept that and find peace with his circumstances, learning to lean on God's perfect provision in his life. You ask God to give John wisdom and discernment about where to focus his job-search efforts. And you ask God to give John patience and endurance through the job hunt process.
When someone asks me to pray for them, I am sometimes in a quandary as to what to pray. I mean, what they want may not be what I think is best - or what I think God would want for them. So do I tell them I can't pray for that? What else can I do? It feels insincere to agree to a prayer request and then not pray it.
Marcel J. - Brampton, ON
Dear Marcel,
Yes, it would feel insincere to agree to a prayer request and then not pray it. It would also be sinful for you to do that! So how should you pray when you don't agree with what's been desired? It's simple. Just pray for God's perfect will to be done in the situation.
So, for example, your friend John asks you to pray that he get this job - but you think he's not qualified. You might say something like, "Yes, John, I will pray for you about that."
Then you pray and ask God to work His perfect will in John's life. You ask God to give John this job, if it is His will that John have this job. And if it's not God's will that John have this job, then ask God to help John accept that and find peace with his circumstances, learning to lean on God's perfect provision in his life. You ask God to give John wisdom and discernment about where to focus his job-search efforts. And you ask God to give John patience and endurance through the job hunt process.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Dead Celebrities?
Dear Victor,
Do you think there's any possibility that celebrities such as Elvis or Michael Jackson are actually still alive? Is it possible that their deaths were just a hoax?
Marv C. - Colfax, NC
Dear Marv,
No, I don't. There is no incident in modern history of such hoax's prevailing. Even when someone has tried to fake their deaths (for insurance or other purposes) they are usually caught and we read about it in the news.
Now, I have a question for you. Why, as a follower and servant of Jesus Christ, would you care about such nonsense?
Do you think there's any possibility that celebrities such as Elvis or Michael Jackson are actually still alive? Is it possible that their deaths were just a hoax?
Marv C. - Colfax, NC
Dear Marv,
No, I don't. There is no incident in modern history of such hoax's prevailing. Even when someone has tried to fake their deaths (for insurance or other purposes) they are usually caught and we read about it in the news.
Now, I have a question for you. Why, as a follower and servant of Jesus Christ, would you care about such nonsense?
Friday, January 1, 2010
Predictions
Dear Victorious,
I saw a guy on TV the other night discussing his predictions for the New Year. They ranged from the marriages of celebrities to politics and the economy. Is this really appropriate? I mean, aren't Christians supposed to stay away from fortune-telling?
Dean S. - Longview, TX
Dear Dean,
Yes, Christians are supposed to stay away from fortune-telling. The Bible says we are not to regard the supernatural except that which is related to the Holy Spirit Himself. We are not to be entertained by the supernatural in any way either. I doubt very much whether the guy you saw on TV was really billing himself as a professional who has supernatural powers to predict the future. Even if he was, it's not likely that he was on TV for that purpose. More than likely, the TV show or station had him on more for entertainment value than anything.
Humans have an innate desire to know what's going to happen in the future. We don't like unanswered questions. And we seem to have a core belief that knowing something about the future will enable us to do something about the future. So if anyone credible seems to have any insight about the future, we tend to stop and listen to them. (After all, you listened to this guy on TV!) While this may be fun or interesting, it really holds little value.
The only way we can truly know what to do in the New Year is by talking to our heavenly Father and asking Him to guide our steps. If we'll let Him, God will direct our thinking, our decisions and our reactions as things unfold in our futures. But God rarely lets us see or know more than we need to see or know. In other words, it is proven by God's nature and character, as well as our (i.e., His followers) experience with him over the centuries --- that God doesn't show us much of the future except on a "need-to-know" basis. So to put it bluntly, true Christ-followers usually have to learn to live with ambiguity - not knowing what's going to happen this year - but trusting that God has prepared us to deal with whatever happens.
I saw a guy on TV the other night discussing his predictions for the New Year. They ranged from the marriages of celebrities to politics and the economy. Is this really appropriate? I mean, aren't Christians supposed to stay away from fortune-telling?
Dean S. - Longview, TX
Dear Dean,
Yes, Christians are supposed to stay away from fortune-telling. The Bible says we are not to regard the supernatural except that which is related to the Holy Spirit Himself. We are not to be entertained by the supernatural in any way either. I doubt very much whether the guy you saw on TV was really billing himself as a professional who has supernatural powers to predict the future. Even if he was, it's not likely that he was on TV for that purpose. More than likely, the TV show or station had him on more for entertainment value than anything.
Humans have an innate desire to know what's going to happen in the future. We don't like unanswered questions. And we seem to have a core belief that knowing something about the future will enable us to do something about the future. So if anyone credible seems to have any insight about the future, we tend to stop and listen to them. (After all, you listened to this guy on TV!) While this may be fun or interesting, it really holds little value.
The only way we can truly know what to do in the New Year is by talking to our heavenly Father and asking Him to guide our steps. If we'll let Him, God will direct our thinking, our decisions and our reactions as things unfold in our futures. But God rarely lets us see or know more than we need to see or know. In other words, it is proven by God's nature and character, as well as our (i.e., His followers) experience with him over the centuries --- that God doesn't show us much of the future except on a "need-to-know" basis. So to put it bluntly, true Christ-followers usually have to learn to live with ambiguity - not knowing what's going to happen this year - but trusting that God has prepared us to deal with whatever happens.
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