Faith That Moves Mountains

One line in the sermon has caused some reflection in my heart. "What if, faith that moves mountains is not what you should have in God, but is the faith that God has in you?" My first reaction is to reject this. Of course, I might argue, Jesus is speaking of our faith in him. On further reflection, however, it is remarkable that God has so much faith in us.

Jesus only hung around 40 days after his resurrection before he ascended into Heaven never to be seen again until Resurrection Day. Even during that 40 days he seems to have appeared only to believers. Why not Pilate? How about Herod? Or the Pharisees? Apparently, Jesus believed that the message of the Gospel by eyewitnesses of his resurrection would be sufficient. He also believed that the witness of those of us far removed from the historical act of Jesus' death and resurrection, would be all people would need to come to faith.

God really does have a LOT of FAITH in his people. How should we respond to that? Like the man in the video said, Stop saying, "I can't" and begin to say "I can". Jesus believes in you - Put your faith in his faith.

Conforming to Non-Conformity

I would sum up my impression of spending this past weekend with Dr. Scott Hamm in one word, "Transformation." Scott returned to this concept over and over. What's the purpose of the Sunday morning Bible class? To assist in the process of spiritual formation; or in other words, transformation. Who is best suited to teach an adult Bible class? One who is in the process of being spiritually transformed into the image of Christ. Who makes the most lasting spiritual impact on people? The one who has been, and is continuing to be, transformed.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2a) Change your thinking and God will change you! How can we help each other to think more like Jesus and less like the world?

"Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2b) There is certainly a place for determining God's specific role for our individual lives. However, this verse is about the community. We all offer our bodies together as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1). As all of us surrender ourselves as an act of worship to the Lord Jesus our thinking changes. Things that once were of vital importance now take a back seat to the things that Jesus taught are are truly important.

The power the world has to shape the way we think is changed as together we seek to know and understand his Word, his Will and his Ways. The adult Sunday School is a great place for this kind of learning and sharing to begin.

Job Almighty

I wasn't sure what to think about Bruce Almighty when it was first produced in 2003. My reservations were largely due to the crude humor and one sexual scene. However, the underlying theme of the film has caused me to use it as an illustration in several sermons. As I thought about preaching today's final sermon in the Job series I returned once again to the film.

When the question of suffering arises how easy it is to think that a "good" human (like myself) could do a much better job running the universe than God is doing. One only need look at the evil that exists in the world and the horrific things that cause people pain to think this.

The book of Job opens another option. Perhaps we humans don't know all the facts. None of the human characters in the story do. Neither Job, his wife, or his friends have any idea why Job is suffering. Only the reader knows because we've been given a peak behind the curtain into Heaven. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the heavenly glimpse given to the reader thus solves the problem of pain. (Aha! The reason there is suffering is because Satan and God are duking it out again!) Rather, we are given what we need to make sense of the story. We thus know from the beginning that Job is righteous and is not suffering because of sin. That sets the stage for the real drama to begin. Therefore, the other option is NOT figuring out why there is suffering. The other option is realizing that God is God and I am not.

After God asks Job the 70 questions at the end, this is Job's conclusion. And it is in this fact that we must ultimately put our faith. I don't have all the answers because I don't even know the right questions to ask. Like Job, I don't have enough information to even begin to run the universe. I'm simply going to have to trust God. And when suffering comes, I can at least find some measure of comfort in knowing that God's one and only Son suffered on earth as well. I can trust a God like that, even if I don't understand everything.

Theology Matters

Were you surprised to learn that the arguments made by Job's friends are the same arguments Christians make today to explain why bad things happen? I found it relatively easy to pick out certain statements regarding AIDS, Hurricane Katrina, and the most recent devastation in Haiti to illustrate that point. After today's lesson, however, someone mentioned the sermon I preached after the 9-11 tragedy. As I remember I took that opportunity to point out our national sins and issued a call to repentance. In retrospect; not my finest hour.

What a beautiful story Job would have been if instead of trying to explain and offer solutions for Job's suffering, his friends could have gone to him--simply to be with him! They could have listened to Job as he voiced his fears and doubts without trying to "fix" his theology. They could have offered to bath his fevered body and perhaps fed him some broth to ease his hunger. They could have expressed care and concern in a number of very significant ways. Instead they did the one thing that made God angry; they tried to make sense of Job's suffering by explaining what God was doing. They didn't have enough information to even begin to guess. Thus, God's judgment, "I am angry with you . . . because you have not spoken of me what is right" (Job 42:7).

My we learn and not repeat the mistakes of the past. May we do our job of loving, caring, and serving without falling into the trap of explaining and blaming. God help us.