They light fires in your church.
I get that there’s a debate between progressive and conservative Christians over whether homosexuality is a sin or not. But what I find demonic is the movement to centralize people’s identity in their sexual proclivities and how they desire to identify at any given time. It is gnosticism and heresy. Identity is something that God gives us.
27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
Mark 5:27-32
There is so much to just this section of this story – but the most amazing part is that Jesus genuinely doesn’t seem to know what’s going on. While there are certainly multiple ways to interpret this, I think this is one of the rare times when we’re shown an emphasis on Jesus’ humanity over his deity. Here’s how I read it:
All of this shows something incredibly interesting: the Father and Holy Spirit, at least occasionally, only share knowledge on an as-needed basis – even with Jesus – trusting us to do our best with incomplete knowledge of the situation (but good wisdom, discernment, and prudence).
Pastor Doug Wilson has posted his Theses on the Age of the Earth. He is a young Earth proponent, but most of his theses are less about the age of the earth and more about how the debate should be framed, which I agree with. In that spirit and frame, I’ve offered these points, which I think most succinctly summarize my scriptural basis for an old earth:
Overall, the only last point I have, which I did not send along to Pastor Wilson, is a rebuttal to his theses point (I believe the last one) that God could have created the universe with the light from the stars already in motion. I agree God could have – but I disagree that God would have. I believe that all creation sings of God’s character, and because his character is honest, they do so honestly.
50Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, 51“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”
52They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”
John 7:50-52
So let’s take a look at what DOES come out of Galilee, according to Isaiah:
1Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—
2The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
3You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
4For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
5Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
6For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:1-7
It’s a start.
I’m pretty sure Pastor Wilson and I differ on some of the commentaries he mentions in his first thesis. But I think we agree completely on these theses on natural law itself.
My grandfather’s health took a turn for the worse a few weeks ago. Last weekend they did an EEG and declared him brain dead, which they suspected a couple of days earlier. The next day, they disconnected him…and he began breathing on his own. He woke up the day after, was alert, and since then has recovered his speech and ability to swallow.
Praise God!
I had a distinct impression from the Lord this morning at church. And my pastor said people have been telling him similar for the past few weeks:
We’ve been praying for the Holy Spirit to come in the midst of a drought. And the moment that we’re in, right now, is that a fist sized cloud has appeared above the horizon, and as sure as the Elijah story, the Holy Spirit is getting ready to drench us.
Christian Musings 