The God Files

It takes a DEAD fish to go with the flow;

It takes a LIVE fish to go upstream.

Masah = Hebrew; to create something out of existing parts. This is how we humans create things.

Asah/Barah = Hebrew; to make something exist, to create without using existing parts. Only God can create like this. When God created the Universe, it was Asah.

When God created man in His own image; He gave man the capacity to choose. All throughout the Bible, choices were made. Some for good and some for bad. But, God does allow us to follow our own bad choices.

There was choice as early as the creation of the first man in the garden of Eden. God commanded Adam not to eat from one particular tree while the rest he could eat. There was choice even with the prominent trees, the forbidden tree and the tree of life (Gen 3) And ultimately, a choice between following God or following himself. However, even with God’s foreknowledge of Adam’s eventual fall, God let Adam and Eve make their choice. They were punished and the earth was cursed. It may look bleak at this point but eventually, God turned the tables. Through man’s sin and iniquities, God showed how much He loves us by becoming the sin sacrifice for us all, Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross. And through Him we can have access to the Father. In the end, all those who follow Him will reign over the New Heaven and the New earth.

Another example of God’s will over human choice can be found in the book of Esther. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai has encapsulated the essence of God’s sovereignty and human choice. As it is written in Esther 4:14 (Mordecai wrote to Esther) "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Clearly, we could see that God gave Esther a choice. She could stay put and pretend everything is fine but it will lead to their downfall or she could risk her life and try to save the Jews from genocide. But also, in the text, if she decides to do nothing, God’s deliverance will come from another source and she will be left out.

Going a little further back in history, Israel was meant to be different from the other countries. Kings ruled over countries but Israel was meant to be ruled by God. However, God knew, based on His foreknowledge, that Israel would one day demand for a king to rule over them. God gave the law concerning the king even if it is hundreds of years before the Israelites thought of raising up a king over them.

As it is written, Deuteronomy 1:16-17 "But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, You shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself."

So, the basic rules for a king are as follows

1. No horse importation from Egypt.
2. Do not multiply wives.
3. Do not multiply silver and gold.

Solomon failed on all counts. He had many horses (1 kings 10:28), many wives (1 Kings 11:3), and made silver and gold as common as stones in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 1). Granted, Solomon made poor choices, all these things became a snare to him and the kingdom, but God still used him for His purpose. Of course, Solomon could have saved himself a lot of grief but all things are used by God for good.

Furthermore, It is possible to choose to be single while God meant you for marriage. Even if it is not a wise choice, God would honor your choice. Take me for example, I know God meant me for marriage; it’s because I love children and would want to have children of my own. I have that fascination with kids and would love to teach them of God’s love and words. However, with all that yearning I could still choose not to marry. Its not a good choice, because it will break my heart every time I see a child and realize I can’t have one of my own, but God allows it. It’s not fair if God would impose His choice upon me if I reject it; that’s one reason we shouldn’t blame God for the consequences of our choice. Moreover, we could choose to marry the wrong person and then blame God for the mess we got ourselves in.

All I can say is that I don’t know the mechanics of it. We know that God’s will is real. Our choices, which God honors, are real. How God uses our choices for His purposes and His foreknowledge — I don’t know. But the biggest choice in every body’s life is choosing to follow God or not. Have you made your choice?

"How long have you been a Christian?" I hear this cliche every time a person is trying to determine if I am a mature Christian or not. However, Christian maturity can NOT be measured by the number of years you spend your life as a Christian.

We have a hard time separating the Christian experience from the other experiences we have. For example, if you meet two lawyers, one is young and a fresh graduate and another who’s older and has been a lawyer for a decade or two; it is safe to assume that the older lawyer has more experience and therefore is better at handling cases.

That may be so in the secular world but not necessarily true with the Christian walk. Let’s compare two nations; let’s consider the US and China.

• The US has been a Christian nation since it was founded some 320 or so years ago, China started to have Christians within the last couple of decades.
• Churches in the US are open to the public, China’s Christian churches are underground because it is illegal to have churches.
• Most Chinese Christians have a fervent desire in spreading the gospel, it is almost taboo for an American Christian to share the gospel with someone.
• Chinese Christians are glad to smuggle Bibles and risk personal injury and imprisonment, I can’t say the same regarding American Christians.
• Let’s say we take one Christian from each group, someone who is not a leader of the church but just your common church attendee. Most likely the Chinese Christian you’re going to get is someone who spent some jail time because of the illegal possession of a Bible, while the American you’ll get has a problem controlling his/her temper on the freeways or even on the street.

In your opinion, who is more mature?

The Christian walk is not a function of time, it is a function of the spirit. We have to realize who is merely going through the motions versus the one who is anointed.

If you still don’t believe me, then let’s go to the source - the Bible. Let’s get an example; Let’s compare the Samaritans with Christ’s disciples. On a side note; remember that the Jews hate the Samaritans because, among other things, they do not agree on the legitimate place of worship.

It took the Samaritans one day to realize Jesus is the Messiah compared to the disciple’s three years. Read John 4:1-42. As you look at the account, you’ll realize that the disciples are bewildered.

1. They marveled that Jesus was talking with a woman yet they did not said nor ask Him anything. A Jew would not dare talk to a Samaritan. They’re not "kosher." A Rabbi would not talk to a woman, because in this patriarchal society, women are considered unteachable.
2. They knew not what Jesus was talking about when they were urging Him to eat. They asked amongst themselves "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" which clearly testifies of their ignorance of the spiritual side of all that is happening.

This is the verse in John that testifies of the Samaritan’s belief in Jesus as the Messiah; John 4:42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Now consider these; how long was Jesus with the disciples? three years.  How long was Jesus’ stay in Samaria? two days. How long did it take the disciples to realize Jesus is the Messiah? three years. How long did it take for the Samaritans to realize Jesus is the Messiah? when they heard Him (John 4:39-42) Which group among the two is the mature believer?

To close, let’s think about what Paul has written. 1 Cor 26-29: For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

Yom Kippur = Hebrew, Yom means "day" Kippur means "atonement."

Today at sundown, we have entered Yom Kippur.

However, the idea of atonement is in the Old Testament sense that means "to blot out." In order to have oneness with God, a person has to "blot out" his sins. The high priest has to offer the sacrifices in the temple (a model of Heaven) for the sins of the nation once every year. In contrast, with Jesus Christ; He became our high priest and He went to Heaven for the atonement of sin, once and for all. Thus, in Christianity, atonement is atONEment with God.

This article was inspired by an example given in a missions conference I’ve attended. There may be an existing document/paper out there that speaks of the same subject but any similarities are not intentional, I only wish to get a point across.

Let’s say that you’re on a short-term mission trip to Tibet. Like your everyday short term trip, you are distributing tracts of the 4 spiritual laws to the locals.

Let’s deconstruct each law according what a Tibetan Monk might think:

#1 God Loves you and offers a wonderful plan in your life.

What the monk thinks: The "what?" loves me and has a wonderful plan in my life. This "thing" must be weak because it expresses love.

Explanation: First of all, there is no equivalent word for God in Buddhism. Buddhism basically has an atheistic view. Second, according to Buddhism, Love is a form of attachment that a person has to eradicate.

#2 Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life.

What the monk thinks: Where is this "god"? I know man has sin, that’s why there is karma. I don’t want to experience this "god’s" love, that’s attachment.

Explanation: The Buddhist believes in the law of karma and reincarnation. Sin is arbitrary and it may only cause the person to be reborn as a lower being.

#3 Jesus Christ is God’s ONLY provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for our life.

What the monk thinks: The more I should avoid this Jesus Christ, he’s going to give me some attachments that would hinder me to go on a higher plane.

Explanation: The Buddhist believes that caring/loving something is an attachment. Attachments can keep a person from attaining a higher level of existence.

#4 We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

Also, one paragraph under this law states: The Bible promises Eternal Life to all who receive Christ.

What the monk thinks: I don’t need to know love, therefore, I should not receive this Jesus Christ. Eternal Life when I receive Christ??? The more reason for me not to receive Christ.

Explanation: In Buddhism, they believe that all people already have eternal life, they are trying hard to get out of it. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to work their way to nirvana. Attaining nirvana, the state of nothingness, is escaping the laws of karma and reincarnation.

Well, did we manage to get our point across? Was there a change of faith? Would you consider this as a successful mission trip?

The point of all this is for you to realize that merely giving away tracts is not enough in evangelizing. Effective evangelization needs:

1. Above all else, the Holy Spirit. We don’t convert the people, the Holy Spirit does. Our part is to sow the seeds of God’s words - if they accept it or not is beyond our calling.

2. Investigation = know the background of the people you are going to evangelize.

3. Strategy = know how to effectively communicate your faith in regards to their faith. Learn the intricacies of their faith and use that to relate to them.

Then again, the example used here is taken to the extreme but you get the idea.

The person who benefits from short term mission trips is not the person visited but generally to the one who crossed borders and or a body or bodies of salt water.

There are a few terms that you might find handy in order to understand the focus of this discourse.

short term = A duration of a month or less.

mission = (m-w.com) a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry humanitarian work.

missionary = a person sent by a religious organization to "sow the seeds" of God’s words.

insider movement = This phenomena occurs when the newly evangelized people has accepted faith in Christ and are teaching/pointing other people (within their circle of influence) to Christ.

unreached people group = a group of people with a common language/community that the gospel hasn’t reached yet because of physical or cultural barriers.

reached people group = a group of people with a common language/community where the gospel is already known and practiced.

Technically, you’re not a missionary if you joined your Los Angeles based church on their one day mission trip to Mexico City. It is true that you have crossed the border but you have to consider who is getting the blessings in this trip.

Think about it. Most likely, you’re going out there to distribute any combination of tracts or food or medical help. While on its own these things are beneficial, we have to ask; who is the one being blessed spiritually?

Let’s take Mexico for example, It is the easiest short term mission trip (would be referred to as "stmt" from now on) a church near the border (California, Texas, or even Arizona) can go to. Most people who have taken stmt’s would attest to its success because the people whom they have visited accepted Christ as their savior and prayed the sinner’s prayer (in their language). If I were there I would say the same thing. However, there are some things we’re not seeing. Come next week when another group of gringos would come and visit them carrying free food/tracts/medical help, the same group of people from the previous week would again accept Christ and pray the sinner’s prayer. Why? because the gringos are so nice. Is this strategically spreading the gospel? I hope you don’t think so.

Who is really benefiting from all this? Simply, the one who joined the mission trip. Now, I’m not telling you to avoid stmt’s like the plague. The value of a stmt rests in the participant who now have a greater appreciation of missionaries because he had a small taste of what missionaries go through everyday; and also, he was blessed with an cross-cultural experience. You have to realize that stmt’s are for your own good.

Further analysis of the example would prove that, there was no cross-cultural breakthrough (basically, these people belong to the reached people group), there was no spiritual breakthrough because no one in this case really accepted Christ. An insider movement did not occur.

To put this to the extreme, let’s say that you had a stmt to China. You went to the place where they are having one of their underground worship services. This is the place where you can get four people at random and the added amount of jail time they spent (because of Bible smuggling or illegal possession of a Bible) would be around thirty years. When you see these people in a worship service, I mean they are just on fire. You’ll never meet a Christian who’s very willing to take a beating/imprisonment/bullet for Christ. Now, If you’re only blessing them with your presence, then that can not be considered a missions trip; you just paid them a visit.

However, if your stmt went to the place in China where an unreached people group resides; and because of your trip an insider movement has occurred in the short amount of time you spent, then that can be considered a successful missions trip.

Remember this: the gauge of a successful missions trip is "measured" by the amount of blessings you have imparted to the people not by how much you are blessed by the people.

Meganoita = Greek; [Mega] One million multiplier, Big, great.  [Noita] No.

Bible usage:

Romans 6:15

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? {Meganoita} Certainly not!

This is an interesting question that was asked during Bible study.

Q: Since the first commandment of all is; love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. (Mk 12:30) Why would God command us to love Him and wouldn’t that make God look like a dictator?

The short-and-harsh answer: If up to this point in your walk with God; you’re still having trouble with God’s sovereignty, you better evaluate yourself. A king would only be a dictator if the people resist his laws and proclamations.

A: My answer is simple and is a faithful saying: God gave the command because we [humans] can’t do it. Now, you may be thinking that’s just unfair for God to do. But before you gather your wooden stakes and try to hunt me down as a heretic; I ask you to follow the logic behind the that statement.

Let’s use the what-if machine again. What if all people (from Adam to the current generation) are righteous before God. Then one day, the law of the Lord came to the world, what good then is the law? Absolutely nothing. The law would have no effect because the people are already doing the statutes of the law.

God created people so that people would worship Him. As a prerogative of the creator, we owe Him everything and He deserves our worship. However, He has given us the freedom to choose; we either choose to follow God or not. Most people went astray, and when the law came, all are guilty.

You may now be asking, what good is the law if the law only condemns? Simple, the law condemns because that is the purpose of the law. The law was given by God to show man how far he has fallen from God’s standard. We cannot know what sin is apart from the law. Thus, the law defines what sin is.

Furthermore, according to the law; breaking a part of the law is like breaking the whole law. I takes one sin for a person to deserve Hell. Each and every sin that we have committed deserves death. Yet, we only have one life to live, How then can one pay for his sins?

Because of this; there is now a need for a redeemer, a savior or a goel (refer to the book of Ruth and Leviticus for the goel law) Who is that savior? None other than Jesus Christ. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, took upon Himself the sins of us all and paid the whole price of all our sins so that in God’s eyes we are counted righteous. All that is left is for us to believe in Him as it is written, whomever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life.

God is not a dictator because he is fair. He is fair because He gave us choice to accept His offer or not. God gave us the capacity of choice and in doing so gave us the freedom to follow Him or not. Now, what if God made robots instead of man? robots programmed to follow and worship Him. Would billions of these robot’s love mean anything? of course not, it’s empty. But, in creating a being that has the capacity of choice (can choose to love God or reject God) has decided to love God, then this love means everything. The love of this single being does not compare to the love of the billion robots.

May God bless you and keep you, and may your love for Him be genuine. Amen.