Details

Published: 25 June 2021

The Buddha and the Greek philosophers like Socrates were famous for their teaching 300 years before the public ministry of Jesus Christ.  Since the first century, there have been many teachers who have impacted humanity.  Mohammed, Joseph Smith and Gandhi to name a few. Why don’t we simply synthesize all their teachings and make one big religion? Is Jesus more important than those other men?  Who says? There is a pluralism that is healthy and there is a pluralism that is very unhealthy.  Appropriate consideration of the historical and cultural contributions made by some the world’s great people, men and women, is a worthwhile pursuit. However, one will find conflicting statements and presuppositions that lead to confusion and very different behaviors. We sometimes hear, “All roads lead to Heaven.” The problem is, some of the aforementioned are not even sure there is a road. To be blunt, to simply put Jesus among the great teachers of the world and not recognize His unique place is heresy.  C.S. Lewis made it very simple for us, he wrote that “Jesus Christ is either a lunatic, a liar or the Lord.”  To deny His claims of deity and preeminence implies that He either knew He was lying, making Him a liar, or He didn’t know He was lying, making Him a lunatic. Following a liar or a lunatic is not a good strategy for this life or the one to come. Admittedly, there have been some great teachers in human history but there has only been one God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s gather to worship Him in spirit and in truth and scatter to proclaim His gospel.

Details

Published: 18 June 2021

Some people suffer from a condition known as Restless Leg Syndrome.  It is an uncontrollable urge to move one’s legs.  It can be very troubling, especially at night when one is trying to sleep.  Many more people suffer from a Restless Soul.  They believe they need something else or someone else or that they need to be somewhere else or be doing something else.  No matter what they do, they cannot remain content.  While RLS is generally a physical problem, a restless soul is a spiritual problem.  St. Augustine wrote, “Our souls are restless until we find our rest in Thee.”  But, even when we have come to God, placed our faith in Him decided to walk with Him, we sometimes struggle with contentment.  In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he wrote, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”  Wow.  Whether he was poor and in prison or fully funded and on the road, Paul was content.  His contentment was not based on his circumstances; it was rooted in Christ.  Some religions and/or philosophies teach that the path to contentment is the negation of desire.  That is not the way of Christianity.  Some of our desires should be negated but many of them are simply misplaced.  To be human is to have desires.  The Scripture guides us toward correct desires and teaches us how to find contentment even when those desires are not fully met.  More on that in the conclusion to the letter to the Philippians.