At a neighbour’s home recently I met a young man from Iran who greatly encouraged me. Hearing of his life and education under the Islamic revolution was an eye-opener. You would think that being made to step on the American and Israeli flags at school each year as an act of renunciation of their policies would create a hatred of these nations. Instead, it created curiosity. You would think that religion classes would indoctrinate students in extremist Islam. Interestingly, Moses and Jesus seemed to him far more attractive than what he was taught about the prophet, Muhammad. Coming to Canada as a university student, you might think that he would have faced discrimination and misunderstanding. Instead, he felt welcomed and accepted and it only served to heighten his interest in Christianity. A friend had reached out to him and invited him to church recently, he said, and he was positive about the experience. I love the way that God shatters our preconceptions of how He works in the world. Have you heard that the church in Iran has become one of the fastest growing in the world?
There was an issue that got a surprising amount of attention in last year’s U.S. Presidential election. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard it mentioned in political debates before. I’m not talking about taxes, or immigration, or public debt or reviving the economy. The issue was the human body. ‘Body shaming’ made its way into the race for political office as people discussed whether it was appropriate for a would-be President to refer to people’s weight in such demeaning terms. Now that the election is over people are thinking about the human body for other reasons. Many of us overate during the holidays and are pondering New Year’s resolutions and gym memberships. Recent studies indicate that a person’s theology of the body – what they believe about the nature of the human body – has a big impact on how they feel about their own body. With all of the negative messages our culture sends about body image, clear biblical thinking in this area could surely help all of us.
Followers of Christ are marked by their love for God’s Word. We’ve experienced the power of the Bible in our lives. And so we can relate when we hear the psalmist refer to the Word as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (Psalm 119:105). God’s Word guides us more clearly than anything else we know of. And we’ve all felt its purifying power in our lives. We know what the psalmist is saying when he testifies, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). Where verses of Scripture take root in our hearts they form unshakable convictions that protect and shape us. And so God’s Word is precious to us, not just necessary for us. We know the commands to seek God’s Word embodied in statements like “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), but we also know the great privilege and preciousness of the Scriptures that Job testified of: “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12). We feel both the compulsion as well as the attraction of God’s Word, but (you just knew there was a “but” coming right?), many, many people get stuck in their daily reading of God’s Word. Are you in a devotional rut?
This week I finished a year and a half travail in the study of Biblical Hebrew. I still haven’t learned anything about modern Hebrew. And so I can’t introduce myself or make even the most basic comment about the weather in Hebrew to my Jewish neighbours. And yet I’ve poured more hours than I’d care to count into my studies. Many people have asked me to explain why. Let me share three ways that studying Biblical languages has helped me to understand the Bible better.
Every once in a while, something will happen that seems too remarkable to be a coincidence. And yet we struggle to ascribe it to God. The idea of a God who’s in control seems to limit our freedom in a way that feels uncomfortable. Let’s consider what the Bible teaches about coincidences and the extent of God’s sovereignty.
What Christian parent hasn’t felt fear that their child will walk away from the faith? And just about everyone knows of a child who has. Some of us know of adult friends who have turned away from God. And while we can sometimes point to triggers and circumstances, in the end we’re usually just left with theories and guesses about what might have happened. That’s why I was grateful to read a summary and review of Tom Bisset’s book, “Why Christian Kids Leave the Faith,” by Tim Challies. Bisset spent eighteen months interviewing people who had been exposed to faith at an early age and later rejected it. He basically asked them two questions: 1. Why did you leave? 2. Was there anything anyone could have done or said that might have made a difference in your decision? While the responses were varied, he cites four trends that emerged.
What comes to mind when you think of McMaster University? Great medical school? Decent football team? Large, sprawling campus? Whatever image you have of McMaster University, you probably weren’t aware that, more than anything else, it was once what drew Baptists in central Canada together, and then split them apart - understanding how is an important part of the history of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada.
Since Monday I’ve been attending the national conference of our church association, the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada. In between business sessions, Paul Tripp has been encouraging us from the Scriptures. With 17 books to his name, he has been used to speak to the church in unique ways. His book on the perils and pitfalls of pastoral leadership, “Dangerous Calling,” and his encouragement to parents of teens, “Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens,” are two that I have that I can highly recommend. What I didn’t know was that he experienced acute renal failure two years ago – His kidneys were dying and he didn’t know it. His kidneys were only working at 65% and so his body went into spasms as a result. Five surgeries, and a sixth planned, have taught him much about God’s purposes in suffering. He shared some of the lessons he has learned through this time.
I remember a conversation I had with someone I had been studying the Bible with and they said to me, “I don’t know what to make of the Bible.” Before they had started reading it, they assumed the Bible was a book of legends – amazing stories intended to communicate spiritual truths. But as they began to read, they realized that the Bible contained too much detail and first-hand witness to read it as a fable. It seemed like a collection of letters, speeches and historical accounts. The problem they had was that it also spoke of things they found too remarkable to be true. And so they were at a loss to know how to read the Bible. I think a lot of people have drawn similar conclusions.
I spent the day on Monday with our missionary to urban First Nations people. It was an incredible day of learning for me as I heard not only his personal story but his insights into how our society has failed the First Nations people, what can be done, and how people are finding help from abuse, addiction and prejudice. When he spoke on Sunday, a number of people expressed an interest in hearing more about his background and road to recovery. I wanted to try my best to share his story for those who didn’t get a chance to hear it.
