Question About Heaven (3)

In Heaven, can we talk to God one-on-one?

            This is one of those questions we have that is not expressed in Scriptures, but we can make a pretty knowledgeable answer based on the Scriptures we do have.  Revelation 22:4-5 says, “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  ⁵ There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”  Add to that 1 Corinthians 13:12 which says we will see God face to face.  The picture we get is YES, we will see God face-to-face and we will be with Him.  Don’t forget that God is omnipresent and can be talking with us face-to-face and on His throne.  In fact, He can be talking to each person who ever lived face-to-face and still be everywhere all at once.  God has always been like this and even Genesis 3:8 describes God interacting with Adam and Eve on a very personal level.

            On one other note, this will be actually face-to-face and one-on-one, not like what Moses experienced.  Deuteronomy 5:4 says about Moses, “The LORD spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.”  What Moses got was just a glimmer of what Heaven will be like. 

In Heaven, how do rewards work?  Will some people have better “mansions” or “robes” than others?  How does that work?

            This is one of the most difficult questions about Heaven (in my opinion).  The issue is that there seems to be Scriptures on both sides that mentions “reward” singular indicating that everyone will get the same thing and “rewards” which seem to indicate there are levels or different rewards give to different people.

REWARDS ARE ALL EQUAL	REWARDS ARE DIFFERENT
Matthew 20:1-15	Matthew 19:28-39
Matthew 5:11-12	Matthew 6:20
Matthew 6:1-6	Matthew 16:27
Matthew 6:16-18	Matthew 25:14-30
1 Corinthians 9:24-27	Romans 2:5-6
	Proverbs 24:12
	Revelation 4:9-11

There are undoubtedly more passages than this.  These were ones that I came across in my reading.  I can’t help but notice that in my surface reading of the issue, the passages for “rewards are different” outnumber the “rewards are equal.”  BUT, Matthew 20:1-15 does seem to answer this question directly stating that everyone gets the same reward no matter when they came to faith or perhaps even how well they worked.

            I suppose the answer for me is “I don’t know.”  What is the answer for you?

Will we have to worship all day in Heaven?  I like church, but not that much.

            I know where this thought and question comes from and it is a question I have often thought of.  It comes from passages like Revelation 5 which describe constant non-stop never changing praise of God.  Heaven is pictured like never ending praise choruses that we will sing 56x through… and then we start over. 

            First of all, the short answer to this question is I HAVE NO IDEA.  This is one that I could not even guess on because the Scriptures do not address it.  There are passages however, that describe Heaven as a feast or wedding banquet and those are not non-stop singing events… unless Heaven is more like a Disney Musical which has a song every 5 minutes.  Also, Heaven is described as a place where the Earth is totally restored.  Why do all that if all of us will be around the throne singing non-stop… seems like a waste.

            Second of all, there are a couple of issues even with the question which may help us direct our thoughts about heaven and help us when it comes to worship at church.  Worship is something that does not happen only in church.  Worship is “telling God how great He is” (worth-ship) which can happen any time, any place, and many ways.  Romans 12:1-2 tells us our whole lives CAN be worship.  I sorta think that in Heaven, our whole lives WILL be worship.

Troy Borst

Associate Minister

Questions about Heaven (2)

Are there animals in Heaven? Since Jesus will return on a white horse and The Earth is a copy of Heaven, it would seem to me there are.

There are three answers/thoughts when it comes to answering this question and they are all interesting and because there is no “Thus sayest the Lord” on this one, you will have to decide for yourself or decide that it is a question that simply does not have an answer for us on this side of eternity..

The first answer would be YES, there are animals in Heaven.  You are correct, there are horses pictured in Heaven (Revelation 6, Revelation 19), but also other animals in other passages are referenced (Isaiah 11:6, Ezekiel 1) and they don’t seem to be figurative or part of some kind of poetry.  In addition, you are right, Heaven is a redeemed perfect picture of Earth and there are certainly animals here… and in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3).  It makes logical sense that if Heaven is a new Eden and all things are made new that animals would be a part of this Heaven.  In fact, many people who answer this question “yes” also believe that specific animals are in Heaven such as pets we have come to know and love.

The second answer would be YES, BUT.  This answer says “yes” there are animals in Heaven, “but” not specific animals.  There will be animals in Heaven, but animals created to be in Heaven for our enjoyment.  

The third answer would be NO, there are not animals in Heaven.  This “no” answer comes from an understanding of Genesis 1:26 which clearly puts human beings alone as created in God’s image (not animals).  People have eternal souls, animals do not.  Animals certainly have a spirit which animates them, but not a soul.  John talked about the differences between soul and spirit in his first sermon this month (8/4).  Based on this fact about the nature of human beings and animals, when animals die, they are gone and cease to exist all together because they do not have an eternal soul which continues as people do.

This is one of those questions where the Bible does not have a definitive answer for us.  I personally am inclined to go with answer #3 (if I must choose) because animals are not created in the image of God.  However, #2 is also quite logical because animals are indeed part of Creation and do bring so much joy!  There are good solid respectable Christian folks who answer this question differently.  I do think that Heaven will be absolutely perfect and if God so chooses to have animals there that His will is done!

Also, does The Bible say anything about what you can talk about? Both John Meisenbach and I like baseball. If we saw Mickey Mantle, would it be okay to ask him about the 1956 World Series? 

As far as I am aware, the Bible does not have any restrictions about what saints in Heaven talk about.  This is not mentioned or even hinted about.  I would assume based on the nature of Heaven’s perfection and our perfection by God on what we do read in Scripture that there is no gossip or dirty jokes and things of that nature, but other than that, no restrictions.  The key to your particular question is if Mickey Mantle was a believer in Jesus Christ.  If he was not, then you would have to settle for another baseball great who was also a Christian.  And besides, everyone knows football is the game in Heaven.

Questions about Heaven (1)

HEAVEN FOLLOW-UP

I have a question regarding not being looked on from heaven.  Hebrews 12:1 says we are watched by a great cloud of people.  Isn’t that people in heaven?  Just wondering.  Also a question I have had for a long time.  Do babies stay babies or are they a grown up age and old people a younger age?  Sorry for hard questions.

The passage you are referring to in Hebrews 12:1 does talk about “such a great cloud of witnesses” which in the context of Hebrews refers directly back to Hebrews 11 (often called “the Faith Chapter”).  The “witnessing” that is talked about is not that the people are looking down on us, but rather as the whole chapter 11 says, their faith is witnessing to us that God is real, His promises are real, and that everything that God has planned in the future is True.  All the faithful people in history are witnesses for the truth of faith in God.  The passage most certainly could be seen as “people looking down on us from Heaven” except all of chapter 11 is about their historical real personal examples of faith strengthening our belief in God.

As to the baby question, there are absolutely no Scriptures that I am aware of even hint at an answer or even an educated guess.  This is a topic Scripture is silent on.  This is also a subject where you will find false teaching such as the Jehovah Witnesses, so you have to be careful when reading books, articles, websites, etc.  Unfortunately, there is no way to guess what will happen to infants who pass away in terms of their appearance, etc.  I do believe that God’s Grace covers them and they are in Heaven, but as to their aging process or development, there just isn’t any Scripture.  Where the Bible is silent, I guess I must give a hardy “I don’t know!”

Troy Borst

Associate Minister

The 7 Experiment: Theology of Stress: Angorology

My wife has been going through a Bible Study called The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker which has really engaged many of the ladies of my church.  The next part of this particular study is all about stress.  What does the Bible actually say about stress?  Principles of Scripture should be a key for us in any subject we tackle in the Christian faith.  Our perspectives and attitudes should be informed by Scripture and then we need to align ourselves with it where we differ from God.

THEOLOGY OF STRESS (Angorology or Anxietology)

Stress comes from people.

Stress comes from circumstances both in your control and out of your control.

Stress comes from expectations of self, unmet expectations, and unrealistic expectations.

Stress comes from not having what you think you need.

Stress comes from the sympathetic nervous system. (helpful… I know)

Stress comes from ______________________.

I think if you are alive and below 80 years old stress is a part of your life.  I say below 80 because once I reach 80 years old, who the heck cares?  I’m gonna do what I want, eat what I want, and say what I want.  What are they going to do… really?  By the time someone is 80, they have earned the right not to be stressed… that’s my theory anyway.  But I digress.

Stress is a part of life.  The 7 Experiment deals with stress in the last chapter.  This is another one of those chapters (2 of the 7) that Kelly and I did not really talk to one another about.  I know a little about the chapter, but not much.  I know in the chapter, that stopping and praying during the day was the antidote, or at least one of them, to the abundance of stress in today’s society.  I remember this because Kelly and I spoke about monks and the Benedictine method of prayer… I think that fits in the chapter somewhere.  I think there is also an emphasis on Sabbath.   

So, what does the Bible say?  Angorology is something all of us should want to understand.  You can look up key words such as: stress (2x), worry(ies)(ing)(ed) (22x), anxiety (6x), anxious(ly) (6x), alarmed (13x), hardship(s) (23x), strain(ing) (5x), hassle (0x).

As I was looking at the Scriptures, I have decided to ignore some of the more popular verses such as Matthew 6:25-34 and focus on other passages that provide the same exact Truth for us.  Scripture is always unified in its message for us. 

Psalm 94:18-19 “When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me.  ¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Ecclesiastes 2:22-26 “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?  ²³ All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.  ²⁴ A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  ²⁶ To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  ⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Luke 10:40-42 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"  ⁴¹ "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,  ⁴² but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

As I look at the totality of the verses above, I learn this about stress:

“Stress is a normal part of life (Ecclesiastes 2, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 17) and we must turn to God in our stress (Psalm 94, 1 Peter 5) and seek what is best (Luke 10).”

I suppose as I look at this statement, I realize that stress is not like media, waste, food, clothing, etc in the rest of the 7 Experiment Study.  Stress is something that happens to you.  Yes you can bring it on yourself, but stress and anxiety often comes because life blows up in your face. 

As I look at the statement above… 2 questions come to mind.

#1 How do I “turn to God” in stress?

#2 What is “best?”

First, the turning to God in stress is easy to write about and all together most difficult to put into practice.  The way you turn to God (in any situation) is really the same.  Prayer is part of turning to Him and asking Him to fill you with His Spirit, David called it “your consolation” in Psalm 94.  This is the part where God supernaturally gives you peace, discernment, the ability to cope, and the ability to think when you absolutely cannot.  Realize that in prayer, you are talking to God, but you also hush and wait to hear His voice in your heart.  Reading Scripture is another part of turning to Him.  God’s Word is dynamic, living, active, pervasive, stimulating, and soul-cutting and will give you the strength and support you need.  It is already in His Word and available to us.  We just have to read it.  Patience is also part of turning to God.  If we get ourselves in a pickle or have a stressful relationship, we must wait to see what God’s answer is in getting out of the stress or perhaps managing it better.  Like I said, easily written… difficult to do.

If I think about the chapter from the 7 Experiment, the suggestion of stopping 5 times a day to offer prayers is an excellent suggestion.  That gives your whole day a foundation of talking and listening to God Almighty.  This practice is giving you an opportunity to rest in God and cast all cares on Him.  It is a spiritual boost 5 times a day, peace flowing in your life 5 times a day, or a divine complaint session 5 times a day.  Great suggestion for dealing with stress.

Second, the “best” that God has for us is a life lived in His will.  This means that when you are getting out of stressful situations, sinning to do it is not the answer.  The “best” that God has for us is that we learn so that when stress comes again we are able to handle it better through Him.  The “best” that God has for us is relying on Him and perhaps avoiding the stress and anxiety in the first place.

So, what is a proper Angorology?  I would say that stress for the Christian person is always filtered through God who enables us to deal with it, shows us ways out of it, and grows us to deal with future stress. 

I hope that helps!

Troy Borst

Associate Minister

The 7 Experiment: Theology of Spending: Consumology

My wife has been going through a Bible Study called The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker which has really engaged many of the ladies of my church.  The next part of this particular study is all about excessive spending.   What does the Bible actually say about spending?  Principles of Scripture should be a key for us in any subject we tackle in the Christian faith.  Our perspectives and attitudes should be informed by Scripture and then we need to align ourselves with it where we differ from God.

THEOLOGY OF SPENDING (CONSUMOLOGY or perhaps PRODIGOLOGY)

To be honest, I don’t remember my wife and I talking about this particular emphasis in the study.

  I remember her vaguely speaking about only spending money in certain places, but other than that, I don’t recall us chatting out this chapter.  For all the other blogs, I have conversations we have had to fall back on and think about.  We just didn’t talk about this chapter.  Perhaps we did not discuss it because money is a particular stressor for me and a trigger for unfavorable cuts to our family lifestyle.  We have a division of labor in our household… she pays the bills.  That is her stress to deal with and she takes that on out of love for me.  My stress comes when I realize we are behind or I don’t make enough money… but she shields me from that most of the time.

Hmmm… thinking about spending.

While I am doubtful of the academic sturdiness of the presentation I will reference, it does give some percentages and statistics that have good sources at the end of the presentation. 

52% of Americans spend more than they earn, out of which 21% regularly have monthly expenses in excess of their income to which only 13.5% adjust their finances to get back on track.  I’m not exactly sure what all the percentages mean, but it sounds like we are spending more than we earn and we aren’t fixing it.

Why do we overspend?

* We don’t set monthly savings goals or we ignore them.

* Credit is easily accessed on so many things

* Cash is readily accessible.

* Credit Cards are misused.

* We give into temptation when we want something.

* We spend to feel good.

* We can’t say no to a sale or a “good deal.”

* We use spending and money to prove our self worth.

* We spend to feel powerful.

* We spend to keep ourselves at the same level of comfort to which we have become accustomed.

* We spend to look like everyone else.

So, does the Bible talk about spending money? 

Some key words in looking at spending money: spend(ing) (48x), money (123x), moneylender (2x), debt(s)(or)(ors) (21x), cash (0x), borrow (5x), buy (54x), coin(s) (13x), gold (455x), silver (343x), rich(es) (141x). 

The Bible spends a lot of time talking about money (pun intended).  Why?  Perhaps because I am not the only one for whom money is a stressor!  I’d like to look at one passage in particular (not that there are any shortages) to garner some Biblical/Godly perspectives about spending.

Luke 12:13-21

“Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  ¹⁴ Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?"  ¹⁵ Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  ¹⁶ And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  ¹⁷ He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'  ¹⁸ "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  ¹⁹ And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'  ²⁰ "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'  ²¹ "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

I believe this passage is important for several reasons.  First, Jesus Christ Himself is speaking.  That to me puts it above other Scriptures even though in my head I know that all Scripture is God breathed (2 Timothy 3:16).  Because it is in “red” makes it seem more important.  Second, I think it summarizes many of the other Scriptures command and speak of in other books.

We find first that Jesus is concerned with greed (verse 15).  Spending for the abundance of possessions (second part of verse 15) is Jesus’ definition of the word “greed.”  I think I will stick with the Son of God’s definition on any word He chooses to speak about.  Noting the context of the words in verse 15, greed is bad.  Watch out + ! + guard + does not + the parable that follows in verses 16-21 = greed is bad.

We find secondly that “being rich towards God” is the goal at the end of the passage (verse 21).  I know that leaves a lot of unanswered questions in between:

Is it greedy to want to save up? [not necessarily…]

Is it okay to buy bigger and better? [not necessarily…]

Is greed and necessary motivator to be rich? [not necessarily…]

It is okay to prepare financially for yourself? [not necessarily…]

The reason that MY (stress the MY on that one) answers to each of those questions is “not necessarily” (and I am most definitely a yes or no kind of person!) is because the Godly perspective about spending has everything to do with motivation and the desires of your heart.  Why did the man wish to build bigger barns in verse 17?  The answer was, for himself, because he never once stopped to ask God His opinion.  Why did the man wish to save up for later in verse 19?  The answer was, for himself!  Everything in the parable was for himself!  Even the argument that spawned the parable in verse 13 had to do with the self.

So, what is a proper consumology?  The Godly perspective that this passage from Luke highlights and what I believe other Scriptures also tell us is that spending and acquiring and planning and desiring materials things only for ourselves is just flat wrong.  Selfishness is a sin.  Greed is a sin.  Spending everything you own on yourself and thinking you deserve it is a lie from the pit of Hell.  We must be “rich towards God” (verse 21).

Action Steps on How to Be Rich towards God:

1.  Make sure you tithe a minimum of 10% of your income to the Church.

2.  Save a certain amount of money in your budget so you can give it away on purpose as God leads.

3.  Before you spend money on yourself (a luxury), pray diligently to see if God wants you to spend that money somewhere else, for someone else, to meet some holy need.

4.  Do a check of your expenditures and mark down (being honest): *needs, *self, *others

5.  Spend the time to watch THIS VIDEO (cause its awesome)

Troy Borst

Associate Minister

Up next…

THEOLOGY OF STRESS

The 7 Experiment: Theology of Waste: Creation Care

(This subject sparked an interesting conversation. As a result, this is the third blog about the environment. You can also read Kelly's and Chris's thoughts on the subject.)

My wife has been going through a Bible Study called The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker which has really engaged many of the ladies of my church.  The next part of this particular study is all about tree hugging and not throwing away your napkin after you use it.  Again, let me reiterate, my concern with any of these areas is: “What does the Bible actually say?”  That should be a key for us in any subject we tackle in the Christian faith.  Our perspectives and attitudes should be informed by Scripture and then we need to align ourselves with it where we differ from God.

THEOLOGY OF WASTE (THEOLOGY OF THE ENVIRONMENT / CREATION CARE)

I can remember being in 4^th grade and learning that if you squash a styrofoam cup at a BBQ in your back yard that CFCs would be thrust into the air and blown all over the Earth and eventually be collected over Antarctica where they CFCs burned a hole in the Ozone layer and would catastrophically cause harm to all life on Earth.  That was the beginning of my education in caring for the environment.  I am pretty sure I did a speech on it and had note cards and a poster board.  I also did some reading for this blog and it seems that the dire hole over the mostly-uninhabited continent is actually getting better.  Whoohoo!  Now I can go back to squashing Styrofoam cups at the BBQ.

When looking at any of these issues in the 7 Experiment Study, my sole purpose is to look at what the Bible says.  Does the Bible say anything about caring for the environment?  This is a big issue for many people.  Even the Pope gets involved.  Pope Benedict XVI (the one that just left) was considered the “green pope” and stated:

“In its Feb 13 newsletter, the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change highlighted Benedict's reaffirmation of many traditional ecological church teachings, including "the giftedness of creation, the vocation of stewardship and the universal destination of created goods." They also cited his advocating on issues such as an international climate treaty and renewable energy technologies, as well as attention to environmental refugees.”

Basically then, the Catholic Christians among us believe the environment to be an issue.  Based on a light reading, it would seem that this concern is based on the fact that God gave Creation to human beings and we should manage it well.

Chris Cadenhead, Senior Pastor at Bayshore Baptist Church, NBCC’s partner in this particular study also weighed in on creation care (that’s where I got the name for this thing… I don’t know where he got it).  If I read him right, he would see “Creation Care” as a spiritual stewardship issue and would reject my half-joke about “Who cares? Jesus blows it all up in the end.”  He emphasizes that Creation Care helps the poor who are affected when the trees are all cut down or the fish all die.  That, to be honest, is a perspective I had not considered until now.

So, what does the Bible say?  Unlike LOLology, the Bible does have some things to say about the environment, but the Bible is not as specific as one might think.  You can look up key words such as: creation (25x), Creator (11x), creature(s) (119x), land (1462x), vegetation (6x), PETA (0x), recycle (0x), weather (1x), flood (33x), trees (137x), animals (145x), earth (738x), and the list goes on and on.

Below are some Bible verses to get us started.  I want to throw in a caution here.  I looked over many Bible verses that people use and interpret in this area (note the hyperlink to “recycle” above).  I found that the majority of them are taken out of context.  The majority of them, when taken in context, are talking about neighbors, family, armies, pottery, and other issues that are not exactly the environment.  I will do my best NOT to do the same.  As far as I can tell, these verses below DO refer to the environment and our responsibility (or lack thereof).  The amount of verses I could find are limitless that talk about animals or things of that nature (pun intended).  So, I limited my verses to 7 (that’s a good Biblical number):

Genesis 1:28-30 (echoed in Genesis 9:3): “God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."  ²⁹ Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.  ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-- everything that has the breath of life in it-- I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

Genesis 3:17-19: “To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  ¹⁸ It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  ¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

Deuteronomy 22:6-7: “If you come across a bird's nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.  ⁷ You may take the young, but be sure to let the mother go, so that it may go well with you and you may have a long life.”

Psalm 24:1-2: (echoed in countless verses) “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; ² for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” 

Isaiah 24:4-6 (echoed in Romans 8:19-22): “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the exalted of the earth languish.  ⁵ The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.  ⁶ Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth's inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.”

Matthew 10:28-31: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  ³⁰ And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  ³¹ So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Revelation 8:7-12: “The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up a third of the trees were bruned up, and all the green grass was burned up. ⁸ The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,  ⁹ a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.  ¹⁰ The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--  ¹¹ the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.  ¹² The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.”

What is a proper theology of the environment based on these verses?  I think there are some solid principles that we can draw from these seven passages from Scripture that are important as we try to wade through any talk about recycling, waste, politics, and the environment.  I will try and note the above verses where they fall into these thoughts below.

#1a  God made the Earth and gave it to human beings to rule, as the crown (top) of His Creation.  Period.  No animal, weather pattern, or pile of trash is more important than other PEOPLE.  Thus, if you are on a beach and you see a person drowning and a beached whale [pause for the joke]… you must choose to save the PERSON and let the whale expire.  That may seem like a silly example, but not for some environmentally sensitive people.  Animals are not more important than people.  If you can’t pay your bills, get rid of the dog, don’t feed your children less. 

[Genesis 1, Genesis 3, Psalm 24, Matthew 10]

#1b  People have rule and dominion (two different Hebrew words in Genesis with the same basic idea) over Earth as God’s crown of Creation.  This means we (human beings) can use the Earth as we like.  We can farm.  We can fish.  We can mine.  We can pollute.  We can cut and smash.  We can trash and trounce.  It is in our best interest not to totally trash the place because if we do that, we will have destroyed our means of food, air, and shelter.  Here is where it gets a little tricky with “Creation Care” / theology of the environment.  We are allowed to fish for food, hunt for clothing (alligator skin boots), drill for oil, cut down trees for housing and paper, and anything else we wish to do.  We are allowed!  We are even allowed to totally kill all the Dodo birds and eat them or kill all the Panda bears for furs, but such actions come with warnings in Scripture.  If we do such things, suffering and shorter lives are predicted.

[Genesis 1, Genesis 3, Deuteronomy 22, Isaiah 24]

#2  Sin affects creation.  I by no means think exactly like Pat Robertson, but there is a connection in Scripture between sin and the environment.  The land does suffer because of the sin of humanity.  The Earth does not produce what it should, look like it could, or endure all that it could because of our sin.  That is simply Truth.  We live on a planet that will suffer because of human beings.  In the end, all the trees, fish, plant life, stars, and everything we see around us will be gone because of sin and will be made new.  All the saved whales will die.  All the planted trees will be burned up.  In the end, all things will be made new.

[Genesis 3, Isaiah 24, Revelation 8]

So, what is a proper view of the environment?  I’m not sure what Jen Hatmaker said in her study, but I believe a proper theology about the environment all boils down to this (and because I am a half-empty pessimist I will phrase them as “don’t” statements):

Don’t let your sin destroy the environment or cause suffering for your neighbors.

Don’t choose the environment/animals/etc over people… ever.

Don’t feel bad or guilty about using the environment and enjoying it.

Okay okay… I’ll phrase them as “do” statements for you “half-full people”…

Do mind your life, attitudes, and actions and your effect on the environment.

Do what you can to aid the environment and totally love your neighbors.

Do use the AC, fireplace, and crush a styrofoam cup for fun to enjoy what God has given.

In the end, I guess I’m still working on this one…

Maybe I’ll print this out a couple dozen times and look it over.

Troy Borst
Associate Minister

Up Next…

THEOLOGY OF SPENDING

THEOLOGY OF STRESS

The 7 Experiment: Theology of Media: LOLology

My wife has been going through a Bible Study called The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker which has really engaged many of the ladies of my church.  The next part of this particular study is all about media.  Again, let me reiterate, my concern with any of these areas is: “What does the Bible actually say?”  That should be a key for us in any subject we tackle in the Christian faith.  Our perspectives and attitudes should be informed by Scripture and then we need to align ourselves with it where we differ from God.

THEOLOGY OF MEDIA: (LOLOLOGY)

American culture is saturated with media.  People are consuming media most waking hours of the day.  We arise to an alarm clock which plays music.  We listen to a CD player or iPod while in the shower.  The TV turns on in the morning while we eat breakfast to offer news and weather while checking interpersonal email on our laptop while our coworker texts us to say they will be late for the car pool.  Advertisements spill through the radio, TV, web pages, and even on the bottom of some smart phone apps.  The drive to work is littered with billboards, road signs, and dozens of other channels of communication.  Media is everywhere.

In fact, the average person spends more time consuming media than they realize.  Research in the field reports “Consumers are now spending more than one-half of their waking day with media… Further, consumers’ media consumption has increased by an hour per day over the last 2 years, this largely resulting from an additional 40 minutes of time spent online since 2009 (“Ipsos OTX Media,” 2010).

One of the most pervasive aspects of media that has crept up on us in the past few years is social media.  Social media is Myspace (I just checked and… yes… it is still around), Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and tons of other applications that suck up our time and connect us with others.  It seems that online social media has become as important as traditional social functions.  Anymore, a person without social media is simply “out of the loop” when it comes to pop culture and social functions.  For example, my wife uses Facebook to invite people to social events.  No FB, no invite.  This means that we could potentially be missing really cool people who live in the dark ages.  Our family is still too young (children ages 12, 11, 9) for social media to play a big part of their lives.  I would assume as they age that it will become a means of social networking for their friendships and relationships and for us keeping up with them.

Speaking of relationships, I have noticed that the “in a relationship” status on Facebook is a sort of badge of passage for teenagers.  They are very proud when they can be in one and it shows their devastation when the message reads “is now single.”  In addition to this, you can Facebook stalk someone without ever speaking to them.  You can know their kids names, sexual orientation, birthdays, life milestones, and many other characteristics without even seeing them in person.  This is a huge relationship changer for adults as well as for teenagers.  This means that a “friend” no longer has to be someone physically close.  “Friend” is now a term that has been downgraded (in my opinion).

You might at this point be thinking… Yes Troy, but what does the Bible say about media?  We’ll get to that!

In Sherry Turkle’s book (2011) Alone Together, she relates is that technological enhancements made a person feel like “I am a better person” and herself makes the statement later “People love their new technologies of connection” (page 152).  The sense we get from her research is that technology is making people feel better or at least making them feel better about themselves and their relationships (page 196).  People felt like “more” when connected (page 153).  In terms of family relationships and even Christian ministries, it would seem that the definition of self and self-worth will be arriving to a person via others in cyberspace.  A person’s sense of self is now tied to objects and technology and the view of others online.  This can create havoc if the technology breaks down or those online are harsh.

I also noticed that Turkle goes on to describe parents dividing their attention between technology (phones, email, texts) and their children (page 160).  Children are seeing their parents prioritize machines.  Even chapter 9 of Turkle’s book relates that children are also growing up tethered to technology.  Online games and networks are helping children work out their identities in community (pages 180-181).  Thus, having focus in a relationship no longer looks like it once did.  A conversation may be interrupted by texts, calls, updates, and people slide to the side of attention.  Is this healthy?

Parent-child relationships used to have to deal with the parent “being on call” for work every so often.  Now, “they are always on, always at work, and always on call” (page 202) which changes the dynamics of families.  Children need to be shown and modeled boundaries when it comes to technology.  For example, no phones, texts, TVs, music, or other devices are allowed at our family dinner table.  This allows each person to physically talk to another and focus on what is being said.  As my family grows and adds age appropriate technology, this is a boundary that we have decided will not change.  This allows for off-line real conversations and closeness.

You might at this point be thinking… Yes Troy, but what does the Bible say?  I’m tired of reading your old homework from one of your classes… what does the BIBLE SAY!?

Nothing.

It says absolutely nothing about Facebook or AOL chatrooms or email or smart phones.

It does however say in Exodus 20:3-6, “You shall have no other gods before me.  "You shall not make for yourself an idol  in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

If you can’t put your phone down to go to the bathroom, it might be a god for you.

If you have to check your phone every five minutes, it might be a god for you.

If you choose to skip church and play a computer game, it is a god for you.

If you don’t want to go to a Bible study because someone will pass you on Candy Crush, it is a god for you.

If you spend all your extra money on gadgets and devices with “i” in the name… it might be a god for you.

If you can’t turn your phone off for dinner, it might be a god for you.

The Christian point of view when it comes to friendship (for me) has always been summarized by Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  A friend should lend support and be a good neighbor.  A friend should show concern and communicate that.  This is easily done on social media with “likes” “pokes,” hashtags, mentioning people in posts, tagging photos, uploading videos, and being instantly alerted to birthdays and other events.  Being a good friend is easier and can be easily expressed when people are connected through digital media.  So… use media to be a Godly good friend.

Here are some Principles for being a good “friend” on Facebook:

* Send a message on a person’s birthday

* “Like” comments about people’s kids even if you don’t care

* Comment on photos of people’s new hair or updated look

* Send congratulations for milestones

* Follow up short messages of praise with a longer email

* Note what people like and are “fans of” so that you know what presents to buy

* Use social media to help people plan for your friendly social events

* When people ask a question, offer honest feedback; privately if needed

* Always answer your messages

* Mention you are “praying for you” when you know people are having a hard time (then actually do it!)

* Send people a Bible verse every so often for their wall

For some reason, 1 Peter 3:3-4 popped in my head which encourages women (and men too) to have worth tied to God only for it says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.”

If you get ticked when someone doesn’t “like” your picture, your worth might be tied to Facebook.

If you use social media to attack someone (not to their face), you are using social media to hide.

Overall, I personally see a temptation for technology and the ability to be “tethered” to compete with a relationship with God and to have all your personal worth wrapped up in a device.  Technology sucks up time, brain power, effort, thought, money, leisure time, work time, and other aspects of a person’s life… some of which may have been dedicated to God before.  THIS is the DANGER of TECHNOLOGY. 

So what is a proper Lolology?  Watch out for it… very carefully.

Troy Borst

Associate Minister

Up Next…

THEOLOGY OF WASTE (THEOLOGY OF THE ENVIRONMENT)

THEOLOGY OF SPENDING

THEOLOGY OF STRESS

The 7 Experiment: Theology of Possessions: Stuffology

My wife has been going through a Bible Study called The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker which has really engaged many of the ladies of my church.  The third part of this particular study is all about possessions.  Again, let me reiterate, my concern with any of these areas is: “What does the Bible actually say?”  That should be a key for us in any subject we tackle in the Christian faith.  Our perspectives and attitudes should be informed by Scripture and then we need to align ourselves with it where we differ from God.

THEOLOGY OF POSSESSIONS: FORTUNOLOGY or maybe STUFFOLOGY

I got stuff.  You got stuff.  Most of us have so much stuff there is a whole subculture of garage sales where we practically give our stuff away so we can buy more stuff.  Some people have so much stuff they get storage units to put all their stuff.  If you listen to all the statistics, as an American we are in the top percentage of the world of people who have stuff and we should feel guilty about it!  When we talk about stuff (yes, that is my technical term for all possessions), we get into thoughts about the “haves” and the “havenots” and the “haves but we ain’t paid it off yets.”  Talking about possessions gets into speaking about money, housing, cars, hobbies, politics, clothing, debt, and all sorts of issues.

        

For the ladies Bible study, our particular group set up a swap shop where they could get rid of their unwanted or unneeded or guilt-causing items and others could benefit.  So what are we supposed to think about when it comes to our stuff? 

So, what does the Bible say about possessions?  There are a cluster of key words to look for and think about when looking at possessions and stuff in the Bible.  Some key words: possessions (38x), money (123x), greed (12x), poor (177x), riches (51x), clothes (169x), taxes (12x), credit cards (1x… Esther 2:22 J), creditor (5x), and debt (11x).  The words associated with our stuff are inexhaustible. 

Instead of looking at multiple passages on this subject, I would like to take a look at one particular passage.  I want to look at it because it contains several interesting aspects that are important any may head off any technical questions you may have:

* It involves Abram (Abraham) who is seen as a man of faith in the Old Testament and New Testament (Hebrews 11) which helps us see this issue of possessions is part of a faithful person’s life.  God liked him lots.

* It involves a real life situation, so it is not a parable or story or fictional poem.

* The chronology of the event is before Moses brings “the Law” to the Israelites and so eliminates the idea that this was “just a Jewish thang.”

* It deals specifically with possessions.

Genesis 14:11-24: “The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away.  ¹² They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.  ¹³ One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.  ¹⁴ When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan.  ¹⁵ During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.  ¹⁶ He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.  ¹⁷ After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).  ¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High,  ¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  ²⁰ And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.  ²¹ The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself."  ²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath  ²³ that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.'  ²⁴ I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me-- to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

One of the things you need to notice about Abram (and even Lot) is that these men were wealthy.  They had flocks and herds and servants and Abram even had trained men at his disposal who numbered 318.  Through the situation, Abram/Abraham attacked those who had sacked Sodom and Gomorrah and got back his family along with all the items that had been plundered.

Verse 18-20: Melchizedek comes out and blesses Abram specifically saying his victory was from God.

Verse 20: Abram tithed to God out of all that he had received.

Verse 21: Abram is offered the possessions as his reward for getting the people out of harm’s way.

Verse 22: Abram did not want to profit from this endeavor.

Verse 23: Abram did not want any person to say they had given Abram wealth… ??WHY??

Verse 24: Abram only accepts as reward what his men need to eat.

In terms of Stuffology, I think Abraham teaches us a proper view of how to think about our stuff:

First, Abraham used what he had to help others.  He used the trained men in his household to rescue those who had been take prisoner and to get back the possessions and livelihood of those who had been attacked.  Abraham did not sit back and let it all happen… he had the ability to do something and so he did it.  And, from Abram’s perspective, he did it not for the expected reward, but because he was able.

Second, Abraham gave back to God.  Remember, this is before the Law was given to the Israelites.  This was before God said in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”  This was before Jesus said in Matthew 22:21, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."  This was well before the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  This faithful man had a personal relationship with God and gave out of his thankfulness to God because he loved Him.  This giving was an expression of thankfulness.  This giving was an expression of Lordship.  This giving was an expression of keeping possessions in their proper place.

Third, Abraham was careful who he dealt with when it came to possessions.  We need to keep in mind that the Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham was dealing with in this passage is the exact same two cities that are smote from the very face of the Earth later in Genesis because of their abject wickedness.  Abraham relied on God for his blessings.  He relied on God to increase his flocks and herds.  Abraham did not want business dealings with this wicked king (whom he actually helped out… love thy neighbor and enemy and all that) or to be in debt to that same king.

So what is a proper theology about clothing (Stuffology)?  I think a proper Stuffology keeps materialism in full view and notes it as a temptation that can strike anyone whether they have little, some, or a lot.  A proper Stuffology first acknowledges that ALL possessions are a blessing from God…you ain’t the source of it all.  A proper Stuffology also gives back to God out of thanks and lordship and keeps all dealings with “stuff” in a holy manner… puttin’ in the offering plate ain’t optional.  A proper Stuffology also makes a point that stuff should never be only for self, but for the benefit of family, friends, and those in need… it ain’t just for you. 

Some Suggested Action Steps for a Proper Stuffology (theology about possessions):

*  If you are not tithing, just start.  Quit messing around and get faithful in this area.

*  Note in your checkbook or online where you money is going… are you purchasing more stuff than you need?

*  Think about your possessions: Are you getting some of your possessions in an illegal manner?

            > Illegally copied CDs, DVDs, etc?

            > Taking unapproved leftovers from work?

            > Sneaking in questionable expenses on your expense reports?

            > Shoplifting?

*  Are you going into debt for things you want because of greed? (be honest)

*  Are you able to help those in need around you, but decide not to because then you’d have less?

*  Are you able to help those in need around you, but decide to help because then it makes you look good?

*  Take donations to a thrift store or ministry and DON’T get a tax receipt. 

Troy Borst
Associate Minister

Up Next…

THEOLOGY OF MEDIA

THEOLOGY OF WASTE (THEOLOGY OF THE ENVIRONMENT)

THEOLOGY OF SPENDING

THEOLOGY OF STRESS