Monthly Archive for February, 2006

Of Idols and God

Published
by
Dan
on 2/22/2006
in Bible Study
. Closed

Numbers 33.52 drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

Ezekiel 16.17 You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.

The word idols in the above verses is tselem:
6754. tselem, tseh´-lem; from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol:—image, vain shew.

Well we know that God doesn’t like idols. People have been making idols for centuries. Gold, wood, whatever us used by people to make an image of what they think God looks like, then they worship that idol because it looks like or maybe even IS their god. The thing is, all of these idols fall short of the glory of the One True God. No wooden or golden statue could contain what He is.

But there is one idol that can.

In Genesis 1:26 it says “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:”

wouldn’t you know that the word image is TSELEM!

God, who is without sin, and purely worships the only thing worthy of worship, makes an image, or an idol, of Himself, the One True God. He is the only one capable of making an idol that can properly reflect Himself, and what he makes is not wood or gold but flesh-Man.

And why are idols made? To bring glory and worship to the god they represent.

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Makes me think about how I’m going to react the next time some little neighborhood kid hangs on the back of my van while I go down the street, or throws a bunch of rocks at my gate. He’s not the perfect image, but God made him so hopefully he would be that image in a redeemed state someday.

Two Episodes of Ike’s Radio Theatre

Published
by
Dan
on 2/21/2006
in Family Life
. Closed

I think they may be rated PG for violence, so get some popcorn, crank up the volume, and get ready.

Pig Man vs. Han Solo

Darth Vader vs. Chewbacca

I Don’t Even Know What To Say About These

Published
by
Dan
on 2/20/2006
in Bible Study
. Closed

relbubs.jpg

Sincere Faith - 1 Timothy 1

Published
by
Dan
on 2/20/2006
in Bible Study
. Closed

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith.The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

1 Timothy 1.3-5

So I guess people were coming up with all kinds of reasons why you could “prove” Christianity, or disprove it. Or sit around and promote controversies, like is Hell eternal suffering or annihilation? That’s what a lot of Christianity is based on today! oh no!

The word that caught my eye though, was faith. in v.4 that God’s work isn’t by myths or endless genealogies or by faith in a flat earth or proofs against evolution or prayer in schools or how many of us agree so it must be right: it’s by faith.

It makes sense that God’s work would be by faith, since salvation is by faith, and righteousness is by faith (Ro. 10.6), and we stand firm by faith (Ro 11.20), and we live by faith (Gal 2.20)

The thing that knocks me out of my chair though, is this statement about ’sincere faith’ in v. 5.

My Hebrew/Geek dictionary defines that word sincere as “Being poor at the art of acting.” that is great. I just think about what that looks like. On the one hand, it’s real. It’s honest. It’s doubts and troubles show.

The only problem is, I don’t see where that fits safely in the church today. We’ve been trained by American culture to follow a STRONG leader. A Washington standing on his boat crossing the Delaware, a Roosevelt charging up San Juan Hill, a pastor that knows no doubts or failures.

We’ve been trained that doubt=weakness, and mistakes=failure and so we don’t strive to be like Elijah, man of God, that was sometimes, YES, unsure of himself. Or Joshua, who before some battles was not sure if he was going to win or not. Or Moses, who didn’t really think he was cut out to do the job God called him to.

The most ironic thing is that I don’t even think I can be sincere on such a thing as a blog, because there isn’t even room for a “bad at acting” faith in a Christian Blog! Imagine how many people would get mad at me if I was myself and spoke from my heart with passion all the time, and was honest about being a work in progress that doesn’t always say the right thing! Oh God have mercy on us! May we allow each other to be bad actors and have real faith that is a little messy!

Dave’s First Podcast

Published
by
Dan
on 2/15/2006
in Family Life
. Closed

If this works, you should hear Dave talk about a day out.

Dave’s Trip Downtown

Interesting Quote by Bono at Prayer Breakfast?

Published
by
Dan
on 2/7/2006
in Bible Study
. Closed

I read this in an article on Christianity Today

Imagine a so-called Christian society with the absolute capability to save lives in Africa that fails to act, Bono said. “You can explain that to the budget appropriators, but you can’t explain it to God. He will not accept that excuse, and history won’t.”

They said that he was being prophetic. That’s a little much. He is quoting Leviticus and Isaiah on issues of defending the fatherless and the widow. It’s still interesting, though. A lot of the anti-emergent church folks seem to be all upset about him, like he’s not allowed to be interested in God.

Let’s let people change, and let them be interested in the Bible enough to remember quotes from it! I’m thinking now about something I read somewhere about it being better to be a little unorthodox but wholeheartedly seeking God than to be sterile and heartless with all your theological ducks in a row.