Some Great Spiritual Questions

Today, a man from our church emailed me the following questions. I thought they were great questions and I wanted to share them and some thoughts to each with you as well.

-What happened to Adam and Eve- I know that Adam & Eve had children, but what happened to Adam? What happened to Eve? Didn’t Eve take off with some spirit? Adam lived for 930 years and then he died. We are not sure how old Eve was when she died. I’ve not heard of Eve taking off with a spirit before. Maybe you could elaborate on that one for me and I can try and help. As far as are Adam and Eve in heaven it’s hard to know for sure. I believe that in OT salvation was ultimately still be faith in God. Faith is really a matter of the heart. You either trust in God or you don’t and the evidence of that works itself out in your life.

-Who else was on earth after able dies? When you read Genealogies in the Bible they are selective and not all-inclusive. They highlight certain descendants as they trace a line. So Adam and Eve most likely had lots and lots of children that we don’t have any information on that began populating the earth. They were simply told by God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen 1:28). So based on the fact that you had a man and woman walking around naked in a beautiful paradise and they were told to have lots of sex and make babies…well you can see where that probably led. The Bible draws attention to Cain and Able and then again to Seth but they most assuredly had lots more kids (especially since they live so long too!).

-Are there other book that were not put in the bible? I think there were some other books but either the council could not agree or it was not confirmed

the books was not proven to be 100% accurate (is this a correct statement). There were lots of books floating around before the canon we have today was made official. The council got together and they had 3 main criteria for whether or not the books would be canonized. By the time the council came together the Bible we now have was basically recognized and accepted and being used. For the few books that were in question they applied tests like: was it written by an apostle or close associate? Was it consistent with the theology of the rest of the Scriptures and the person of Jesus Christ? You may want to review the Doctrine book again on this topic as he has a little more info as well.

-How do we know the bible is correct- The bible says it is correct because it is written … and because the spirit helped to write the bible (is this correct)? The Bible has come under lots of scrutiny but when held up next to other historical books is truly in a class of its own. The Bible is superior in the number of manuscripts we have and in how soon many of the manuscripts were written to the actual events they talk about.

-How do we know other religions are not the right one? That is a great question. Jesus says, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.’ – John 14:6 So either Jesus is truly God’s Son and the Savior of the World or He is a liar and Christianity is false. If you take Christianity at face value it is all or nothing. Many people today try and say Christianity is right for some and other religions are right for others. True Christianity does not give that option. So here are some things to consider about why Christianity is true:

· The miracle of the Bible (50 different authors from all different walks of life, 1500 year span, 1 consistent message, fulfilled prophecies)

· The miracle of the Resurrection (Jesus truly was not in the grave and there is no solid explanation for His body missing other than the 500 eyewitness accounts of His Resurrection)

· The reasonableness of Christianity – I believe that Christianity has the best answers to the big theological questions. An Intelligent Designer, God, created the intricate and delicately balanced universe that we live in. Evil exists in the world because God allows us to choose Him or reject Him. The Cross – A holy God cannot just ignore sin but if He is truly just He must deal with sin. The cross becomes the only way for a holy God who loves us and desires a relationship with us to be with Him forever. At the cross our sins are paid for in full by Jesus’ excruciating death. At the cross we are made clean and right before God for all eternity. A true conversion into Christianity is always when a person in humility is overwhelmed by Christ’s sacrifice for them personally and exchanges their life of sin for His perfect life of righteousness. In the exchange you relinquish your own rights as boss and you now make Him boss over your life as His new adopted child.

· Changed lives – for thousands of years people have encountered Jesus and been changed by Him. His very followers ran away in fear and abandoned him during His crucifixion and then days later they are back with boldness and go on preaching in His name and almost all die as martyrs. People all over the world have experienced His freedom, His healings, His revelations through dreams, His peace, etc. If He was just some false prophet that had a run for 33 years and then died. No one would have talked about him for more than a few years after his death. Not the case with Jesus.

-How do you believe in Jesus Christ? – And how do you believe that Jesus Christ existed or that he will save us? There is no question that Jesus Christ of -Nazareth existed but how does a person know that he is the one true savior?

As I described above to believe in Jesus simply means to turn from your own way of doing things and to ask Him to be Your Lord and Savior. You ask Him to forgive you of your sin and make you clean. You thank Him for dying on the cross for you and you now choose to follow Him all the days of your life. People do this in the form of a prayer of faith but it’s not so much the words but that repentance (or turning towards Him and away from sin) in your heart and trust in Him that He sees and that saves.

Josh McDowell has a great little book called ‘More than a Carpenter’ that talks about the Lord, Liar or Lunatic argument concerning Jesus. Many people just want to say Jesus was a good teacher or maybe a prophet like others before Him and after Him. Yet, Jesus claimed to be God and said He is the only way, etc. Jesus Christ, when you read what He said, was very exclusive and is very clear that He is God’s way of saving mankind and offering them eternal life and forgiveness. So either we take Him at His word or we decide that He was a crazed, delusional lunatic or that despite all the good and amazing things He did and taught He was really just a bold-faced liar in it for Himself.

The Little Pink Felt Purse

Yesterday, my daughter Emily (7 years old) and I sat in church together. It was a great time of worshiping God through songs like 'I will follow', 'Waiting here for you' and 'Revelation Song'. So I was just singing and worshiping God but my little girl next to me kept distracting me in a good way. I particularly was distracted during the quieter moments of songs where you really hear people singing. What I heard was an amazing sound, my daughter belting out words of praise to her heavenly father. One thing that hit me was that she was not afraid to sing out with all she had. In fact the guy in front of us made a point to turn around and tell her, 'what a beautiful voice you have' as he clearly heard her singing as well.

Another teachable moment for me was the offering. As soon as we entered the worship center, Emily was asking me, 'have they taken the offering yet!' and I assured her that they had not. She had never asked me about that before. I then noticed that she was carrying this little pink felt purse proudly in her arms that had the remaining two dollars of her tooth fairy money (she later told us she had given the other 2 dollars and change to Ingred Michelle, the Compassion child our church supports). Finally the moment came where the ushers were approaching with the offering baskets. Emily was excitedly moving around in her chair. For a moment I thought she was going to lose patience and just run towards the nearest usher and tackle him with her money, but I was able to contain her until our turn came. As the basket came to her she quickly extracted the two dollars (completely emptying her purse) and placed it in the basket.

I walked away from that experience very challenged by my little girl. Do I worship God unashamedly and boldly like she does? Do I get excited about giving to God and His work like she does? This moment my daughter was teaching and challenging me. I think about 1 Timothy 4:12 that says, '12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.' 'God, help me to have faith like a child today and dare to trust You in a more complete and deep way!'

Joshua has invented a new dance style that seems to be a cross between jedi martial arts and breakdancing. here is a sample below.

A Few Pics from the Camp, Branson, GA adventure

Adoption is unbreakable

Was reading today in Ezekiel 16 which is a powerful allegory of how God adopted Israel. Before Yahweh, Israel was just like a 'left for dead' baby out in the cold...forgotten and rejected. God came by and saw her, squirming and crying, and He felt compassion for her. He picked her up, embraced her and cleansed her from her filth and dirt. He wrapped her up and claimed her as His own. He raised her, clothed her, cared for her, protected her, taught her, invested in her, worked tirelessly on her behalf as she slept in peace. Yet, she rebelled. The very gifts God blessed her with she used to pursue idolatry and unfaithfulness. God kept pursuing and Israel kept rebelling. Finally, like a parent making a tough love decision when faced with a rebellious young adult, He had to kick her out of the house and she moved to Babylon. Yet, His covenant, His adoption was unfailingly secure. He still loved her and thought of her each and every day while she was away in another land. He still had a plan for wondrous redemption ultimately through His very own Son where the most horrific, perplexing, and wonderful act of love displayed on a Roman cross was performed. Definitely check this chapter out. It gives you a whole new appreciation for all that is ours in Christ!