Great Expectations

April 21st, 2010 by Catie Prinzing

Summer is fast approaching. What are the possibilities besides endless?  I hope to visit a beach, take a hiking trip, and hit up Blockbuster every weekend with my friends (right before we raid the Taco Bell). It’s easy for me to want to take a break over the summer; to let my mind rest from the stress of daily classes and such. Aren’t we all this way? We feel as though we deserve a little time to ourselves.  Usually this also translates into relaxed expectations for my devotional life. Without the structure of a daily routine, Bible reading and prayer gets pushed aside and fit in “whenever.” Is this the kind of approach I should be taking? Not really.

This summer it’s my goal to use the abundant free time (apart from the stereotypical yet necessary “summer job”) and the beautiful weather to walk closer with God. I have the benefit of learning vast amounts about Him and His Word at BBC, and what better time is there to process that information and apply it?  Since BBC is preparing me for ministry, why not employ my new-found skills by getting involved in a summer kids’ program or young girls’ Bible study? After taking my theology classes, I can go to my pastors and Sunday school teachers with question I have about what I have been learning.  Summer is God’s gift to college students, but that doesn’t mean our spiritual lives have to take the back seat, that’s reserved for a guitar and a long-board anyway…

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Dealing with Death

April 12th, 2010 by Karissa Craft

I would say death is one of the hardest things anyone will have to go through.

“Why does God let bad things happen in the world?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions when death is involved. According to explorefaith.com, one of the most important things we need to remember is “God allows ‘bad’ things to happen; God does not cause them to happen.” 

When I think of “bad things,” I think death. When death occurs I start questioning, as most of us do. We do not trust God or believe that He is the one who gave us life and allowed someone we love to die. So we start believing what Satan tells us; we start believing the lies.

How do we correct this problem? One thing I realized is the problem will not go away unless you want it to go away. This is hard for most of us to do after losing a loved one. Its hard for us to remember that God’s timing is always right, and we need to accept that.

When we have accepted the fact that we have a problem, then we need to seek God, seek His comfort. We may find His comfort in other people, or we may find it sitting alone in a room. I know I’ve found it both ways.

When we have found God’s comfort, we need to start learning to move on in God’s direction. I believe guidance is harder to find. We need to read the Bible and seek God’s will in our prayers and daily lives.

After we have accomplished these three things, we should be on our way to serving Christ with the memory of those we love.

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Common Religiosity

March 29th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

Last week I was watching the cop show Southland. The LA policemen investigating the murder of a college athlete stopped a woman to ask her if she knew anything about the crime. The woman responded by saying…

No sir. You know how it says, “See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.” That’s the best thing I learned from the Bible!

The officer replied…

Ma’am, I believe that’s Buddhist.

As humorous as that scene was, it got me seriously considering the common religiosity that plagues our society. In America today we tend to be somewhat religious and tend to believe that’s a good thing. The truth is that religion kills. Common religiosity is NOT a good thing. Anything that is good comes from the good news or gospel of Jesus Christ. Below is material from Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA:

“Religion says that if we obey God He will love us. The gospel says that it is because God has loved us through Jesus that we can obey.

Religion says that the world is filled with good people and bad people. The gospel says that the world is filled with bad people who are either repentant or unrepentant.

Religion says that you should trust in what you do as a good moral person. The gospel says that you should trust in the perfectly sinless life of Jesus because He alone is the only good and truly moral person who will ever live.

The goal of religion is to get from God such things as health, wealth, insight, power, and control. The goal of the gospel is not the gifts God gives, but rather God as the gift given to us by grace.

Religion is about what I have to do. The gospel is about what I get to do. Religion sees hardship in life as punishment from God. The gospel sees hardship in life as sanctifying affliction that reminds us of Jesus’ sufferings and is used by God in love to make us more like Jesus. Religion is about me. The gospel is about Jesus.

Religion leads to an uncertainty about my standing before God because I never know if I have done enough to please God. The gospel leads to a certainty about my standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus on my behalf on the cross.

Religion ends in either pride (because I think I am better than other people) or despair (because I continually fall short of God’s commands). The gospel ends in humble and confident joy because of the power of Jesus at work for me, in me, through me, and sometimes in spite of me.”

Shows like Southland illustrate our need for rescue – but it doesn’t come through common religiosity. The truth is that a real relationship with Jesus Christ is our only rescue.

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Reaction vs. Interaction

March 24th, 2010 by Dan Nichols

In Romans 13:1-7, Paul writes:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

American Christians seem to lose sight of Scripture when events unravel that make them feel uncomfortable. I’m included in the American Christian category as well. We tend to REACT instead of INTERACT. The recent political trends have sparked outcries across the country from America’s politically conservative base – especially Christians.

As followers of Christ, we should be known as people who interact with wisdom, love and truth as opposed to people who react with stupidity, hatred and disrespect. The challenge from Romans 13:1-7 is to maintain a high respect for government. (And Paul was referring to the Roman government which was, believe it or not, far more corrupt than our present situation). The challenge from Paul still stands today – even for American politics in March 2010.

Christian, remember our call to be salt and light in a dark world.

Refuse to react with stupidity, hatred or disrespect.

Interact with wisdom, love and truth.

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