The Bible isn't JUST narrative

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

I have a problem with a relatively new and modernistic view of the Bible. Yes, the Bible is consisted of narrative, poetry, letters, history, genealogy, accounting, testimonies, and teachings. But it is something more. The Bible is a holy book. We are to read it, meditate on it, encouraged by it, teach through it, believe in it, and live by it (http://www.openbible.info/topics/reading_gods_word). It is something that should be part of our everyday life. Jesus said Himself that Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. To us, every word of the Bible should be considered Word from God's mouth, God inspired, God breathed. There is a reason why the Bible is called the Word of God. This means the Bible was written by God through people, not a collection of works written by people about God. Yes, you see the shaping of the many authors of the Bible, from different writing styles that give them away. People like Paul, and we know that scribes helped him write most of his letters (he will specifically say if its by his own pen), who probably was chosen to write so much given his background and training as a Pharisee (knowledge of the Law). But even so, those words were inspired by the Holy Spirit within those selected to write, such as with David (Mark 12:36, Acts 4:25), or in the case of Moses, spoken from God Himself, that is why Jesus in Matt. 19 and Paul and the author of Hebrews (chapter 11) put so much credence on the Torah, especially Genesis 1 and 2. Many of the authors of the Bible truly wouldn't understand what they were writing at all, and so can only come about from transformative power of the Holy Spirit. We really need to stop underestimating the Holy Spirit within us. He is still God. (He also has feelings so when we neglect Him as part of the Trinity...lets just say we should get to know Him, really read about who He is from Scripture).

Acts 4:25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David

Now to the inspired by the Holy Spirit part. What do you say about all the atheists who have read the Bible, and some of them have even memorized the Bible? Yet they still do not believe in God. They do not have faith. That is because belief and faith are absolutely pinnacle to Christianity. That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Just like how the disciples were lost about many of Jesus' parables and teachings, such as Jesus being the temple, until the Holy Spirit came upon them to help them interpret Jesus' teachings (Luke 24:45). That is also why those atheists who read the Bible don't believe, because to them, the Bible is just narrative, just poetry, just history, just culture, just a bunch of books. The Holy Spirit isn't in them and thus won't bring the words on the page to life. We literally cannot understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit's help (1 Cor. 2:9–14). That is also why the Bible is also called the Living Word (Hebrews 4:12), because it is alive. It has equal weight with any word we hear from God directly. Sometimes when I read the Bible, it is just words to me too. I read it, say to myself "interesting", and then shove the knowledge somewhere in my head. But when the power of the Holy Spirit brings the words in the Bible to life, then I really hear Jesus speaking to me, not just in my head, but in my heart as well. That is what they mean when the Written Word points to the Incarnate Word. The Bible will point to our Savior and our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake

We really need to take the Bible more seriously. We shouldn't talk about it as if it is like The Lord of the Rings. Yes, there are truths hidden in that wonderful trilogy, about life and morality and even God Himself. But I'm not going to go around saying that elves, hobbits, orcs, and Nazgul are real things. Lord of the Rings is just fantasy, something that follows the traditional purpose of children's stories used to teach children about morality and point to Truth. In the words of St. Augustine, stories are the key to unlocking Truth. That is why even the Psalms are held in high regard, even by Satan, who quotes the Psalms to Jesus during the tempting in the desert. Satan obviously knows that there are sovereign truths in the Psalms that transcend just pretty words to describe God, or he wouldn't be foolish enough to use them against Jesus. So we must treat them with the same reverence. Jesus Himself quotes Psalm 110 to the Sanhedrin to unequivocally align Himself with God (showing both Jesus and the religious leaders of the time both held to the Psalms as absolute authorities). In Ephesians 5, we see Paul telling the Church to use psalms and songs filled with the Spirit to love one another. In Colossians 3, Psalms were used to both teach and admonished. Psalms were truly the OT version of testimonies, filled with emotion and grit, but still all pointed to the faithfulness and praiseworthiness of God. They are poetry. But they are also real (not like fiction), as real as any of our own experiences and testimonies. Please don't look down on them. Seriously...go to the NT and see how many times the Psalms are cited. Credible source? Yes. Authoritative source? You betcha. Let us not put the Bible on the same level as other books please, self-help or philosophy or even fiction.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 

I know for a fact that people who are quick to call out the inerrancy, infallibility, and sufficiency of scripture as an excuse to fit Christianity to their own goal, to try to merge Christianity with culture and the worldview of open-mindedness, or are just lazy and really don't want to follow Jesus and be His disciple. They just want to edit the Bible and turn into their version of the Thomas Jefferson Bible. People say they "love" the Bible, but don't want to live by it, to be constrained by it. Parts of the Bible offend them, but you know what? Jesus was really offensive in the Bible. If you don't believe me, re-read the Gospels. But we are to (figuratively) write the scriptures onto our heart. In Deuteronomy, the Law was literally supposed to be incorporated in every aspect of the Israelites' lives. They were to impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Why did they do this? Not out of legalism, but to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Yes, this famous Jesus quote came from the OT. Yeah...if we only did that nowadays with the Bible. Including me, I am as much a hypocrite as anyone else, so lucky there is Grace for me.

1 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit

Yes, we shouldn't take everything in the Bible literally or with absolute equal value, yes not all of the Bible has equal weight in how we apply it to our modern lives, but we should also not dumb it down to a compilation of books written by humans. It is not that either. Yes, context is important, and we should be careful about how to interpret the Word and extrapolate it for the modern Church. Yes, we all have a tendency in our narrow-mindedness and our limited existence to pick parts of the Bible that resonate with us to defend and emphasize. Maybe that is part of our unique calling, and that is why we need to work together as the Church to defend all of the Bible (instead of fighting each other out of pride what is important). Yes there are many parts of the Bible that are unclear, which has led to many debates within the Church over the last 2,000 years. This has led to camps, to denominations, to splits, to different theologies/doctrines, to pain and grief and sadness within the Body. This is not good. I would point to Ephesians 4 and Romans 14 for a Biblical picture of how to hold the Body together despite the many interpretations. I also do not want the world to look at the Church and mock us for believing in a book that has "too many translations" and "too many interpretations" to possibly be believable. In a way they are right. But the Bible is still the Truth, and it is believable. The Gospel contained in the Bible is the Truth we all sought, and by our mouths we profess it is real. That core message cannot be different. At the end of the day, Truth will win out no matter what.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me

To end, we need to remember who we are. We are Christians, a term first used in Antioch (Acts 11) to describe disciples of Jesus Christ. That means we need to do what disciples ought to do. As the word translates, we literally "belong to Christ." We need to remember the story of the Bible is not about us, but the Glory of God. Our salvation is just a means to that end. Scripture is used to teaching, but not Bible bashing. We are to use it in Truth in Love to guide our brothers and sisters towards Christ. But we are called to hold fast to Biblical truth and call out false teachings and lead our beloved brothers and sisters away from it. Jesus Himself was the harshest on this, and Paul a close second. (Jude and John tied for 3rd place). I wish I had more theology on the evidence of infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible, but you can look that up for yourself. As for sufficiency, yes it should be sufficient for us in our lives. No it doesn't mean the Bible will teach you how to tie your shoes or how to code or build a computer. But it does mean scripture has a really really really important role in how you eat, how you sleep, how you greet people, how you choose colleges or jobs, how you love your friends and family, how your marriage will look, and who/what/where/how you put your hope and trust and faith in. So when a brother or sister comes to you with genuine care in their eyes and heart and say, "hey, you might be doing something wrong, here is what scripture says...", please don't feel condemned, for there is no more condemnation in Christ (Romans 8:1). They just want to help point you to Christ. Be willing to listen, for they will be speaking with the power of the Holy Spirit the Words from God's mouth.

Note: as a supplementary, here is a summary by John Piper on why we believe in the Bible (its long)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBpC0i-DeXA - Who do you think wrote the Bible? -- Mark Driscoll (though he has stepped down as pastor, his teaching here is still legit)
https://www.multiplymovement.com/material - Part 3 of Multiply Materia
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/08/02/christian-smith-makes-the-bible-impossible/
http://vimeo.com/41783506 Inerrancy: Did God Really Say...?
http://adam4d.com/who-said-it/ 

“The Bible is not a philosophy textbook to be debated; it is a revelation from God to be believed and obeyed.” - Robert Plummer

Christ in Me - Prayers of St. Patrick

As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen

Today I watched a video of a pom chasing a red dot from a laser pen. I was like "hey I won one in class the other day, lets try this." I pointed to the red dot and Midnight just looks at me with the look that said "do I look stupid? I see the pen in your hand" and leaves.

Sigh why do I have a smart dog...

Update: nevermind about being smart, he just went outside to bury a clementine piece.

Devo post #8

12/22/14

1 Peter 2:12

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

I think this is one of those verses that is both overrated and underrated in the Christian community. Overrated by those who just want to be lazy instead of pursuing ministries, saying that it is just enough to live a normal life and act in a good way instead of living a life of daily sacrifice and attempting to reveal and preach the Gospel in their everyday life. It is also underrated by people who are very gung ho about doing missions, whether it is homeless ministry of going to the 10/40 window. As if their brothers and sisters who are doing a 5 day white/blue collar job in “reasonably wealthy” America are not doing their part in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth and preaching the Gospel. I am going to say this: living a life so devoted to God and doing His good will and showing unreasonable/uncultural love and kindness in the workplace is a Biblical method of preaching the Gospel, and this isn’t just consolidated to this verse in the Bible but quite a few others. This message is common in the Bible. Jesus Himself took on the role of a carpenter, and Paul used His “job” as a tentmaker to fund his mission trips. He refused to ask for donations, though he did accept them. The Gospel is to be seen by the Holy Spirit, not reasoned or convinced through clever words. It is by the supernatural power of God anyone is saved, and God can and has used men and women in the normal, everyday workforce. All Christians are called to do missions and preach the Gospel, but the locale can be different. Yes, it is more physically dangerous to go to Pakistan or Turkey or East St. Louis, but it is still a war zone at any and every company. There will always be persecution, and some of these places will foster more temptations and distractions and sin than others. That is the reality of the environment we live in. Work theology has a real and important role in the Kingdom of God because all people, here and there, need to hear the Gospel and make it real in their lives.

Devo Post #7

12/19/14

Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Sigh...one of the many verses in the Bible that talks about how we should not be like or part of the world in its wickedness and rebellion towards God. Another verse that tons of people ignore or pretend it isn’t in the Bible. Me included sometimes. Many times. And I don’t spend enough time repenting I feel. So let us recognize what the “pattern” of the world looks like. In politics. On social and justice issues. On pursuit of wealth and position. On raising families. On love and marriage and hope and grace and mercy and justice and right and wrong. Let us know what it is in the Bible, the Words out of God’s mouth that we ought to live by and not just stale bread. Food for thought. The patterns are listed in the Book of James btw.

What does it mean, “renewing of your mind?” Is it to read scripture and theology and whatnot? Is it to focus daily on the promises of the Lord? We know from this verse its supposed to lead you to “test” and “approve” God’s will. Do I know what God’s will is? I somewhat do. It is to bring Himself glory and bring His kingdom on Earth to complete fruition. Something like that. And saving us and loving us along the way. Yeah. But this is only a small taste. And I don’t know how real it is in my heart. Let the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit work in my heart to make the reality of God and Christ real.

A thought came to me, of those who realized God’s will and followed it. Look at Esau and Jacob. One followed the world and gave into his temporary hunger, but Jacob knew what was worth it and pursued it with all passion (and trickery). Look at Cain and Abel. Look at the 10 spies vs Joshua and Caleb. Some followed the world. Some feared what the world would say. Some just outright challenged the sovereignty of God in the situations. But those who followed the Lord and not the world knew God’s will, and because God’s will is good and pleasing and perfect, these people were blessed. Abel’s name is remembered for all time. Jacob became Israel and was the father of God’s chosen people. Caleb and Joshua got to lead the Israelites into the promise land. Time and time again we see the reality of this verse come about.

I am tired of quoting scripture at people. It just never works. I don't want to be that guy.

Instead I will live a life of steadfast faith and righteousness so that the life and truth in scripture will be made apparent to those around me by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Well...now it's on me.

Sigh...in the church we spend many many MANY more times complimenting each other for looking fashionable or congratulating them for succeeding in a worldly manner (good grades, new job, college acceptance etc) than we compliment or congratulate someone for being counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Do you not see a problem? Who do we live for?

Truth/scripture -> conviction -> action -> Love

We read scripture to understand the things that God desires, what breaks His heart. We then become convicted in our hearts. But conviction is not enough with action, to live out the Gospel instead of just hearing it, making disciples and preaching the Gospel to all nations. Then when we encounter people in certain situations, such as inequality or poverty or pain, we can show them Love and provide for them. That is what fighting the good fight means. That is what running the good race means. We live for God. Without God, all things are really meaningless...morality is meaningless...showing kindness is meaningless...loving others is meaningless.

Truth without conviction is useless in a person's life. Conviction is useless without action, else its all wishful thinking and good intentions. Action without love is meaningless, both in the sense that there is no foundation or source for the action, and the action will not feel or look real. Thus action without love is meaningless and directionless.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:5-11

Hitting Rock Bottom

I have hit rock bottom before. Physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually. In all aspects of my life. But hitting rock bottom has a different meaning as well, because falling to the bottom literally means finding the rock. And who is that rock?

Isaiah 26:3-5
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust

1 Samuel 2:2
There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save from wrath and make me pure.
Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
And behold Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyes shall close in death,
When I rise to worlds unknown,

And behold Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

I have watched many sermons, read many theology books, served in many fellowship of believers, and read the Bible one book at a time, but let me not boast in any of these but continue to peach the Gospel to myself.

Daniel, there is absolutely no point in any of this conviction if it doesn't become real in your life and if you don't go out and take action!

 

 

O_O (He said to share)

Hi family and friends,

Hoping this message finds you well!  I wanted to email you all and share a warning about a false-doctrine group I encountered here over the past few weeks, in case they're part of a larger push east.  

It all started when I visited the Arlington branch of McLean Bible Church (formerly Frontline) for its Monday service.  It's been four years since I last worshipped there, and I was wondering how things were different.  Afterwards, a guy around my age approached me and struck up a conversation, saying he was new to the area, staying with some friends, and was interested in checking out churches/Bible studies.  

Now, as a bit of background, since I've moved here it's been difficult figuring out what church to stick with.  In all honesty, the transition has also been rough on my motivation some Sunday mornings.  School and work have so far been an obstacle for me to check out more than a few small groups on weeknights, let alone visit consistently.  So, given my recent lack of regular Christian community, it was honestly nice to be approached by a seemingly genuine person.  He initiated a morning meet over coffee and shared about how he'd moved from southern California where he'd been involved in setting up three or four ministry groups at schools.  He shared a bit about how he had a Presbyterian background and spent some time in South Korea before coming back to the States.  When the conversation turned to my involvement in InterVarsity, he said he knew what it was--but the first red flag appeared when he incorrectly mentioned the reason why the IV chapters in California were derecognized.  Hindsight of course brings clarity, but at the time while I did think it was strange, I assumed it was probably because he was with a church group and not on campus as much.  He also indicated he was here for work and also ministry efforts, but didn't really elaborate.  Red flag #2.    

After, he asked if I wanted to get dinner that night with him and his two friends, which I agreed to join.  Overall it was nice having conversation and they were friendly enough.  While trading small talk though, it appeared that while one friend had a familial connection to the DC metro area, they'd both moved from southern California around the same time frame (1-2 weeks) as the first guy.  Cue red flag #3.  Again odd, but not unheard of.  Then they invited me to a Bible study last Tuesday night, which I figured I should check out just to see what their deal was.  But still, red flag #4, because the first guy's initial pitch was an interest in McLean's SG.

     

When I arrived, they were meeting in the conference room of an office in Alexandria, not a church.  Red flag #5.  They shared that they'd found out the owners of the building were Christian and that they (the owners) were letting them use the space for ministry work.  I met five or six other members, who were originally from all over the country and world.  But their common denominator was they had all moved out here from southern California a couple weeks ago.  Red flags at this point were popping up everywhere (Even though they had snacks!).  Aside from me there were maybe 5-6 other visitors.  At this point, I was wary, but considered that maybe I was just over-thinking it all or being judgmental.  If anything, the message would be revealing.

We started with an icebreaker, and then sang two songs ("Oceans/Where Feet May Fail" and "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever").  The person who gave the talk, to my surprise, couldn't have been older than me by much (late 20s at most), and yet the others called him a pastor, despite his one denial at the beginning of the talk.  He shared how he had previously been in the Philippines doing missionary work and wanted to give us insight into the lessons he learned.  "Seeking God" was the topic, and it started innocently enough.  However, the passage he first mentioned (Psalms 14:2) was not the foundation of the message.  Rather, he started jumping around to different books, making connections between the English words and phrases.  It was telling that he did not refer to the original/pre-translation terms.  Nor did he bring historical/cultural context about the verses into his exposition.  (At this point my note taking lessened until at one point I just stopped.)  Towards the end, his main point was that if you break up the hardened ground of your hearts and seek God with all your heart, He will reveal things about Himself that you didn't know, which leads to finding life and thus finding favor with Him.  He then shared generally about their goals to build up the body, rather than outreach, and then go out and impact the area.  

When we were in discussion groups afterward, I remembered there had been no mention of Christ or sin or grace or redemption.  And even though the songs are common in Christian settings, the lyrics conveniently don't mention Christ by name either.  So, when we were going around sharing prayer requests, I decided to test my mini-hypothesis.  I mentioned a request for humility in breaking up that ground, following Christ's humble example of being obedient to God the Father.  When the group leader prayed for each one of us, he repeated the humility part for me but did not mention Jesus.  Thankfully I had a paper due at midnight, so I used that as an excuse to leave soon after we finished.  My initial impression from all this was that it was some kind of charismatic meeting with gnostic influences.

The other red flags:

- The original guy I met went to different churches with me the past two Sundays (McLean Bible at Tysons Corner, and Capitol Hill Baptist) since I'd previously invited him along to visit upon initially meeting him.  In both he did not take notes or participate much during the sermons, aside from the occasional nod.  (He actually was pretty late to the former and fell asleep during the latter.)  However, on Tuesday evening he was diligent in transcribing everything written on the whiteboard.

- Receiving confirmation that the whiteboard style was used during each Bible study.  It reminded me of some similar false movements that relied on chalkboards or whiteboards to emphasize 'connections' between verses to reveal hidden 'truths'.  However, I haven't been able to remember the style's name.  (If anyone does, please let me know because it's bothering me, haha.)

- Digging around the original guy's Google+ page with the email address he'd provided.  One of the tabs showed his YouTube account which listed some enthusiastic comments he made on videos featuring several speeches given by a Man-Hee Lee.  Looking that guy up was the final confirmation needed to determine that whole thing was most definitely a cult.  Here's a wiki page and an article I found with some background on his Shinchunji movement.  A clarification worth noting is that neither this Lee figure nor the movement was mentioned at all during the Tuesday session.  However, considering last week was the first gathering, anything is possible going forward.  

Needless to say I will not be returning to that group.  Retrospectively the similarity to everything I knew from my church background was alarming.  From a worldly sense though, it was an appealing group.  They were all well-dressed/fashionable, young (mid-20s), and very outgoing/affirming.  They had a respect and enthusiasm for "the word" and used NIV Bibles.  However, thinking about all the other clues revealed a group not following Christ.     

Anyways, thanks for being willing to read this long email.  Hopefully this will be an encouragement to remain vigilant for these individuals in your churches and fellowships.  Perhaps they want to target DC given its proximity to government, but please be aware regardless of your location/circumstances.  If you've just moved somewhere, don't put off or waffle on your church decision.  While I'm grateful for the experience to know what to watch out for, I'm even more grateful for the Spirit's gentle but insistent urging that something was off before it was too late.  And despite all this, it was certainly a situation I could have prevented by making a faster effort to get plugged into a church and meet people.  All glory to God for His protection.   

Feel free to forward this widely to others you know.  Again, hope you all are doing well and would love to catch up sometime!     

Best,

BH

The Kingdom of God is not about the feelz, but about the realz.

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

The "sight" here represents not only physical senses, but the emotional senses as well.
(This reiterated in the context of chapter 5 with the preference of being away from the body)

Like I said before, emotions are not a bad thing. For one thing, they give us the energy to worship (but not the motivation, God Himself is). But there is also a tendency to idolize them. They can even betray us, and do so often. In times when God doesn't feel like He is there, that is our flesh wrestling with the Truth that God is always there. So let us tone down the feels and remember that Jesus Christ is real(s).

http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols10-12/chs677.pdf

If there is not another world to live for, I must say that this life is a most unutterably empty kind of thing. It is not worthy of a man! But oh, to believe what God tells me, that there is a God, that God became flesh to bear me up to Himself, to believe that I am God’s son, that I have an immortality within myself which will outlast the stars, that I shall one day see His face, and sing His praise forever with cherubim and seraphim—why, there is something here. The man who believes this feels as if he begins to grow; he bursts the poor engrossments of his flesh, and expands into something worthy of a man who is made in the image of the Most High! The principle of seeing everything, and of liking only to get what I can see, and touch, and handle, is the poor instinct of beasts and birds, but the principle of living upon what I cannot see, and upon something that I can believe, is one worthy of a man. As much as man is higher than the beast, so much and yet more a thousand-fold is the life of faith superior to that of mere sight and feeling. - Charles Spurgeon

Noah and the Reasons of Faith - Tim Keller

You may ask, ‘if we cannot imagine a three-personal Being, what is the good of talking about Him?’ Well, there isn’t any good taking about Him. The thing that matters is being actually drawn into that three-personal life, and that may begin any time – tonight, if you like.

What I mean is this. An ordinary simple Christian kneels down to say his prayers. He is trying to get in touch with God. But if he is a Christian he knows that what is prompting him to pray is also God: God, so to speak, inside him. But he also knows that all his real knowledge of God comes through Christ, the Man who was God – that Christ is standing beside him, helping him to pray, praying for him. Ye see what is happening. God is the thing to which he is praying – the goal he is trying to reach. God is also the thing inside him which is pushing him on – the motive power. God is also the road or bridge along which he is being pushed to that goal. So that the whole threefold life of the three-personal Being is actually going on in that ordinary little bedroom where an ordinary man is saying his prayers.

- C.S. Lewis

Manipulation. It is near impossible to avoid it in preaching the Gospel. There is a tension between us sincerely and dearly trying to love our neighbors by preaching the Gospel to them (whether it's by word of mouth, giving Gospel tracks, dragging them to fellowship) and them dearly trying to not accept it. That is why we still aren't reaching the people in the United States even though there is basically a church on every block...kinda.

Therefore there are really only two ways of revealing the Gospel to onlookers without manipulation: loving one another in the church (John 13:35), and through the sacrifices and sustaining of the covenant/testimony of marriage, which is an analogy of Christ and the Church.

That is why unity within the Church is so important. Paul recognized this and that's why he wrote the entire book of Ephesians. Only only has to look at Ephesians 4 for it to hit home. One body. One faith. One Spirit. One God. Yes there different ministries and an allocation of different gifts. Do not be jealous of one another. All have a purpose and all need to be sustained by the rest of the Body. This is spiritual physiology guys. If you have spiritual imbalance, the entire Body is going to collapse. Homeostasis!

The point is this: loving others is hard. Loving all the time in a selfless manner is literally impossible. The world knows this. People know this. Everyone knows this. That is why people give up on it, because its impossible. But for Christians, we know that we are too weak, that's why we call upon the strength of the Lord through Holy Spirit in faith. With God's strength, we can do the impossible. That's where Philippians 4:13 comes in. So when the world sees us doing the impossible, they are going to be like "holy moley, how are they doing that? How are they selflessness loving their wife in that fashion? How are they giving up dreams and goals and laying down their lives for one another? I want in on that!" They see something so unnatural, unearthly, supernatural, and beautiful, they cannot help but be shaken. Sure there is no guarantee they will turn their face to God, but they will be shaken.

That is why we need love and unity in the Church. I know it is so hard to reconcile Truth and Love, and I don't know where to draw the line on that still, but we are called to die to ourselves. Same with suffering, especially unjust suffering where others take advantage of your kindness or abuse you for being loving. But we face these things not without hope. Jesus lives! Like they say, a Christian who has fallen as a kernel in to the dirt who refuses to die, is the most miserable being in existence. Surrender, and you will be set free!

1 Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

(Love must come from the heart, probably through obedience)

1 Peter 2:12  Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 

(We are living testimonies for the Gospel)

1 Peter 2:17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

(As Christians we are to be respectable and honoring to worldly governments)

1 Peter 2:19-21 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

(When we suffer unjustly, it brings glory to God)

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

(This is how we die to ourselves to love others. This is what we need to give up)

1 Peter 3:13-14 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”

(People aren't likely to harm you for doing good, but there isn't fear in suffering either)

1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

(When people ask why you live as a Christian, doing good without receiving any rewards, be sure to tell them about Jesus Christ)

1 Peter 4:3-5 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

(When you live apart from the world, they will notice and ask, and they might hate you for it)

1 Peter 4:8-11 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 

(When we serve or do anything for one another, it is with God's strength)

1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

(When we are persecuted, we will be blessed. "Oh now I know how Jesus feels")

1 Peter 4:16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

(When we suffer, it should remind us who we are as Christians)

1 Peter 3:18 And,

“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
    what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

(It is hard for a Christian to be a Christian (to love), but it is impossible otherwise)

1 Peter 5:10-11 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

(God will strengthen us through our suffering. That is probably why He gave us suffering in the first place)

(somehow this became a 1 Peter study...)

 Remember: Suffering (for Christ) is NOT optional 

There can not be any coincidence...both episodes (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso ep 6 and Naruto ep 386) pointed to the exact same thing. Damn the feels. I'm not in any 3 way triangle am I?

Who cares about music. Who cares about words. We have the long, long time that we've spent together, and we have so many tiny, precious memories.

In both episodes...memories are the source of strength. One of simple friendship and love. The other the paramount battle between good and evil, which hinges on the phrase don't hide your wounds, I am always watching you. The reasons to save the world. The reasons to destroy it.

What about my own memories? Do they empower me? Or do they lead me into bitterness?

My parents danced together, her head on his chest. Both
had their eyes closed. They seemed so perfectly content. If
you can find someone like that, someone who you can hold
and close your eyes to the world with, then you’re lucky.
Even if it only lasts for a minute or a day. The image of them
gently swaying to the music is how I picture love in my mind
even after all these years.

I hope they spent those last few hours well. I hope they
didn’t waste them on mindless tasks: kindling the evening
fire and cutting vegetables for dinner. I hope they sang
together, as they so often did. I hope they retired to our
wagon and spent time in each other’s arms. I hope they lay
near each other afterward and spoke softly of small things. I
hope they were together, busy with loving each other, until
the end came.

I hope one day my wife and I can be like this. Being at peace with each other. Learning to love one another despite our weaknesses and flaws and ability to change like the wind.

To dance. To Sing. To say sweet nothings to one another. To lay near each other until eternal rest comes do us apart.

"God is the highest good of the reasonable creature. The enjoyment of him is our proper; and is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Better than fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of any, or all earthly friends. These are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean.” -Jonathan Edwards

Yessss great minds think alike aka if it is the truth then it will be revealed time and time again throughout history, since it is constant.