Can Common Faith Trump Nationalistic Impulses?

Question: What happens when political enemies are brothers & sisters in Christ? 

Where? Gaza Strip.

What? Reconciliation work goes on despite worst violence since 1967. 

"Gaza's Christian community of 2,500 suffered at least three deaths in the fighting, & Gaza Baptist Church & the Palestinian Bible Society were damaged by Israeli airstrikes."

"Yohanna Katanocho, dean of Bethlehem Bible College, was concerned about the wedge the war might create between Palestinian Christians & Messianic Jews."

"Frankly, it is hard to accept the perception that we can be political enemies but religious brothers & sisters," said Katanacho. "Our relationship with the Son of God must transform our political perceptions in a away that will make us more critical of the policies of our governments, more vocal of our support of divine mercy, love, & justice." 

"We have people praying for both sides--this is a real achievement," said Munayer. Messianic & Palestinian believers collected food & blankets to send to Gaza, while others invited Messianics in Sderot to visit for safety & relaxation." 

(Quotes & concept taken from Christianity Today, March 2009, 13).

A Model of Herod's Temple

Herod's Temple Model

A retired farmer has spent over 30 years of his life building a 1:100 scale model of Herod's temple--and he says that it will not be completed in his lifetime. The pictures are phenomenal. (via challies.com).

Yesterday's Fire is Today's Ashes

Some of our discussion this morning in our men's group centered around our daily walk with God. We reminded one another that we should be persistent in daily spiritual disciplines such as reading scripture, prayer, journaling, & etc. Not for the sake of gaining more knowledge, but for the sake of knowing & loving God. Through our daily time spent focusing on God, we position ourselves to receive His grace. This led me to a portion of Scripture:

"Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Command Aaron & his sons, saying, 'This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, & the fire on the altar is to be kept burning on it. 'The priest is to put on his linen robe, & he shall put on undergarments next to his flesh, & he shall take up the ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar & place them beside the altar. 'Then he shall take off his garments & put on other garments, & carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 'The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; & he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, & offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 'Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out." - Leviticus 6:8-13

Without discussing the background & historical aspects of this text, I simply would like to point out how it inspired me today. 

Did you see how intentional the priest had to be in order to fulfill his daily responsibility? The point is this: Without daily cultivation, our relationship with the Lord can be reduced to fond memories of yesterday. Yesterday's raging fire is simply today's ashes. And, lets face it, if we do not intentionally schedule time to spend with God, it will never organically see itself into our daily routine. We must not only prioritize our schedule, we must schedule our priorities. I don't know about you, but I surely don't want to find myself living off of yesterday's memories. Today, hope in God. 

A page is turned.

As many of you know, I resigned from my position at Clearwater BC on Sunday, February 22. After much prayer & guidance through God's word, Joy & I sensed God's leadership in a new direction. I affirmed to the Clearwater family that God has used our time in ministry at CBC to help refine our gifts, stretch us in our walk with God, & spur others on in godliness. 

We do not know for certain what is next. This is the first time we have made this decision without choosing to take another position in ministry elsewhere. I firmly believe God has led us to this decision & we trust that His purpose is good. So... please pray for us as we are likely to get plugged into a church outside of our community in the interim. 

Btw: I may have unintentionally led people to misunderstand what I meant when I said on Sunday that we are open to God's leadership anywhere--even if it means Europe, the Middle East, or Athens. I do not mean that we are in route to any of those places, but we are willing to go if we sense that we are called to such a place. 

For a Good Laugh

I would like to thank my wife for sending me the following link. Cheers to a good "belly" laugh!

Pinkner on Selling Indulgences

You should read this article by Greg Pinkner concerning the Catholic Church's selling indulgences. 

A Kingdom Not of Our Own

So...blogger was down for a few days & I feel like it has been ages since I last posted. But, it has only been a few days. As a result, I may have to post twice today. 

I ran across some quotes pertaining to the Kindgom of God & found great encouragement by the perspective they offer. Enjoy!

"When you pray that the will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven, envision conflict being resolved, marriages & families healed, truth told & people faithful to one another, initiatives that break through the vicious cycles of retaliation, & love that creates new community among people through forgiveness, reconciliation, & peacemaking." - Glen Stassen, Living the Sermon on the Mount

"God's kingdom is not a place, but rather a relationship. It exists wherever people enthrone Jesus as lord of their lives." - J.I. Packer, Growing in Christ

"Lord, may your grace gelp me to want what you want, to prefer what you prefer." - Dom Helder Camara, Through the Gospel with Dom Helder Camara

"The second main petition in the Lord's Prayer -- "Thy Kingdom Come" -- rules out any idea that the Kingdom of God is a purely heavenly (that is, "otherworldly") reality... Think of the vision at the end of Revelation. It isn't about humans being snatched up from earth to heaven. The holy city, new Jerusalem, comes down from heaven to earth. God's space & ours are finally married, integrated at last." - N.T. Wright, The Lord & His Prayer

"What the Christian life is" by John Stott, Reflecting on Galatians 4:1-11

The following is an excerpt from Stott's The Message of Galatians.

"The Christian life is the life of sons & daughters; it is not the life of slaves. It is freedom, not bondage. Of course, we are slaves of God, of Christ, & of one another. We belong to God, to Christ, to one another, & we love to serve those to whom we belong. But this kind of service is freedom. What the Christian life is not, is a bondage to the law, as if our salvation hung in the balance & depended on our meticulous & slavish obedience to the letter of the law. As it is, our salvation rests upon the finished work of Christ, on His sin-bearing, curse-bearing death, embraced by faith. 

Yet so many religious people are in bondage to their religion! They are like John Wesley in his post-graduate Oxford days in the Holy Club. He was the son of a clergyman & already a clergyman himself. He was orthodox in belief, religious in practice, upright in conduct & full of good words. He & his friends visited the inmates of the prisons & work-houses of Oxford. They took pity on the slum children of the city, providing them with food, clothing & education. They observed Saturday as the Sabbath as well as Sunday. They went to church & to Holy Communion. They gave alms, searched the Scriptures, fasted & prayed. But they were bound in the fetters of their own religion, for they were trusting that they were righteous, instead of putting their trust in Jesus Christ & Him crucified. A few years later, John Wesley (in his own words) came to 'trust in Christ, in Christ only for salvation' & was given an inward assurance that his sins had been taken away. After this, looking back to his pre-conversion experience, he wrote: 'I had even then the faith of a servant, though not that of a son.' Christianity is a religion of sons, not slaves." 

Hidden in my heart: Psalm 16

I have been much more diligent in my striving to memorize Scripture & hide it in my heart. I memorized Psalm 16 about 2 weeks ago & have been reciting it as often as I can remember. Whether at work, in the car, the shower, in bed, etc. I have experienced a great deal of joy from having this psalm in my mind & heart. 

Psalm 16

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 

I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You."

As for the saints who are in the land, they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied.

I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, nor will I take their names upon my lips. 

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; 

You support my lot.

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;

Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

I have set the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore, my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will dwell securely.

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand are pleasures forever.

For those interested in joining me on this journey, next psalm of memory is Psalm 19. 

"Don't Lie to Me" A Song Inspired by Psalm 32

In October of 2006, I wrote a song for a friend. It communicates the power & stronghold that secrecy & hidden things can have in your life. It was birthed out of some painful conversations I have had with some very close friends who were not willing to submit their lives over to God & turn from some sins that were going to have life-long drastic consequences.

Don't Lie to Me: Psalm 32

If you love me then tell me the truth about God,

that He is my Refuge & He sings songs of deliverance, righteousness, His lovingkindness

has burned away the terror that haunts on this dreadful day.

My body's wasting away with things that I keep to myself

His hand is heavy upon me

my life is drained away, as heat of the summer's day

& I can't remember, for guilt stole my memory.

If you love me then tell me the truth about God...

So go ahead & say it; speak the truth in love.

His life in me is what I need.

Blessed is he whose sin is no more 

& in whose spirit there is no deceit.

If you love me then tell me the truth about God...

So don't lie to me to make me feel better 'bout myself,

I said I need your attention, some truthful intervention

I've been needing you to care for me, won't you hold my hands high

Be real with me, for the life of me,

'cause I can't pretend anymore...

No, I won't pretend anymore. 

If you love me then tell me the truth about God!

(copyright 2006, Ben Finch)

{P&B} Marriage is much more than a Wedding

I have two friends who are getting married: Peter & Bethany. I am privileged to know them because Bethany is the daughter of Mike & Kay Simmons, who happen to be some of my favorite people. Mike & Kay hired me as the photographer for P&B's wedding, which includes engagement, bridal, & wedding pics. I was privileged to spend the day with them on Saturday for their engagement sessions. As we sat at lunch, I prayed for them, asking God that He would put Himself on display through their marriage. That the world would see a picture of sacrificial & covenant love through their marriage. And, as I said to them, I will say to you: "Weddings are beautiful, but what I really look forward to is how God works in their marriage." So many of us give an extraordinary amount of time & energy towards planning a wedding ceremony with giving little thought to the act of marriage. Marriage is much more than a wedding. 

As P&B's wedding announcement quotes:

"Jesus died for sinners. He forged a covenant in the white-hot heat of his suffering in our place. He made an imperfect bride his own with the price of his blood & covered her with the garments of his own righteousness. He said, "I am with you... to the end of the age... I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Matt 28:20; Heb. 13:5). Marriage is meant by God to put that gospel reality on display in the world." - John Piper

That is why Peter & Bethany are getting married. 

I thought I would share two of my favorite pics from the day. If you would like to see the rest, you can visit: www.benfinchphotography.com. Congratulations P&B!

A Gift

This morning as I walked to my office after having parked down the street, I was a little overcome & under my breath, I prayed, "God, please encourage my family; we are so tired & emotional. We need You." I am sure much of this is caused by our lack of rest, my choosing to work on my day off, & the added work of having church at a different location (breaking down sound equip, setting it up, breaking it down again, & setting it up again). Plus, Brennan (9 months old today) woke up every two hours last night--how dare he! His first two teeth are breaking through his gums & it is causing him to be irritated & lose sleep. Hence, we lose sleep as well. But, it is good! I am so thankful I have this opportunity & one day I will surely miss this. 

So...walking to work today, after having prayed, I realized that God has encouraged my family. Last Thursday, Joy & I found out that she is already 10.5 weeks pregnant. Wow! We are going to have another Finchlet. I sent a text message to many of my friends, it was simply, "3 + 1 = 4." I thought it would be a fun riddle & believe me, we got some funny responses. By the way, that makes us the 3rd family in our men's group that is expecting--one of the wives said that her husband is being expelled from the group...we could practically start a small city between us all. 

Although still tired, I realize that when you need encouraged, sometimes it is just a matter of perspective. We have the gift of a new child. 

Welcome to TN

We have had our share of a few cold days here in TN (of course, cold is relative to where you live). The last few days it got as low as the teens, but today it appears that we are going to be in the 60's & probably 70s tomorrow. Welcome to TN. I thought I would share a few pics from our 'winter wonderland.' 

Something I Can Relate To

The following quotes are excerpts from a fairly good article, "Who Do You Think You Are? The global church needs to ground youth in their true, deepest identity." (Christianity Today, Feb. '09, p.19)

"About a year ago, Kenya exploded in post-election riots that resulted in a thousand deaths. Many of the killers were unemployed young people who were 'hanging out & feeling people were looking down on them'"

"Kenya's 'kids are frustrated that life is not working out.' When their options fail, so does their allegiance to Christian principles." 

"Barna Group research found that a majority of American youth raised in the church have left it by age 29. The issue for American Christians is...more about a rising generation whose commitment to Christ may not stand when shaken. And it doesn't take much to shake it before they abandon Christ for lesser loyalties." 

"Many young adults have gotten past questions of morality and now need answers from the church about Christian identity, how to follow their calling no matter the challenge, & how to have a positive impact on the world." 

"...it will take more than a program to develop a commitment to Christ. The church needs to reaffirm regularly in its teaching, preaching, & example that loyalty to God & identity in Christ leave all other allegiances in the dust." 

A parable to some people who trust in themselves...

(The following is a partial manuscript of my message from this past Sunday morning. I apologize for the lengthiness, but I hope you take the time to read).

Isn't it funny how two people can be in the same location yet have two totally different experiences. And, much of it has to do with their perspective.

Religion vs. the Gospel

"And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, & viewed others with contempt:

"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee & the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood up & was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'

But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'

I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:9-14

Narrative Analysis & Exposition:

(v.9) "He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, & viewed others with contempt." 

We see in verse 9 that Jesus had a very specific audience for this parable--it was directed towards those who trusted in themselves, that they were righteous & viewed others with contempt--They believed that their morality & activity earned good-standing before God & therefore, they viewed others who were not up to their standard with contempt. Whether spoken or not, these people regarded others as nothing, the basis that others were worthless & have no value. This is a clear example of an "expression of self-admiration." They had a faulty view of themselves, in essence, thinking, "God should be so happy to have me!"

(vs. 10) "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee & the other a tax collector." 

We know by Jewish history that there were two time periods in a day that were reserved for public prayer in the Temple--the 3rd hour = 9:00 am & the 9th hour = 3:00 pm. A Pharisee was a very devout, dedicated, & committed individual; it is likely he would often make both prayer times at the Temple. The "things" of God constantly surrounded one who lived a pharisaic lifestyle. Pharisees were well respected by their community due to their religious devotion & prominent roles in religion. If you wanted to compare to today--you may compare a Pharisee in many respects to a pastor, elder, bishop, right-wing conservative, fundamental, etc. They get a very bad reputation due to their confrontations with Jesus (concerning their hearts & motives), but overall, people in their community looked up to them. Now, a tax collector is a different story. Others often despised tax collectors. They were viewed as traitors & thieves: they were Israelites being employed by Rome & they often over-charged their fellow countrymen in hopes that they could pocket some extra money. During this time, the Romans governed the land of Israel; therefore, the taxes collected went to Rome. For example, what if the USA was ruled by another country, say--Canada. Just kidding, I mean seriously--who am I kidding, Canada? (I will go ahead & apologize to the Canadians for using them as a joke). Say the Canadians take over the USA & they hire our fellow men to collect taxes from every family, then upon collection, they send them north to 'land o' Canada.' Do you think that would go over very well?

(v. 11) "The Pharisee stood up & was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people; swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.' (v.12) I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get." 

The two verses offer a glimpse into the heart of the Pharisee. Just consider the ego-centrality of this statement: "I thank...that I am not...I fast....I pay...all that I get." Rather than thanking God for what God has done for him, the Pharisee arrogantly brags to God about his own moral purity & religious piety. He made the terrible mistake of comparing himself to others rather than to God. Based upon those around him, he was 'religiously awesome.' Just consider his devotion: "I fast twice a week." Did you know that the OT law did not require a person to fast but apparently once a year on the Day of Atonement? But the wording that Jesus uses shows that this man had a continual lifestyle of fasting--apparently twice a week. In addition to abstaining from food, he would humble himself by praying, mourning, & wearing sackcloth (Matthew 6:16-18). In addition, this man tithed biblically, " tenth of his grain, new wine, oil, the firstborn of his herd, & his flock." Based upon his performance, a religious person would think that God was well pleased with him...unless God judged differently. He was morally excellent, yet was blinded to his own sin. 

(v.13) "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!"

If you could picture with me, the tax collector barely within the confines of the Temple court, beating his breast in grief & contrition. He knows that if God bases His judgment upon this man's performance, he is literally damned. And, in his unwillingness to even look towards God, he begs of God, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" Now this statement, in my opinion, is easy to overlook in most English translations. There is a Greek word here, "hilastheyti," that is sometimes translated "be merciful." And, for some reason, the word "mercy" carries little weight anymore. Consider this: "God, be my propitiation, I am guilty!" Propitiation literally means "appeasement" or "satisfaction." This man, in complete humility before God, in essence, says, "God, if possible, fulfill your wrath, anger, & indignation towards me in some other way; otherwise, I am without hope." 

(v. 14) "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." 

Jesus ends the parable stating that only one man left the Temple courts having been declared right in God's judgment. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken & contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:17

Contrast

One man thought he was righteous & tried to justify himself. He was very close to religious activity yet far from God. He depended upon His own effort as a way to be justified before God. The tax collector was dependent upon God's mercy & as a result received God's gift of righteousness & was pronounced justified. 

One realizes the depths of his sinfulness & the expanse of God's grace & responds in faith, while the other, does not realize his sin, has faith in himself, acts with contempt toward others, & responds critically. 

"As sinners, we are prone to pursue a relationship with God in 1 of 2 ways. The 1st is religion/spirituality & the 2nd is the gospel. The two are antithetical in every way." 

Martin Luther

"Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to be saying to us, "I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying." 

John Stott

The only favor or standing a person has before God is that by grace, their faith is in Jesus Christ. Be reconciled to God.