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I began reading the book of Daniel with my wife and daughter today, we just made it through chapter one, but that’s a start…

One thing that is clear is that when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and defeated king Jehoikim, God was right there. The text clearly states:

…the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hands…

-Dan 1:2

Something else struck me, God didn’t just give the city over to this enemy of the people of God, he also gave up:

…some of the vessels of the house of God.

-ibid.

God was not only willing to allow this to happen to his people, he gave them over. He took action to ensure that their city and their temple would be destroyed.

God’s highest priority is that his will be done. We should never get to the place where we feel as though we have the “inside track” or the “privileged place” and God would never let harm come to us.

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

-Col 2:6f

If you have received, you did so by grace through faith, and that’s how we continue to live the rest of our life, by God’s unearned favor, trusting in his Son alone. We must be rooted and developed in him and comfortable with the faith that we share.

When we realize that it’s not only by grace that we are saved, but it’s by grace that I live and breathe and open my eyes every morning, then you have a different perspective on life. I no longer feel like a child of privilege who deserves everything I have and even more, I am grateful, humble, and I can never stop saying “thank you, thank you, gracious Lord…”

Nothing that we have is guaranteed to remain with us long, and it’s all guaranteed to leave us at some point, live tomorrow by God’s grace, in full faith, praising him, sharing his Son, and thankful for all that he has done (and will do) for you…

What does it mean to be a “disciple?”

Well, we’re told in Acts 11:26, after a year of teaching by Barnabas and Saul:

in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

So, to be a “disciple” is to be a Christian and visa versa.

A Christian is a follower of Christ, we’ve taken on his very name, it is to become like the one whom you follow.

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

-Luke 6:40

Disciples make disciples because that’s what Jesus did, and it’s what he commanded us to do.

Go therefore and make disciples…

-Matt 28:19

So, one of the hallmarks of a true disciple, is that they, in turn, make more disciples. This can be seen in Jesus’ ministry in that he preached to the thousands, and he also taught more intimate groups of only believers (like the 120 in the upper room), but he invested his time in the 12 disciples, even more specifically, in Peter, James, and John.

The Apostle Paul understood this as well, he was raised in the rabbi-disciple form of training. He was expressing this idea of disciple-making to one of his disciples, Timothy, when he says:

…what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

-2Tim 2:2

Paul, even though he taught the masses in the marketplace, invested time in a select few so as to make disciples who would make disciples. In fact, a “disciple” who does not make more disciples, is actually no disciple at all.

Paul charged Timothy to take the things that he taught, and to pass it on. We can see that this was not “private information” or exclusively “one on one” teaching, because it was taught in the full view of many people. It’s Timothy’s job, not simply to pass this along to everyone, but to find “faithful men,” people who have demonstrated a desire to learn, grow, and become disciples themselves. Timothy is to find people who will be able to become disciples who will make more disciples, and that’s what we should do as well.

Preaching to the masses is great, share the gospel with every creature under heaven, but take the time to pay attention. Look for “faithful men” along the way which you can say “come, follow me.” It is a little different for us, in that we are not the rabbi, Jesus is the only rabbi (cf. Matt 23:8), but we still need to find people to follow us as we follow Jesus.

I enjoy doing weddings and funerals, mostly because I try to only do ones for people that I personally know and who have shown themselves to be followers of Jesus, otherwise it’s quite frustrating and depressing to pretend it’s a joyous occasion.

Be that as it may, I had the opportunity to marry a couple several months ago and in the course of the rehearsal I noted how the wedding is a picture of the gospel, etc. Later at the dinner I had some conversations with the groom’s father, and the next day, right before the ceremony was about to begin, I had the privilege to lead him to faith in Christ. It was the best wedding gift he could have ever given the happy couple.

It was bitter sweet because only a couple of months later, Mike (the groom’s father) passed away. I knew he had placed his trust in Jesus, and that was a joy, but how sad that he only had a few months.

Well, I learned at the funeral, when a man came forward, that Mike had turned around and shared the gospel with him at work and led him to the Lord as well.

My heart just about leapt out of my chest! I immediately thought of 2Tim 2:2 and was so thankful for this beautiful picture of what a disciple really is. It’s someone who follows Jesus, and leads others to do so as well. Even in such a short time, Mike had such an encounter with the risen savior that he couldn’t keep it to himself.

What about us? Are we content to know the truth in our hearts, but never share it with anyone? Can we truly be called a “disciple” if we never seek to make more disciples? What if no one around us even knows we are a Christian? Can that kind of faith save us? Is that even “faith?”

When Jesus says:

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

-Matt 3:8

He is saying that “knowing is not enough.” μετάνοια is the word translated “repentance.” We usually think of it as “turning around” or in some way doing something different, but it really has to do with “thinking different.”

See, true repentance is changing the way you think about yourself, God, the world, and everything in it. It’s a change of heart/mind, but when you think that much differently, you will change how you act. Jesus says “bear fruit” that shows you really do think differently.

If we really believed in Jesus, we could not keep it to ourselves, we would have the desire to share him with the world, and we would learn how to do it. We would make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples…

Let’s get out there and do it! As we go throughout our days, let’s keep our eyes open for opportunities. Pray for them, and then when the door is open, share Jesus with people, who will share Jesus with other people, to the glory of God, until Jesus returns!

It seems as though everyone is busy, hobbies, family, sports, activities, etc. Just look down my street on any given summer weekend and you’ll see kids playing yard to yard, folks going to-and-from youth soccer games, you can hear sports games on big-screen TVs from several garages, and someone will be firing up their Bar-B-Q. These are all good things, right?

Well, here’s the trick, these things are neither good nor bad, it’s the place that they hold in our lives. This same street is a ghost-town on Sunday mornings. I’ve noticed something in many of my Christian friends lives as well, what are the things that are most important to us? What should they be?

…For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

-2Cor 6:14

It’s not that our neighbors are good people who just need to improve their lives a little, they are darkness in need of the light. So, are we really the light for them? How are we different than them. Do we have the same interests and activities? Exactly the same? To the same degree? How is that possible if our number one goal is to follow Jesus? It shouldn’t be possible… it isn’t possible.

I know so many people who have encyclopedic knowledge of college sports, professional golf, NFL football, fishing and hunting equipment etc… and I can’t figure out how they have the time to invest in all these hobbies and yet they don’t have time to do anything more than simply attend church 2-3 times a month. Again, don’t get me wrong, these hobbies are neither good nor bad, but what’s most important to you?

I can understand how unbelievers have the time to spend hours upon hours watching sports games, analyzing statistics, listening to talk radio about sports, but how can someone who is actively involved in the advancement of the gospel through their local church find the time? I’m not saying we can’t enjoy these things, but I am saying we can’t enjoy them to the extreme degree that our neighbors who worship these things do. We can’t serve two masters.

What takes up our time?

Is it making disciples, or is it hobbies and selfish interests? Even our kid’s activities can distract us from worshiping the one true God. Do you have a rule that your children know they will never miss worship for a sporting event; or are you teaching your kids that if they have to choose, soccer/volleyball/baseball is more important than church?

Do you schedule your vacations around “holiday weekends” because you get Mondays off work, and it’s not a big deal to miss worship, but missing work is a bigger deal. Which is more important?

Here is my advice: Do not give up the things you enjoy, just do them for the glory of God. Do not abandon “real life” to become a monk, just adjust your priorities to show the world (as a light) that God is unquestionably number one in your life.

We are called to be different, if the most important thing in our lives isn’t the mission that God has called us to, then it might be time for some serious reflection. If we find that we have more in common with our lost neighbors and co-workers, we might want to reassess our priorities. If we regularly augment our “church schedule” to accommodate our “lifestyle” we really need to think about what we are seeking:

…seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…

-Matt 6:33

If you are reading this after 6:00PM on Saturday May 21, Herald Camping is wrong…

He teaches that Jesus will return at that specific time based on the cycles of Jewish feast days in the Hebrew calendar, the lunar month (1 synodic month = 29.53059 days), and our Gregorian calendar tropical year (365.24219 days, rounded to 365.2422).

Camping calculates that the crucifixion of Christ took place on Friday April 1, AD 33. (which would make Jesus about 39 when he was crucified)

In 1992, Camping published “1994?” in which he proclaimed that Christ’s return might be on September 6, 1994. In that publication, he also mentioned that 2011 could be the end of the world. Camping’s predictions use 1988 as a significant year; this was also the year he left Alameda Bible Fellowship.

Camping’s latest publications, “We are Almost There!” and “To God be The Glory,” refer to additional “biblical evidence” that points to May 21, 2011 as the date for the Rapture and October 21, 2011 as the date for the end of the world.

This guy is a nut.

He’s no different than Edgar C. Whisenant who published “8 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. Predicted that the Rapture would occur in 1988.” When that didn’t happen he published “The final shout: Rapture report 1989.” Then when 1989 didn’t end the world he wrote “23 reasons why a pre-tribulation rapture looks like it will occur on Rosh-Hashanah 1993.” and finally “And now the earth’s destruction by fire, nuclear bomb fire. Prediction for 1994.”

No surprise, we’re still here.

The problem isn’t just with “date setting” (although, that is a HUGE problem) it’s with this whole methodology of interpretation for Biblical prophecy.

Daniel 9’s “70-weeks” are not a prophetic clock counting down to the rapture. It’s a prophetic text that parallels the 70-years of captivity in Babylon. The “70-7s [of years]” began when Israel was sent back to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (cf. Dan 9:25).

Well, 70 x 7 = 490, and I don’t know how strong you are in Bible history (hopefully better than these guys) but that was a lot more than 490 years ago.

You can start this prophecy’s timeline at the decree of Cyrus in 538BC to rebuild the Temple (see: 1 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 5:13, 17; 6:3) or at the decree of Artaxerxes I, associated with Ezra, in 457BC (cf. Neh. 2:1, Ezra 7:11-26).

If you start by the decree under Cyrus you end up with a prophecy associated with Anticous Epiphanies who destroyed the Temple. If you start with the decree of Artaxerxes then you end up with a prophecy about Jesus. This view makes the last “week” begin at Jesus’ baptism and end when the Apostle Paul takes the gospel to the Gentiles.

The latter is my position, but either way, it’s not May 21, 2011. Any view that would cause God’s “prophetic clock” to “pause” and restart again later is completely unbiblical, sensational, and should be avoided by all believers.

There are a lot of other reasons why this kind of theology is flawed, but just let me encourage you to not fall for it. The Bible does not give us these kinds of dates and times.

Jesus is coming back, but most of the Bible passages that these “prophets” use to predict the date and time are not even about when Jesus will come back. Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 &21 are Jesus’ prediction of a coming Judgment, the destruction of the Temple, not the end of the world, just the end of their world as they knew it. The “one taken/one remains” (cf. Jer 6:11) is not talking about a “rapture” into heaven, it’s talking about being destroyed as a judgment:

I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.And they said to him, ‘Taken where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’

-Luke 17:34-37

Just as has always been the case, when the Lord comes in judgment, he doesn’t give the exact time beforehand, the idea is to be prepared so that he finds His people doing His work. When Jesus comes back, it will be a great day of joy for believers, and a great Day of judgment for everyone else:

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

-Matt 24:44

This is why we need to get busy making disciples of all the nations. That’s what Christians are called to do, make disciples. Our job isn’t to get out our decoder rings and figure out God’s time-table. There is a world out there who need to hear the gospel, let’s get after it. Be a light to the nations!

Rob Bell’s new book “Love Wins” is the next evolution in a pastor’s slide to scratch the itching ears of his gen-X/Millennial post-modern post-christian congregation made up of young people who grew up in evangelical church but upon rejecting it, flocked to this hip and charismatic leader who would go to the greatest length to keep everyone from feeling uncomfortable.

Too much? Perhaps I’m upset because I like Bell’s earlier “NOOMA” videos (even though his transliteration is incorrect), but that doesn’t change the fact that he has a few misunderstandings about “heaven and hell” and I might add “people” as well.

There are plenty of reviews out there, some are good and thoughtful, and some… not so much.

Here are the key thoughts that I had, once I had them, I was ready to move on from Bell.

he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.

-Acts 17:31

See, when Bell tells us that he believes “given enough time” everyone will choose love (i.e. “God”) he is not reflecting a biblical picture of the world. There is not “enough time” for everyone, we do not simply die and go into a perpetual unending state in a kind of eternal platonic simi-existance at one with the universe. There is “a day” in which people will be raised from the dead, time will be up, and judgment will be given.

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

-Jude 7

A quick survey of Jude will show you that judgment is an everlasting state. Just as Sodom does not have the opportunity to change its state of judgment, so too, once we are judged, that’s it. This “eternal fire” is not compatible with “given enough time.”

Now I’m perfectly willing to debate what “hell” actually is. There are enough metaphors and symbols used to describe it to leave room in the details, but one thing is clear in scripture, it’s eternal. Hell is just as long as heaven.

Life is life, and death is death. Death is not the domain of decision.

There is much more to be said, and I’m sure others will, but bottom line, Bell misunderstands what people are and the nature of the life to come.