Work it out

Last night's dinner: chili-rubbed salmon steaks with mango-strawberry salsa. I can wholeheartedly recommend Kroger's whole frozen side of salmon. 

I'd like to thank everyone who left positive feedback for my last blog.  It was certainly from the heart, and it is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one thinking about those types of things.  

As I said before, this blog will serve as a repository for various topics of interest to me. Much like a box of chocolates, readers, I think you'll find that you'll never know what you might come across on my site. Some posts will be long, some short, but I aim to make all of them interesting. I hope you'll bookmark this site.  The link is www.joebsummitt.blogspot.com.  Now, let us move on to today's food for thought.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling...Phillipians 2:12

This particular section of scripture has intrigued me recently. What does it mean?  It certainly conjures up a righteous image, usually one of a desperate Christian on his knees, calling out to God in confusion and despair. Is this what Paul is talking about?  And if so, is this image still applicable today?  Should we be in constant turmoil and fear regarding the state of our souls? 

These are uncomfortable questions for me, mostly because I don't know the answer to them. This is a concept that, unfortunately, I've not studied or given much thought to until recently.  After some consideration and study, I feel that I've made some inroads on this topic.   I've found it helpful to examine the context of Paul's instructions.  Paul writes to the church in Phillipi some years after he founded it on his second missionary journey. It seems that the brothers and sisters in Phillipi, though they have grown, are experiencing the same problems that their fellow Christians in Corinth were dealing with.  False teachers, jealousy, and divisions have sprung up in the young church and pandemonium seems to be the order of the day.  Sounds familiar, doesn't it?  Remember, there was no written New Testament in this time. There were no commentaries, blogs, or Harding-educated preachers, either. All these churches usually had to go on were the principles Paul left them with, concepts from the old law, and the testimony of various folks who had heard Paul or other apostles speak elsewhere. You can imagine, then, that misinformation would be quite easy to come by. False teachers were likely everywhere, as were saboteurs determined to destroy the Christian faith by any means necessary.  Had I been there, I too would have been awfully confused about who to listen to.  Given this context, Paul's instructions are easier to understand. He is warning the Corinthians to take anything they hear with a grain of salt and prayerfully compare them to the inspired teachings Paul and the apostles have given them. In other words, accept nothing and question everything.

So then, this command was certainly applicable to those living in the tumultuous environment of the first century church.  Is it still applicable today?  We certainly live in more informed times.  I am no more than 30 seconds away from a Bible at any given moment. Countless opinions, commentaries, and thoughts are available for reference and study. We certainly have the advantage over the first century church in that regard. In my experience, however, this wealth of information has been both a blessing and a curse. It's certainly wonderful to be able to access scripture so easily, but I am afraid that it has reduced the urgency within the modern Christian to engage in more intensive personal study and meditation.  We really need to revisit this concept more than we do.  I'm convinced that there are a great deal of Christians who walk around daily carrying a faith that isn't their own.  It might be mom and dad's faith, or the preacher's faith, or even the Church of Christs' faith, but it isn't theirs. This bothers me because a Christian in this state is extremely vulnerable, especially when confronted with an educated mind from the other side.  If you don't believe me, watch this video starring the honorable Senator Mark Pryor and Bill Maher, a noted (and well-educated) atheist.

How long has it been since you questioned your faith? I am convinced that this is a vital step in the process of spiritual growth. It's also one that I believe we don't go nearly far enough with.  The enemy is strong, and their arguments make a lot of sense when using conventional wisdom.  We know this is the case. So then, why is it that most of us know absolutely nothing about atheism?  Why do we know nothing about Islam?  Never in the history of war has one side been less prepared to fight an enemy than many of us are today.  It seems that we are very content to stay within our own comfort zone.  We like to hear lessons and scripture that are familiar and light on toe-stepping, and we avoid listening to or reading anything that contradicts our set of beliefs.  We've become La-Z-Boy Christians. Why?  I'm not entirely sure, but I am confident that this is not a Biblical concept. Consider this....if you were suddenly accosted by a smooth talking, educated atheist and asked why you follow Christ, would you have an honest and educated response ready? 

This week's dare is simple - determine your basic, foundational set of beliefs. List out those things that you believe are absolute truth about God and Christianity. Identify them, then read something that contradicts them completely.  Learn what the enemy believes and why he believes it. Challenge your faith. I'll give you a good place to start - http://www.atheists.org/.

I am not afraid to ask anyone who loves God to do this, because I believe that He will bless anyone who is earnestly seeking Him with truth. I've read books by atheists before, including one called "God is not Great" by a man who was formerly a Christian. It was incredibly challenging, but I cannot tell you how beneficial it was for me. I was forced to spiritually start over in several ways, and it grew my faith considerably.   Understand this: there is no wrong in questioning God. We see men do this time after time in the Bible, and God never punishes them for it. Instead, He provides answers and understanding.  We must get ourselves in the habit of this kind of intense spiritual exercise.  If we don't, we're going to be beaten badly when wrestling with the enemy.