Civility in Disagreement - Social Media - Gamestop

"When you are disagreeing with someone about politics, or Covid response, or about race, see if you can find a way to speak about the brother and sister with whom you are disagreeing, and their positions, kindly.  And summarize [their view] in ways that they would agree with.  And you appreciate the weightiness of their perspective.  Not just that you respect them as made in the image of God, but that their ideas are not stupid.  And then give your own ideas, and say, "but I'm persuaded of this, for this, this and this reason."  If we can help to not join the cancel culture, but help to dignify and honor people whose - not every perspective a person might have... but that will help our ability to talk with each other and love each other."  Mark Dever, 12.15.20 - at 10:00 mark.

"Social media exploits our desire to be influencers."

I forgot where I heard this, this week, but it's true.

David Bahnsen is quite good on what to think of the Gamestop stock thing.

This is a new podcast by National Review - it's first issue was an opening salvo in defense of free markets.  Worth your time!

The Ten Plagues - Bible Notes - Exodus 6-11

 HOW do you read the Bible?

1. Summarize

2. Find Jesus

3. Apply

Exodus 6 - God promises to deliver Israel, sending Moses back to Pharaoh.

Jesus faced a tough crowd like Moses did, but was not reluctant to go.

Apply - Israel didn't believe, because of their oppression by Pharaoh.  God saved them anyway.

Exodus 7 - The signs & plagues begin: staffs turn into snakes, and the Nile into blood.

Jesus also gave many signs to show He was from God, and Israel largely refused to believe it.

Apply - Egypt worshiped the Nile, so God showed He could take it away from them.  Over time, God will plague your idols and point you to Him.

Exodus 8 - Frogs!  Gnats!  Flies!  Egypt's magicians can't keep up their farce.  Pharaoh makes false promises to remove the plagues.

Jesus - some like Nicodemus admitted He was from God, though official rejection continued.

Apply - We pretend earthly things can give us what only God can.  We bargain deceitfully with God when He lovingly brings pain into our lives.

Exodus 9 - Livestock, boils and hail.  God starts protecting Israel from the plagues.  How does Egypt have livestock in vs 19, after they all died in the first plague in chapter 9?  Couldn't find a good answer in my resources, but I think Egypt just took Israel's, that had been spared.

Jesus distinguishes between sheep and goats at the last day, bring plagues on those refusing Him, and sparing those who trust Him.

Apply - the plagues can be misapplied to our Covid times, but not every application is an abuse of Scripture.  Take verse 15, where God says to Pharaoh, "by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth."  We deserve to be wiped out as a species, and God would be fair to use a virus to do it.  No amount of human resolve, unity, and science can stop God if He decides to do this.  As Egypt kept their faith in their gods as God plagued them, so we are doing the same today.  We just have different gods.

Exodus 10 - Locusts and darkness.  Pharaoh edges closer to submission, but keeps taking it back.

Apply - all God's people must worship Him, with all their lives.  Take every part of you out of Egypt, and go to God.

Apply - we have stubborn, God-refusing hearts, like Pharaoh.

Exodus 11 - God predicts the firstborn death, and Pharaoh's submission

Jesus' death as God's Son was planned and known by God, and also brought about our deliverance from powers greater than us.

Apply - God will humble you as low as it takes to change you.  Predicting Pharaoh would give in ahead of time, made it all the more humiliating for Pharaoh when he did let Israel go.

Should Christians Marry without a State License?

You're 80 years old and don't want to mess with your childrens' inheritance.

Or you want to marry a spouse coming into the country recently.

Or you are Christians in a country hostile to Christianity and don't want to put yourself on the state's radar.

Several situations like these bring about this question:

Can I get married in the eyes of God without the government knowing about it?

Most pastors won't do this, with good reason.

Avoiding a state registered marriage to benefit you financially, or to get around legal barriers (immigration, etc.), is deceitful and wrong.  I wouldn't conduct a marriage for that reason.  I suspect that's what many are trying to do.  

A friend suggests that it should be easy and inexpensive to have a lawyer draw up papers to keep inheritances with the children, instead of going to the spouse.  If they just want to use the church as an easy way to justify moving in together, without becoming one legally, that degrades the institution of marriage.

But there are some reasons to leave the state out of a Christian marriage.  The main one is persecution.  In the movie Braveheart, Mel Gibson's character marries incognito, so the king doesn't claim "first rights" on the bride.  That's legit.  Maybe also, two Christians in an officially Muslim country today would face punishment and persecution if they registered with the government.  They come up on the state's radar as a problem to "investigate."  

I might marry a couple without the state knowing about it, in these situations.  Probably not in our country at this point, though.

Bible Notes - Genesis 50-Exodus 5

HOW do you read the Bible?

1. Summarize

2. Find Jesus

3. Apply

Genesis 50 - Jacob and Joseph die in Egypt, with their hearts set on God's Canaan promise.

Where is Jesus: Jesus' kingdom is the land we long for.

Apply: all our lives, and up to the end at the brink of death, we are longing for another, better country.  An inheritance promised by God.  Even if we rise to the height of ruling in our earthly land, that nation is not our final home.

Exodus 1 - Israel is subjugated in Egypt, in population size and to economic slavery.

Where is Jesus: earthly kingdoms are often hostile to Christ's people.

Apply: there are ways to resist unjust rule, and it is right to do so.

Ex 2 - Moses is born, then raised in Pharaoh's house!  He flees to Midian after seeking justice for Israel in Egypt.

Where is Jesus: Jesus lived a life vulnerable to the threats of earthly rule, as we sometimes suffer through, too.

Apply: we ought to work for life and justice, even when threatened for it.

Ex 3 - God appears to Moses in the burning bush and sends him to Egypt to free Israel.

Where is Jesus: God sent Jesus to free us from slavery.  He came to us without objection, with greater miracles than Moses.

Apply: God will call you to a mission that meets with resistance.  Stay faithful.

Ex 4 - Moses objects.  God gives signs to prove He is real and that Moses is his spokesman.  Israel is God's son.  Moses' and Pharaoh's sons are both threatened.

Where is Jesus: God redeems His Son from the clutches of His enemy, using His appointed Mediator/Son.

Apply: 1) Trust God to equip you for that to which He calls you.  2) Be urgent (though not desperate!) to apply God's promises to your children with the sacraments (circumcision back then; baptism and Communion now).  3) Encourage God's people that He will redeem them from all their troubles.

Ex 5 - Pharaoh refuses God, and persecutes Israel more.  Israel is discouraged.

Where is Jesus: as with the Sanhedrin and Pilate, there were times Jesus was rejected by society and its leaders.

Apply: be not discouraged when life gets harder, because you follow Jesus.  Sometimes that is God's design.

China is Hitler - Critical Race Theory - Thinking like a Man - Cultural Patience

1.  Xi is Hitler.

Chinese dictator Xi Jinping (don't call him "President") gave such a winsome speech to the movers and shakers at Davos.

But he is a modern-day Adolph Hitler, confining, sterilizing, and killing Uighurs in his concentration camps.  This is NOT an exaggeration.  (HT Al Mohler)

How do we SAY we would respond to a Hitler today?  And how are we now actually treating the Chinese Communist Party?

Why are we "canceling" normal people, while catering to Xi?  

Do we go easy on China so we can make a buck off the Chinese economy?  How is this different than buying German in 1940?

2.  Critical race theory

Pastor Steve Jeffrey has a great series here.  What is Critical Race Theory?  This is the best take on it I've seen.

3. Be men!

Pastor Bill Smith exhorts men to think and live unashamedly as men.

He does a great job showing the tendencies of men and women.  He's a bit simplistic at first, but nuances it well as he goes on.  This article is really helpful to understand the differences between men and women.  The focus is to let men be men.  The world generally prefers the woman's way of thinking today, contrary to popular belief.  Because of that, this letter to young men is water in the desert.

4. Christians need to learn patience, culturally.

John Stonestreet of the Colson Center nails it.

Bible Notes - Genesis 47-49

Genesis 47 - Jacob meets Pharaoh!  Israel settles in Goshen, a discrete distance from the pagan Egyptians.  Joseph sells grain to Egypt until they are slaves.

Application: 

a. we live IN nations, but must remain distinct FROM them somehow.  

b. Was Joseph right to enslave Egypt?  Was it the people's fault for not saving grain as they should have?  Was it wisdom or exploitation on Joseph's part?

48 - Jacob takes Joseph's first two sons as his.  Why?  He blesses them as he was blessed: the younger over the older.

Application: the old ought to pass on God's blessing to children and grandchildren.

49 - Jacob blesses/prophesies about his 12 sons.  The first three are passed over and Judah is given the rule.

Application: God knows each of His people, and their tendencies.  He ordains every ruler, especially the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Communion Exhortation - Psalm 81:10-11

“Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people would not heed My voice.”

[Sermon from 1 Samuel 15 - see verse 22]

We must both obey, and sacrifice. We must come to the table, and we must come in faith. God calls everyone to believe on His Son, who has died for the sins of the world. All men are to come to Him and identify with Him in this meal. His body was broken for us. We must be united with Him to share in the benefits He offers. 

So seal that union as you eat. Proclaim His death as you drink. 

As the bread is carried to every part of your body to nourish it, let Christ permeate every part of your life. Any limb or member that refuses to be nourished must eventually be cut off from the body, or it will die and spread its death. Do not refuse Him who speaks. Heed His voice. Open your mouth wide, and receive the manna, the water from the rock, receive Christ.

1/24/21

Call to confess sin - James 1:22-25

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

Notice – if you hear but don’t do the Word, it’s like not knowing yourself.  You deceive yourself.  We think if we’ve heard it, we’ve done it.  How often does mom tell the kids to clean their room, and they nod their heads with resolution.  And 2 hours later, it’s done in their minds, b/c they heard it.  But the room is still a pit.  Hearing isn’t doing.  Going to church and sitting through a sermon isn’t the full sum of obedience, and now you can go back to life as usual. 

No.  Let us do the Word, and confess where we have neglected to do it.

1/24/21

Bible notes - Genesis 43-46

Genesis 43 - Joseph's brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin, expecting condemnation, but getting a meal.

Application: we avoid God, though it starves us, because we expect anger from Him.  But love awaits our return to Him.

44 - Joseph gets Benjamin in trouble.  Judah intervenes for Jacob's sake, showing a change from how they treated Jacob and Joseph before.

Application: Jesus intercedes for us like Judah, sparing our lives and restoring damaged relationships.

45 - Joseph reveals himself, and his good will, to his brothers.  Jacob also hears of it.

Application: to have the man in charge prioritize reconciliation is a deep blessing.

46 - The 70 members of Jacob's family are listed.  Judah leads the way to Egypt.

Application: Jacob had heartache over his family for a long time before God eased it.  Some would call this karma, but God did it for Jacob's personal growth.  Jacob had caused strife with Esau, so he suffers from the strife that his own favoritism had caused.   Now, in mercy, God blesses Jacob to see Joseph.  It is also a blessing not to know what is to come for Israel in Egypt in future generations.

The Source, by James Michener

This isn't a book review.  Instead, I want to make the case for you to read this book.

I was once asked who my top five theologians were, and I included C.S. Lewis on my list.  Lewis? I was challenged.  He was wrong on several points.  Tashlan, Scriptural infallibility, etc.  Yes, I agreed - he was wrong on those points.  But when he was right, he said it so clearly and beautifully it can't be missed.

The sign of an important writer is not only that they are free from error, but that they convey truth powerfully.

James Michener is no C.S. Lewis.  But he depicts life in Bible times so well, it's worth sifting through the weirdness and errors.

The Source is in one sense a book version of walking through a secular history museum.  You're going to get a lot of evolutionary and old-earth assumptions about history.  I'm a young-earth, Darwin-rejecting Christian.  So why would I be interested in this?

1. The place.  

Michener surveys the history of the land of the Bible, especially the Old Testament.  Modern Christians generally are clueless about how people lived and thought back then.  Michener may not have it all right, but he certainly makes one think in non-modern categories about people of Bible times and places.  As Michener expands on the history museum's secular assumptions in story form, The Source helps us to better filter through them from a biblical lens.

2.  Old Testament context.  

There are 2-3 chapters in the Source that especially deal with this theme: what were the religious thoughts, the worldview of people, during the time from Abraham to Samuel?  Christians know the Bible's perspective.  What was the other side in the culture war - the Philistines, the Baals - thinking and doing during Joshua and Judges?  When we learn about that, it greatly illumines the Bible, and the culture war in our own day.

3.  Archaeology.  

The Source conveys well the science of archaeology.  It isn't about proving the Bible right or wrong.  It seeks simply to uncover as much history as possible.  Most archaeologists are indifferent to Scriptural revelation; they take the Bible as one historical source among the rest, at best.  Most archaeologists also cannot write compellingly to describe the history they unearth.  Michener does a stellar job making up for this.

How do we engage with a culture or a book that rejects most of our assumptions, as Bible-believing Christians?

One side of the spectrum is to ignore and reject anything produced without all of our pre-suppositions.  This makes Christians too insulated, insular and isolated.  But you can't take in everything that's out there, either.  That's the other side of the spectrum.  Lots of Christians take in way too much junk because they think they need to stay abreast of what the culture is thinking.  We should be really picky.

Take in some of the best of the mainstream culture, engage with it, filter out the unbiblical truth, and talk with people about it.  This assumes the truth of common grace: non-Christians will hit upon important truth and convey it well in ways that edify all.  I'd put some Pixar movies in that category, as well as Michener's The Source.  Both have humanist assumptions, and miss a lot that could be said.  But part of what they say is true and depicted with excellence.

Bible Notes - Genesis 39-42

Again, the point here is to show how to read your Bible devotionally by doing it.  Be able to summarize what you read, and apply it to your life in basic ways - see Jesus, and see His instruction for your living.

Genesis 39 - Joseph rises and falls in Potiphar's house

Application: whatever great or gross thing happens to you, God is with you through it all.

40 - Joseph interprets dreams but is forgotten in prison.

Application: God can grow us spiritually in our troubles, even when they don't end.

41 - Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams, and saves 20% of Egypt's produce for the lean years to come.

Application: God has provided spiritual food for the whole world through His wise Son, ruling for us.

42 - Joseph tests his brothers' repentance: how will they think of a single brother in trouble NOW?

Application: God puts us in situations that call for acting on our repentance, changing for the better after past sins and mistakes.

The Main Stream Media's Assault on Conservatism

 It seems the media is in an all-out assault on the Republican party right now.  They smell blood in the water, as it is naturally divided over the Trump "Stop the Steal" debacle.

News about the inauguration is a great example.  It assumes that a wide-scale assault is expected.  Which assumes that half the country wants to undo the election and keep Biden by force from office.  This is nonsense.  A couple hundred crazies do not represent half the country.

My local paper today had headlines about state capitol protests.  The "story" was that a tiny number of protestors came out for Trump claiming the election was illegit, with their guns, extremism, and weird attire.  And some normal, sane people came out in support of Governor Whitmer's lockdown policies.  That's the narrative we are to believe.

This is media malpractice.  It divides the country further.  Using the logical fallacy of bifurcation, the press is telling us that if you aren't for Biden, then you're a fringe insurrectionist.  It's an overt political play to sway people's thinking, done by those charged with reporting to us the facts in the most objective manner they can.  It's a travesty.

Most people are neither for the Proudboys, nor for ongoing lockdowns.  I don't want to give "Stop the Steal" any support at all - Biden's election is legit.  But I also don't support Biden's, Whitmer's, Newsome's, or Cuomo's COVID lockdowns at all.  Where is my viewpoint represented in the press?  It isn't.

Another headline: something like "Democracy has waned in the Trump era, poll shows."  It's just an opinion piece, disguised as news, arguing the bandwagon fallacy: most people think democracy has been hurt by Trump.

Another headline: some Republicans still voted to object to the electoral count, even after the Capitol was savaged!  Gasp!  The media moves the Overton window for the left.  A riot should not remove any reasonable objection to the election.  Objecting was a bit of a stunt to cater to the radical right, which I don't like so much.  But it's fine to say, "Hey there were irregularities here which ought to be looked into."  That doesn't put you on the side of viking man in the Senate chamber.

Does any of this mean Trump was blameless, to speak as he did Jan 6?  No.  He was reckless, given the moment.  But standard political speech is a bit militant ("let's fight"), without actually calling for violence.  The left is taking as much ground with the Jan 6 incident as they can.  Republicans are scattered and on the defensive, because the MEDIA (not Democrats) are attacking them.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

For the last few years I've observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by watching his "I Have a Dream Speech," or the "Mountain Top."  They are on YouTube.  This year I watched the full version of both.

Caveats:

1. I know about MLK's moral failings.  They don't take much away from his significant influence.

2. I know how leftists today seek to hijack his name and reputation for their own different agendas.  This also should not lead us to dismiss his historic import.

3. In my situation, some may dismiss me as being "woke" for writing about MLK at all.  This is the politics of perception more than substance.  His goal was biblical: equal treatment for blacks along with whites under the law.

A key lesson from MLK's legacy:

He sought to hold together a movement that tended to drift to extremes.

Some went the way of Malcolm X: the ballot or the bullet.  Violence condoned.

Others wimped out and compromised to easily with the other side.

MLK challenged both sides to stay focused, determined, and non-violent.

This is a lesson for conservatives today.  Where is the statesman today with the moral authority to denounce storming the Capitol while also determining to fight on for biblical principles?  Not to make stupid claims about a stolen election, but to rally around a dream:

- color-blind equity before the law, not rascist Critical Race Theory and intersectionality.  

The anti-racism of White Fragility is in direct contradiction to MLK's dream of judging a person by the content of their character, instead of by the color of their skin.  Our leftist media has judged that rioters for George Floyd can loot and burn, but that rioters for Trump at the Capitol are unforgivable.

- limited government

where states, counties and communities have more sway over our lives than the U.S. Congress.

- our laws aligned with the Bible

Not celebrating what they condemn.

I also need to say, MLK challenges the old guard conservative in our land.  There are times the minority challenge and protest is good and right.  It needs to be heard and considered carefully.  America DID owe our black brothers delivery on the check they sought to cash.

But just because you are protesting like MLK, maybe even in his name, doesn't mean your cause is automatically as just as his was.  Rafael Warnock brings a VERY different message to the U.S. Senate than MLK ever did.  It's hard to believe we are racist like we were back in 1963, though tiny vestiges remain.

The media's current narrative is a lie, damaging and dividing our country:

- Trump was a white supremacist

- his ideas and those of conservatives generally, are racist

- conservatives endanger democracy

- we should shut down conservative voices, so we don't have more Capitol stormers

NO.

Let us celebrate our nation's heritage of free speech, that gave MLK the platform to advocate for civil rights.

Let us thank God for a nation that has grown (too slowly) out of racism and bigotry

Let us remember that the kingdom of God is made up of people of every color, tribe, people, and nation.

Call to Confess Sin - 1/17/21

Nehemiah 4:10-14

In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” 

Nehemiah was trying to build a city wall while military enemies were intimidating them.  Their goal was to frighten and demoralize Israel so they’d give up.  Their main weapon was words.  “That wall is easily torn down.  We’re coming for you, from every side.  You’d better hide before the assassins strike!”  Nehemiah’s response is to keep building, to give Israel courage, and be ready to fight when needed.

We are easily led to discouragement and despair by recent news.  Sometimes I’m sure that is precisely their goal, to demoralize us.  But God’s word forbids it.  Be strong in the Lord and in His might. 

Let us confess our own sins before Almighty God.

Communion exhortation - 1/17/21

What is going on when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? We are being fed in our souls by uniting with our Savior, Jesus Christ. We receive Christ, by faith. Although Christ’s body is in heaven, there is a real joining a union here, accomplished by the Holy Spirit.

 

Jesus asks us to do this to remember Him, but more is going on here than just using some visual aids to help us remember Him, or to move us more deeply. Jesus also calls Himself the bread of God, come down from heaven. He says that unless we eat this bread – His Body – unless we drink this wine – His blood of the covenant – we have no life in us. Where there is faith, there is union with Christ. If we aren’t united to the vine we are dry and dead and cannot be saved. Eating and drinking here signifies that union, renews it, reconfirms it to us. We receive what we need for life – Jesus Christ.

 

Also remember that in this Supper, Jesus is feeding His own Body, the Church. Just as husbands are to nourish and cherish their wives, as their own bodies, so we see Christ nourishing us, His Body, here. So be mindful of the whole Body as you partake. This isn’t about making you as an individual more spiritual.  We do this together, as one Body. Discern the Body as you partake. This means the Body of Christ you see embodied in the bodies sitting around you. We are all part of the same vine.