August 20, 2006

“Examine the Scriptures”

By Steve McReynolds

How did you arrive at what you believe about the return of Christ? Do you remember? Did your investigation include a thorough study of the Bible? All of the following scenarios are a good start, but on the whole inadequate:

1. “I heard it at a seminar, and it sounded very believable.”

2. “My pastor believes it strongly, and I trust him.”

3. “Most people I know believe that way, so it’s probably right.”

4. “I read it in a book; I didn’t see the need to check it out with the Bible.”

All of these may be good places to start, but not necessarily good places to finish.

In studying what the Bible has to say about the return of Christ an excellent place to spend your time is…in the Bible. Rocket science, I know. But it is tragic how ill-acquainted Christians can sometimes be with their own Bible. Interestingly, the less a person knows what the Bible says, often, the more dogmatic they are about what they believe.

If you haven’t studied the Bible yourself, you depend upon the work and preparation of others for all of your knowledge. But your laziness could be theologically “fatal.” When Paul and Silas attempted to persuade the Thessalonian Jews that Jesus was the Messiah in Acts 17, they ran him out of town, not because they compared what he was saying to the Scriptures, but because…well, because he was just wrong!

“1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. 5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd…10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men (NIV).

The Thessalonians did not check to see if what Paul and Silas said was in line with the Scriptures. The Bereans did, and they were commended.

Unfortunately, we can be like the Thessalonians. Much of what we believe has simply taken root. It’s just what we believe. We stopped studying to see what Scripture says. We’re comfortable with it. Here are some faulty characteristics of the Thessalonians, whom the Bible condemns in this case:

1. They valued being popular over finding the real truth.

2. They were so arrogant as to think their beliefs were not open to question.

Let’s look at the first flaw. They were not primarily focused on Paul’s reasoning, but rather on being popular with the people. “They were jealous,” it says. That’s interesting. Why doesn’t it say, “They were confused,” or “They disagreed with Paul’s and Silas’ logic?” That’s because the Thessalonian Jews weren’t really focused on their logic. They weren’t on a search for truth. If Paul and Silas were right, they didn’t want to know about it. “Right” theology wasn’t the priority; recognition was. Second, they were arrogant. This is clearly shown, by their rash behavior. Arrogance doesn’t have time to examine another opinion: “Why should I check it out? I already know I’m right.”

Unfortunately, in teaching on the return of Christ I have found these two characteristics in people far too often. Some people begin arguing with me and never even open their Bible. Is this an example of a genuine attempt to find the truth? This is closed-mindedness, I’m afraid. In such exchanges, usually more “heat” is generated than “light.” Others, however, commit the first fault—they value popularity over the real truth. “What will others say, if I change my views?” That’s called peer pressure, and it isn’t limited to just teenagers. It extends to adults, if we’re honest.

I think God calls on us to search out the truth in the Scriptures, with careful consideration to what the Church has taught, “because no one should be an island.” However, if that search leads us to question the view that happens to be popular in our day or in our circles, or causes us to have to reconsider what we have always believed, we should follow Paul’s instruction:
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, NIV).

August 16, 2006

What Are Your Choices?

People like simplicity. I know I prefer it. Place the issue of Jesus’ return in front of someone and ask them to tell you their view, and almost invariably they want to know, “What are my choices?” It’s a good place to start. Well-educated preachers are taught, when researching a passage of Scripture, to consult a commentary—good ones offer different options on what the Bible may mean. From there, the preacher has a baseline from which to begin and develop his own beliefs. 

Considering what others have said is a good place to start, but not necessarily a good place to finish. What about the return of Christ? Probably, because we like simplicity and dislike ambiguity, we have managed to boil what must be thousands of variations down to just three views. Pretribulational, Mid-Tribulational, and Post-Tribulational made the cut.  It reminds me of small, medium, and large; vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, smoking or non-smoking, etc. You get the idea.

But let us remember: Where did these “options” come from—Pre, Mid, and Post? From the men who developed them. These theological options are not “God-breathed,” as Paul says the Bible is. Therefore, they may be a good place to start, but not necessarily a good place to finish.  

We really are victims of our preference for simplicity. What if you worked at McDonald’s and somebody asked for a “medium and-a-half Coke?” They decided they wanted something between a medium and a large. “There’s no such thing,” you’d reply. Actually, there is such a thing as the ability to thirst for a different amount than McDonald’s idea of small, medium, or large. It’s just that McDonald’s is not prepared to handle that request.

Alright, what if somebody asked you to consider a view on a biblical topic that wasn’t one of the currently popular three views? Not “small, medium, or large?”—containers, by the way, invented and created by people, not God.  Would you reject it, because it’s unfamiliar? What’s wrong with another size? Is it “wrong, because we haven’t done it that way before?” Are those three sizes automatically our only options, because that’s just the way we do it nowadays? 

Well, Starbucks doesn’t think so. Try ordering a “medium coffee” there. Furthermore, there were no “small, medium, and larges” in Moses’ day, or Jesus’, and most likely not one hundred years from now, either. Are you getting the point that there is nothing “magical” about “small, medium, and large?” Medium is a size of beverage, but it isn’t the only size, nor is it one of three only sizes. On the same token, there is nothing “magical” about Pretribulational, Mid-Tribulational, and Post-Tribulational. These are popular views, simply because they’re popular. Granted, they each have their own merits. But stronger arguments may favor “another size”—“a medium and-a-half,” if you will.

What if another “size” was proposed—another explanation of Christ’s return? Is it automatically wrong because it isn’t one of the “three?” If it is, then stop shopping at Starbucks.

August 15, 2006

Are You Open to Feedback?

By Steve McReynolds 

“Are you open to feedback?” This is the question that, as a counselor, I have asked hundreds of clients in my practice. In other words, “Do you know everything there is to know about yourself, or is there a possibility that there are some things you aren’t aware of, which might help you improve?” I can tell the person's attitude by their answer. If they say yes, the counselor or other peers will give them feedback. If not, there’s really no point in going on, is there? 

This question can be asked of anyone about their views on the return of Christ: “Are you open to feedback?” If a person says, “Yes,” then they are committing themselves to listening and being patient. They are allowing themselves to say, “I’m not sure about this particular point. I might actually have been mistaken. I can improve my knowledge.”

“Are you open to feedback?” As a counselor I realize that this question relates to security and insecurity. A healthy attitude to have about debatable issues is to say, “This is what I believe. I could be wrong, or I might need to adjust my belief. I can always benefit from a different perspective.” 

Some people are insecure about their beliefs. They just believe it, because someone they trusted told them. Their roots are not that deep. It has not become personally their own. Therefore, when someone offers another perspective on a particular belief of theirs, they feel threatened. They don’t know how to respond, because they haven’t actually done the work of studying. Others feel insecure, because they take the interaction personally: “You’re suggesting I might be wrong. I don’t like to be wrong. If I’m wrong about this, what if I’m wrong about something else? That would scare me.”

So, what about you? “Are you open to feedback?” When someone offers a different perspective on a biblical idea, do you find yourself becoming angry? Afraid? Do you say things against the person? Do you feel uncomfortable and wish you could leave the room? These are all common reactions that come when a person feels threatened. If you find yourself doing this, ask yourself, “Why do I feel threatened right now?” 

A person who is open to feedback is never threatened by new ideas. They live their lives with an open mind, expecting that they can improve themselves by listening to others. They know they don’t know everything, and they’re o.k. with that. Are you o.k. with that?

What we all must accept is that none of us are expected to have a 100% corner on the truth, unless your name is God. And that’s o.k. The basic fundamentals of the faith are not negotiable: The virgin birth, the deity of Christ, etc. But there are issues in which the Bible leaves room to clarify. 

If you’re open to feedback, you may benefit from the following discussion. Some verses of Scripture may finally begin to make sense—or better sense—to you. You may feel like you have a better perspective on the issue. But all of this depends on your answer:

“Are you open to feedback?”