Saturday, September 20, 2014

How big is God?

I was recently having a discussion with a fellow Christian who was going to tell her Sunday school class she teaches that they needed to get rid of their bibles. She read online that there were 337 differences between the King James and these other translations. She said they should have the oldest and most accurate version. She was even willing to buy them bibles. 

Now I don't wanna start the argument about which version is best. What I want to ask is what I asked her. Do you believe God is big enough to overcome human error? If someone makes a mistake in translation or even teaching, can God overcome that?

I am not talking about intentional misrepresentation. We all know that is wrong. But what about a mistake. Perhaps you quote a verse wrong. Leave out a word while sharing the Gospel. Can God overcome that?

I will say that I believe He is. He was in the business of reconciling people to him before we had the bible. He still saves people who don't have bibles in there language and can't read the word. People have been saved thru videos like the Jesus film YWAM has been backpacking in remote areas around the globe for years. 

I told her my advice was to tell her class the only bible that matters is the one you read. A wore out cover is more important than the version inside of it. God is bigger than translations. 


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Someone needs to say it....what about the 3,000?

I do not know whether you love or hate Mark Driscoll and Marshill church. This is not to weigh in one way or the other.

I just read in an article this statement:

“We’ve basically found ourselves in a tough financial position,” Dean said. “We started the year the strongest we’ve ever been, but since then we’ve seen a decline in attendance and giving, and we saw a steep decline over the last two months.” posted on thestate.com under an article entitled, Mars Hill megachurch closing branches and planning layoffs, amid Mark Driscoll leadership issues

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/09/3669748/mars-hill-megachurch-closing-branches.html?sp=/99/132/#storylink=cpy

This is in regards to the need to close 3 campuses, and lay of a third of all staff. What we here is the financial impact, that is not the thought I had.....

This is the thought that I had, Wow....... in this article it states the church has dropped by over 3,000 people a week in attendance. And I am sure some of the reasons are the issues around the pastor, but some are also that people are just turned off at the way the church as a whole loves to berate their own. After seeing how we behave, how we react, how we condemn, why would they want to be a part of that. How many people now will never meet Jesus becuase of all these foolish actions?

And I ask this question, who will be held accountable for this? Would Jesus be concerned over the financial impact or the people? When 3,000 people stop showing up to worship God because of anyone's behavior I think it hurt the heart of Jesus, after all it was Jesus that said.

John 13:34-35  

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

So I ask, did we show love? Please pray with me for those 3,000 people that now are not in church, may God help direct them to a church home.


Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/09/3669748/mars-hill-megachurch-closing-branches.html?sp=/99/132/#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/09/3669748/mars-hill-megachurch-closing-branches.html?sp=/99/132/#storylink=cpy