Big God

I heard two very familiar arguments the other day from someone who claims God does not exist. I was not surprised or caught off guard by these arguments because they are common and not new. The first is stated something like this: God cannot be all knowing and/or all seeing. The second argument states that it is impossible for God to be all powerful. The premise for the first argument is that if God is all knowing and seeing, then He knows what He will do in the future. If that is the case then God cannot change his mind or have the ability to change his mind (no freewill). If He does change his mind then He is no longer all seeing and all knowing. The premise of the second argument is that if God is all powerful, then he can make a object so big or heavy, that He cannot move it. If He cannot make such a object, then he is not all powerful. If he can make such an object, then he is not all powerful due to the fact that He cannot move the object. I love these questions and would like to offer my two cents on the philosophical topic!

First, I have to say that many people make the mistake of trying to fully comprehend God. We want to understand the creator of the universe so we can somehow control him. I personally do not want a God that underwhelms me or is merely a sports hero that I admire and cheer for during a sporting event. In reality we can only know what God revealed about himself to us, and what he reveled to us is only a fraction of what He is and what He is capable of. The problem with these two arguments is that they use human reasoning and understanding which is limited,  then we use this limited (finite) knowledge to disprove the creator of the universe (infinite) Is 55:9, Job 11:7. It reminds me of when my son was young and had a very limited understanding of the world and life and would often try to convince me I am wrong about something I knew to be right, that I experienced, or created for him (btw how old do they get before this changes?). So with that in mind let me dive into the arguments. (As you read these arguments please remember I am using human reasoning)

Let me target the argument that God cannot be all knowing or seeing. Again, the argument says that if God is all knowing and seeing then He cannot change his mind. If God cannot change his mind then He is a God with no freewill, which is not the character of God. If He can change his mind in the future then He is not all seeing. The premise of this argument is flawed, because it implies God does not know all variables. In order for God to change his mind, which He can, there must be a variable that happens for him to do so. For example, I plan on having lunch with a friend today, but if an emergency happens then I will change my mind and handle that emergency, but if I am all seeing and knowing, I will know this emergency would happen, therefore I would know ahead of time that I will change my plans. The all knowing/seeing argument has nothing to do with freewill or change of mind. It is limiting God to principles and physics that God created for us. One thing we must remember, God is not bound by time, therefore he is present, He is not past or future. He is an infinite God that always was and always will be! (Ex 3:14). Again we cannot place a finite argument and apply it to an infinite God.

In my opinion the better more intriguing argument is "can God make an object so big that He cannot move it". First off, God created the universe, and last time I checked that's a pretty big object. But for arguments sake, lets say he did make an object so big or heavy that He could not move it. To begin I have to define some terms to clarify this human argument. When we state "move" are we talking about lift? Carry? Push? This will determine how we proceed to answer. First (again we are being finite in asking this question), things are heavy because of the law of gravity. If you take the object into outer space it will weigh significantly less. God also made physics, so things are "heavy" because of God. So already we can see the flaw in this question. Can God go around his own creation of physics and gravity? Sure! So in that aspect He can make a very heavy object that He cannot move, but since He is the creator of physics He can change the laws of physics that would make it possible for him to move the object (again he doesn't have to "change physics" but I am using the human argument). Let me illustrate it this way, if I were to build a car from scratch and try to lift it, I most likely couldn't do it unless I built a go-cart or cardboard vehicle. But suppose I built a Hummer, I couldn't move it by lifting it, but I can get in the vehicle, start it up, and drive it, therefore moving it. Why? Because I created and designed it to function in that way. Now I know those skeptics will tell me it is not the same thing, but I claim it is. By putting parameters on my example by saying, "Driving it is not what I mean, you need to physically move it to prove your point" is like saying God can't put himself into such a small box that he can fit inside. Why is it the same? God putting himself into a small box is limiting who He is, (but He can do this if He wanted to). So by saying I can only "move" the Hummer by lifting it, I am restricting myself by not doing the logical thing and driving it. However, I'll continue down this thread. Suppose I lifted weights and did strength training for years until I was able to lift the Hummer and move it? Would you say I both created something so big that I could not move it, but eventually I was able to move it? Therefore, I did both right? I created something so big that I could not lift it, but then I was able to lift it by training and transforming my body. To continue, some may say I could never gain enough strength to move the vehicle, but I say that if I cannot it is because I am human and I have limitations. 

My point is this: God is a big God, and we cannot try to use human reasoning to minimize His greatness. (Job 26:14) It is easy to dismiss God because we cannot fully understand and comprehend him (Job 37:5), but then again, why do we want a God that we can fully comprehend and understand? Its like when a son realizes he is physically stronger than the father. At that point the father becomes aware (if he wasn't already) that he is very human. Sometimes we want to become physically and/or intellectually stronger than our spiritual father, however, that will never be. I take joy in knowing my God is a Big God.

Haters Gonna Hate!

Today as I ponder some of the things that make us tick in our society, I thought about the issue of haters. Now for those of you who are not familiar with the slang term haters, here is a definition from urban dictionary:

• A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.

• Hating, the result of being a hater, is not exactly jealousy. The hater doesn't really want to be the person he or she hates, rather the hater wants to knock someone else down a notch. 

So the question becomes why do people hate? Why is it sometimes we wish someone else to fall so that we can feel better? I see this play out during football season. I am a Raider fan, a franchise rich in a tradition of winning, and a commitment to excellence (okay enough of the propaganda), but it is no secret that the team is hated by many, especially by fans of the other team in the bay (and vice-versa, it goes both ways). Now there are great kind-hearted fans on both sides, but I have seen and heard so many fans of one team bash the other. I see that if one team does well fans of the other wont support them. This is an example of "hatin". If our team does not have success, we do not want the other team to have success. But why is this?

We can look all through the bible and see that haters. Cain hated on Abel, Pharaoh hated on the Hebrews, Saul hated on David, Pharisees and religious leaders hated on Jesus, and so on. As we can see the "hate" is nothing new, but when we look closely we can see what this hate leads too. Cain killed Abel, Pharaoh enslaved the Hebrews and ordered Hebrew babies to be killed, Saul wanted David killed, and we all know what happened to Jesus. Full blown hate leads to sin, the result of that sin is evil, which will eventually lead to death (Romans 6:23, James 1:14-15). This is playing out at sporting events, as you will hear about shootings, fights, stabbings and other violence after sports games. Most of us have heard about the Giants fan that was attacked at Dodger Stadium that suffered brain damage as a result of the beatings. What drives us as a society to act in such a way? Why are we at one time or another, "a hater"?

I could go into many reasons why this occurs, but let me just mention one. I believe we hate because we have a loss of identity. Let me explain. Sometimes another persons success threatens our confidence in our own existence. Going back to the sports team example, when our team loses we feel our relevance is somehow diminished, and we aren't even playing!  We wrap our identities up in the team by buying jerseys, banners, bumper stickers, etc. Therefore when our team misses the playoffs, has a losing season, or disappoints us in some way, we somehow feel a loss of existence. This is compounded when a rival team enjoys success. Suddenly we feel that our relevance is gone and it is given to others, which results in us becoming haters.We have a desire to dominate. Our team is the best. What I am doing is the best. I am in first place. The problem is we have chosen to wrap our identity in the wrong things! We must remember that our identity is in Christ, and once we embrace that identity, the fact that we have been chosen , we no longer have to worry about dominating over others (John 15:16).When we remember our identity is not in ourselves, our favorite sports team, or anything else we place it in, we can focus on enjoying the freedom, grace, and love that we have in Christ. We do not need to hate because it is no longer our nature, we do not need to dominate over others because we love not only what God loves, but we love how God loves (John 15:12-17). God loved us so much that he paid a debt that he did not owe. His death on the cross was our gain, and if anyone had a legitimate right to be a hater it was Christ. So next time you feel yourself having a little hate towards someone just remind yourself, why am I "hatin"?

Your Greatest Ministry is at Home

I was reading a blog today by Dale Hudson who has spent 22 years in ministry. He listed 10 leadership tips for leaders, specifically for leaders in children's ministry. One of the tips that caught my eye was the statement, "Your greatest ministry is at home." The reason I love this tip so much is because it is true for all people in ministry, not just leaders. Now some may be thinking, "well I'm not in ministry", but guess what.... if you are a Christian you ARE in ministry. We are told to make disciples and share the good news of the grace and redemption we ourselves received through our Lord Jesus Christ. This statement is saying that God has trusted us with a family, and that family is our greatest ministry. Here are some reasons why.

1. We know them! We typically know them best because we spend the most time with them! Why does that matter? Because we already have an unconditional love for them (agape), like the unconditional love God has for us! If we are not ministering to the people we love unconditionally, how are we going to minster to people we love brotherly? (philía)
2. The family unit is God's design. God has put each member of your family together purposefully, and there  is a reason that God created us in the first place. If we look back to Genesis we can see it has always been about community. We were told to multiply and fill the earth (Gen 1:28), even after the fall and the flood (Gen 9:1). It is no wonder our greatest ministry is at home, it is God's plan for families to be discipleship groups, coming together in the home and being discipled so that the individual members can disciple others.
3. We cannot disciple others if we do not disciple our families. I often quote Deuteronomy 6:5-7, which explains our responsibilities as parents. Verse 5 is the verse that Jesus quoted when asked what is the greatest commandment. What follows is the instructions on what to do with the greatest commandment, which is to impress (teach) them on your children. If we are willing to do this for others but not to those in our families then we are forgetting our primary responsibility.

So whats next? What does this look like? I can tell you that it is not necessary to come up with a strict and rigid plan to have a formal bible study every night, week, etc. The Deuteronomy passage is telling us that we just need to spend time with our families. That our conversations show and demonstrate our faith, and we share what God has done in our lives, or what they learned at church this past weekend, or what they may learn the coming up weekend, and more. The key is for them to see you're not a robot or burnt out when you are home. Make sure your family doesn't get the leftovers, because your day was filled with activity with other people. Take your day off and take vacation time, who you are is more important that what you do. God wants us to take care of our families, which is why our greatest ministry is at the home.

A Great Way to Lead Spiritually in 2012

It's a new world, And a bold world, And I'm feeling good, Stars when you shine, You know what I mean, Scent of the pine, You know what I mean, Oh freedom is all mine, And I know what I mean, Well it's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life for me, Well it's a new dawn, It's a new day, And I'm feeling good!

These song lyrics express the way I view my life as a spiritual leader of a thirteen (soon to be 14) year old boy. Being the parent of a teenager is a new world and a bold world indeed! But I'm feeling good! Why you may ask? Because I know that I am the spiritual leader of his life, and I am confident in knowing I am in Christ and He is in me, and my son sees that. Those of you who know me understand that I want the church to partner with the parents, so that the parent can become the spiritual leader of their kids lives. You as a parent spend more time with your child than a pastor, teacher, or church volunteer, so it makes sense for the church to do all it can in assisting the parent. One of the greatest ways that this can happen is to volunteer in your child's Sunday morning classroom periodically. This can be once a month, once a quarter, maybe even once a year. Here are some reasons why this is one of the most benificial things you can do as a parent:

1.  Your kids will enjoy it! I know some of you are thinking, "my kids don't want me anywhere near their classroom!" I will have to disagree with that statement. I think when kids know that you have an interest in what they learn they will know it is important! They may not say or show their appreciation, but they will know you want to be involved in their spiritual lives.
2. You can see and hear what and how they are learning! We do everything we can to inform the parents what there child is learning, especially with the Yak Paks that we provide. However, being in the classroom allows you to see how the children act and respond to the lessons. You may even be surprised with the volunteer talent we have. 
3. You will be contributing to the ministry you're already a part of! If you're a parent with kids that attend any of our Next Gen classes or programs, then you are part of the Next Gen Ministry. We love when our parents invest in the ministry they are a part of. We look at our parents as owners of the ministry!
4. It Keeps the ministry alive! Things that are dead are no use to us. Our lives are new in Christ and our old useless selves are dead. When you volunteer (even on a very limited basis like once a quarter) you keep the ministry alive! This is because when we all volunteer burnout does not happen. Volunteers remain fresh and alive, enabling them to be more creative and productive when it is there turn to serve.

One thing I want to leave you with is this, IF YOU ARE NOT PASSIONATE OR DO NOT FEEL LED TO VOLUNTEER, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO! Our goal is not to have parents volunteer because they feel they have to. We are all under grace, and guilt has no place in the kingdom. When my son went to a private christian school I was required to volunteer a certain number of hours or pay $200 at the end of the year (Feel free to do the same for us, we can use camp scholarships! ....joke). So what I did was find things I was interested in doing that made it fun, (help the class with hand motions to songs, coach basketball, etc). So my hope is that each parent can find something that they love to do, and make it a goal in 2012 to get involved. I look forward to working and partnering with all the parents this year!