DAILY BLOG
17
Jan '21
Ephesians 6:12 – Craig Andrew Griebel
17
Jan '21
Wake up – A Political Rant
I have to say that as an American – I hate being on Facebook around the months of September to December every four years. It is a time when many rant and rave about elections – stating their opinions and calling anyone that doesn’t stand with them an imbecile or an idiot. I’ve watched as apocalypses and martial law have been predicted due to Donald Trump losing the election. I’ve watched as friends call President Trump a bigot and enemy of America. I’ve shaken my head as I’ve seen other friends say the same regarding President Elect Biden. And I’ve come to realize this year just how much politics divides us – how it causes us as the Christian church to ostracize certain people that would otherwise come to know Christ as their LORD.
And I’ve followed my former ministers – some that are now liberal and bash conservatives – stating that modern evangelicals have lost touch with the poor and needy. I’ve seen other mentors bash the left – stating that if you vote Democrat you basically can’t believe in God. And I think in the end of this I’ve watched something much greater take place than politics. Indeed, I’ve watched something much more important than a presidential election take place. I have now seen a Christian church that is asleep to a very real spiritual war that it taking place.
For you see, while we moan and complain about each other – another very real enemy is attacking our world and specifically our country. And I am here to tell you that while I also have political leanings like everybody else in this country – I am being convicted daily to not forget that something else is going on beneath the surface. Ephesians 6:12 states: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Friends, while we fight each other, this cunning enemy continues to build a kingdom that is bringing about death and devastation to many.
Yet, we as Christians sleep while the giant taunts us. We sleep in the boat while our friends and coworkers drown in the sea. What have we become? I ask you honestly, what have you become? Do you still care about the Kingdom of God? Because you see – we have made politics our God and have forgotten that our Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Wake up sleepers – wake up and fight in a war that you are in the middle of.
Oh, but don’t make the mistake that so many do. Don’t fight this war by your flesh. Instead we are to fight as Christ fought. We will surrender everything to God. We will turn the other cheek when slapped. We will give away our shirt when our jacket is stolen. We will live so differently than the world around us that Christ will shine as a spot light in a very dark world. But don’t let your political stance ruin that light. Don’t let that be the bushel that burns out your wick. Don’t forget the real enemy you fight (and let me give you a hint – it isn’t Donald Trump or Joe Biden). And don’t you dare forget the One that you not only fight for but also fights with you.
Christians, countless souls are lost to hell because we have forgotten the true fight we are in. Christians, we live in a world wrecked and loss – stung by racial tension, disease, and political hatred. And worse of all, Christians, we are part of the problem. Wake up and pray – knowing that every prayer is heard by an All Powerful God. Wake up and love – showing a broken world that God does care for them. Wake up and live – not in the sins of this world but set apart as a pleasing, holy, sacrifice to our God. Wake up – I beg of you. Only then can we truly become the difference that we are meant to be.
“This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’” Ephesians 5:14
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15
Aug '20
Mark 9:23 – Craig Andrew Griebel
15
Aug '20
Questions: What if I still have doubts?
As a Dallas Cowboys fan I know what it is like to live with doubts. Every year on paper the Cowboys look like they should be a Super Bowl team – and every year they disappoint me. I still don’t understand how a team can have a top ten offense and a top fifteen defense yet still choke every year when it comes to making the Playoffs. I always joke that you are a true Cowboy fan when the team is ahead by thirty five points in the fourth quarter but you know deep down that you can still lose the game. And here is the thing: I imagine the Cowboys could win five Super Bowls in a row and I would still have doubts concerning the next season.
As a Christian, sometimes I feel the very same way. I think of how some doubts still hide in the depths of my soul even when I feel so connected with Christ. I shutter at the truth that I still question God moving – noting I still don’t have complete faith when I pray. I think of the questions that I still have – the fear that envelopes me when I don’t fully understand how it all works. I admit I am bearing my soul to everyone reading this in hopes that this may relate to you. Does that mean I am not a Christian? Do these doubts mean that my faith is a fallacy? I wanted to end this series on this question: What if I still have doubts?
I feel we could look at many different aspects of this question. We could argue that part of being a creation instead of a Creator automatically assumes that we won’t understand every aspect of our faith. We could argue that it is not all about understanding but instead based on a relationship. We could equate this to any other relationship that we have – I don’t always understand everything Holly does and question different decisions she makes (as I promise she also does with me) but because I love her my doubts don’t really matter. I could look at many different aspects of our final question but I feel that the Bible itself gives the best answer that I could possibly come up with.
In Mark 9 we read an incredible account of Jesus’ encounter with a man that is in dire need of Jesus’ help. The man’s son has been sick from early childhood. We read that a spirit has been seizing the boy for a long period of time – throwing him into fires and causing him to foam at the mouth. The father is desperate – he needs help. He first approaches Jesus’ disciples and they can not cast out the demon. As Jesus approaches the father throws himself at Jesus’ feet and waits for Jesus to speak to him. Jesus asked the father about his boy and the father replies with this simple statement – “if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22b)
I relate to the father of the boy in this instance. I pray for others but I let my doubts guide my prayers. I state: “God, if you can, heal my mom.” “God, if you can, give my wisdom.” We continue to state: God, if….And that is why I love Jesus’ reply. He simply says: “If you can? Everything is possible to the one who believes.” (Mark 9:23) I feel like sometimes Jesus says the same regarding my doubts – He looks at me and says: “Why do you doubt? Why do you limit me? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”
Oh, how I love the father of the boy. He gives the answer that everyone of us prays. He replies to Jesus in a very honest way by stating: “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”(Mark 9:24) I have prayed this same prayer many times – have you? “God I believe, but help my unbelief!” I can’t think of any prayer better to end this series!
What I mean is that we will always have questions. We may always have some doubts. But as we draw close to Christ these things simply don’t matter. As we continue to dive into knowing Him more – understanding more about His character and His plan for our lives – we see that those doubts start falling away. And as I come to grasp more about Him – as I come to know Him more – I understand that my doubts are minuscule compared to the vastness of my God. I suppose what I am trying to get across is that my questions don’t worry God.
God understands my limitations. He understands my struggles. He knows every aspect of my soul – my deepest fears and my hidden doubts. He is not surprised by any of this – and guess what? He loves me regardless. When I understand this my life changes drastically. My faith isn’t about all the intellectual answers I can give regarding the questions we have gone over but instead is all about resting in a very real relationship that I have with the only true God. I can pray as the father did for God to help my unbelief simply because I know that God loves me and wants to help me see Him more. He only asks that I trust and have faith as He continues to reveal Himself to me.
Thus I end this series with encouragement to rest in your relationship with Christ. Know that the questions you have regarding your faith have very real answers but more than that – rest in the fact that God loves you. Because when you understand that fact above all else, your questions disappear and you can stand in the truth that you are His son or daughter and that He loves you more than you could ever know.
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01
Aug '20
Hebrews 13:8 – Craig Andrew Griebel
01
Aug '20
Questions: Is the God of the Old Testament different than the God of the New Testament?
One of my favorite Batman villains is Harvey Dent, also known as “Two-Face”. Before becoming disfigured, Harvey Dent was a Gotham City district attorney helping bring many criminals to justice while keeping the streets of Gotham safe. However, after an accident which left his face half disfigured, Harvey Dent became crazy and evolved into the criminal we now know as “Two-Face”. This psychopath flips a coin, letting fate decide who he will kill and who he will spare. He became one of Batman’s most know enemies; killing hundreds in Gotham City while making it a goal to destroy the Caped Crusader.
Sometimes I think that God can seem similar to “Two-Face”. He can seem cruel and vengeful in the Old Testament while appearing loving and gracious in the New Testament. Indeed, this apparent character split is the reason many avoid reading the Old Testament altogether. Could it be that the God of the Old Testament is not the same s the One of the New Testament? Could it be that the writers of the Bible changed their descriptions of God as time went on, making him seem more approachable as history slowly moved forward? Or, could it be that the God of the Bible is the same throughout, not changing in character but remaining rock, a constant base, upon which we can choose to stand?
I have now read the Bible from beginning to end twelve different times and as I dive more into the Old Testament, I become more convinced that the character of God never changes. The Old Testament is a story of redemption, God saving a nation out of slavery due to his divine mercy, not because they somehow deserved it. Does this sound familiar to the story of redemption we sin in Christ? It tells about the beginning of mankind, how we chose to sin and how God used that to bring about the crazy plan of redemption. That is the focus of the narrative from Genesis to Malachi, a tale of how God plans to save all of mankind. We see that in the life and calling of Abraham. We follow the redemptive story in the lineage of King David. The prophets tell us about how that plan of redemption is not forgotten even though David’s lineage seems to be destroyed during the Babylonian exile. Every page continues the story, every moment capturing the mercy and grace of God, a God that will not let humankind wallow in defeat but instead be raised to newness of life.
A wise pastor once compared the Bible to a “Where’s Waldo” book. When you look through “Where’s Waldo” you see a variety of different images. Some take place in space and some are on the beach. Some pictures are from prehistoric times while others are in the future. These books are full of random images that only have one common theme, Waldo. Without Waldo, the book is no longer cohesive. He is hidden in every image, sometimes easy to see while other times quite difficult. But, nonetheless, Waldo is in the picture. He always looks the same, wearing his red striped sweater and crazy hat. He never changes, page to page, even when everything else may change around him.
In the same way, Jesus is the glue that brings the Old Testament and the New Testament into one cohesive unit. He was there in the moment of creation and is promised in Geneses 3 as the one who would finally destroy the serpent that brought about sin. We see in Genesis 22 that God provided a substitute so that Isaac would not have to be sacrificed. We see that substitute again provided in Exodus 12, bringing about another story of redemption. Do you see Waldo yet in these passages? Do you see Jesus in them?
In Joshua 2, we see that the faith of a Gentile brings about salvation for her and deliverance for her non-Jewish family. In Judges 7, God uses only 300 men to destroy the entire Midianite army, prefiguring one sacrifice that would end up saving millions. We read of Samuel being raised up as a prophet, judge, and priest, prefiguring a future leader who would be the King of Kings, one True Prophet, and Perfect Sacrifice for our sins. In 1st Samuel 24, David saves Saul’s life though Saul certainly deserved death. David’s son, Solomon, is given wisdom in 1st Kings 3 and later his lineage will give rise to the One that is, “The Wisdom of God” (1st Corinthians 1:24). Friends, do you see Waldo yet? Do you see Jesus?
We could go on and on! In 2nd Kings 2, Elijah is taken to heaven in a whirlwind, prefiguring One who would live a perfect life and ascend to heaven. Yet, because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, He is able to also raise us into heaven as well. We see Him speaking to Abraham (Genesis 18), leading Joshua (Joshua 5), and in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3). His birth is proclaimed by the prophet Micah while His death is foretold by Isaiah. Indeed, Jesus is the Waldo of the Old Testament, always there in symbolism, being, and prophecy.
So, we come back to our original question: Is the God of the Old Testament different than the God of the New Testament? As we read the Old Testament we can confidently proclaim that He is the same throughout! He is always working, bringing about redemption and salvation that the New Testament makes plain to us. His character is unchanging, showing mercy, grace, patience, and love while also being completely just and holy. Norman Geisler interestingly points out that the word “mercy” in the King James Version of the Bible is found 261 times in the Bible, 72% of those occurrences are in the old Testament. He also found that the word “love” occurs 322 times in the Bible, 50% of the time in the Old Testament. In other words, God has never changed, His attributes are the same, though sometimes in His plan that can be hard to see. However, when we look to Jesus it makes more sense; we see God clearer and understand the story of the entire Bible.
Thus, take confidence in the fact that God never changes. Take confidence that due to that fact, He is a constant rock and foundation for you to rest your life upon. Most of all, be amazed at the beautiful story of redemption the Bible tells, a story that not only changes our life now, but also our eternal fates. God never changes, and the sooner I realize that fact the sooner I allow Him to save the wretched sinner that I am.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
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18
Jul '20
2 Thessalonians 1:9 – Craig Andrew Griebel
18
Jul '20
Questions: Why Would a Loving God Send People to Hell?
There are a few subjects that are taboo to discuss. I try not to talk about the Titanic when sailing on an Alaskan Cruise Ship. I tend to not talk about plane crashes when flying to a vacation destination. I try to not talk about winning when I am talking with a Cleveland Browns fan. And I try to not talk about Hell…well…really ever. Many of us as Christians are terrified to talk about the subject of eternal damnation. Hell either seems too complex to discuss or too inhumane to consider. Hell is truly a taboo subject – especially when discussing God with non-believers.
One mistake we often make as Christians is that we think because we don’t like a certain issue it automatically means that it is unjust or unfair. We feel like God’s plan can not exist beyond our limited understanding. I have been reading the book of Job and this is one mistake Job’s friends ran into with their so called “encouragement”. They felt suffering could only exist for those that did wrong because otherwise – God would not be just. However, at the end of the book, God condemns them because their view of Him is too small. In other words, they are corrected because they feel they are big enough to fully understand God – instead of knowing that: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” (Isaiah 55:8) So, it is with the topic of Hell – we don’t have to be comfortable with it and we certainly can’t completely understand it – we just have to trust that God knows best. After all, His track record is certainly astounding and we know that He is: “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.” (Exodus 34:6b)
Our other mistake when we ask the title question of this blog is that we make it sound like God is petty and loves sending people to hell. Yet, in Scripture we know that is not true. 2 Peter 3:9 reads: The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” In fact, when we think of the definition of Hell – we see that it is not necessarily even God who sends people to Hell but instead our own decisions that determine our eternal destination.
For you see, God created us with free will – the ability to choose His free gift of salvation OR the ability to choose to constantly try to separate from God and live life our own way. Many choose to ignore their creator. In fact, they want nothing to do with Him. God can’t “force them” to love Him – that would destroy the free will that He created them to have. Instead, He allows them to continue to choose. And when the time of death comes and we leave this earth – that choice comes to fulfillment.
For you see, Hell in its purest sense is separation from God. That is the most theologically true definition we can give concerning the matter. We may never be able to fully know if the flames of hell are literal or figurative but the one thing that we do know is that eternal separation from God is what defines Hell. For you see, we don’t understand the gravity of being separate from God. We only know that when Jesus died on the cross – the most pain that He felt was not the physical abuse He took on but instead the moment that God turned His face away as Jesus bore the sins of all humanity. At that time Jesus cried out: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)
Remember, God is the creator of every good thing – He is love, compassion, and truth. In the absence of Him, none of those things exist. Instead, there is loneliness, pain, and isolation. There is anger and bitterness. There is darkness and sorrow. Understand, we chose this – we wanted God out of our lives and He gave us this wish. Every little choice made by humanity – every rejection to the Gospel – has brought us closer to this destination. So you see, it is not fair for me to ask: “Why does God send people to Hell?” Instead, the question is: “Why do we choose Hell and separation from God?”
Friends, today we have a choice. We can choose to accept the free gift of salvation and seek Christ and one day be in His very presence. That is what Heaven is – communion with God. It is being with the One that created your purpose, your passions, and your desires. God knows how to fulfill your every need and He is the eternal source of love, joy, acceptance, and peace. We can choose this OR we can choose our own way. We can choose to separate from God and end up in a very real destination called Hell. There will be weeping, anger, and no value. For only God can give value and purpose. Hell may not be an easy concept to discuss but we have to understand that going there is our choice. Thus, I beg of you to turn to Christ today and understand the fulfillment, joy, and purpose that IS being in His presence. One day we will see Him face to face and for those of us that have sought Him in this life – we will have eternal joy in His companionship. However, those that do not seek Him will have eternal pain in the absence of His presence.
“Those people will be punished with a destruction that continues forever. They will be kept away from the Lord and from His great power.” 2 Thessalonians 1:9
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11
Jul '20
Psalm 119:27-28 – Craig Andrew Griebel
11
Jul '20
Questions: Is the Bible True?
So much hinges on one little book. Think about that for a second. As a Christian – we place so much hope in what the Bible says is true. That is why it is amazing to me that so many Christians have never really read the book in its entirety. We as Christians state that we believe the Bible is inerrant – meaning that it is without error. We state that it is the inspired Word of God – written words that we can base our life upon. Yet, how do we truly know that the Bible is true? Is their evidence that we even have the same scriptures that were originally copied thousands of years ago? These questions are essential to answer if we are going to continue our apologetic series.
Let me start by making a disclaimer I must make during every blog of this series – I don’t have every answer. Instead, I want to give you a base to continue your search for answers – a candle that will help you reach the spotlight of truth that God has revealed to us in His word and world. Now, back to the matter at hand: does the Bible document truth and do we have the same Bible that was written thousands of years ago?
We start off by noticing something unique in the Bible – it claims that the writings preserved in it are inspired. Think of the moments that the Bible claims to be inspired. In the Old Testament – we see that the book of Deuteronomy was called “The Book of the Law” and that when King Josiah discovered it in the temple he wept “for great is the LORD’s wrath that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD in order to do everything written in this book.” (2 Chronicles 34:21 – emphasis mine) Also, we see that the prophets of the Old Testament consistently claim “This is the Word of the LORD” when they start their prophecies (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are just a few examples of books that use this terminology). And when we look into the New Testament – we read that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16 – emphasis mine) One last question before we jump off of the beaten horse – what about the writings by Paul – does the Bible claim anywhere that his works are inspired? Peter actually equates Paul’s letters as scripture in his epistle – stating: “Also, regard the patience of our LORD as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you. He speaks about these things in all his letters, in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:15-16 – emphasis mine).
Alright, so we now know that the Bible claims to be the inspired Word of God but does that mean that it actually records truth? After all, hasn’t history proven the Bible wrong time and time again? Many sceptics look at stories such as the Exodus and claim there is not any evidence of such an event outside of the Bible. However, it might amaze you to know that there were once many other events not believed to be true by sceptics which have now been proven by archeology. Skeptics once claimed that the character of David and his dynasty recorded in 1st and 2nd Kings were fictional – yet in 1993-1994 the House of David Inscription (also known as Tel Dan stele) was found which is a stone slab that is inscribed with the phrase: “House of David” and talks about specific kings of Israel and Judah (read 1 Kings 16 thru 2 Kings 9 to see the the individuals mentioned in the stele). Skeptics also once claimed that the last king of Babylon, Belshazzar, never existed and that the book of Daniel had to be mistaken. However, the “Cylinder of Nabonidus” was found in 1854 and mentions Belshazzar as “the eldest son” – the future ruler of Babylon.
The New Testament also has archeological finds that support its writings. The Pilate Stone Inscription found in 1961 confirmed the existence of Pilate (the governor that crucified Jesus). The Caiaphas Ossuary found in 1990 confirms the existence of the high priest Caiaphas. The Skeleton of Yohanan found in 1968 is a body of a man crucified by the Roman Government and corroborates the Biblical narratives describing crucifixion. Jesus Himself is mentioned in other historical narratives of the time. The Jewish historian Josephus, the Roman historian Tacitus, and the Stoic philosopher Mara are just three people that mention Jesus in their historical works. In fact, Tacitus actually writes about Christians stating they are “called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.” (Annals [AD 116], book 15, chapter 44).
However, what if the Bible that was originally written is not the same book that we now have translated in modern English? Could passages have been lost in translation or could changes have been introduced in the two thousand years that have taken place since the resurrection of Christ? Critical scholarship tells us that this is not true – the Bible we now have on our desk is the same book constructed all those years ago. There are actually over 5,600 original language manuscripts of the New Testament – compare that to only 7 of any one of Aristotle’s original works. Plus, the span of years between the composition of the entire Bible and the oldest copy we have on record is only 90 years. This might seem like a decent amount of time but not when you see that the span of years between the composition and oldest copy of the Plato Tetralogies is 1,300 years – a book that no historian questions in authenticity.
Get ready for something else that is super cool: there was a fragment of Mark found in 1955 that was carbon dated no later than AD 68 – pretty amazing when you take into account that the original book of Mark could only have been written twenty to thirty years earlier. Fragments of John’s gospel have been found that are universally accepted to be dated at AD 125 – only around 30-40 years after John wrote his Gospel. Oh, and don’t forget the Dead Sea Scrolls – providing the oldest known copies of almost all the books of the Old Testament. When performing comparative studies of the book of Isaiah we read in our current Bible and that found in the Dead Sea Scrolls – it was found that only 13 small changes were discovered between the narratives – and all of these were minor and did not change the message of the book. That is simply remarkable and unheard of when comparative analysis is performed. Norman Geisler writes: “The vast number, early dates, and unmatched accuracy of the OT and NT manuscript copies establish the Bible’s reliability well beyond that of any other ancient book.”
I truly could go on and on but I don’t want to bore you or overwhelm you. And if you get nothing else out of this note – at least remember this: the Bible you hold in your hand is amazing. Take the time out of your day to dive into it – having confidence that it is historically accurate and inspired by God. I end with one last scripture:
“Help me understand the meaning of Your precepts so that I can meditate on Your wonders, I am weary from grief; strengthen me through Your word.” Psalm 119:27-28
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27
Jun '20
Psalm 9:1 – Craig Andrew Griebel
27
Jun '20
Questions: If God Exists, Why Don’t We See More Miracles?
I was a strange little kid. I remember growing up and swimming in my parents’ pool during the summer. I recall enjoying the cold water in the midst of the Amarillo dry heat. I also remember thinking of Peter walking on water every time I would jump into the pool. Sometimes, I would pray and tell God that I had faith to do the same. I would step off the deck and prepare to walk on top of the water….only to go straight to the bottom and receive a mouth full of water.
One common criticism for many concerning Christianity is the question as to why God does not perform the miracles that he used to perform. Indeed, this question can also become much more personal and become: “Why does God not heal me or my family?” And I admit that sometimes I wonder this same thing. I work in health care – I see good people every day suffer from illnesses that they have prayed years to have taken away. Sometimes it can seem that God is silent – that He isn’t listening. Other times it is easy to think of the miraculous as something of the past – a way that God no longer moves. Yet, that can’t be true – why pray for the sick if we believe God will only remain silent. But the question remains: Why is God not moving in the miraculous more noticeably?
I suppose my first answer to this question is a question of my own: How are we so sure that God isn’t moving in the miraculous? Could it be that we often try to explain away things that should be unexplainable acts of God? I recall around three years ago performing an evaluation on a woman that had some type of chronic pain. She was telling me about a severe pain she had been having for years and was near tears as she remarked how long it had been bothering her. I remember feeling like God was leading me to pray for her – thus I asked if she would mind if we prayed together. She readily agreed and I prayed a simple prayer for God to give her relief and healing. I didn’t think too much of it – she felt comfort but no physical change at the end of the prayer. However, the next time I saw her – she told me that for the first time the pain was gone – the first time this had happened in years.
You want to hear the craziest thing about this story? I don’t even remember exactly what I prayed for – I don’t remember if it was her back or some type of hypersensitive painful nerve going down her leg. It truly bugs me that I can’t remember…that I can’t recall the details. Do you want to know why that bothers me so much? Because I believe deep in my mind I never really thought God moved through me – I almost treated it like a coincidence or some type of placebo effect that she experienced. I look at myself and I think about just how skeptical I am…and it makes me repent as I write this. Why am I so blind to the miraculous? Why can’t I just give God the credit?
I suppose many of you have similar stories – stories of God moving that you may have forgotten or not thought about in a long time. I know a man in our church was on his death bed – two friends prayed for him and he recovered fully. The doctors were astounded! I think of the stories I grew up hearing from missionaries – of miracles taking place that defy any explanation. I think of the supernatural guidance God has used to bring me to where I am right now – coincidences that are too perfect to be coincidences. Yet, I still find myself doubting the miraculous. I still find it hard to believe. Perhaps that is because I still have prayers in my life that have not been answered. Perhaps it is because the sin in my life blinds me to God moving.
I do think one reason we don’t see the miraculous as we would like is because of our lack of faith. We pray to God like we are reading our Christmas list to Santa. We say we will pray for people and then we walk off without saying a word to God. We just don’t take our relationship with God seriously. How can we expect to have faith when we barely know God ourselves – when we are still on “baby food” as Paul calls it. (1 Corinthians 3:2)
I also believe that there is another miracle that we have all seen that we don’t take seriously. A miracle that we often push aside and ascribe to self will. That miracle is the change of life that salvation in Christ alone gives us. In the second chapter of Mark we read about a paralyzed man that Christ makes able to walk. The text reads:
“Then they came to Him bringing a paralytic, carried by four men. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above where He was. And when they had broken through, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ But some of the scribes were sitting there, thinking to themselves: ‘Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Right away Jesus understood in His spirit that they were reasoning like this within themselves and said to them, ‘Why are you reasoning these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up your stretcher, and walk’? But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ He told the paralytic, ‘I tell you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.’” (Mark 2:3-11)
This passage has always been remarkable to me for one huge reason: Jesus claims that forgiveness of sins is more miraculous than making a paralyzed man walk. He is making a huge claim here: a changed life spiritually is a bigger miracle than any type of physical healing! This might not sound profound to you but think about this: when you give God your life and accept His salvation to change your destiny: He is performing a miracle at that very moment. When he changes your heart and you draw closer to Him – becoming a new person in the process – He is performing a miracle. Friends, miracles still happen as I am one. I think of the changes God has brought about in my life as I seek Him – the fears, anxieties, struggles, and doubts I have overcome and I see that He has been working miracles in my life daily.
I was able to teach a lecture on apologetics (defending the faith) at a local church around a year ago and got to know several guys that are a part of an organization called “Teen Challenge”. These guys were criminals, drunks, druggies, pimps, and whatever other stereotype you can come up with before they experienced a life change when they came to Christ. I recall talking to them about how God had moved in their lives – the changed desires they now had and the spiritual hunger that was obvious as I talked to them about their testimony. I remember thinking at the time – “This does more to defend the faith than any lecture I can give.”
Thus, I end this in praying that by reading this God can perform a miracle in your life. I pray He meets your physical needs – but more so I pray that He meets your spiritual needs as well. I pray you have friends that show you the miraculous – the growth that they experience in Christ proving His goodness time and time again. I know that several people in my life have shown me the realness of God and pray that He reveals the same to you as well.
“I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
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20
Jun '20
Matthew 11:28 – Craig Andrew Griebel
20
Jun '20
Questions: How Does a Loving God Allow Pain and Suffering?
He had lost everything….his children were dead, his livelihood was gone, and his property wad destroyed. His health had also waisted away – he truly felt as if he was only one step away from taking his final breath. His wife also felt the bitterness of all the loss – she let the sorrow turn her heart to anger…anger at the merciless God who would take her children from her. However, the man himself couldn’t breathe – and it didn’t seem to be the ashes of his destroyed barn that caused the suffocation. Instead it was the sorrow and questions that he pondered. He had always served others and loved God – why did this happen to him? How could a good God allow this pain and suffering? How could a God who truly cared about him allow this severe pain to permeate every ounce of his being?
Job was not alone in asking these difficult questions. Many of you reading this have asked God the same question: Why does an All-Powerful, loving God allow suffering? The once great evangelist turned agnostic – Charleston Templeton – stated in an interview: “I began considering the plagues that sweep across part of the planet and indiscriminately kill…and it just became crystal clear to me that it is not possible for an intelligent person to believe that there is a deity who loves.”
As I pray about answering this question – I truly feel humbled to even begin to type a response. And I can’t begin to truly compare with many of the great theologians and philosophers before me that worked to answer this question but I pray that my humble words may help some of you who are struggling in doubt due to the suffering you have either witnessed secondhand or personally experienced. For suffering is a universal phenomenon – one that each of us understands. Why does God allow cancer to exist? Why does disease ravage the land? Why does God allow pain and suffering to exist?
To begin to even answer this question we need to stop and focus on one very important attribute of God: his omnipotence (the ability for God to be All-Powerful). We have to start by thinking about just how big God is compared to us. I have a four month old that throws one heck of a tantrum when he gets sleepy. As he cries and stiffens his body in defiance, I carry him over to his swing, turn on soft music, and try to feed him his pacifier. He doesn’t understand his need for sleep – instead he just feels that I am strapping him down on a seat and trying to stuff something into his mouth. He doesn’t see the need that I see. However, as he finally takes his pacifier and closes his eyes – he finds the sleep that he so desperately needed. You see, I am able to give him what he needs though he does not understand it (and becomes quite angry when I try to help soothe and calm him).
Dr. Peter John Kreeft, Ph.D. gives another example that I believe also makes sense. He states: “Imagine a bear in a trap and a hunter who, out of sympathy, wants to liberate him. He tries to win the bear’s confidence, but he can’t do it, so he has to shoot the bear full of drugs. The bear, however, thinks this is an attack and that the hunter is trying to kill him. He doesn’t realize that this is being done out of compassion. Then, in order to get the bear out of the trap, the hunter has to push him further into the trap to release the tension on the spring. If the bear were semiconscious at that point, he would be even more convinced that the hunter was his enemy who was out to cause him suffering and pain. But the bear would be wrong. He reaches this incorrect conclusion because he’s not a human being.” He goes on to say: “I believe God does the same to us sometimes, and we can’t comprehend why he does it any more than the bear can understand the motivations of the hunter. As the bear could have trusted the hunter, so we can trust God.” (The Case for Faith, Lee Strobel)
Could it be true that God knows infinitely more than we do about our current situation? Could it be true that God truly has a plan in the midst of our suffering? Could it be true that we are like the bear – clueless and ignorant because we can’t come close to understanding as much as an omniscient (all-knowing) God? I believe that logically this makes a ton of sense but logic very rarely helps in the midst of suffering. I can know how gravity works but that doesn’t give me any re-assurance when I am falling off a building. I feel that there has to be something more…something deeper that we are missing.
When you have a friend who just lost both of their parents in a car wreck – what do you do to help? You can try to tell them that God has a bigger plan in place but for them that might feel like a slap in the face. You can try to re-assure that they are in a better place – but to be frank – some don’t know Christ as their savior and are in a far worse place (we will talk about that concept more at a later date). So how do we help our friend who is suffering? We simply be a friend – we sit next to them and be present – letting them cry on our shoulders while we don’t offer shallow answers but instead sit and suffer beside them. We share in the burden – trying to understand their pain so that we can help them not feel alone. And so we see that the answer to suffering may not be a logical answer…but instead a very personal one. The answer to suffering may just be to….well… “be” instead of continuously “do” or “solve”.
Isaiah 53:3 describes Jesus as being “despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.” Could it be that God answers the question of suffering not in some type of fancy answer we find in the Bible but instead in the very real person that we read about in the Bible? Could it be that the presence of God is answer enough – that we don’t have to try to find some other logical conclusion. When we go back to the start of our note and look at the man who lost everything, Job, we see that after days of questioning – God showed up and Job understood. It was the presence of God that made his suffering bearable.
Friend, I want you to understand something: Jesus understands the suffering you have gone through. When you cry, he cries with you. When you hurt, he hurts with you. He understands the ugliest aspects of evil because he underwent immense suffering. When you hurt – he doesn’t just sit from afar and give you some fancy lecture about how it will all make sense later on. Instead, when you hurt, he sits next to you and bears the burden with you. Perhaps this is why so many of us come to Christ when we suffer – because we know that His presence is the answer that we truly need. We don’t need understanding – we need a companion and comfort. We need a very loving hand of God to hold us close.
For you see, when we see others suffer it can be easy to doubt God. However, when we ourselves suffer it can be very easy to find God. For the Bible states that “He is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:27b) How amazing is it that God understands our suffering? How amazing is it that God understands loss? How amazing is it that He chose to experience suffering so that you could have a relationship with Him? Suffering is difficult friends but we have the choice of what to do in the midst of it. We can either turn away in anger or we can rest in the very loving arms of a savior who offers something amazing: to simply “be” with you in the midst.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
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13
Jun '20
Colossians 2:14 – Craig Andrew Griebel
13
Jun '20
Questions: Why Did Jesus Have to Die on the Cross to Save Us?
Sometimes I am amazed by the simple things that I have more or less known for my entire life. I think about how I turn on a switch and a light turns on – how crazy the entire concept of harnessing electricity really is though I take it for granted. I think about the ability to fly to another part of the world – sitting back and watching a movie on my phone while soaring at speeds that we didn’t think would be possible to reach 100 years ago. And then spiritually, I think about the concept of the cross. This essential tenant of Christianity that I have grown up being taught to believe but for a long while never really pondering a question surrounding it. This question was asked by Hawk Nelson’s lead singer, Jonathan Steingard, (and no doubt many others struggling with doubt): “Why does Jesus have to die for our sins? If God can do anything, can’t He forgive without someone dying?”
I feel this is an extremely valid question and one I have also asked. Why did Jesus have to die? This is the very core of Christianity so I feel it is important we have a valid answer. This morning as I woke up and played with my son – I was praying and pondering this very question. I had actually planned to write about the question: “Why does God allow suffering?” – but I guess I will have to write that next week because I feel like God has now put this new question on my heart. I choose to believe someone reading this has also asked this question and hope that God can use me to help answer it.
To give us a foundation for answering this question we have to talk about a couple of core attributes that any “good god” would have to possess in order to be known…as…well…a “good god”. In order to be God, He has to be all powerful and the creator of all things. In order for Him to be good He has to be just and righteous. Those attributes have to be the base of a perfect creator – if He isn’t “just” than He is not perfect…the two have to co-exist. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14)
Now, if God is just – He can’t just not look at wrong doing and not judge it. And wrong doing can only exist because God has given His creation this crazy concept called free will: we can choose right or wrong. OK, so picture something with me – God gives His creation this ability to choose and lays out this perfect world for them to live in. They have communion with the Creator and are able to talk with Him personally (read Genesis 2-3 if you want a glimpse of what this looked like). Yet, God did not create robots – He created us in His own image which means we have the ability to choose to do right or wrong. So what happens when we choose wrong?
God can’t just let that slide without some sort of punishment – if He did He would not be just. If He is not just…He is no longer a “Good God”…which simply is not possible. The Perfect Creator not being perfect is not feasible – like trying to make a square circle. I know this is all a bit “philosophical” but are your following me? God can not act out against one of His attributes – if He did He would not be God. So what is the punishment for doing wrong? “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a) Thus, if God is to maintain His perfect attributes…He has to serve the sentence we deserve…death.
This could have been the end of the story – but we can’t forget another attribute of God. And this one is different – it is only found in Christianity as no other false deity has it…love. “God is love.” (1 John 4:8b) And this creates quite the conundrum – because God loves His creation and does not want them to experience “death” (especially of the eternal nature which is what sin costs). Yet, God is just thus He has to give the punishment for sin…He can’t sweep it under the rug and just forgive it…again, if He did that He would not be just. So, what answer can there be to this problem.
I’ve thought about this all day and truly can’t think of any possible way for God to maintain both His justice (as well as His other attributes) and His love other than the cross. Logically, the only way to maintain both characteristics would be for a perfect life to be lived and then given as a substitute. I couldn’t be that substitute because I sin and therefore I have my own punishment and eternal damnation waiting on me…the substitute has to be perfect. God is all knowing – He knows that we choose sin instead of love (which makes it even more amazing He created us with this crazy concept of free will). Thus, He has this eternal plan in motion from the time creation began – to come down as a man Himself – live a perfect life – and die as a substitute for our sins.
Think about it – this is truly the only way God can maintain His “Godhood” and His love – the only way to marry righteousness (that God is “good” and “right” in all He does) and the love He has for His creation. I know this is a tad long but I want this to melt you for a second. God loves you as His creation enough that He came down and took your penalty – and now brings you back into fellowship with Him. All you have to do is accept this sacrifice – as if you are in court and the sentence you can choose is either the death penalty or allowing the judge to come down and take the death penalty from you – thus letting you off without any payment needed. If you have not chosen to accept this substitution (which is what Christianity is all about), I pray this answer makes sense and brings you to your knees. It is quite easy to accept this substitution as well – just tell your Creator that you can’t pay the sentence but need Jesus to pay the penalty for you – thus allowing Him to save your soul and reverse the course of your life and eternal home. I understand some of you might see this as Christianity 101 – but I feel it is important to understand the necessity of the cross – for it is the base of our faith. I would like to end with a couple of scriptures that hopefully have new life after understanding the necessity and sacredness of the cross:
“And through Him (Jesus) God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Chris’s blood on the cross.” Colossians 1:20
“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:14
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06
Jun '20
Psalm 19:1-4a – Craig Andrew Griebel
06
Jun '20
Questions: Does Modern Science Prove There is no Need for a Creator?
“Mr. Griebel – you are too smart to believe in that stuff. You need to open your mind and see that there is so much more.”
I’ll never forget the day that my chemistry professor at Amarillo College uttered those words to me. Little did he know, I was already doubting my faith and his encouragement felt like it could push me over the edge. I had grown up going to a Christian high school who gave a great education but really didn’t teach much in the realm of evolution. Thus, when I started my degree and got into deeper levels of science – the knowledge of Darwin’s theory concerned me. Did God really need to exist? If life could be created naturally would the entire creation account be void? I remember pondering those questions deeply as I struggled with my relationship with God.
However, I now see as I have grown in my knowledge of not only the Creator but also of science that the entire theory of naturalism (the view that we have no need for a creator) has more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese. One problem is that life is so much more complex than Darwin and early evolutionists ever expected. Darwin himself said: “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.”
Before we start talking about this we have to define a few terms that are going to be important to know. When we start discussing evolution it is important to note that evolution itself can be broken down into micro-evolution and macro-evolution. Micro-evolution is scientific fact: basically, it is the concept that life will adjust when trouble is thrown at it and thus can continue carrying on its genetics to the next generation. For example: if there is one bacteria that is immune to the antibiotic you are taking, it is going to survive and replicate compared to all the others. Macro-evolution is the theory that this can take place in a long enough time and eventually bring about all life out of a single organism. In other words: over billions of years that one cell structure eventually leads to humanity. This is the concept that a Creator does not fit into.
Alright, I know I am getting a little scientific here and many of you could care less but I want you to have a reference and a quick view of how science has come along to make this concept of macro-evolution extremely unlikely. As mentioned earlier – we see that the cell (the structure that makes up life) is much more complex than anyone realized. Each cell has an information center, replication factory, and power generator that has to be fully functioning for life to exist. Thus, if you are looking at some type of random natural reaction bringing about a functioning cell – you are statistically better off finding a single red grain of sand hidden in the entire Sahara Desert blindfolded…three times! (Stephen C. Meyer)
Here is something else interesting that I found out as I started diving into deeper levels of science – the examples of evolution they use in high school and college text books are terribly outdated. One example of this is found in an experiment that shook the United States years earlier by a scientist named Stanley Miller. He created an environment that at the time he thought was similar to the environment of early earth – put in water vapor – and heated it for about a week. To his surprise, at the end of experiment, he found that he had created amino acids – the building blocks for proteins. However, as science advanced several holes have been found in this experiment. First of all, the early earth most likely didn’t have ammonia, methane, or hydrogen which Miller used in his experiment (modern scientists instead believe it would be composted of carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen). And when the experiment was performed again with these substances….nothing happened! Also, his experiment was in conditions that he controlled – highly unlikely to happen in a random environment without any type of input from some source of intelligent being. Lastly, even if you create one amino acid by chance – you need several of those to create proteins and about two hundred proteins with just the right function programmed into each to create life. Think about the probability of that happening…it’s astronomical. Walter Bradley PhD is quoted as saying: “When textbooks present the Miller experiment, they should be honest enough to say it was interesting historically but not terribly relevant to how life actually developed.”
Is this getting too deep? I can’t help it friends – I’m passionate about this. I will try to not carry on but I want you to know you don’t have to be ashamed of believing in a Creator. We haven’t even talked about the complexity of DNA and RNA – which has never been successfully made in a lab except under extremely rare conditions. A biochemist in Mainz, Germany named Klaus Dose admitted that the ability to make DNA and RNA is: “at present beyond our imagination.”
Nobel prize winner Sir Francis Crick said: “The origin of life appears to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to be satisfied to get it going.” But I can hear some of you arguing: if you have enough time anything is possible! And at one time science agreed with you – thinking that maybe the universe is infinitely old – thus giving time for “something” to happen (though as we discussed above – statistically you have a better chance of winning the lottery around ten times in a row). However, due to a concept called entropy (the universe is turning more and more into chaos instead of order) time is now of the essence. In other words, because the sun is “burning out” – we can backtrack and say that the universe at one time did not exist….something (or as we Creationist put it “Someone”) brought about a big bang to make it come into existence.
Oh, I could go on and on…and this is just from a guy that doesn’t have all the answers. We haven’t even discussed the complexity of life and what Michael Behe calls “Darwin’s Black box.” We haven’t talked about the hole in the fossil record that Darwin himself stated: “is perhaps the most obvious and serious objection” to his theory. We haven’t dived further into DNA and RNA – looking at how the code it gives has to be precise and specific to bring about life (think about seeing a written paragraph engraved in the sand and arguing the wind made that come to exists). However, I will stop myself and end this note soon as most of you may not be as interested as I am when it comes to the origin of life.
Does Christianity also have questions? Heck yes it does! However, we have the benefit of saying we have an All Powerful Creator that can answer those questions. I am truly excited that I don’t have to be ashamed of my faith or be scared to gain further knowledge of how the world works – because the more we discover the complexity of life – the more we see the need for a Creator. I would like to end this note with a quote from King David found in the book of Psalms.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.” Psalm 19:1-4a
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30
May '20
Questions: Is God Real? The Series – Craig Andrew Griebel
30
May '20
Questions: Is God Real? The Series
There has been a lot of negative news lately on our television sets. We have Covid 19 still leading the charge followed closely by the horrific death of George Floyd as well as the violent tension that has followed after. It can be easy in these times to ask where is God. Why is He not making Himself prominent? Is He even real? We live in a society full of these questions – and to be honest, many people in church are asking the same. This brings me to another news story that was revealed this week: Jonathan Steingard (the lead singer of the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson) renounced his belief in God. It was this news story that hit me the hardest to be honest. And I don’t mean that because race is less important or that the deaths and loss of jobs from Corona are minimal. I think the Steingard story hits me so hard because I see his struggle and equate it with so many problems in our world – the belief that God does not exist and therefore does not love us. Because if we get to the root of the issue – that is what the core problem in our world is. We have abandoned God and therefore feel like He has abandoned us. And when God is out of the equation – we see a world bound by hatred and separated by differences in color, politics, socioeconomic level, and culture.
I want to start this by saying I have great respect for Jonathan Steingard. I respect not living a lie and admitting you have questions and doubts. In fact, his story is similar to mine and I am hoping that his outcome may come out the same. I don’t mean that I have all the answers – because quite honestly I don’t. I’m still just a young man that loves Jesus but went through my own time of horrific doubt. I too questioned if I still believed God to be real – and I know that many of you have felt the same. I remember reading my Bible asking many of the same questions Mr. Steingard tweeted that he has suffered with. I remember studying science and trying to understand where faith fit in. I remember feeling terrible that I led Bible Studies while at the same time I doubted that the Bible was true. And I remember very clearly God revealing Himself to me after months of praying.
I want to start this note (and series that will soon follow after) by saying I still have some questions. I still don’t understand everything. But as I research my faith, dive into the Word deeper, and seek God in my life – I feel that more and more of those questions start to minimalize. Yet, far too many Christians remain trapped in their doubt. They are too afraid to dive deeper – afraid they will end up losing their faith and find it to be false. I had those same fears my friends. A professor in college handed me a twelve page packet with multiple reasons the Bible is false and contradicts itself – I didn’t want to read it at first because I was afraid as I dove deeper my Jesus would turn out to be a lie.
Let me give you some good news: you don’t have to have those same fears. You can dive deeper and come out stronger instead of with more doubts. One revelation God has given me is that if He truly is All-Knowing, I shouldn’t be afraid of asking Him my questions. And so I write this series for those of you like me – those that have doubt and different questions you want answered. This is a series that has been deep in my heart – especially as Facebook constantly reminds me of different friends that have left their faith behind and started to follow something entirely different. I don’t know how this series will be responded to and a part of me fears some of you may feel my answers to different questions are inadequate. Yet, I write this not only for you but also for me – and the Jonathan Steingard we all know in our lives.
So, I pray you will first of all join me in praying for this distressed world. Pray for Jonathan Steingard and his search for truth. Pray for me as I try to mentor and answer those that have questions. And most of all, pray for Jesus to come and reveal Himself to a lost world that is devoid of any hope. And join me as I write a weekly blog to look at different questions that the doubter in us may have asked – diving deep into Scripture and history to understand that our faith has facts behind it. Pray that people who are in need of answers would read this and see Christ – thus leading to a racial, political, spiritual revolution that only the love of Christ can bring about.
Friends, I truly am honored to be able to write on this platform and pray that God would use me to help settle your doubts and bring you to closer knowledge of Him.
Yours in Christ,
Craig G.
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19
Apr '20
The Spiritual Covid Preperation – Craig Andrew Griebel
19
Apr '20
The Spiritual Covid Preperation
My parents and Holly’s parents have completely different vacation planning strategies. I remember the last family vacation I took before getting married to Holly. We went to Hawaii and aside from the flights and condo we were staying at – didn’t plan too much else until we arrived in Kawaii. I remember talking to my future in-laws about the trip and they were astounded we had nothing pre-scheduled. I didn’t think much of this until I went on a trip with them to New York City about two years later. We had a binder of each day planned out almost so specifically that we had to pencil in rest room breaks…well maybe not that much but for someone that is a little more “fly by the seat of my pants” it certainly seemed that way. In the end, both trips were very different but also very enjoyable.
My point is this: God prepares us for our future in ways that we don’t always expect. He moves in a very unique way that often doesn’t make sense. However, the one truth that we can depend on is that He WILL prepare us for what is ahead. I think of Paul before he went to Jerusalem after coming to Christ on that road to Damascus. We read in Galatians 1:17-18: “I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus. Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas (Peter), and I stayed with him 15 days.” Many scholars believe Paul took this time in Arabia to prepare – to know Christ more and prepare for the huge calling that was on his life – a calling that led to entire countries eventually becoming flooded with the Gospel.
Paul is not unique in this. We see in the Old Testament that Joseph saw a vision in which he would be a leader to his family at age 17 – only to undergo jail and slavery for thirteen years. Finally at the age of 30 he indeed saw his brothers bow down to him. Moses waited in Midian as a shepherd of sheep for 40 years before he was able to shepherd a nation out of slavery. Joshua spent a lifetime following Moses to prepare him to continue this role at Moses’ death. David spent years in the wilderness being chased by Saul – time that would teach him necessary skills to lead and protect his future kingdom. Even Jesus Himself did not begin His ministry until the age of 30 – becoming “strong, filled with wisdom” during His early life (Luke 2:40).
My point is this – Covid 19 has shut down our way of life. It has caused many of you to lose your jobs and many more to lose your peace. Some of you are no longer at school and aside from overwhelming amounts of homework have nothing to do but binge watch Netflix or Hulu. This virus has slowed down and silenced much of the noise and busyness that usually fills our life. And with this slow down we have a decision to make – will we use it to grow or to wilt – to shine or to fade. We should not let this time of silence scare us but instead use it to prepare us.
Many Christians do not share the Gospel because they do not feel adequate or equipped enough. I could write an entire blog series on why this is a silly excuse (but we will save that for another time) but for now – let us think about this time making that excuse invalid. Time is what we have – time to grow in the Word and actually dive in and read it. Time to pray and come to know God in a deeper level. Time to attend worship services via YouTube or Facebook. We now have the time – if we aren’t allowing God to prepare us in this time we only have ourselves to blame.
I truly believe that the Gospel will flourish due to the Corona virus. I believe it will be a rock that many around the world will be forced to lean on during this difficult time. I also truly believe God will rise up many leaders out of this fire that is burning across our nation. The question now becomes: will you be part of the movement? Will you take the time to grow and prepare? Will you be like Paul and grow in this time “of Arabia” – acting as he did to get away from the noise and prepare for the mission field in front of him? Love the silence and let Him speak to you in it. And enjoy this time of everything being slowed down – because soon enough the noise will be back. The question is will you be ready to overcome it with the peace and tranquility of the Simple Gospel offered by Christ alone?
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09
Mar '17
Colossians 3:8 – Craig Andrew Griebel
09
Mar '17
New Life Sins – a series to step on all of our toes
Lately, I have been reading the book of Colossians and really studying what it means to make Christ the head of my being. What I mean is that as a Christian it can be hard to really take seriously this New Life which we have been given. We know that: “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) We have heard that we are “buried with Christ” similar to baptism – going from the old dead body to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:4). However, if you are like me, it can be hard to truly grasp this concept. We make other things our priority and the truth that we are created to be new fades away.
Colossians has a way of convicting me of this. For you see, the entire book is written by Paul to prove to a church that Christ is all they need. There is no other “hidden knowledge” they have to earn – Christ is enough. The first two chapters focus on this aspect – rules don’t get us to God. Neither do some type of hidden teachings not found in the Bible. Instead, Christ is all we need – He brings us to a complete new life. This can be convicting and humbling – knowing I bring nothing to the table to somehow barter my salvation – but instead Christ gave this gift freely. However, I don’t feel it is quite as convicting as Colossians 3. For you see, it is at this chapter that the book shifts from theology to practice. In fact the chapter starts by letting you know it is about to get real: “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1)
It goes on to tell us in Colossians 3:5 to put to death the sins of our past – “sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.” (Col. 3:5) These are the sins that we forfeit when we come to Christ – indeed all are a form of idolatry that try to put something else in the place of Christ. Convicting, but still not quite where I want to focus today. What is really astounding as that close to two thousand years ago Paul went on to name sins that Christians two centuries later continue to deal with. He basically states – “Alright, so you put to death the sins mentioned in verse 5 – now put away these other sins that you like to ignore.” Verse 7-8 reads: “you once walked in these things (the sins mentioned in verse 5) when you were living in them. But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth”
These are what I like to call the “New Life Sins” – the ones we as Christians justify as not real sins. These are the sins that we all perform and usually don’t feel the need to repent of. These are the sins that have been convicting me as I study Colossians. Thus, I want to start a series looking at each sin mentioned in Colossians 3:8 – looking at how I personally justify this sin and why it is still wrong. I hope you will join me in this journey as we try to let Christ and the Bible step on our toes – making us realize that to truly grow in our relationship with Christ – we have to let him purge these evils from our life. I pray you will join me in this journey – and I pray God brings about changes in our life to stop justifying sin but instead live in the New Life He has purchased for us through the blood of the cross.
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