It seems as though any time a natural disaster hits America, the evangelicals (and some Church of God leaders) say that this is God’s way of punishing us for being an evil nation. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, many said God was punishing that city for having so many homosexuals. Others said New Orleans was being punished for being a city of drunkenness and fornication. Some even attributed this disaster to too many inter-racial marriages!
Does God punish nations? Absolutely! The Old Testament shows how God would subject Israel to the ravages of outside armies for their sins. The people would repent, God would remove the punishment, and then the people would sin again. This Evil-Captivity-Delivery cycle is seen over and over in the book of Judges. It is mentioned no less than seven times in this one book alone. Even so, in God’s mercy, He gave Israel more peace than captivity during the times of the judges. Probably at a rate of five years of peace for every one year of captivity in spite their unwillingness to obey God.
The prophet Ezekiel makes very clear the reasons for Israel’s later captivity and enslavement. You can read it in Ezekiel 20:12-24. Verses 23 and 24 indicate that the main reasons for Israel’s enslavement were idolatry and Sabbath-breaking. These two sins are very prevalent in the U.S. The Church of God needs to do a better job of preaching that this nation needs to abandon idolatry and Sabbath-breaking. We are not effectively getting this message out.
Nevertheless, when there is a national or regional disaster, can we emphatically state that that disaster is God’s punishment? Absolutely not!
We know the reasons why the Israelites were punished by foreign armies because the Bible clearly tells us. But God does NOT make it crystal clear that our nation suffers natural disasters because of sin. We simply do not know the mind of God in these matters. Like it or not, there are no Jeremiahs or Ezekiels on the world scene to explain this type of phenomenon to us. Some may claim to be prophets or apostles, but they are liars if they claim these titles and they are liars if they emphatically preach that hurricanes and floods are a result of God’s anger.
Again, we need to preach repentance to the United States!
But there is no way to say for sure why reasons hurricanes and floods have been hitting our lands for hundreds of years. To attribute these disasters to God could very well be blaspheme.
Let’s be careful in these matters! Let’s not be quick to judge others. Let’s not be quick to condemn people. Let’s not be quick to claim that another’s misfortune is because of something he did to displease God. You never know when you might experience a difficult financial or health situation. Surely, you don’t want others to claim it is because you are sinful.
Let’s continue to preach God’s truth. Let’s continue to condemn sinful practices and false doctrine. But let’s also show the world that the Church of God is filled with people who have an abundance of Christian love!
By the way, we are excited to announce that we have a new tab on our website. It is called Sabbechism. (Nancy and I made up that word.) Check it out. I think you will find it informative and interesting.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Be a Barean
Not long ago, Nancy gave a presentation at a Women's Conference. The title was, "All You Need Is Love." I am told it was well-received and that a lot of the women thanked her for it.
But a problem surfaced some time later. It turned out that one lady disliked the fact that Nancy had handed out heart-shaped candy during her presentation. When Nancy found out, she called her and they worked out their difference. Nancy assured her that she does not keep Valentine’s Day and certainly wasn’t promoting it. Nancy apologized for giving wrong signals and promised she would never again give out heart-shaped candy at a Women’s Conference--even if that candy is on clearance and can be bought cheap. J
I think there are a couple of lessons that can be learned from this instance:
1) If two people really want to work out a difference, they can. What if Nancy’s friend refused to accept her apology? Or what if Nancy were unwilling to offer the apology? The outcome of this would have been entirely different.
2) But, even more importantly, I think this incident shows that we in God’s Church need to hold each other accountable in a loving way. Nancy was challenged on whether or not she keeps a pagan day when she performed an act which gave mixed signals. There is nothing wrong with Nancy being challenged.
Actually, I think we would all be amazed if we knew what doctrinal beliefs others really hold deep down inside. And every person’s beliefs are his own business if he chooses to keep them private.
But the minute you set yourself up in a leadership position in God’s Church, others have the right (maybe the responsibility) to ask you what you really believe. As long as Nancy is willing to stand up before God’s people and teach, she has to be willing to be honest about her beliefs.
When someone claims to be a Christian, it’s not up to me to judge whether or not he is really converted. But when someone claims to be a minister or an apostle or a leader of any kind, I have a right (maybe a responsibility) to ask him to prove what he says he is. Questioning someone’s leadership is totally different than questioning someone’s conversion.
Let’s be like the Bereans. Let’s prove all things. If someone wants to educate you, make sure he is qualified to do so. And, Nancy, no more heart-shaped candies. I don’t care how cheap they are on sale.
But a problem surfaced some time later. It turned out that one lady disliked the fact that Nancy had handed out heart-shaped candy during her presentation. When Nancy found out, she called her and they worked out their difference. Nancy assured her that she does not keep Valentine’s Day and certainly wasn’t promoting it. Nancy apologized for giving wrong signals and promised she would never again give out heart-shaped candy at a Women’s Conference--even if that candy is on clearance and can be bought cheap. J
I think there are a couple of lessons that can be learned from this instance:
1) If two people really want to work out a difference, they can. What if Nancy’s friend refused to accept her apology? Or what if Nancy were unwilling to offer the apology? The outcome of this would have been entirely different.
2) But, even more importantly, I think this incident shows that we in God’s Church need to hold each other accountable in a loving way. Nancy was challenged on whether or not she keeps a pagan day when she performed an act which gave mixed signals. There is nothing wrong with Nancy being challenged.
Actually, I think we would all be amazed if we knew what doctrinal beliefs others really hold deep down inside. And every person’s beliefs are his own business if he chooses to keep them private.
But the minute you set yourself up in a leadership position in God’s Church, others have the right (maybe the responsibility) to ask you what you really believe. As long as Nancy is willing to stand up before God’s people and teach, she has to be willing to be honest about her beliefs.
When someone claims to be a Christian, it’s not up to me to judge whether or not he is really converted. But when someone claims to be a minister or an apostle or a leader of any kind, I have a right (maybe a responsibility) to ask him to prove what he says he is. Questioning someone’s leadership is totally different than questioning someone’s conversion.
Let’s be like the Bereans. Let’s prove all things. If someone wants to educate you, make sure he is qualified to do so. And, Nancy, no more heart-shaped candies. I don’t care how cheap they are on sale.
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