Making Peace With Anger: The Source of Anger

    Hey, welcome everyone! We're starting off a new 6-week study group called "Making Peace With Anger" this week. We're going to be going over various topics from the source of anger, which we're covering today, to controlling anger, to consequences or the results of anger, some examples of God's anger and mankind's anger and finally making peace or reconciliation with anger, from which this study group gets its title.
   First, how would you define anger? An emotion? A reaction? A decision? Would you characterize it by rage? By seething, cold fury? Personally, I don't find the dictionary's definition of anger to be that compelling or useful, so we're going to use this definition instead:

Anger is the natural response to a perceived wrong. 

   This is going to be the working definition (working because we're going to add and shape this definition as the study group continues) we'll be working with. We say natural because you don't need to teach your children to be angry. Children only months old can get angry in response outside stimuli. Take away their food, toy, sleep, etc. and watch their reactions. Where does this anger come from? It's naturally a part of mankind. Anger is not a learned response.

  But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:14-16

   Let's contrast a natural person to a spiritual person. In class the responses to a natural man were things like: impulsive, temporal, lacking wisdom and discernment, and unspiritual thus lacking the gift of self-control. These are good examples. Their opposites should be true of a spiritual person. How about when it comes to anger?  Let's look at a biblical example.
   Genesis 4 lays out the story of Cain and Abel. Now in Genesis 3 we read about the fall of man and the promise of a redeemer who would crush the head of the serpent. It can be interpreted by how Eve names Cain in Genesis 4 that she believed Cain would be just such a redeemer. Cain means to possess or grasp. Did Eve think that Cain would be a winner grasp the promise God laid out in Genesis 3? Well by the time Abel came around Eve had lost just such a hope. Abel's name means meaningless or vanity. It's the same word used in Ecclesiastes 1:1. If Eve had the hope for Cain (whom we'll call Winner) before, she lost it by the time Abel (we'll call him Loser) came by. Cain/Winner was set up to be the champ. He was the firstborn, was expected to be the winner/redeemer of mankind. His job (in the minds of men) was to recreate the relationship lost between God and men in the Garden of Eden. Abel/Loser on the other hand was given no such expectations. He was the second son who was just expected to keep his flocks and be mediocre.
   When it came time to give the sacrifices in Genesis 4, Cain/Winner just expected his to be the best. He was a Winner after all. He just grabbed some of his fruit and presented them. Abel/Loser, on the other hand, in verse 4 brings forth the firstlings of his flock and the fat portions, literally the best he could do. In response to their efforts in giving, God responds favorably to Abel's offering, not Cain's. This makes Cain angry.
   It is at this moment when Cain/Winner has a choice. God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door to overtake him, but Cain must master his sin. Picture this scenario:

Cain is in his house angry (probably at both God and Abel). He hasn't sinned yet. Sin is like a monster outside waiting to devour Cain. Unless Cain can put up some defenses and master his anger before he goes outside, the anger-monster will eat him. 

Well, spoiler alert!, Cain doesn't master his anger. instead he slays his brother Abel. This type of anger, which we'll call distorted anger, is a result of the Fall in Genesis 3. This type of anger is self-centered. Rather than being the type of sin that is in response to true evil and injustice, it is based upon the perception of a wrongdoing. In this case, Cain/Winner is feeling wronged and slighted because God didn't look fondly on his offering, but rather Abel's/Loser's. Didn't God know who Cain was? Did God not realize that Cain was a winner? Why would God accept a loser's offering over his!!!? This type of anger can turn sinful quickly because it is steeped in pride. When the Fall took place, the perfect relationship between man and God in the garden was lost. Due to this falling apart and separation mankind began to grow further apart from God and this made us lose focus of who He really is. In so doing, we began to forget just how important God is. Literally we switched God from being the center of the universe (which He truly is in importance) and put ourselves in His place. We began to think that everything revolved around us! This distorted way of thinking causes us to make mountains out of ant hills. Any perceived wrong to use we take as a wrong to our entire being. This is what Cain/Winner believed about God's refusal of his sacrifice.
   So this leads us to the question: Is anger sinful? Well, inherently, no anger is not sinful.

 Be angry, and yetdo not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger Ephesians 4:26

This passage proves that it is possible to be angry and not to sin. Rather, it is your response to that anger that determines sin and the outcome. Anger is meant to be a tool in our hands to guide us towards causing repentance or changing our world back to the original state God intended when He declared creation "good." It is when we distort our anger and make it's use for us and fly off the handle into rage that it becomes sinful.
   So next week we'll discuss controlling anger from a biblical view. God Bless

Biblical Questions of Islam

The apostle Paul tells us that if anyone comes along preaching a different Gospel, be it man or angel, they are to be accursed (Galatians 1:8-9) With that in mind, today we're going to be looking at problems/questions about Islam. Things that we find irreconcilable. Things we hold to be a different Gospel. These aren't things to simply bash people over the head with, but they are legitimate concerns we have. 

First: Islam claims that it is descended from Abraham, that it has the correct or complete story of what happened afterwards. Muslims claim that the Bible is corrupted, but Muhammad gave them the full truth that had been lost in the Bible's corruption. Also in Islam it's said that Muhammad was raised in a land that already had the Kaaba, the Hajj, and Allah as the Nebutain moon god. If these are true, how can we believe that Islam is the natural outgrowth of Christianity/Abrahamic faith? If these things, like the hajj, preexisted Muhammad and were part of the culture of the pagan deities of Mesopotamia, how can we believe that Islam is inherently Christian?

Next, according to the Hadith, Aisha married Muhammad when she was only six years old. They consummated the marriage when she was only nine years old. In Islam it's said that Muhammad was the greatest prophet who ever lived and that he is the model for all men/people. If that's the case, how can we believe, how can we follow, how can we live like someone who thought it was proper to marry a six year old girl when he himself was around fifty years old? How can this be the model man? Bukhari 5:58:234

According to Quran 18:86, the sun descends every day into a muddy pit at night and rises out of it every morning. How can we who live in a society that has astrophysics and has literally put someone on the moon believe this? 

According to Quran 19:28, Mary, Jesus' mother, was actually the same person as Miriam, Moses' sister. These two people lived almost 1500 years apart! How could we believe that the Quran is the inspired word of Allah if there are things like this, which archaeological and historical documents prove just can't be correct? 

In our Bible we have the Book of Esther where a man named Haman was in Xeres' court in the fifth century BC. However in Quran 40:24, Haman is said to be in pharaoh's court. How could this be since in the fifth century BC there were no pharaohs in Egypt, let alone someone named Haman there as well. 

Quran 3:110 says that the nation of Islam is the greatest nation in all of mankind. If that's the case, why have the Muslim countries who have tried, not been able to destroy Israel? Why are Allah's chosen people not able to defeat one small country? Is Allah afraid of Israel or America? Also, why have Muslims not been able to find Umma or perfect unity within Islam? Why are there many wars between ISIS, Sunni and Shia, and many other factions and in-fighting within Islam for centuries? Since the death of the prophet, there have always been fighting between Muslims. Yet this is Allah's greatest nation?

     

Quran 25:63 says that all who address Muslims harshly are returned only with peace and kind words. How can this be true with the myriad of terrorist attacks perpetrated in the name of Allah? How can this be true of a religion where in-fighting and factions are perpetually squabbling. In our Bible, Jesus said that He came not to bring peace, but to bring a sword. Our Bible also says that Ishmael will be violent and have in-fighting perpetually. It seems more like the Biblical account is correct over the Quranic one. 

According to the Hadith, enslavement of blacks is permissible and even to day, racial discrimination and racial enslavement takes place in Africa in the name of Allah and is perpetuated by Muslims. How can any Westerner believe in a religion that promotes such atrocious behavior? Also the Hadith says that arranged marriages are good because they help the women. How can we believe in a religion that allows for and promotes the forced marriages of young women?  Bukhari 9:89:256  Bukhari 3:46:723

The Quran also states that Jesus did not die on the cross, but that people were deceived. Quran 4:157. How can we believe that His disciples would not have known who Jesus was and who the person crucified were? Why would they have been willing to die for the cause of Christ if He were not actually killed? Why would they perpetuate a falsehood if Allah was simply going to refute it hundreds of years later through Muhammad? 

Bukhari 3320, 5782 says that if a fly falls into your drink you should dip it all the way in because on one wing is the poison on the other is the antidote/cure. How can we, who have modern medicine, even begin to believe or follow these practices that are demonstrably wrong?

Bukhari 7:2654 also says that Muhammad would regularly fall on the ground and snort like a camel when he received revelations from Allah. The only time a prophet in the Bible made animal noises from God was in Daniel, but it was a judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar, not a blessing or divine gift. How can we believe that Muhammad was receiving a blessing not a curse? 

A few other peculiar things like Bukhari 4:55:543 says that Adam was thirty feet tall! 4:54:516 says that you must blow your nose when you first wake up because Satan messes with your nasal cavity when you're sleeping. Quran 2:259 says that Ezra slept 100 years! How can we, as westerners with western medicine and knowledge of biology and science even begin to believe these things about Islam? 

I personally cannot, and hopefully neither can you. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless you and guide you into eternal truth that can only be found through the atoning work on Calvary. In Jesus' name, amen. 

A Biblical Response to Islam Part 1

  As Christians we believe we have all the answers. We believe that the Bible is inerrant and is 100% sufficient. However what percentage of Christians do you think actually read there Bible? Now, these are self-professed Christians, but still - what percent? As it turns out, twenty percent of Christians read their Bible. Now as to Muslims, however, what percent of Muslims do you think read the Quran? More than Christians? Less? Well, apparently only ten percent of Muslims read the Quran. The reasons for this are many, but one of the reasons is that the Quran is not the complete information, traditions, and practices that Muslims follow. They also follow something known as the Hadith.

   However in Islam there are five pillars, or five practices that basically define someone as being a Muslim:

• The Shahadah; a sincere profession that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger

1. Salat; the ritual prayers that all Muslims must do five times each day. They must face Mecca. 
2. Zakat; the paying of alms or giving of charity to the poor and needy in their community. 
3. Sawm; the necessity of fasting during their month of Ramadan. 
4. Hajj; the once in a lifetime pilgrimage all Muslims in good health must make to Mecca. 

  These are the essence of what Muslims believe, they are the five pillars that the rest of their beliefs stand upon. For Christians, I would say the core pillars are Theology, Bibliology, Soteriology, and conduct. Providentially, these are also things we would divide over, as Christians and you can follow up on these things with this previous post of ours: http://christphileosophy.blogspot.com/2015/03/reasons-for-division-why-we-cannot-have.html

Well, going forward let us recognize that Muslims stand upon those five pillars, just like we stand on the four of ours. We view the Bible as sufficient whereas they view the Quran as perfect but follow the teachings of the Hadith that go along with the Quran. These are essential differences that we will need to better understand Islam. 

Escape Room

 Open up your Bibles to Genesis 6. In verse 13 we see that God is going to destroy the world, but in verse 18 he tells Noah that he's going to save Noah and his family. At this time the world was very wicked full of debased people doing debased things. They had no regard for godly men like Noah who knew God's word. God did however give Noah the means to escape the world.
 Fast forward to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. God is telling us Christians that if we remain long enough (until the end of time) He will personally come for His people. Jesus will come down and we'll fly up into the air to meet Him (HOW COOL IS THAT?). We call this the Rapture. Again, at this time we see a debased world, doing debased things and God tells His faithful people (the church) in Thessalonians that He will provide the means for them to escape the world.
 Well right now, saints, I think we live in a wicked world. I think there are debased people doing debased things. I think God has spoken just as He did to Noah and to future saints in 1 Thessalonians. I think he has made a way for us to escape; namely, the church.
 In Hebrews 10:25 God tells us not to give up meeting together, but to encourage each other until the Rapture happens. We are supposed to be encouraging one another every time we meet together: in homegroups, in church, or just when we meet randomly in a gas station, grocery store, or go out to eat with other saints.
 In John 13 we see Jesus washing His disciples feet. Now remember, we need to escape from the world. Our feet are what come in contact with the world every day. It is a symbol/picture of being in the world, however we need to have our feet washed. We need to be cleansed from the world. Jesus modeled that we also need to wash each other's feet. We should have the attitude every time we meet at church and especially at homegroups that we're there to minister to others. That we're there to pray for, to love, and share God with others. Our meetings need to be different than meetings in the world. This isn't done only with Bible studies. This has to be intentional, loving fellowship that actually cleanses people from the world.
 This washing can only happen if people allow it to. Remember Peter? He didn't want to have his feet washed in John 13. There will be people who are averse to opening up. They are averse to telling people how they can be ministered to. They don't want people to see their smelly feet. Our response should always be Jesus' response: deliberate, loving instruction that we model ourselves.
 Guys we need to care about each other. We need to minister to one another. We need to get real with each other and tell others how we're struggling, how we could be held accountable, how we can be encouraged, how we can be prayed for. This doesn't come naturally, it comes supernaturally. It can only happen by the Holy Spirit. That's what we should want  for our homegroups. That's what we need in our homegroups. And, most importantly, it's what God desires for our homegroups.
 Do not forsake the assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near Hebrews 10:25

An Everlasting Testimony

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.   But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;   and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”   But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse.   When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.   They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”   Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he  fell asleep. Acts 7:54-60

  This is probably a peculiar passage for me to choose when discussing this topic. However, I chose it because I think it applies. See, we know Jesus is our High Priest constantly making intercession and prayers before the Father on our behalf, but here we see something different. Here we see someone faithful to Jesus who just gave a wonderful testimony and Jesus is standing for him. When one of Jesus' own is killed He doesn't just sit back, he doesn't look away, but He stands. Whether to welcome, out of love, or encouragement I don't know, but Jesus is standing to receive one of His own.

We also note Saul, a young man who would go on to become Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ. While here, he is persecuting one of Jesus' own, it will become apparent how much Paul will grieve his acts of persecution later in life. However, here we see Stephen's testimony before him. A testimony of who Jesus is and what He has done. Stephen did not testify of himself, but rather his Lord.

 Finally, we see that Stephen went to sleep. He did not die, he went to sleep. Just like Lazarus in the tomb, the little 12-year old girl, and all believers before the rapture (1 Thess 4:13), he fell asleep. In Greek there are two words for death, the final death, thanos, which no believer will ever experience and necros, the decaying of the body which everyone experiences since the fall of man. However, you can be certain that no believer will ever experience thanos. Jesus Christ paid the cost, death has no sting.

  What then shall we say of our dear brother and church leader Clint who went to be with the Lord yesterday afternoon? I say that just like Stephen, Clint's eyes were focused on Jesus. He did not point to himself, but rather to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He did not give a testimony to Jewish rulers, but rather a testimony to his fellow believers that faith without works is dead. We don't elevate him, but rather we elevate who he elevated. At this present moment we cannot know how many young Sauls Clint had an impact upon, but we can be certain whoever they are, they heard about Jesus from him. And lastly, we know that Clint did not die, he did not experience thanos, no but rather he experienced joy everlasting when he met his Savior face-to-face. Clint now knows, even as he himself was known.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us honor our beloved brother by honoring who he chose to honor. Let us serve as he chose to serve. Let us worship who he chose to worship. That will be his legacy, and I pray it will be ours also.

Mark 1:21-28

Last week, Jesus called his Disciples for the first time, this week they're going to see him in action, confronting a demoniac in the synogogue. Synogogues were not commanded in the Old Testament, they were initiated after the return from captivity from Babylon with a people group known as the Sophrim, or scribes, started by Ezra. Their point was to make certain that people wouldn't fall into the sin that lead to their exile. They started off correctly, but fell into the trap of creating things that God did not command. Through a process called PilPol, they took a majority vote on creating new laws, and even made these new laws equal, in their view, to the Word of God. They justified it by saying that Moses gave them a Written Law, but this was an Oral Law that was also passed down, which, of course, wasn't true.
 They are also in Capernaum, which will become Jesus' base of operations from this point forward. He will often return to Capernaum before setting out for another location. While in the synagogue at Capernaum Jesus encounters the demoniac who asks Jesus what business He has being here. The demoniac was upset because Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. Everyone was impressed with Jesus because He spoke with authroity, something not done by other Rabbis in that day. Rabbis had a common practice of quoting other Rabbis to make their points and arguements. Jesus, however, did not do this. He quoted only from God's Word and exposited according to only His own counsel. This, obviously, would have been unheard of .
The unclean spirit, however, proceeded to tell everyone who Jesus was! Jesus did not want this to happen. Rather, He chose to work within established religious means, that God had ordained. He also did not wish to accept the testimony of a demon for His ministry. They were not exactly the most reliable of witnesses and even though what demons spoke of Jesus was true, Jesus did not accept their testimony. Instead He bid it to be quiet and to leave the possessed man.
 Obviously this created quite a stir in the locals who saw this, but more importantly for the Disciples with Jesus. The common people went and told all of Galilee about Jesus, which will have ramifacations in Galilee from now on.
 The amazing thing about this passage is just how much authority Jesus has. He has entered God's house where He was most at home and taught about the Word. He did not teach as man did, but taught as someone who had more intimate knowledge. Let us consider what teachings we're relying on. Are we regarding teachers or men as higher than what God says? Do we add things to the Word of God that aren't in there so that we feel more Holy? This week, brethren, as we read God's Word let's take it at face value and not read into it anything else. Let's not judge others for things God does not Judge in His Word. Instead, let us become gracious and full of wisdom so that we might have an intimate knowledge of God and His Word, as Jesus did, and now allows us to do.




















 

Mark 1:14-20

​Today we get to see Jesus choosing some of His disciples! This is amazing as this is the first act we see since He was tested in the wilderness by Satan. Our passage will be Mark 1:14-20. Let us consider the implications of those He chooses and how we can become better disciples of Jesus based upon those implications. 

​First off Jesus comes to Galilee AFTER John had been arrested. We know that John was arrested by Herod the tetrarch for calling out Herod’s sin. We also know that Herod was the ruler over the region of Galilee, the very region that Jesus is returning to. It is very pertinent then that we see how Jesus is preaching the same message that John left off with (v. 15). Jesus is saying the kingdom of God is at hand. How is it at hand? Where is the kingdom? Why it is with Jesus, of course, as He is the rightful king! Yet aside from angels, His kingdom doesn’t appear to be full of many citizens… yet. 

​Jesus chooses His first four disciples, in Mark’s Gospel narrative, who are fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. We know from John’s Gospel account that this isn’t the first time that Jesus called Peter and Andrew, but here is where they really follow Jesus. Jesus calls them though, by saying He’ll make them fishers of men, and immediately they follow Jesus. I’ll talk more about this later, but it is interesting that Jesus promises them this if they follow Him, and it’s that promise that Mark records which causes them to follow Him. 

​A little further Jesus encounters James and John, sons of Zebedee, whom He also calls. They leave their father in the boat with their hired servants and follow Jesus. They literally leave their inheritance behind! Zebedee was a fisherman by trade also, and his livelihood was in that fishing boat, but James and John account it worth more to follow Jesus than to gain their worldly inheritance. What an example! What would it be like if we were to consider any of our inheritances as nothing to simply follow Jesus!

​We started by talking about the kingdom of God, as Jesus did in v. 15. Jesus is choosing, as the first disciples in His kingdom, four fishermen in Galilee. These aren’t priests, respected Pharisees or lawyers, these aren’t even culturally learned men used to debating in the Greek fashion. These are simple fishermen. Why then does Jesus choose these men? Simple: to make them fishers of men. There are a lot of similarities between fishing and evangelizing. You need the right bait. You need to go where the fish are and when they’re biting. You need to have patience when things aren’t going well, but you also need to be prepared with the nets when they are. You need to be prepared for good and bad weather, and you need to find a place for those fish immediately after they are caught. 

​So brothers and sisters, how would we measure up? If Jesus were just starting His kingdom anew, would we meet the criteria to help grow the kingdom? Are we growing the kingdom at all today? Are we willing to give up worldly inheritances for Jesus? Are we subject to ourselves, or to the King? May we keep in mind that the Bible isn’t our story, and evangelism isn’t about us. As we study the Bible and pray may our hearts always be set upon Jesus, and may we want, above all, His Will to be done. Amen.