"Preacher, what makes the UMC different from other denominations?"

Surprisingly, I got a good number of questions about the United Methodist Church in our survey of the congregation asking for questions for "Preacher, I've got a question."  Here's a few with the best answers I can give:

• What are the Apocrypha books and why are they not included in our Bible at Church of the Way?

When Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation, he translated the Bible into the vernacular for the common people.  Previously, it had only be translated into Latin.  In his translation work, he translated the Old Testament from it's originally language, Hebrew.  The Hebrew manuscripts of the OT do not have the Apocrypha books found in the Greek manuscripts, which was the basis for the Roman Catholic Latin translation.  Luther deemed the Hebrew manuscripts to be more authentic, and the apocrypha books to be later additions in Greek and not part of the original Hebrew Scriptures.  Protestant churches (which include United Methodist) do not use Bible's with the Apocrypha for this reason.  Simply, we don't consider them to be a part of Holy Scriptures; rather, they seem to be later additions.

• What is main difference between Catholicism and Methodist from a theological basis?

This is almost impossible to answer in a short paragraph, but here goes.  I would point to our understanding of the Sacraments:  Baptism and Communion.  United Methodists practice open communion and recognize all forms of baptism across Christian denominations.  So, our communion table is open to all Christians, no matter if they are church members or not.  All who wish to receive the grace of Christ are welcome.  We also do not re-baptize people.  We recognize God's work in baptism in our sister denominations.  Simply, we see ourselves as one part of Christ' Church.  We resonate with Ephesians 4:4-6, "4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope[a] at your calling— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all."  There's one.  We ordain women, which is a major difference, because we believe there is one calling and one spirit for all of us.  We don't practice confession to a priest because there is one Lord that needs to hear our confession.  But, let me say that we share the core beliefs that truly matter with our Roman Catholic brothers and sister as well as those of other denominations.  Jesus is Lord, and He is risen.  That's what matters. 

• Being brought up in a Catholic homestead, yet last 15 years being a Methodist, I thought the way we dressed showed respect to our God. Why does that not appear to be the case in the Methodist religion?

John Wesley, the father of Methodism once said, “It is the glory of the people called Methodists that they condemn none for their opinions or modes of worship.  They think and let think, and insist upon nothing but faith working by love.”  What matters is faith working itself out in love.  What matters is the truth message of the Gospel:  God's grace for all who believe.  Some do that with robes, choirs, suits and dresses.  Some do that with blue jeans, rock bands, and flip flops.  I think God wants our hearts more than anything.

• There are estimates that there's upwards of 41,000 Christian based denominations/sub groups. Though most have the same base ideology there's many differences between even the larger of the denominations. If all these groups are supposed to be based around the same principles of the Bible, why are there so many differences?  Example. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe exactly 144,000 have been preselected to go to heaven.

It's kind of what I said above.  The main thing is the core.  Denominations are like ice cream.  They have the same basic ingredients, but they're different flavors.  At the end of the day, all ice cream is pretty good because it's ice cream, but you've got your favorites and I've got mine.  I'm a caramel swirl fan or butter pecan, but I'm not so much into mint chocolate chip.  Still, in a pinch, I could enjoy mint chocolate chip.  In denominations, the core ingredients are the same, but they offer different flavors.  Now, I'd offer that things like Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormon Church are more like frozen yogurt.  They look and taste an awful lot like ice cream, but the core ingredients are pretty different.

Hope these help and thanks for the great questions!

"Preacher, I've still got some questions about bad things happening."

Today I want to finish up with some answer to specific questions about bad things happening:

• Why does God continue to challenge us in life, when we have had so many difficult challenges and we just would like to come to peace with life?

AND

• Do bad things happen to good people because God or the Devil is teaching you a lesson?

Those questions go hand in hand, and they speak to what is often our perception about events in our lives.  We see God is challenging us or teaching us a lesson.  We see God as kind of a big bully in the sky, and we just want Him to take it easy on us.  But bad things don't happen to us because of God.  God does not will or wish for bad things to happen to us.  God wants good things for us.  Romans 8:28 says that God is working for good in our lives, not bad. 

Bad things happen because we live in a broken world.  We invited disobedience into the world, and now we're upset at its affect.  Of course, we're all to blame.  We are broken people.  The devil is out to get us, to keep us from being all God created us to be.  But God isn't out to get us.  God is out to save us.  Certainly, God tests us, but those tests usually aren't to 'teach us a lesson.'  God's tests are to test our faith so that He can give us more.  God wants good for us, though.  You can bank on that.  One more question in this same line of thought.

• If a person has "faith" in Christ, why do they still suffer from health issues?

Because He never promised it would be easy.  And he never promised prosperity and health.  The Apostle Paul talked about the "thorn in his side" that stayed with him his whole life.  Moses dealt with being 'slow of speech'.  There's simply not a guarantee that when we follow Jesus, everything will be roses.  And there's no guarantee that we'll be healthy and that he'll bring healing to every ailment we have.  I wish there was, but there's simply not.  There is the promise that He will be with us, and the great gift of faith is that when we go through things like health issues that God is with us.  We are not alone.  We can draw on a well of strength and comfort that is limitless...a well that gives patience and understanding, even in the pain of sickness.

God is healing this broken world.  The hope of those who believe is a resurrection world in which there is no sickness, no more disease, no more tears, and no more brokenness.  Come Lord Jesus.

Making it through the fire

"Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn't burn up." Exodus 3:2


I came across this old passage today and thought of the people in Boston and West Texas who have been put through the fire recently, literally and figuratively.  Explosions have claimed the lives of too many, and the emotional fires of loss and grief continue to smolder in the families of those affected.  Even for those of us far away, we mourn in the face of tragedy and wonder what it all means.  We ask, "Where is God in all of this?"

I've read the story about God talking to Moses in the burning bush a million times. I've seen it with Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments", and you probably saw it in "The Bible" recently on The History Channel. One of the things I've never thought about though is the powerful symbolism of that bush. God is calling Moses to a difficult task: to free God's people from the heavy oppression of Egyptian slavery and lead them across the desert to the Promised Land. We know from reading the story that it won't be easy. Dealing with Pharaoh won't be easy, getting through the Red Sea won't be easy, wandering through the desert for 40 years won't be easy, and leading this stubborn people won't be easy. The challenges Moses will face will seemingly incinerate him, but he won't burn up. That's one of the messages of the burning bush. When God is present, the fire won't consume you. The pressure and stress won't overwhelm you. It might be painful at times, but it won't burn you. You'll make it through unscathed if you can simply hold on to God in the process, for He is our ever present help in struggle. What a message.

Sometimes we feel like life is eating us alive, burning us up and consuming us. If we will stop to recognized God's presence in our lives, we can understand that, even in life's pressure cooker, we are not consumed. There is a Promised Land waiting on the other side of faith. We are part of a larger story. God is with us, and we will not be burned up. No matter how hot things are for you right now, know that God is with you.

Why does bad stuff happen...period?

This past Sunday I tackled the question "Why does bad stuff happen to good people?" in our "Preacher, I've got a question series.  Little did I know that just a day later we'd be smacked in the face of another piercing example of bad things happening.  Two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, killing 3 and injuring dozens more.  Many who have survived this tragedy will live without limbs and constant reminders of the ugliness of that day.  It's tragic and breaks my heart.  Having an eight year old myself, I've almost tried not to think about the heartache the family of the little boy that was killed is going through.  The whole thing.  It's just...unthinkable.

I want to say, "I've had enough."  I want to say, "Let's us join together, for we won't stand for this any longer."  I want to say something inspirational like that, but it rings hollow.  We need to stop sinning.  That's really the only answer.  Bad things happen because of sin.  As long as there's sin, there will be bad things.  Sometimes that sin gives birth to intentional 'badness' in the form of a bomb at a race.  Sometimes in a comment that wasn't intentional, but the hurt and pain caused by it are just a painful.  Sometimes our own sin causes us to suffer bad consequences.  Often, we experience bad in the world because we live in a world broken by sin.  This isn't how things were supposed to be.  God didn't create things to be this way.  Read Genesis 1 and 2.  God had better plans.  Sin changed everything.  God created a world where bad things didn't happen.  Sin created a reality where bad things have become the norm.

But there is hope.  Policies and procedures are band-aids to the world's problems, not that they're not needed sometimes.  I believe that the hope of the world is Jesus Christ.  Jesus brought the Kingdom BACK to earth.  Jesus came to restore that which sin had destroyed.  Jesus defeated sin and death.  Jesus resurrected good from the death found in bad.  Jesus is one day going to restore good back to the way it was meant to be.  That's what Christians believe when they say that the Kingdom is coming.  We believe that Jesus is going to fix all this mess.

But, do you remember how Jesus taught us to pray?  "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven."  We don't have to just sit around and wait for the sweet by an by.  We can deliver the Kingdom in the here and now.  I believe that the Body of Christ (the Church) is the hope for a broken world that slants toward bad.  When we love like God loves, when we see others the way God sees them, when we sacrifice like Jesus, when we comfort like God's Spirit, when we exhibit compassion, generosity, selflessness, and kindness we start to bring the Kingdom to earth NOW.  That's the answer to this mess, and it's the only hope in the face of tragedy.  The world desperately needs the Church to BE the Church.  So, what can you do in response to tragedy in Boston?  Love your neighbor as yourself, forgive others, encourage people, and practice hospitality.  We won't change this with one action.  We'll change this with one action at a time.  One action in which we deny sin and selfishness and choose obedience and selflessness.  When the world sees the love of Christ personified the way it is supposed to be, it's hard not to embrace it.  And when that happens...thy Kingdom come.

"Preacher, how do I know God is talking to me?"

Yesterday, we tackled some tough questions about hearing God's voice, and I wanted to answer some of those specific questions:

1. There are times when I pray about something. How do I know this is God's answer and not the devil making me think this is God's answer?  We have an incredible ability to convince ourselves into believing what we think we want.  If you've ever been house or car shopping, you know how you start to see 'signs' that you're supposed to buy a particular car or house.  That's just the way our brains work.  I think the story of God talking to Samuel as a young boy points to three important things that can help us discern God's voice:  Come to God's place (get in a church, a LIFE Group, or a volunteer team -- be where God is talking), Consult God's leaders (find spiritual mentors who will speak truth into us), Compare it to God's Word (God's not going to tell us to do something contrary to the Bible.  Do those things and pray some more, and I believe we'll begin to get clarity.
2. People say they know when God is talking to them…I want to know what I can do to feel God talking to me. I feel that he is doing great things in my life, but I can’t feel him talk to me.  Get close and get quiet.  I find that the times I hear God speaking the least, it's usually me who has moved.  Get closer to God.  Get plugged into worship and dig deep in Bible Study (which is how God often speaks to us).  Secondly, often, we're just not quiet enough to hear.  We spend all of our time in prayer in a one way conversation where we do all the talking.  Communication with God is a two-way street.  Take time to be still...and listen.
3. How do you know how long to feel God's nudge or when God is waiting on you to make the first step?  (I guess I struggle at times with 'is this God's will or mine perceived as His?)  We all struggle with this.  The good news is that everyday we get the opportunity choose God.  One wrong step won't define our lives.  Some people view God has a big room with a bunch of closed doors and we're waiting on Him to open the right one for us to walk through.  I see God as a big room with a bunch of open doors and we walk where we feel led and he'll shut it if He wants to, so we go on to the next.  There isn't one way this can work out, there are many.  He's weaving a story in history, and the closer we get to him, the better we get at walking in the right doors and being a part of His story.  You see, that's it.  I can tell you what God's will is for your life:  to get involved in His story.

"Preacher, do good people go to heaven?"

It is the age old question:  do good people go to heaven?  Wouldn't God want heaven to be full of good people?  Lots of people asked various forms of that question for our "Preacher, I've got a question" series:

• What happens to "good" people that are not Christians when they die?
• Is the only way to heaven is through Jesus and Christianity?  If so, why?  Hard for me to imagine that people of different faiths who are as caring, compassionate and generous don’t get to heaven.
• If Christ is the only way to eternal life…what about Buddhist, Hindus, etc?
• Don't all religious folks (Muslims, Jews, Christians) serve the same God?

We want to believe that good people go to heaven because we're convinced that God grades on a curve.  You probably had high school teachers or college professors that graded on a curve.  You know what that meant?  You were graded against the class, not against the test.  Your score was compared to the rest of the class, not against how you did on the actual test.  You didn't have to make a 90 to get an A, you just had to score better than 90% of the class.  Most people think God grades this way.  Almost all of us see ourselves as good people.  Sure, we've made some mistakes, but most of us think we're okay.

We imagine ourselves standing in line before God's judgment between terrorists and that guy at work that's a complete jerk.  But what if you're standing in line between Mother Teresa and Billy Graham?  How good are you going to look then?  You see, who gets to decide what good is?  Different religions have different definitions of good.  Radical Muslims thought is was 'good' to fly planes into the World Trade Center.  Some Christians, at places like the infamous Westboro Baptist, thought it was 'good' to come protest at the Final Four in Atlanta with messages of hate and judgment.  So, what, exactly, is good?  How can we all be serving the same God if we have different definitions of 'good?'

The Bible lives up a different definition of 'good.'  The prophet Isaiah said, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).  The Hebrew definition for filthy rags in that passage is the rags a woman would use during her menstruation.  Yes, that's what our righteous acts are like before a Holy God.  Imagine what our sinful acts are like?  The Bible lifts up a different standard.  It says God doesn't grade on a curve.  It says you have make 100% on the test.  You have to be perfect or you fall short.  Of course, we ALL fall short.  For "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  Enter Jesus.

This is what separates Christianity -- Jesus.  The Bible does NOT teach that good people go to heaven.  The message of Jesus is that forgiven people go to heaven.  God doesn't give us eternal life because of our good deeds (they simply don't measure up).  God gives us eternal life because of what Christ has done on the cross.  Jesus death and resurrection defeated the power of sin in our lives forever and made us right before God.  God calls us to simply believe, trust and have faith in this amazing thing called grace.  Grace is difference.  Grace makes us 'good' before God because of Jesus' sacrifice.  And we live to honor the One who forgave us, which is drastically different from living to try to win God's love.  The gift of Jesus has already proven God's love for us once and for all.  So what are you gonna do with that gift?

"Preacher, I've got a few more questions about heaven."

Alright, this will finish up our 'heaven' questions.  Lots of thought provoking stuff.

• Considering how violent people are in the name of religions, how will we know heaven will be peaceful?

Violence is the result of an inner pain.  Simply, hurting people hurt people.  People that are whole don't hurt others. We hurt others when we feel slighted, less loved and incomplete.  The violence that happens in the name of religion is wrong and not of God.  God is a God of peace, and heaven means living fully in God's presence.  Violence is a result of sin.  There's no sin in heaven.

• Do those in heaven have awareness of what is happening with humanity?

Man, that's a great question.  The best answer I can give is, "I don't know."  I don't think so.  It's hard to imagine that we could know about the pain and hurt while we're in heaven and it feel much like heaven.  But I know that this heaven is different than the new heaven and earth in the resurrection.  I want to say, "No."  However, Revelation talks about the prayers of the saints and Hebrews says that we are "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" after referring to those that have gone before us.  So, I don't know.  I know heaven is bigger and something I can't quite imagine.

• When people die, do they go to heaven then or are they risen at the second coming?

Yes.  Jesus seems to say that we (our spirits) do go to heaven when we die.  He told the thief on the cross, "Today, you will be with me in paradise."  Today.  Not a long time from now.  However, the Bible says that those in Christ will rise in the resurrection.  Our bodies...literally...resurrected.  The sea will give up its dead and we will will rise.  Then, we will be given new resurrection bodies.  Do I understand it all?  No, that's just what the book says, and it is the hope of those in Christ.  We say it in the Apostle's Creed:  I believe in the resurrection of the dead.  That's what I believe.