The Right Perspective on Suffering

Yesterday, a man posed a question to me that is not easy to answer.  He basically asked, "Why does God allow His own to suffer?"  The man had been studying the book of Job and he couldn't understand why God would let Satan attack Job so severely.  My answer was that God makes our faith stronger through allowing it to be tested.  An untested faith is a vulnerable, weak faith, but a faith that is tested by trials is a faith that is tempered to withstand any attack that may come.

I gave that man the best illustration of this that I had ever heard.  One of my uncles once asked me, while we were in the mountains, which tree would be stronger, the one on the top of the mountain or the one in the valley.  It turns out that the one on the mountain top is stronger than the one in the valley.  The tree on the mountain top is accustomed to the strong winds that have threatened to topple it its whole life, that's why its roots go deep so that it can endure the winds.  But the tree in the valley is sheltered from the strong winds most of the time and its roots have no need to go deep, leaving it vulnerable and more likely to fall in a storm.  The Christian life is much the same as those trees.  God often allows us to go through difficult trials so that our faith will be strengthened for the road ahead.  Our family knows this from personal experience.  On June 23rd, 2001, our third child, Rebekak, was born, but to our shock, she was born with a life-threatening heart problem.  Despite of our prayers and all the effort of the doctors, Rebekah died after living only ten days.  But rather than destroying our faith, when we resisted the temptation to be angry at God, this trial strengthened our faith.  God gave us the kind of faith that we needed to follow Him through the challenges that He has put in our path since.  We could not have stepped out on faith and followed God to two different states away from our home in Georgia, if our faith had not been strengthened first.  We also could not have experienced the great victories that God has won through our lives without having our faith strengthened.  James must have also experienced this because he declared, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:2-4, NKJV).

When I was telling all of this to that man, another thought struck me about why God would allow His faithful followers to suffer like Job did.  A big part of it could have been that God allowed Job to go through those things so that his story could encourage the millions that would later read about it in Scripture.  You never know how God can use your suffering for the good of others.  I have also learned this by experience.  About a month after Rebekah died, I was preaching at a Christian rehabilitation center for alcohol and drug addicts.  I had not planned on saying anything about my daughter that night, because the pain was still too great, but in the middle of my sermon, I found myself telling her story.  I told about the challenge that it was to our faith, I acknowledged the great temptation that we fought, and I described how God had brought us through it and was still bringing us through it.  Several of the men decided to put their faith and lives in the hands of Jesus that night.  One of them came to me afterwards and said that he had also lost a child.  He had been angry with God for years over it and had turned to alcohol and drugs to try and soothe the pain.  But that night he confessed that he had been wrong and he said that it was all because of Rebekah's story and how we responded to her death.  Do you see the point?  Because of our family's great suffering and our right perspective on it, another person will be in Heaven that might not have been otherwise!  There have been others since this man and I'm sure that there will be more.

I say again that you never know how God can use your suffering for the good of others, but don't forget that it is also for your good as well.  The Apostle Paul said it best:  "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, NKJV).  Paul also said, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NKJV).  We were never promised to be spared all trouble in this world, but we were promised that it would serve a good purpose and that we would be rewarded for faithfully enduring it.  So Christians, let's have the right perspective on suffering, an eternal perspective rather than a temporary one.

What Makes Good Friday So Good

Good Friday seems to be a bad name for the day that Jesus was crucified so long ago.  Think about it.  Terrible things happened on that day:  the innocent Son of God was falsely convicted, humiliated, beaten, scourged, and finally nailed to a wooden cross to die in agony.  It just doesn't sound like a good day from that perspective.  So what makes Good Friday so good?  Thankfully, the Bible gives us the answer.

First of all, Good Friday is good because of what all of us were spared!  The Bible says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God..." (1 Peter 3:18a, NKJV).  In other words, the One who had not done anything wrong to be punished for, was punished for all the wrongs that we have done instead, so that we could be with a Holy God who cannot tolerate sin.  Such an act can only be understood as an act of love.  The Bible explains that "...God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, NKJV).  Jesus literally suffered and died in our place, taking the ultimate punishment for sin, which is death.  Good Friday is good not because of what Jesus suffered on that day, but rather because of the fact that Jesus suffered for us on that day, sparing us the punishment that we deserve for our sins!

Good Friday is also good because of the victory that was won on that day!  This might be confusing to some who have always thought of that day as a victory for Satan.  It is often described as a battle in which Satan and his forces succeed in killing the Son of God, which is then followed by a demonic victory party that abruptly ends when Jesus rises from the dead three days later.  The impression is given that the Resurrection of Jesus rather than the Crucifixion of Jesus was the victory that was won.  If this what really happened, then Good Friday should never be called good, but that it was not what the Bible says happened that day.  The Bible explains to believers, saying, "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.  And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:13-15, NKJV).  The Bible also explains, saying, "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15, NKJV).  Did you get the point?  Your forgiveness was provided at the cross, not at the tomb.  The victory over Satan was won at the cross, not at the tomb.  Good Friday is good because it was Jesus who won and Satan who lost on that day!

Finally, Good Friday is good because of what it led to!  Jesus personally warned His disciples ahead of time, saying, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,  and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again" (Matthew 20:18-19, NKJV).  Jesus had to go through the crucifixion to get to the resurrection.  The Gospel requires both to be complete.  The word "Gospel" means "Good News" and that news would not have been near as good without the events of Good Friday.  The Apostle Paul explained the Good News, saying, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NKJV).   Before there could be an empty tomb, there had to be a bloody cross.  Good Friday is good because there would be no Good News of Jesus' Resurrection without the Good News of Jesus' Crucifixion!

So, why would anyone not think that Good Friday is good?  I can think of two possible reasons.  First of all, they may simply not understand what Jesus was doing for them.  They may think that day represents a tragic miscarriage of justice, resulting in the death of a good man.  That is true to a point, but the Bible tells us that He was so much more than just a good man and also that His death served a far greater purpose.  There is hope for those who miss the point of Good Friday for this reason, because they can learn from the Bible what Jesus did for them that day and choose to believe.

But that brings us to the second reason why someone would not think that Good Friday is good: they may have refused to believe in what the Bible says that Jesus did for them.  If this is the case, they will not only miss the point of Good Friday, they will miss out on the salvation that Jesus provided for them that day.  That's why Good Friday only becomes good to you when you believe, because the salvation that He died to give you can only be received through faith in Him.  That's why Good Friday is good to me and I hope it is to you too!

Have a Good Friday and a Happy Easter!

The Tongues Question

As a pastor, I get a lot of questions.  They are often very surprising, perplexing, and intimidating, but I welcome them all.  It's part of what I am called to do in weilding the Sword of the Spirit to help people understand what God has said to us all.  I do get some questions more than others and so I decided to post some of my answers.

This week, I got the tongue question.  It usually goes something like this:  "Brother Jonathan, what do you believe about speaking in tongues?"  Well, I told them and I am going to tell you, but you may not like what I have to say.  This is a controversial subject and some of the poeple that I know and love disagree with me about it, but my disagreeing with them doesn't get in the way of me loving them.  They have a right to be wrong.  I hope that you realize that I have the same right if you disagree with what I have to say.  So, here goes...

First of all, the word "tongues" is the same as the word "languages."  Speaking in tongues is literally speaking another human language, rather than speaking gibberish that no-one can understand.  The best explanation for speaking in tongues is found in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.  When they stood and preached, everyone that was there heard them in their own native language.  In fact, several languages were mentioned.  No-one heard gibberish what-so-ever.  I believe that this passage is saying that they all spoke at the same time and were heard in all these different languages at the same time.  This was clearly a miracle of the Holy Spirit to tell the Good News of Jesus Christ.  This kind of miracle is only mentioned three more times in the New Testament and all in the book of Acts.  It wasn't something that happened often.

There are also very specific gifts concerning speaking and interpreting languages that the Holy Spirit blesses some believers with for the work of ministry (1 Corinthians 12:1-11, especially vs. 10).  These are gifts that people are given to make them much more capable to speak and interpret other languages for the point of reaching people who speak those languages with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I have met people like that and have been amazed at how easy they pick up other languages.  This gift of tongues is used by missionaries everyday around the world to tell others about Jesus.

Strangely though, today there are many denominations who believe that speaking in tongues means speaking some unknown language.  They think that they have Biblical support for this in 1 Corinthians 14, where in the King James Version it talks about "unknown tongues," saying that it is okay to be spoken in Church as long as there is an "interpreter."  The problem is that the word "unknown" was added in by the translators.  That's why "unknown" is in italics in the KJV because it is not found in the Greek text.  Those translators meant well.  They added the word "unknown" because they thought that it would help explain the kind of languages that Paul was talking about, but it gave the impression that these languages were foreign to all of humanity rather than just foreign to that congregation.  What Paul is talking about in 1 Corinthians 14 is somebody exercising a Spiritual gift with foreign languages.  If that person is speaking in the Church without someone to interpret what they are saying, God is the only One who understands them and it is doing nothing for anyone else there.  It would be like someone getting up this Sunday morning and speaking Chinese to our congregation.  To us it would be gibberish and without someone to interpret, it would do nothing to help any of us.  Even with an interpreter, Paul said that it would better for someone to prophesy, or in other words, proclaim God's Word in a way that can be understood.

I do want to say that most of those people mean well.  They honestly think that by doing this stuff, they are going to cause more people to believe because of their "signs and wonders," but God wants people to have more faith in His Word than anything else.  I believe that most of this stuff is human-driven and fake, but I am afraid that some of it is spiritually-driven, but not by the Holy Spirit.  As Christians, we are told to "test the spirits" to see " whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1, NKJV).  That test is based upon our knowledge of what the Holy Spirit came to do.  Jesus explained, saying, "...when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth...  He will glorify Me..." (John 16:13-14, NKJV).  When I have seen people doing this stuff (i.e. being slain in the spirit, speaking in tongues, etc.), they give glory and credit to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit then becomes the focus of their praise.  That's why they call these things "Manifestations of the Spirit," or in other words, occurrences through which the Holy Spirit reveals Himself.  But when it is truly the Holy Spirit at work, the focus is always on Jesus.  The Holy Spirit does not bring attention to Himself, but to Jesus.

The bottom line is, I don't believe that what most people call speaking in tongues is anything like what we see in Scripture.  I also believe that the Devil wants to use anything that he can to distract people from the Good News of Jesus Christ, even under the guise of spirit-filled praise and worship.  The Devil has this strategy:  If he can't stop the Gospel of Jesus Christ from being proclaimed, he will pollute what is being proclaimed.

If you disagree with me, please don't write me and try to change my mind.  It will be a futile effort.  As a country singer once said, "That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!"  In fact, I believe that my answer is entirely based on God's story, the Holy Bible.  God bless you all!

12 Year Old Pro-Lifer

Hello all! I'm sorry that I have not written for awhile. Things have been a bit hectic.

I will be writing another article soon, but in the meantime, I wanted to share with you a link to a video that you must see. A twelve year old Canadian girl recently gave a speech in her school that spoke out against abortion. Despite much controversy and efforts to talk her out of it, the girl delivered one of the most eloquent speeches that I have ever heard on the subject of abortion.

It would do you good to click on this link and watch the video: http://www.nmatv.com/video/1318/Preteen-pro-life-speech-goes-viral

Her parents have something to be very proud of!

Drawing Near to God

I would like to tell you a dog story, but first I need to set the stage. We live within the city limits of a town that has a leash law. We also have no fence around our back yard. So that is why we keep our family dog on a chain. The chain is very long and allows her to get up on the back patio within easy reach of us when we are out there. Anytime we go out the back door, our dog is there to greet us with a wagging tail and a great happiness to see us. Invariably, she will flop on her back and look expectantly at us for a good belly rub, which she usually gets.

The other evening I was out on the back patio to grill some hamburgers and hotdogs. I lit the charcoal and began to wait for it to be ready to cook over. This particular circumstance is too much for our dog to handle. Not only does she know that I will be cooking something that smells very good to her, I am also standing within ten feet of her, while being completely unreachable. On this occasion, her response was to whine and stare at me, as if to beg for me to come a little closer. I could have ignored her, with the excuse that I was going to be cooking soon, but I knew that I could wash my hands before I actually started handling any food. That is why I came over and sat down on the edge of the patio where our dog could sit down next to me. I was greeted with a shower of affection, which included many many licks and many attempts by the dog to get completely into my lap. After a few minutes, she calmed down a bit and just sat there with me, while I looked at the stars that were beginning to appear in the sky.

It was at that moment that I began to think about my relationship with God in a way that I had not considered before. I thought of how much it bothered my dog to not be able to reach me, no matter how much she wanted to. I thought about how she longed for me to come within reach of her, and how that overrode everything else in her life. I thought about how excited my dog was when she was finally able to be in my presence and it gave me an idea. Though it may sound strange, I told God that I want to have the same kind of desire for being in His presence that my dog has for being in mine. I told Him that I want to be just as excited about being in His presence as my dog has about being in mine.

The Bible makes it clear that the main purpose that Jesus had in dying for us on the cross was so that by taking our punishment, the separation between us and God would be ended. Sin separates us completely from the holy God, but salvation ends that separation that we might be with Him forever more, both here on Earth and in Eternity. The Bible says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18, NKJV). The Bible further explains, saying, "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight..." (Colossians 1:21-22, NKJV). Jesus did everything it takes to end that separation between you and God, but you have to believe in what He did for that separation to end.

Until we have faith in what Jesus Christ did for us, we are all like my dog that is chained in the backyard. Without having faith in Jesus, we are still chained away from God's presence, unable to reach Him no matter what we do to change that. But when you choose to believe in Jesus Christ, you can now come to God and God can now come to you! The Bible declares, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..." (Hebrews 10:19-22a, NKJV). Through faith, you can be as close to God as you want to be, but the choice is yours to make. That's why the Bible says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8a, NKJV)!

I want to draw nearer to God this year and I believe that will only happen if I become as excited about being with Him as my dog is about being with me. I know that He is ready and waiting for me to simply desire and pursue being nearer to Him. That is when He will draw near to me. In fact, maybe today will be the day that He puts me on the leash and takes me for a walk. It may sound strange, but a dog can help you understand what it is to love being with your Master and Lord.

"Dear Lord, help me to draw nearer to You this year. Help me to remember that I should seek Your presence each and every day. I can't make it through life on my own. Thank-you for being with me. Amen."

2008 Tennessee Baptist Convention

As the pastor of a Church that is a cooperating member of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, I thought that I would give a report on the convention meeting that was held last week. Overall, it was a good meeting. The preaching was inspiring and the congregational worship that occurred throughout the meeting was excellent. There was very little controversy, but what little there was is worthy of note. Once again the point of contention centered upon the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message (http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp).

Since the original 1925 edition was written, the Baptist Faith and Message has been for the purpose of explaining what Southern Baptists generally believe that Scripture teaches. Over the years, Southern Baptists saw it necessary to revise this basic statement of faith, in order to clarify what we believe Scripture to be saying. The latest edition, that was adopted during the year 2000 Southern Baptist Convention, reflects a far more conservative, literal interpretation of Scripture than its predecessors. Despite this fact, the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) once again came under attack during this year's Tennessee Baptist Convention meeting, but it came with an unexpected twist.

During one of the last business sessions, questions arose as to why there were people being put into offices within the convention who had openly said, "No" to the question of whether or not they affirm the 2000 BF&M. I was thankful that someone asked the question, because it bothered me as well. I want to know what our leadership believes about the Bible and asking them about the 2000 BF&M provides the answers that I need in that regard. The questionnaire that is filled out by each potential nominee should be for the purpose of providing as much information as possible for determining who is selected. The one who raised this concern said that he "would feel better if there was some doctrinal accountability." That is the whole reason for asking whether or not the nominee affirms the 2000 BF&M, because we should want to know what they believe the Bible says and not just simply whether or not they believe the Bible! Apparently that doesn't matter in the current selection process, as illustrated by Earl Wilson, chairman of the Committee on Boards, who said that "...whatever answer they gave did not disqualify them from service." In other words, it does not matter what they believe if they are willing to serve, but I doubt that most Tennessee Baptists would agree with that statement.

It was at this point that the attack on the 2000 BF&M occurred from a new angle than I had heard before. When the concern was raised over the questionnaire answers, another messenger took the occasion to attack the one who raised the concern as well as the 2000 BF&M, saying that it is "too liberal" for him to support. He illustrated this statement, saying that, in comparison with the 1963 BF&M, the 2000 BF&M "...leaves out that Jesus Christ is the criteria by which we interpret Scripture." That statement is only partially correct. In reality, the 1963 BF&M says, "The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ." Instead of leaving this statement out, as was said from the floor of the convention, the 2000 BF&M clarifies the meaning of that statement, by changing it to say, "All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation." This man neglected to mention the much more theologically conservative change that was made concerning Scripture between the 1963 and 2000 editions. For example, the 1963 BF&M says, "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of God's revelation of Himself to man." This statement was changed in the 2000 BF&M to say, "The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man." On the surface, the change appears to be insignificant, but by saying that the Bible "is God's revelation" rather than "the record of God's revelation," the 2000 BF&M is confronting the view that the Bible contains the Word of God rather than that it is entirely the Word of God. The 2000 BF&M also added a logical conclusion concerning Scripture, saying, "Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy."

To say that the 2000 BF&M is "liberal" is to not understand what being theologically liberal is. To be liberal theologically is to deny and undermine the authority of the entire Bible by questioning the accuracy and truthfulness of some of the Bible. To be conservative theologically is to affirm and defend the authority of the entire Bible through believing in the accuracy and truthfulness of the entire Bible. Under close examination of both documents, the 1963 BF&M is clearly the more liberal document overall, no matter what someone rants from the floor of the convention about the 2000 BF&M. If someone has a problem with the 2000 BF&M it is usually because they are liberal theologically, whether they will admit it or not. That should matter to us all and should make a difference in who we select to lead us in this convention!

1TIM6_12 Christian Gaming Tag

Many people my age, and especially computer geeks like me, love to play computer games. If done with moderation and without making moral compromises, this can be a very enjoyable and stress-relieving thing to do. There is just something about entering a fictional world where you are able to do amazing things that you never could do on your own in real life. For example, as a kid, I used to play war games in the woods around my parents' house with my friends. We would fight historical conflicts from the Middle Ages to World War II, as well as fictional conflicts from a war with the Soviet Union (that thankfully never really happened) to a war in that galaxy far, far away (that is Star Wars to those few who are not fans). The action of these pretend fights, whether using water guns, pine cones, or sticks, excited my heart as a boy, not to mention gave me quite a few cuts, scrapes, and bruises. I think that is why as an adult, I love to play those action games on the computer so much. I avoid the ones that have bad language and bloody violence, instead playing the ones that offer that kind of action that I filled my time with as a boy, except now I can avoid getting hurt (unless the structural integrity of my computer desk fails).

Through the availability of high speed internet where I live now, I have gotten into playing online multiplayer games such as Star Wars Battlefront II and especially Battlefield 2142. Playing these games is like getting together with my young friends all over again, except this time I am playing war games with people from all over the country and sometimes the world. While playing these games, I have seen that many people join online fighting clans and add that clan's label (a.k.a. tag) to their player name in the games. These people fight as a team, supporting one another and enjoying one another's company online. I have been asked many times to join this clan or that, but I simply do not have the time to get that involved. Recently, though, I was struck by an idea that the clans gave me. I had the idea to create a generic clan tag to identify Christian gamers, a tag that doesn't have to require clan membership or some such, but rather something that any Bible-believer could wear proudly to point to their faith in Jesus Christ.

The clan tag that I created and now play under is simply 1TIM6_12. This is a Bible reference to a challenge that the Apostle Paul gave, saying, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Timothy 6:12, NKJV). I chose this verse because every true Christian has taken up "the good fight of faith." It is not always easy to have faith in God in this world of skepticism and sin. That is why Paul described the Christian life as a "fight," but he emphasized that "faith" is a "good fight."

It is worth having faith in God and His Word. Paul gave the greatest reason why the "fight of faith" is "good" when he mentioned "eternal life." The Bible explains that it is only through having faith in Jesus Christ that we can "lay hold on eternal life." The world says that there are many paths to assuring your eternal future, but Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6, NKJV). The only way to go Jesus' way and find truth and life is through having faith in Him. Faith is all about believing in what you cannot see and cannot completely prove, but trusting your life on it anyway. It is about taking God at His Word, as Jesus explained, saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24, NKJV). Trust me, when I began to have real faith in Jesus Christ my life was changed and I knew that I had taken hold of the kind of life that will never end, even if my body fails me!

Part of fighting "the good fight of faith" is confessing a "good confession in the presence of many witnesses." Paul emphasized this to remind us that, if you are a Christian, you should be telling others what Jesus Christ has done for you and what He can do for them. And so using the 1TIM6_12 tag when I play online serves to remind me that even there I can be a witness for Him with my behavior and my words. It reminds me to behave in a Christian way even when I am playing a game, but it also points others to the Word of God and my faith. My hope is that more Christians will begin to use this tag and that people will take notice and ask about it in the games. It could be another way that Christians can open a door to witness for Jesus Christ.

If you would like to use the 1TIM6_12 Christian gaming tag, you don't have to join a clan or anything; you simply have to be a Christian who wants to be a witness online. I would like to hear about it if you decide to start using it. Just simply leave a comment with this blog post or email me at preacherwitt@gmail.com. May God richly bless you offline and online, to be His child and His witness!