Rescued From the Empty Life You Inherited….

Audio Link from Steve Cornell

Click and Listen:

http://www.millersvillebiblechurch.org/_audio/Rescued%20From%20the%20Empty%20Life%20You%20Inherited%2011-8-09.mp3

Overcoming your past

Steve Cornell

My grandfather was an alcoholic for most of his adult life. Like many alcoholics, he was functional during the day and drunk at night. My mother recently told me that she never had a single meaningful conversation with her father. As a young girl, she tried to get rid of her dad’s alcohol and even went to their pastor to seek help for him.

Like many others, mom’s life was deeply affected by the loss of a healthy father-daughter relationship and by being forced to deal with difficult matters at such a young age. Some, like mom, overcome their loss and live healthy lives. But many others never gain freedom and send their pain into the next generation.

After years of counseling others, I am convinced that most personal problems have strong connections with what I call the eighteen-year factor. This is the amount of time lived in one’s family of origin. These are defining years when we learn and experience many things that we carry with us for life.

If you grew up in a functionally healthy home, you received a gift that is increasingly rare. But if your eighteen-year factor was disrupted by a significant negative experience, it could adversely affect your security, identity and future relationships. Traumatic experiences like loss of a parent or sibling, the divorce of your parents or sexual abuse, are life altering. And families plagued with severe dysfunctions are especially damaging to children. If you lived under an alcoholic parent or in an atmosphere of physical or emotional abuse, or with significant neglect of nurture and discipline, your life has been deeply affected—usually beyond what you realize.

Emotionally aloof fathers or parents who withhold affirmation and acceptance leave deep deficits in the lives of their children. It’s not uncommon for men of all ages to battle issues related to a bad father-son relationship. And women are especially vulnerable to future instability when their fathers withhold affection and affirmation. Many pursue unhealthy male relationships. Some battle deep feelings of inadequacy and a continual sense that something is missing. Others struggle with anxiety, low self-esteem and depression.

Children develop protective mechanisms to shield themselves from pain when forced to deal with things they lack the maturity to handle. They’re often unaware of these protective instincts when they carry them into adulthood. But, in adulthood, protective mechanisms no longer protect; they destroy. A tendency to shut down emotionally may protect a child in an abusive home, but when the same response emerges in adult relationships, it becomes harmful. Children of alcoholic parents often become enablers and co-dependents. Others find relief in anger or excessive efforts to control life. But all of these protective responses are damaging to future relationships.

Those who carry protective mechanisms into adulthood often don’t understand why they feel and act as they do. They usually remain unaware of the real affects of their upbringing until they enter intimate relationships with other adults. In these relationships, the walls they built to shield from hurtful experiences alienate them and drive others away.

The damages from an unhealthy eighteen-year factor must be identified for the path of healing and restoration to be effective. Although it seems easier to pretend that you have not been affected by your upbringing, denial always makes matters worse. It also assures that the next generation will continue to be hurt. Overcoming a problem can only begin when we admit we have it and recognize how it is hurting our own lives and those around us.

Overcoming the past often requires assistance from a wise counselor. But first we must allow those closest to help us see our walls and defense mechanisms. Usually the hardest part of this is the vulnerability it requires. Trust is difficult and fear leads to defensive postures.

One of the dangers in identifying the failures and neglect of one’s parents is the temptation toward self-pity. When I asked my mom how she overcame her past, she said she refused to allow self-pity to control her life. She said, “I think too many people just wallow in their hurts and allow them to ruin their lives.” I remind people that the only thing we can change about the past is how we let it affect us in the future.

Mom’s father was not a violent alcoholic and she realizes it would be harder to overcome worse circumstances. I have no doubt that a big part of her victory is her faith in Jesus Christ. Mom turned to Christ when I was eleven years old.

In the early days of her faith, she thanked God for allowing her to have an alcoholic father and asked God to use her experience to help others. Beyond her eleven children, mom has many spiritual children. These are people who look to her regularly for guidance. Her life verse is: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (III John 4).

Steve Cornell

Note: My grandfather trusted in Christ shortly before his death and experienced a short but sincere conversion.

How long will God be patient?

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ 8 ” ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ “ (Luke 13:6-9)

Only a few….

22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. (Luke 13:22-28)

But because of his great love for us

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-5)

A Church leader must be husband of one wife

Steve Cornell

What does this mean? Does it require Church leaders to be married men thus excluding single men from eldership? The Catholic view understands it as marriage to the Church in support of their practice of celibacy for the priesthood. Some believe it was meant to forbid polygamy. Or, does it exclude those who are divorced and remarried from positions of leadership in the Church? On this view, no divorced man should be considered for leadership. I believe this qualification (like the rest of those listed in I Timothy 3) is about the character of the man rather than a particular experience in his life. He is known to be faithfully loyal to his wife.

Looking more closely:

What did Paul mean when he said in 1 Timothy 3:2 that an overseer/elder must be “the husband of but one wife”? The original language (“Mias gunaikos andra” lit. One woman man– ) is better understood as a reference to the character of the man rather than a reference to his marital status. Some view it as forbidding a man from leadership who has been divorced and remarried. I understand it to mean a faithful husband –a man known for his loyal love for his wife. The New Living translation offers a nice rendering: “So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife” (I Timothy 3:2).

In Timothy  5:9, the apostle uses a similar phrase: “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has had but one husband…” Here to Paul must be referring to a known character quality of faithfulness to her deceased husband. She was known to be a faithful wife. If this is not the case, how could he later encourage “…younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander (I Timothy 5:14). If the translation, “has had but one husband” referred to marital status, it would encourage a young widow to do something that would later disqualify her from help if her second husband passed away.

The New Living Translation offers a helpful rendering of I Timothy 5:9- “A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband.”

Conclusion:

It is best to understand, “husband of but one wife” (lit. “one woman man”) to refer to a character quality of being a faithful husband. It is possible to have just one wife but to have eyes for others or to be unfaithful to one’s wife.

If a man is divorced or divorced and remarried, other considerations must be made concerning his qualification and readiness for leadership in the Church. The following qualifications should be explored:

“If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach…” (I Timothy 3:1-2)

“He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.” (I Timothy 3:4)

“He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” (I Timothy 3:7)

Usually, the circumstances relating to the divorce and created by the divorce become problematic for one to serve as an effective leader in the Church. In a few rare circumstances, a divorce and remarriage does not hinder leadership. By leadership, I am referring to eldership–a pastoral position. I am aware of a situation where a man was divorced at the age of eighteen and later became a believer. He married again and was faithfully loyal to his wife for 40 years. When being considered for eldership, he met the qualification of “one woman man” and his divorce many years earlier did not present any prevailing reason for keeping him from leadership.

Consider our process for leadership selection and training located on the link: http://millersvillebiblechurch.org/pages/index.php?pID=3015

And consider the recent position paper I wrote on Marriage Divorce and Remarriage: http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/position-statement-on-marriage-divorce-remarriage/

The Epic Journey of Prayer (conclusion)

Audio message:

http://www.millersvillebiblechurch.org/_audio/The%20Epic%20Journey%20of%20Prayer%20(conclusion)%2011-1-09.mp3

 

Position Statement On Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage

From Steve Cornell

The fact of Marriage:

Marriage is God’s plan for human beings and has been practiced ever since God instituted it (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6). The first human relationship was a marriage and history will end with a marriage between Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church. “Anthropologists tell us marriage, a permanent linking of men and women, is found in every civilized and uncivilized society throughout human history. Theologically, marriage is the first human institution. Sociologically, marriage is the glue that holds communities together, regulates sexuality, civilizes the home and provides for the proper development of the next generation. (Citizenlink). “Marriage between a man and a woman is the central, social building block in every human society, without exception. Monogamous, lifelong marriage is the universal norm.” (Gary Chapman)

The nature of marriage:

God ordained marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman. An evolving definition from Webster, 1913 “The act of marrying, or the state of being married; legal union of a man and a woman for life, as husband and wife; wedlock; matrimony.” In 1992, Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary defined marriage as “the institution under which a man and a woman become legally united on a permanent basis.” 2003 Merriam-Webster (1) “The state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2) the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.

Biblical definition of marriage:

Marriage is God’s gift to humans. It was given to resolve the problem of human loneliness by providing a complimentary companionship (“The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18). As originally designed, it is meant to be an exclusive (leaving) and permanent (cleaving/be united), one-flesh relationship. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24-25).

One-flesh union

The one-flesh union of marriage is more than just two bodies uniting. It is a person-to-person fusion of two lives celebrated by physical union. The physical union is the consummation of a God-formed bond. Physical union does not constitute a marriage nor necessitate one.
Using a one-flesh description, the apostle warned believers that a casual visit to a prostitute establishes a union that is far more profound then mere physical union. It is tearing each other apart by joining each other together (I Corinthians 6:16-18). But the physical union alone does not constitute the one-flesh bond intended as marriage (Matthew 1:18-19; John 4:16-18).

Marriage as a covenant:

The covenant nature of marriage is clearly mentioned in the Old Testament book of Malachi: “Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel, and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,” says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.” (Mal. 2:13-16).

Unlike contracts, typically entered into for personal advantage, convenience and limited time, the marriage covenant is entered for the purpose of love and devotion, mutuality of care and responsibility, and permanence.

Marriage as a life-long relationship:

Jesus affirmed the original teaching about marriage when he said, “Haven’t you read, that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)

From Jesus words, we learn that marriage is intended as a life-long relationship (what God has joined together, let man not separate). Honoring the teaching of our Lord, in their wedding ceremony, the bridegroom and bride solemnly promise to love, honor and cherish each other, and to remain faithful to each other for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death separates them.

Four essentials for Marriage Relationships God’s original plan for the marriage relationship involved four essential elements:

1. Exclusivity: One man/one woman in lifelong monogamy

2. Uniqueness: Leaving your home of origin and establishing a new family.

3. Permanence: A man is to be united to his wife—a word that means to hold fast to with unswerving loyalty.
Remember the wedding vow: “Till death causes us to part; As long as we both shall live.” Jesus said, “What God has joined together let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6).

4. Extra ordinary care: Ephesians 5:25, 28-29; John 10:11-13. Exodus 21:10 “…he must not deprive… her of food, clothing and marital rights.”  Vows: “Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?”

Reflection:

When husbands and wives respect each one of the four essential elements: exclusivity, uniqueness, permanence and care, they strengthen their marriages. A failure to respect any one of the essentials will weaken and harm the marriage relationship. A key reason many marital problems occur is a failure to understand, respect and live by the God-intended essence of marriage.

Marriage: Equality and Roles

In Scripture, equality is reflected in the first marriage as the man and woman were created in the image of God and given co-regency over the created order (Genesis 1:26-28). For believers in Christ, marriage is a covenant of companionship between two spiritually equal human beings (Galatians 3:26-28). Yet equality does not mean eliminate roles in a marriage relationship. Nor do roles in marriage diminish the requirement for mutual love and respect.

According to scripture, the husband bears primary responsibility to lead the home in a God-glorifying manner. His leadership clearly involves authority and should be honored by his wife and family Ephesians 5:22-24, 33; 6:1-3). This authority, however, should be based on love (see: Ephesians 5:25, 33, w/ John 10:11-13; I Corinthians 13:4-8a) and thoughtful consideration (see: Philippians 2:3-5). Scripture warns against husbands who treat their wives with insensitivity (see I Peter 3:7). Husbands must never forget that they are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Cultural limitations should not be placed on this command any more than on the command for wives to submit to and respect their husbands. Biblical requirements for male leadership in the home were not conditioned on cultural factors.

The purposes for marriage

1. Companionship (Genesis 2:18; Malachi 2:14)
2. Completion (Genesis 2:18)
3. Continuance (Genesis 1:28- of the human race)
4. Cooperation (Genesis 1:28)
5. Care: (Exodus 21:10-11; 1 Corinthians 7:15)
6. Communication (Genesis 1:27; of God’s image and Ephesians 5- Christ’s relationship with his people)
7. Constraint (I Corinthians 7:3-5)

Divorce and Remarriage:

Permission for divorce:

Although divorce was permitted in some cases under the Old Testament economy, Jesus Christ taught that this was an accommodation and not God’s plan from the beginning. When pressed further as to why divorce was permitted, Jesus clarified that, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” Jesus then added an exception: “I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:9; cf. Matthew 5:31, 32).

The discovery of marital unfaithfulness on the part of one’ spouse is a permitted grounds for divorce. In Old Testament Law, adultery (a clear case of marital unfaithfulness), ended the marriage because adultery was a capital offence.
Deuteronomy 22:22 “If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die.”
Leviticus 20:10 “If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife–with the wife of his neighbor–both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.”
Adultery under Old Testament Law ends the marital relationship by death. The disciples of Jesus lived under Roman rule and could not exercise rights of capital punishment. Perhaps Jesus’ teaching is a way of honoring the original intention of the Law of God. All views on divorce and remarriage agree that if your mate dies, you are free to remarry.

Reasons for Divorce:

1. Adultery (Deuteronomy 24:1-4; affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 19)
2. Neglect and abandonment (Exodus 21:10-11; affirmed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:15)

Permission for remarriage:

When your spouse is deceased, you are free to remarry (Rom 7:2-3; I Corinthians 7:39). Beyond this, Jesus assumed remarriage in his teaching in Matthew 19:9 when he added the phrase “and marries another…”  A divorce obtained for reasons other than marital unfaithfulness, according to Jesus, makes remarriage an adulterous relationship.

Jesus’ words should be understood as a provision not a prescription or command. This is an important distinction because Scripture does prescribe forgiveness and reconciliation as the highest ethical calling for the believer. Since believers have been forgiven by God of their sins and reconciled to God through the sacrificial death of Christ, they should first seek to forgive and be reconciled when sinned against. Therefore, even in cases of unfaithfulness, the prescription of forgiveness and reconciliation should be pursued first. Yet having said this, Jesus does make a clear provision for divorce and remarriage in cases of marital unfaithfulness.

A closer look at I Corinthians 7:13-16– When a believer is abandoned by an unbelieving spouse.

13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy. 15 Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. 16 For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife? (NASB–a better translation I Corin. 7:13-16)

While it appears that the text makes provision for divorce and remarriage, I do not believe it is the primary purpose of it. A key question focuses on the meaning of the phrases “not bound in such circumstances”  and “God has called us to live in peace.” Although many jump quickly to a provision for divorce in this text, the emphasis is on staying together not divorcing (see: vv. 12-13). The key to this interpretation is the “But….For” construction from verses 15 to 16. Unfortunately, the NIV does not retain the exactness of the Greek structure as the NASB does.

In verse 15,– “But” –that is, “in contrast with leaving” —- “God has called us to peace”-– that is, ”seeking to stay together.” This way of interpreting the text is strengthened by the “For” of v. 16 which focuses on potential spiritual influence through ongoing contact and relationship.

The NIV gives the impression that “God has called us to peace” means “you don’t have to live in the bondage of a marriage to an unbeliever.” But, while the text makes a provision for separation, one should not use it as a blank check for divorce and remarriage. Instead, the emphasis is on the believing spouse seeking to reach the unbelieving spouse with the gospel:

Verse 16 —“For how do you know, O wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, O husband, whether you will save your wife?”

“Not under bondage” does indicate an allowance for marital separation, which in the text, is the choice of the unbeliever to abandon the marriage. But, based on the rest of the text, it would not be right to stretch this to a “just let him go” attitude without some kind of effort to preserve and protect the union—with the aim of Christian witness. The text simply does not go on to explain where the marriage itself “ends up.” This is where pastoral counseling must do a case by case evaluation and include application of other biblical principles. It could be the case that a believer is abandoned by an unbeliever and the believer has done all he/she can to preserve the marriage. We (the Church) must not jump to superficial judgments when hearing of a separation.

Marital Separation:

Many who endure the unhappiness of a failing marriage see divorce as their only option. Yet while obtaining a divorce is relatively easy, it almost always results in an emotional bombshell. No matter how much anticipated and planned, divorce is more difficult and painful than imagined. On a personal level, it rouses guilt, anger and insecurity while shattering self-confidence. Socially, it complicates interpersonal relationships — especially when children are involved. Financially, it is usually a lose-lose arrangement. Don’t be fooled. Divorce is never an easy solution to a troubled marriage. But, if divorce is difficult for marriage partners, it is far worse for children caught in the middle.

In some cases marital separation is a necessary first step in saving a marriage. This is especially true where a clear pattern of abuse exists including substance abuse, severe financial irresponsibility, unending emotional and/or verbal abuse, psychological breakdown and abrogation of marital commitments. Each case must be weighed based on its own set of circumstances and level of severity.

For church leaders, it is often tedious and time consuming to discern the whole truth about the condition of a marriage. In most cases, meetings with both parties separately and together are essential for complete assessment. This takes time—something those in crisis don’t feel they have. But marital demise usually involves extended patterns of neglect and alienation intertwined with self-deception and selfish behavior. This fact, along with the high levels of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion, makes the road to reconciliation difficult.

Leaders must be aware of patterns of deceit and selfishness that often color individual perspectives on failing marriages. Seeking the truth requires time, patience and wisdom. When Couples are in crisis mode, they often expect help and answers immediately. Sometimes crisis intervention must come first. But leaders must not be drawn into hasty reactions or conclusions based on the desperate state of the marriage.

Church response:

Marital failure will sometimes occur within churches and people often turn to a Church for help regarding their martial problems. When marriages fail in a Church, pastors must resist the temptation of reacting in a way that is more concerned with their image in the eyes of the congregation. Church members must be encouraged to respect the thoughtful process pastors apply when trying to handle matters wisely. They must be encouraged to pray for their leaders and avoid jumping to conclusions about circumstances in the at-risk marriage. Hard and fast conclusions are not always immediately available and judgments based on appearance or Church talk should be avoided. The Church must also realize that while pastors help troubled marriages, they carry many other responsibilities that cannot be neglected. Pastors are also limited on what they can ethically share with other members of the congregation.

Structured Separation:

Sometimes when marriages reach a crisis level, structured separation becomes necessary. This type of separation should involve seven components.

1.     A specific purpose statement for separation related to the problems in the marriage. This could also include a signed covenant.
2.     A set of specific and measurable goals.
3.     A projected time frame that does not allow for indefinite separation.
4.     A study on biblical themes of forgiveness and reconciliation (see my booklet).
5.     Reading “Hope for the Separated” by Gary Chapman
6.     A built in accountability with Church leaders and/or a counselor/mentor.
7.     A small support team to pray for the marriage and offer tangible help.

Divorce: not the unforgivable sin

Divorce for the wrong reasons is serious but forgivable sin. It is not the unforgivable sin. It, too, can be forgiven in Christ. Repentance will involve not only seeking forgiveness from God but also seeking to reconcile with the ex-spouse and, if possible to restore the marriage. If a divorced person becomes a member of the church, he or she must understand that remarriage will only be condoned by the church when the circumstances prior to the divorce, or following the divorce, fall under the biblical provisions.

What is your worldview?

A worldview is a way of looking at the world. It is a sort of map to follow as we navigate through life. It embraces a set of convictions about life and the world: convictions that shape our purpose, values and lifestyle. Our goal should be to formulate and live by a worldview that is large enough to address the realities and complexities of life.  I believe that a Christian worldview offers the best, most satisfying, most comprehensive and consistent answers to the four main questions of life.

1. Origin: Where did we come from?

2. Meaning: Why are we here?

3. Morality: How should we live?

4. Destiny: Where are we going?

The Christian worldview is based on God’s revelation of Himself in scripture and nature and is the most adequate for directing and explaining life in the world.  It equips one, “to handle data of secular controversy within a framework of reference which is constructed of Christian presuppositions.”  (Harry Blamires). It enables one to “think with Christian integrity about the problems of the contemporary world.” (John Stott)

The bible uses a fourfold context for thinking about life and the world in which we live.

1.) creation,  2.) fall,  3.) redemption, 4.) consummation/restoration

“Here, then, are four events, which correspond to four realities—first the Creation (“the good”), secondly the Fall (“the evil”), thirdly the Redemption (“the new”), and fourthly the End (“the perfect”). This fourfold biblical reality enables Christians to survey the historical landscape within its proper horizons.  It supplies the true perspective from which to view the unfolding process between two eternities, the vision of God working out His purpose. It gives us a framework into which to fit everything, a way of integrating our understanding, the possibility of thinking straight, even about the most complex issues.” (John R. W. Stott).

___________

There is clearly a God-centeredness to the Christian worldview. “…it is God who creates, judges, redeems and perfects.  The initiative is his from beginning to end.  In consequence, there is a cluster of popular attitudes which are fundamentally incompatible with Christian faith: e.g. the concept of blind evolutionary development, the assertion of human autonomy in art, science and education, and the declarations that history is random, life is absurd and everything is meaningless.  The Christian mind comes into direct collision with these notions precisely because they are “secular”—that is, because they leave no room for God.  It insists that human beings can be defined only in relation to God, that without God they have ceased to be truly human.  For we are creatures who depend on our Creator, sinners who are accountable to him and under his judgment, people who are lost apart from his redemption. This God-centredness is basic to the Christian mind.” (John R. W. Stott).

What difference does God make?

If there is no creator, no God, then our existence is a cosmic accident.  We do not exist by design or purpose; we exist by chance. And, if this is the true accounting for our existence:

1. All notions of ultimate meaning are reduced to wishful thinking or irrational fantasy.

2.  There is no ultimate morality; no right or wrong; no transcendent morality.  Morality is reduced to personal or societal opinion.  The so-called problem of evil cannot be addressed.

3. Destiny ends with death—no hope of anything outside of this life.

Without God, we are cosmic accidents who exist by chance in a deterministic universe governed by raw natural selection. But, if there is a Creator, a personal God who made us male and female in His own image, then:

1. Life has value, meaning and dignity beyond the limitation of human opinion.

2. Personal identity, human freedom and responsibility become genuine markers of existence.  We have been endowed by our Creator with these qualities.

3. The transcendent (which we intuitively recognize) becomes true and elevates us out of the despair of human relativism, and the limitations of human inquiry.

Statement of life:

I hold that in the beginning, when time itself began, God made the universe out of nothing. Among the planets, he created earth, its land and seas and all its creatures. As the climax of his creative activity, he made humans, male and female, in his own image. The godlikeness of humankind emerges as the story unfolds: men and women are rational and moral beings (able to understand and respond to God’s commands), responsible beings (exercising dominion over nature), social beings (with a capacity to love and be loved), and spiritual beings (finding their highest fulfillment in knowing and worshipping their Creator). Indeed, the Creator and his human creatures are depicted as walking and talking together in the garden.  All this was the godlikeness which gave Adam and Eve their unique worth and dignity.

Three truths emerge:

1.  I believe in God as the creator of a good world (accounts for the goodness, beauty, heroism…).  Genesis 1:1 ff.

2.  I believe in God as the creator of humans in His own image and likeness—male and female (accounts for the marital structure of society).  Genesis 1:26-28

3.  I believe in the fall of humanity and the resulting curse on the earth itself (accounts for the moral structure—“you shall”/”you shall not” and all the sorrow, suffering and sadness that has plagued the planet).   Genesis 2, 3, 4; Romans 5:12

Note: We tend to resist belief in God primarily because it threatens our bid for autonomy and self-sufficiency.

Steve Cornell

Additional thought:

“The intelligence–not chance/sheer accident–makes better sense of the universe and human existence. If a being like God exists, all of this astonishing fine-tuning, interrelated complexity, and so on isn’t shocking in the least. If no God-like being exists, then shock is thoroughly warranted. We can look at lots of other arguments—not just one—to reinforce and broaden our understanding of what may be behind our/the universe’s existence, human dignity and worth, the trustworthiness of our minds/reason, the existence of moral duties, the existence of beauty, and so on. Of course, much depends on our openness to considering whether something beyond our senses exists. The Big Bang offers one such clue that it does!” Paul Copan

The Epic Journey of Prayer (Part 9):

“If prayer stands as the place where God and human beings meet, then I must learn about prayer.”

(Phillip Yancey)

I identify with Philip Yancey when he confessed that most of his struggles with the Christian life come down to two themes: Why God doesn’t act the way I want Him to, and Why I don’t act the way God wants me to.”

On the matter of unanswered prayer (why God doesn’t act the way I want Him to), we have all been perplexed. “I readily confess” Yancey wrote, “that I tend to view prayer through a skeptic’s lens, obsessing more about unanswered prayers than rejoicing over answered ones.”

The late Martyn Lloyd-Jones acknowledged that, “Of all the activities in which the Christian engages, and which are part of the Christian life, there is surely none which causes so much perplexity, and raises so many problems, as the activity which we call prayer.”

Yancey explored the difficult subject of prayer and published a book under the simple title: Prayer. He concluded that, “Prayer has become for me much more than a shopping list of requests to present to God. It has become a realignment of everything. I pray to restore the truth of the universe, to gain a glimpse of the world, and of me, through the eyes of God.”

“In prayer, I shift my point of view away from my own selfishness. I climb above timberline and look down at the speck that is myself. I gaze at the stars and recall what role I, or any of us, play in a universe beyond comprehension. Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God’s point of view.”

How does our worldview affect our approach to prayer?

Click and Listen:

http://www.millersvillebiblechurch.org/_audio/The%20Epic%20Journey%20of%20Prayer%20(Part%209)%2010-25-09.mp3

How are you today?

To reflect on this great verse of Scripture, see the following:

http://thinkpoint.wordpress.com/2007/08/24/how-are-you-today-a-new-way-to-answer/