My thoughts on.... Perspective

            Perception is perhaps the single greatest cause of arguments in the world. People argue, get frustrated and mad, and then discover that this all could have been avoided if they could have see the other persons side of things. Humans have a natural sense of selfishness, one that focuses only on themselves, and rarely on others.

            Almost everything we do is motivated by our selfish needs. What usually seems like a good idea, can in retrospect be examined and seen as an extremely bias or self-centered idea. Try this today. When you act a certain way with someone or do something a certain way, ask yourself why you performed that action that way. What results may surprise you. However, in order for this thought experiment to be successful, you must be completely honest with yourself, which, can be excruciatingly difficult at times.

            Perception is the cause of another foul habit. Laziness. We don't perform certain tasks because we perceive these tasks as taking up too much effort or we think that it isn't worth it, when it is actually very much worth it. Perception can be a very great enemy.

            So how do we combat it? Easy. We evaluate our perspective. Why are we looking at some action in a certain way? What previous experiences lead us to expect something from this perspective? Evaluation of our perspective can be something that can be very enlightening, and can lead us to paradigm shifts. Ideas can pop into our head because we challenge our perspective.

            Also, when we challenge our perspective, we learn what makes us, us. We discover the reason behind we do the things that we do and we can either fix it, or build on it. If the reason we do things do not line up correctly with our priorities, then we need to fix them, obviously.

            So, your perspective is a powerful thing. It can literally affect your life every single day. It is one of the strongest motivators we have. It can affect your and many lives around you, so it is important to have a correct perspective.

            Today, I challenge you to challenge your own perspective. Take what you know and evaluate it and then evaluate it some more. It can change your life.

To be Me

People have been asking me for several years now, “What do you want to be?” This seems to be a general question for adults to ask teenagers, as I have been asked this question tens if not a hundred times. If I know what I want to do with my life at that juncture, I respond,” Oh! I want to be a ...” and fill in the blank. Usually that aspiration disappears once I find a more lucrative or exciting thing to be. But this essay or narrative or story isn’t directly about me. It is to an extent. Mostly, it’s about something I have learned. It is about being you. Not me being you. It is about you being you and me being me. This might seem a little confusing so far, but stick with me.

            First, we must have a brief history lesson. America was founded by people who desired to have a better life. They wanted to be something else. The Pilgrims which came and settled this place disliked persecution and they wanted to be free to worship. Later, as the country grew and people settled out in the Wild West where Louis L’amour roamed free. They settled in the West because it offered more options than their old life did. They may have been vagabonds or clerks with no real options in life. In the 1848, people started hearing about gold in California. This started the famed California Gold rush. Why did people rush to California? Because they thought they could have a better life. They wanted to be rich. They wanted to be happy.

            Right now is probably where I would stop reading if I was you. I’d be hopelessly confused, a little smarter, but still mostly confused. Hang in there. You’re about to get just a little more bewildered and then I’ll tie it all together.

            When I was about twelve, I wanted to be a quarterback. I was certain that I would be the next Tom Brady. I would have a Superbowl ring for each of my fingers and toes, the number eleven on my jersey and I would throw beautiful rainbow passes to my receivers. Unfortunately, this dream was squashed when I found out that our Pastor did not allow us to participate in sports. I was crushed. I weeped in my room for at least half an hour and then I dried my tears and picked up a basketball.

            
            My dream was not unlike millions of other children. The notoriety of a movie star or an athlete is desired by many but achieved by a few. But unfortunately that life style rarely lives up to the standards expected by those few. The Pilgrims, the people of the Wild West and those which partook of the California Gold Rush, had many “rock star” expectations. They presumed that life would be easier. And in some aspects it was. For example, the Pilgrims were free to live life like they desired. But they also had to learn to deal with Indians, to learn to farm and deal with diseases. Over half of them died in their first year in America.

            
            So what am I saying? Not to dream? Of course not. As a matter of fact, if you were to take a look at my life plan, you would call me insane. I am the very definition of a dreamer. But, it is dangerous to place your life into that dream. One example I could give is the “American Dream”. The American Dream gives us the illusion that life is better when we get better grades, get a better job, and get a better house and so on. And while all those things certainly sound appealing, it isn’t true. You’ll always want a bigger house, a better grade, a higher paying job. You’ll never be satisfied. But why won’t I be satisfied? Easily enough asked, not easily enough answered. But allow me to attempt to explain.

            
            When someone places their entire life into something, it is with that thing they find their identity. The American Dream is something which encourages us to work and have goals in life. This is a good thing. However, when we pour our entire life into work and attempt to find happiness in these things we will indubitably fail. And here is the fatal flaw of the American dream. Because it encourages us to work harder and have goals in life, it means we will always attempt to work harder and always try to have higher goals. And once we reach certain goals, we cannot be happy with those goals, because the bar is then raised again. You may get a doctorate in theoretical physics, but if you cannot find out what dark matter is you might consider yourself an academic failure. Or your dream could be to become a culinary chef, but if you cannot please a certain food critic, your accomplishment has turned into a failure.

          
            Is it then impossible to be pleased in life? Is the feeling of accomplishment so fleeting and the troubles which come with it so disdainful, that it would have been better to remain at your initial level? Perhaps, but perhaps not. You see, that is what occurs when we pour our entire identity into achievement. We cannot become satisfied. So what do we do then? We be who we actually are. We no longer seek to become a physicist or a culinary chef or a NFL quarterback. We seek to be who we are. Is that confusing? Let me attempt to clarify. You are not your profession. You are you. You are not your goals. You are you. Can you have goals? Of course. Can you have a job? Obviously. But the job is merely something you do. It is not your identity.

            I discovered this just a couple of days ago. And from that point on I decided, I will no longer that question of what I want to be with a job. I will answer it with a, “Me.” My job is not my identity. Books are not my identity. Writing this blog is not my identity. I am my own identity. I am my own person. I will no longer look to outward things to my identity, for it is clear to me who I am. I am me. And while I may have many quirks and problems and things which irritate other, that doesn’t change who I am. It simply mean that God has a lot to work on. I have chosen to be myself. What will you choose?

Doubt in a Christian's Life

            Many times in life we have doubts in what we believe in. A big struggle for many people is whether or not their belief in God is valid. This is very understandable considering how much a belief in Christianity is ridiculed and attacked. When people have these doubts they tend to internalize them. I once read a quote that said something to the effect, "Shame is not that people have doubts, but that they are ashamed of them". We should not be ashamed if we have doubt in God. And if our belief in God is being attacked and we are under serious doubt of his existence, then we need to remember first of all that this doubt does not make us any less of a Christian. As a matter of fact, it gives us the ability to strengthen our walk with God.

            You may ask how doubt can increase our belief in God. This is simply answered. The first thing we must do in dealing with doubt is to examine our core beliefs in God. We need to ask ourselves questions like, "Why do I believe in God?", "What evidence do I point to validate my faith?", "What experiences have I had that point to God's working?".

            As born-again Apostolic's some of these questions are very easily answered. For example, one possible answer to "What evidence do I point to validate my faith?" would be speaking in tongues. Tongues is an evidence of God working in and through us. This should be one of the first evidences that we point to when various questions arise that try and corrupt our beliefs in God. We should allow this experience from God should help us in times of trouble.

            The second step we should take when we deal with any type of doubt is to study the issue out ourselves. At the end I have cited books which I have consulted that have encouraged me in my beliefs. After we study the issue, we should then ask ourselves what our personal experiences have lead us to believe as well. Have our personal experiences led us to believe that there is a God or that there is not a God? It is also beneficial to have someone whom you view to have great wisdom help you and consult with you throughout this time. Generally this person would be quite older than you or someone who is a leader in your life. This person should have your best interests at hand as well.

            Now, after all these things are completed, you should examine yourself and see if your belief is being affected by your feelings. Feelings are complicated things and are not reliable. If you are a quite emotional person and simply feel like you have been abandoned by God or feel as if there is no God then you may want to re-examine your personal relationship with God. I have often noticed in my personal life that a rough time spiritually is often due to a lack of meaningful relationship with God. Also examine yourself spiritually to see if you have become stagnant in your walk with God or have grown spiritually. This will also help you determine whether or not you are being influenced by your emotions.

            Now that you have fully examined your beliefs and determined whether or not it can be attributed to a spiritual stagnation, ask yourself what you now believe in. If you are struggling with beliefs that are presented by other Christians and are contrary to your own beliefs, it would be of great benefit to us if we should study the issue out in the Bible. The Bible is the final authority on all subjects ranging from the Godhead to Salvation to Holiness issues. Personal interpretation should not be imposed upon our study of the scriptures, but we should allow God's word to speak freely to us.

            Ultimately I hope you make the correct choice. I hope that you determined why you believed in a God as opposed to falling away from God. I know from experience that God is real. As mentioned earlier, there are several tangible evidences which I base this on, excluding the Bible, one of which is speaking in tongues. Another thing I fall back upon is prophecy within the church, and tongues and the interpretation thereof. As a person who tends to require tangible evidence in order to believe, this is what I use in order to prove my belief to myself and others. I have literally felt God throughout these experiences and they have helped me in my personal life to combat doubt.

Here are some books to help you dispel doubt as I mentioned before:

            - "The Case for Faith", "The Case for Christmas", "The Case for Christ", "The Case for the Real Jesus" by Lee Strobel. www.LeeStrobel.com.

            - "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" and too many other to begin to list. By Josh McDowell. www.josh.org

            - "The Problem of Pain," "Mere Christianity" and "Miracles" by C.S. Lewis.

            - "The Gift Nobody Wants" by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. This book is a personal favorite. Paul Brand was a world renown leprosy expert and offers an amazing insight on the subject of pain.

            I hope for those that are struggling with doubt, that they overcome it and develop a strong foundation for that is something that God can use mightily. Also, there may be times in our walk with God that we have no reason for the things that befall us. In these trials we learn to walk by faith. I sincerely hope that there are those who are encouraged by this blog and take to heart what I have said. It is not easy to struggle with doubt, but when it is overcome it remains a true testimony to us and others who are merely travelers in this temporary world.

A Look inside the Concept of Predestination

    When one embarks on a study of salvation, they will indubitably come across the idea of double predestination, which is commonly known as Calvinism (1). This doctrine is founded on the principle that God not only predestines people to be saved, but also predestines them to be lost. Interestingly enough, this concept predates John Calvin.  The earliest mention of which I found of this doctrine was a book from St. Augustine called, “On the predestination of the Saints” (2).  Even though this doctrine predates Calvin, he had a significant effect on its development. In 1963, another contribution was made to the doctrine of double predestination. A booklet called, The Five Points of Calvinism Defined, Defended, Documented, popularized the acronym T.U.L.I.P. In this acronym, each letter stands for a principle of Calvinism (3). However, even though the concept was of Calvinism was more easily understood through this acronym that does not mean understanding is the base of correctness.
    Having clearly summarized the history and defined the doctrine of double predestination, we will explore several of the errors contained within it.
    One of the bases of this belief is that, obviously, only some are destined to salvation while others are destined to eternal condemnation. However, this belief clearly contradicts scripture. If we look at Romans 1:16, it clearly says that salvation is for whoever believes, not just those who are “chosen”. Also, this line of thinking clearly contradicts the nature of God. God is willing that all should come repentance, as shown in 2 Peter 3:9, and is not willing that any should be lost. One other problem with this line of thinking is that it renders the crucifixion null. If God was to already determine who was to be saved and who was not to be saved, then of what use was Jesus coming to earth to die on the cross? It would be of no use. Therefore, we can clearly see that the belief of some predestined to be saved and others predestined to be unsaved, completely unbiblical.
    Another erroneous concept which double predestination advocates, is the concept of special or irresistible grace. Now, according to Calvinists there are two types of grace. One type is common grace, which is extended to all men, but cannot save. And the other type is irresistible grace. Irresistible grace is extended to only true believers who will make it to heaven because this grace extended by God cannot be resisted. However, this concept of irresistible grace violates scripture. Roman 3:22-24 states that, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. Therefore we can plainly see that the saving grace of God is for all men and is not restricted to certain individuals.
    Also, another error which is commonly found in Calvinist theology is the concept of the total depravity of man. This concept states that, “Because of the Fall, man is totally depraved and dead in his sin. Man is unable to save himself and, therefore, God must initiate salvation. (4)”However, this concept also is found untrue when the word of God is consulted. When one looks at James 4:8, it is clear to see that if we begin to draw near to God, then he will draw near to us. Also in 2 Chronicles 7:14, God says, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” It is then easy to see that man can indeed initiate salvation.
    In conclusion, it is easy to see the errors of Calvinism when looking at the word of God. Though it may seem to make sense at first, when placed against the word of God it does not hold water. Many times in life we may come across things which seem to make sense, but we must remember to measure it against the word of God. Only then will we see the truth.

The Natural Fallibility of Man

            Throughout the ages, an argument has been made against the moral fallibility of man. People have had varying opinions from “Man is his own god” to “There is no such thing as morality, therefore there can be no moral fallibility“. All these arguments are simply to justify the conscience of man. By doing this he attempts to absolve himself from any guilt which would come by recognizing the Savior.

            As mentioned above, there are many arguments against the fact that man is morally fallible. One popular counter argument says that man is his own god. In order to refute this argument, we must first define the purpose of a god and its capabilities. We can do this by defining the God of Christianity and comparing his purpose as to what a god should be. The God of Christianity is subject to judging[1], therefore a god must be able to judge. In order to judge, he must have a set of standards that he and his people must abide by. The God of Christianity cannot sin[2] therefore he abides by his own rules. Therefore a god must abide by his own rules and judge other who do not abide by his rules. This is a problem when you consider that if every man is a god, then they all abide by their own rules, they cannot judge others. Therefore they cannot fulfill the requirements of being a god.

            One other argument is that there is no such thing as truth; therefore because there is no truth, there is no such thing as morality. This argument in itself is a “truth”, consequently it defeats itself.

A third argument against man’s ability to err morally is that because good and bad is relative, a man can judge his actions as good as he wants or as bad as he wants. This is untrue for several reasons. One of these reasons is that good and bad are not relative. They have unchanging values. These values are based upon the word of God, regardless if the person is a believer or not. Another reason why this is not true is the fact that man cannot judge himself. Man is not capable of judging anyone including himself, for the reason that he does not hold the ability to eternally condemn or commend himself to heaven or hell. Only God has that ability. Consequently, only God is able to judge.

In conclusion, we can clearly see that man is morally fallible, contrary to the common thinking of today. As believers we believe that man is naturally apt to do wrong because of his naturally sinful nature. However, this sinful nature can be remedied. By obeying the Acts 2:38 message and receiving the Holy Ghost by evidence of speaking in other tongues and being baptized in the name of Jesus, we receive the ability to shed our sinful nature. Our sinful nature will always remain with us, but through the act of obedience to God’s word we can be a light to a morally corrupt world.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 5:10

[2] Matthew 5:48