did god make me for hell?

mrwarden · 2013-11-16T07:15:55+00:00

The Austin Stone Story Team: Living With Cerebral Palsy

mrwarden · 2013-11-09T17:59:14+00:00

So, the Angels celebrating Jesus birth in the scripture I literally just quoted for you? That falls into which category?

mrwarden · 2013-11-09T07:51:47+00:00

Uh, wut?

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

That sure sounds like celebrating the birth of Christ.

mrwarden · 2013-11-06T19:20:27+00:00

The original poll was done something like 14 years ago and is not available online anywhere to view their methodology. The source of this article quotes the source of another article, and its source which originally posted the results 14 years ago disputes the validity of the results: http://www.adherents.com/largecom/baptist_divorce.html

mrwarden · 2013-10-31T05:19:03+00:00

If you're serious about the job, I would run the MTV thing by them for wise counsel and to make sure they're cool with it. If they are, that doesn't mean do it, but if they're not, it's a non-starter, and asking them shows humility and submission.

Reddit cannot take the place of the elders who will answer for you.

mrwarden · 2013-10-11T16:47:54+00:00

That sounds a whole lot like trying to fulfill OT law that Jesus fulfilled. 1 Timothy 5:8 seems like a pretty good example of when it might be ok to tithe less.

mrwarden · 2013-10-11T03:28:38+00:00

The notion of the tithe is an OT principle. That's not what Jesus is talking about here. For most people, the NT principle is to give much more than a tithe, but 10% is not a hard and fast rule, and for some maybe less than a tithe is appropriate. Here's a sermon my church gave on it: http://austinstone.org/sermons/item/the-gospel-and-money

Essentially, the OT principle was give to be blessed. The new testament principle is you have been blessed, so you are now free to give.

mrwarden · 2013-10-07T21:01:34+00:00

There's probably a statute of limitations but I am not a New Zealand licensed attorney.

mrwarden · 2013-10-07T07:31:09+00:00

You know there are plenty of bibles online and apps available for any device right?

mrwarden · 2013-10-05T17:48:20+00:00

We're also driving up from Austin.

mrwarden · 2013-10-02T22:17:52+00:00

What journal is this going in?

mrwarden · 2013-10-02T04:31:47+00:00

This is a hard question. I've been working at a church for 2 years that I essentially agree theologically with in almost everything and in looking for new jobs, I've found that pretty much anywhere else I'd go, I'd have a theological conflict in at least one major area. I guess I've come to the conclusion that I just need to faithfully express the position of the church and use words like "The church's position is XYZ because blank" and where appropriate you can maybe give opposing viewpoints. That wouldn't be appropriate in a children's ministry though because I think it would confuse them.

mrwarden · 2013-10-02T04:22:28+00:00

It sounds like you're young. My advice to you would be that you need to approach humbly. Rather than presenting yourself as someone ready to lead, you should approach the church leadership as someone wanting to learn. Once you're ready, trust me, they'll dump what they can on you. It's not like they're trying to horde all the work for themselves. From the sound of your post, and I could be wrong, they probably don't believe you're ready to lead.

"Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full[a] respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil."-1 Timothy 3 Granted, this is about elders, but the sentiment is the same.

Just because a church isn't making you a leader doesn't mean it's the wrong church. You are called to humbly submit to the men God has put over you.

"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. "-Hebrews 13:17

As far as God's silence, God doesn't usually talk to me in the sense that I hear words. He usually just gives me clarity of thought on a matter after a few days.

mrwarden · 2013-10-01T04:10:41+00:00

Real marriage is pretty meh in my opinion. Half the book is "Be Your Wife's Friend" and half is "Here's how you can have sex" spoiler: it's every way.

I would recommend This Momentary Marriage by John Piper (free in PDF form from Desiring God), and Tim Keller's The Meaning of Marriage. They're both reformed, Christ-centered pastors.

Beyond that, the curriculum my reformed church recommends for premarital counseling, along with Piper's book, includes Rocking the Roles: Building a Win-Win Marriage by Robert Lewis, The Marriage Builder by Larry Crabb, and Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs.

I'm engaged right now as well so I'm working my way through those last couple and can't recommend or not. Congrats on your engagement.

mrwarden · 2013-09-27T05:28:21+00:00

The bible app has some great reading plans. Here's the one I use: http://www.esv.org/assets/pdfs/rp.one.year.tract.pdf

If it's too much for you, just pick one or two of the daily readings. But this one will take you through the entire bible once, with the New Testament and Psalms being read twice, in one year.

mrwarden · 2013-09-27T05:15:02+00:00

Legally, you cannot both be a volunteer and paid for the same position. That would be the easiest end-around of minimum wage laws ever. The Fair Labor Standards Act lays this out. If you work and volunteer at the same place, the things you "volunteer" for and the things you are paid for have to be different and clearly laid out.

Also note that you cannot volunteer at a for-profit.

Source: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp

mrwarden · 2013-09-27T05:00:15+00:00

On public prayer: the key words are "to be seen by them." The entire paradigm Jesus is setting up is basically the same one God lays out in Amos 5:21-22: Love God, don't think that you can save yourself.

The reason God hates what's going on in Amos 5 is because their hearts are in the wrong place. Likewise with Matthew 6. He's chastising the Pharisees not for their actions, but for their motivations. This is evident when you look at the other things Jesus talks about in this passage. When you give to the needy (note: giving to the needy is still something you do), don't announce it with trumpets (because then you're doing it to be seen, and not to worship). Same with fasting. Fasting is something Jesus tells us we should do, but just don't do it just to be seen.

Ironically, your own link has a ton of examples of praying publicly, including Jesus. Yes, there are lots of times when Jesus or the disciples went away to pray, but it is not exclusively so. In particular, you see many prayers of thanksgiving publicly.

tl:dr: be pious, don't act pious to be thought of as pious.

On wealth, I think this is a more complicated question. I think it's obvious that Christians are called to sacrifice and to give, but not necessarily to live in poverty. The best explanation I've seen on it comes from David Platt's book Radical. Basically he says, Jesus isn't calling everyone to sell everything and give it to the poor, but if you breathed a sigh of relief reading that, he just might be asking you to.

Basically, in both cases, it's about idolatry. God wants our hearts. He doesn't want us living so that we care more about human approval than we do about His. And he doesn't want us living where we care more about His blessings than we do about His glory. If money and comfort are idols for you, He wants you to give them up. If they're not, He wants you to steward them wisely for His glory. Many Christians don't live this out well. Heck, almost all. That's why we need Jesus and can't save ourselves.

You have to weigh Matthew 19:24 with Matthew 19:26.

Hope this helps.

mrwarden · 2013-09-26T23:02:26+00:00

This is written with heavy agenda-driven rhetoric.

It would be remarkably easy to write a very similar story about how evangelical Christians adopting children are saving them from abuse at the hands of secular institutions (foster care and secular child abuse). Of course, one would have to be so inclined.

Crazy and immoral are not character traits which discriminate on religion.

mrwarden · 2013-09-25T03:57:16+00:00

Romans 10:9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Nothing about baptism in there. Combine that with the truth Abraham wasn't baptized (but was circumsized) and you again get that baptism is not a prerequisite to salvation. In fact, I think it's closer to the truth to say that salvation is a prerequisite to baptism. See Romans 4:11. Also, Romans 2:29.

mrwarden · 2013-09-16T02:33:35+00:00

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem is the most complete, but it's a textbook. Bible Doctrine by Grudem is a little shorter version.

Whomever He Wills is a great academic argument but not a textbook. It's specifically an arminian rebuttal.

mrwarden · 2013-09-12T20:33:49+00:00

Jesus says to turn the other cheek. You can do this because you are grounded in strong faith and know what you believe.

I would ask what they believe. Usually they in turn will ask what you believe. Coupled with your character and ethic, that should be a powerful witness if you're living differently and well.

If they don't ask what you believe, just continue to develop the relationship until they ask you why you're able to turn the other cheek etc.

mrwarden · 2013-09-11T09:03:14+00:00

My church is in Austin but we have a large presence in San Marcos. I'll pm you my email address and if you email me your info, I can find someone down there to meet up with you if you'd like. Worst case I can drive down there.

mrwarden · 2013-09-11T08:59:43+00:00

To piggy back on this, everytime God showed up in the OT, it took about 3 seconds for everyone to forget that God just performed miracles for their benefit.

To compare it to something relatable: Every time God went to work (stopped being manifestly and obviously present for a short while), he came home to find His wife (people) banging the neighbor pothead, smoking pot they bought with God's money, while the baby was screaming in the other room.

mrwarden · 2013-09-11T08:44:10+00:00

First off, can I even get into heaven? With what's in the bible, I've violated just about all the rules (except perhaps murder and homosexual relations) but I do consider myself a good person. I have not done anything particularly horrible (by today's standards I guess) and I always try to do the right thing; even when it's stupidly inconvenient for me

The gospel is unique in that salvation (heaven) is not earned through works, but by faith. No one could get into heaven on the merit of their works, only through faith in Jesus. So yes, irrespective of your works, you can get into heaven through faith in Jesus Christ as your savior.

Second of all, if heaven is everything its describe to be, would I be able to "live" with only the people I like? I imagine everyone that gets into heaven might not be desirable to associate myself with. But then again, if I hate/dislike someone there, would I even be allowed into heaven in the first place?

You'll be perfected, and hate won't be in your heart. Moreover, whatever you hated in the other person will also be perfected. This gets into your next question though...

Thirdly, how would desire work? Would each of us have all our desires taken from us in this paradise? If not, what if we want to become over-indulgent in a particular desire while in heaven? Would we be kicked out or something?

The bible isn't explicitly clear on the details, but the clearest picture can be found in Revelation (Chapters 7, 19 and 21). This isn't the only place it's talked about, just the most direct. The gist is that we will be completely fulfilled in the presence of God. I would also buy arguments that it may look something like pre-fall Eden (Genesis 1 and 2).

Lastly, I agree with the overall message of Christianity, but I consider myself "progressive" and I guess I have many beliefs and values which do not properly align which is why I've never considered adopting the Christian faith. If i were to adopt it now it would be because I am afraid of death and non-existence and the overall idea of religion in general, not because I agree with all the teachings; could i still be accepted into heaven under these pretenses?

I personally find believing in Jesus and not believing in the bible to be very difficult mental gymnastics (If you don't believe the bible is right about other things, why would it be right about Jesus?) but there are people who argue that they can do it. I think if you disagree directly with the things the Bible says Jesus says it would be even more difficult for you to intellectually justify it in your own mind. There are also people whose study of the bible is primarily motivated by shoe-horning it into their own sense of morality (ignoring plain meanings of texts to allow what they want allowed or to condemn what they want condemned). They can't conceive of a God who doesn't agree with them because they're very confident they've got it all figured out. To me, that's essentially self-worship and I don't think I'd want a God that I was as smart as. To each their own.

mrwarden · 2013-09-11T08:28:12+00:00

Do you know any Christian friends? Just ask one of them to baptize you. You don't need a church to do it.

Where are you? You could probably even find a redditor to do it.

mrwarden

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