The Christian Life
Walking with Jesus. (The Road to Emmaus)
How am I supposed to wait for the Lord's coming when there's going to be so many signs of his coming beforehand and when these things are far off (for example, the gospel is far, far from being preached everywhere)?
How is it that non-thinking Christians can exist? We’ve all met these kinds of people plenty of times. It’s a little hard to describe, but an example would be blaming every bad thing that happens on the devil. Or if any big thing comes up in the news, they’ll say it’s a sign that the end is near. Even Jesus said not to think like this: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet." (Mt 24:6) They seem to know the reason for everything that happens, good or bad, and these reasons are always huge oversimplifications. There’s tons of examples out there, but these are just a few. And I think a lot of these people are sincerely trying to follow the Lord and do in fact do a good job of pleasing him, even if their non-thinkingness doesn’t. Some may even live good lives and know how to show love and mercy to others. However, their non-thinkingness is undignified and unbecoming of a believer. We’re supposed to grow in maturity, and yet these people are immature. And even though, yes, they can do much good and show lots of love, I know that their immaturity in this matter is a great hindrance to their overall spiritual growth and to that of others. It betrays a lack of knowledge of God, how he works and what he desires. This can only have serious consequences. So how can the Spirit allow them to grow in moral maturity, but their maturity in wisdom and knowledge is so embarrassingly stunted? Not to mention, the problem is so prevalent that it’s a huge reason that nonbelievers are turned off from following the right way.
Related: How can one have such a poor understanding of the Spirit, and yet the Spirit works so powerfully through them? I had a pastor who never prepared any of his sermons, because he believed that the Spirit would give him the words. And indeed, his sermons had no organization, didn’t stick to the point, and usually there was no point. However, in other parts of his life, the Spirit worked powerfully through him. He could talk to people just once or twice and they’d convert. He was surrounded by miracles. He had all sorts of stories to tell us about how the Lord had once again shown himself in the unfolding of people’s lives. So how come he couldn’t understand (at least in the area of his sermons) that it’s not just grace, but also work, that the two overlap in some mysterious way? I’m not saying that he should have been able to articulate this, but if he had understood it on even a subconscious level, that would have been good enough for me.
Can Christians be mentally ill? What about under extreme duress (as was Jung Chang’s father [from The Wild Swans] Not that he was a Christian, but he was a good man)?
Why was sharing things in common only to last a short time in the history of the church? This no longer happens, except in religious orders, where it’s mandatory, not voluntary (except insofar that one joins the order voluntarily). (Acts 4:32, 34-35)
Why would God give someone the gift of speaking in tongues but not the gift of interpretation to go along with it? (I Cor 14:13)
Isn't speaking in tongues a waste if you don't even know what you're saying? (I Cor 14:13-14) Then why would God give this as a gift?
Why did Jesus at times only allow Peter, James and John to come with him? (Mk 5:37 [healing of Jairus' daughter], the Transfiguration)
How is it that non-thinking Christians can exist? We’ve all met these kinds of people plenty of times. It’s a little hard to describe, but an example would be blaming every bad thing that happens on the devil. Or if any big thing comes up in the news, they’ll say it’s a sign that the end is near. Even Jesus said not to think like this: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet." (Mt 24:6) They seem to know the reason for everything that happens, good or bad, and these reasons are always huge oversimplifications. There’s tons of examples out there, but these are just a few. And I think a lot of these people are sincerely trying to follow the Lord and do in fact do a good job of pleasing him, even if their non-thinkingness doesn’t. Some may even live good lives and know how to show love and mercy to others. However, their non-thinkingness is undignified and unbecoming of a believer. We’re supposed to grow in maturity, and yet these people are immature. And even though, yes, they can do much good and show lots of love, I know that their immaturity in this matter is a great hindrance to their overall spiritual growth and to that of others. It betrays a lack of knowledge of God, how he works and what he desires. This can only have serious consequences. So how can the Spirit allow them to grow in moral maturity, but their maturity in wisdom and knowledge is so embarrassingly stunted? Not to mention, the problem is so prevalent that it’s a huge reason that nonbelievers are turned off from following the right way.
Related: How can one have such a poor understanding of the Spirit, and yet the Spirit works so powerfully through them? I had a pastor who never prepared any of his sermons, because he believed that the Spirit would give him the words. And indeed, his sermons had no organization, didn’t stick to the point, and usually there was no point. However, in other parts of his life, the Spirit worked powerfully through him. He could talk to people just once or twice and they’d convert. He was surrounded by miracles. He had all sorts of stories to tell us about how the Lord had once again shown himself in the unfolding of people’s lives. So how come he couldn’t understand (at least in the area of his sermons) that it’s not just grace, but also work, that the two overlap in some mysterious way? I’m not saying that he should have been able to articulate this, but if he had understood it on even a subconscious level, that would have been good enough for me.
Can Christians be mentally ill? What about under extreme duress (as was Jung Chang’s father [from The Wild Swans] Not that he was a Christian, but he was a good man)?
Why was sharing things in common only to last a short time in the history of the church? This no longer happens, except in religious orders, where it’s mandatory, not voluntary (except insofar that one joins the order voluntarily). (Acts 4:32, 34-35)
Why would God give someone the gift of speaking in tongues but not the gift of interpretation to go along with it? (I Cor 14:13)
Isn't speaking in tongues a waste if you don't even know what you're saying? (I Cor 14:13-14) Then why would God give this as a gift?
Why did Jesus at times only allow Peter, James and John to come with him? (Mk 5:37 [healing of Jairus' daughter], the Transfiguration)
