Women Shouldn't Speak in Church!?

Summer has been VERY busy and sporadic for me.  Instead of updating Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, I'm just going to put up a new post whenever I can over the summer.  No promises, but hopefully, when I do get to them, you'll find them helpful and encouraging.

I found this on my Facebook wall the other day:

Hey Mark! Do you mind addressing how the Bible treats women in your next blog post? Specifically, 1 Cor. 14:33-35

This is a great question. So let's look at the passage.

Theology Tuesday: Does Prophesy Happen Today?

 What is Prophesy?

This is a huge part of answering this question because there are actually two different categories when speaking of prophecy.  There is "Prophecy" and there is "prophecy".

Prophecy

In the Old Testament, there were men called Prophets who spoke the very words of God.  They would say things like "Thus saith the Lord..."  In fact, they wrote down the words that they spoke and their writings became part of the Bible and we treat them with God's authority to this day.  These are men like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and others.  In the New Testament, we see men who did similar things.  We call them Apostles.  This includes Peter, James, John, Paul, and others.

This kind of Prophecy (upper case P) is fully authoritative, 100% accurate, and always to be obeyed.  This kind of Prophecy produces Scripture.  This kind of Prophecy can be defined as "Declaring the very Words of God."

Theology Tuesday: Women and Head Coverings

Did you know that in 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Paul says that women should wear head coverings, like hats, in church?  If you had never heard that before, you may now be wondering why we don't do that in most churches these days.  If its in the Bible, why don't we follow it?  Somebody recently asked me this question and my honest answer was that I hadn't studied this issue a whole lot.

I asked Christy for her opinion and she said she wasn't sure.  We decided we would have to look into it and we both decided that whatever the Bible convinced us that it was saying was what we would do.  With a smile, Christy said, "Cool, I may get to go buy some cute hats!"  So, as I lay out what I've found, please have that same attitude.  Be willing to follow whatever the Bible says, rather than making up your mind first and trying to excuse away what the Bible is saying.

Theology Tuesday: Proving God Exists - Part 6

Proving God: Jesus' Testimony

We've looked at a whole lot of different things to examine the evidence that God exists.  Rather than turning to science or philosophy, today we are going to examine the testimony of a single witness.  Imagine you are on a jury in a courtroom.  A crime was committed and there are various witnesses being called to the stand.  There are two conflicting stories that emerge as the witnesses are questioned.  Half of the witnesses tell one story and the other half tell another.  Both stories cannot be true as they say completely opposite things.

So what happened?  How would you, as a member of the jury, decide?  Would you take into account the character of the witnesses?  Would it change the way you felt if you found out that one half of the witnesses were gang bangers and the other half of the witnesses were police officers with clean records?  What if one of the witnesses was Martin Luther King Jr. or Mother Theresa?  Would that sway your thoughts?  What if one of the witnesses who stood up to testify was Jesus Christ Himself?

Feature Friday: Kony 2012

In terms of going viral, the Kony 2012 video might as well be the Bubonic Plague.  In about two weeks, this video has been viewed over 70 million times!

The video that's all over the internet was put out by the Invisible Children with the express purpose of exposing the horrible war crimes of Joseph Kony with the goal of causing the American people to make so much noise about it that it forces our politicians to stay involved in stopping him.  If you have not seen the video, I highly encourage you to watch it in its entirety.  You'll have to set aside 30 minutes of your time, but it is worth it.

Theology Thursday: Is Hell Real?

*I apologize for typos, I have a packed day and don't have time to go over this with a fine comb yet!

As far as serious subjects go, its hard to get much more serious than when talking about Hell.  If Hell is real, then it should definitely be a scary and saddening thought.  Thinking of anyone suffering in a place of eternal torment is heart-wrenching.  Hell is not pleasant to think about.


Out of that discomfort with the thought of Hell, modern opinions are changing.  While 74% of Americans believe in Heaven, only 59% believe in Hell.  Rob Bell recently released a book called Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.  In his book, Rob proposes that Hell is nothing more than the evils we commit in this life and that no one will actually be separated from God in Hell forever.  Instead, Bell proposes that everyone will one day be reunited with God because God's love will win everyone over (Bell has claimed that's not what he necessarily believes, but that's hard to accept given the way his book lays this out).


So is Hell real?  Is it just some old myth that we have outgrown?  Is it foolish and silly for a modern and educated person to believe in such a childish thing?  Was Hell simply made up to scare people into religion?  Does the existence of Hell mean that God is evil and cruel?


Its Not Up to Us


Whether or not Hell exists is just not up to us.  I hope you don't have a hard time agreeing with me on this.  Its either real or not.  Its the same with the fabled water city of Atlantis.  If I really want it to be real but its fake, then my wanting it to be real doesn't make it real.  If I hate the idea of it and don't want it to be real but it actually is real, then my disgust of it won't make it stop existing.  We all have opinions of whether or not Hell is a good idea or a bad idea.  We all have opinions of whether it should exist or shouldn't.   We can imagine if we were God what we would do.  But at the end of the day, our opinions and guesses don't make Hell any more real or any less real.

Can I be honest?  As a Christian, I understand that God is just and that sin has a penalty.  I get that.  But if I'm totally honest, I don't want to believe in Hell!  To me, it seems like a terrible idea.  I have family members who don't believe in Jesus.  Should they suffer and suffer and suffer forever when they die just because they didn't accept Jesus?  What if they were more or less nice people?  I don't want Hell to be real.  There comes a point in my mind where even Hitler has suffered for enough centuries and should be let out.  How do you feel?  Do you want to believe in Hell?

But again, the bottom line is that we don't get to choose and our opinion just doesn't make it so or make it not so.  What we need is revelation from God about what is true regarding Hell.  As Christians, we look to the Bible for that.  If you have trouble believing that the Bible is God's Word, then please CLICK HERE for notes on this and HERE for a sermon I preached on this.  So, let's look to God to answer this question for us.

What's the Bible Say?


The Old Testament prophet Daniel says...


Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  --  Daniel 12:2

The New Testament writer and apostle Paul says...

without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. --  Philippians 1:28

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power  --  2 Thess 1:6-9

The New Testament writer and apostle Peter says...

if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.  --  2 Peter 2:9

The New Testament writer and brother of Jesus Jude says...

They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.  --  Jude 13

The New Testament writer and close friend of Jesus says...

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.--  Revelation 20:14-15

To sum it up, the Bible teaches that there will  be a day of judgment.  On that day, some will be condemned to a place of darkness and fire.  This place is a place of punishment.  This place is everlasting.

What's Jesus Say?

Most people I know regard Jesus as the most loving person to ever live.  Did you know that Jesus spoke of Hell more than any other person in the Bible?  Let's just look at what Jesus has to say about this from the gospel of Matthew.


But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.  --  Matthew 5:22

"I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  --  Matthew 8:11-12


"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  --  Matthew 13:40-42


This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  --  Matthew 13:49-50 

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  --  Matthew 18:8


"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  --  Matthew 22:13


"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?  --  Matthew 23:33


And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matthew 25:30


All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. . . Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  --  Matthew 25:32, 41

I would certainly agree that Jesus is the most loving man who ever lived.  Yet He believed that Hell was real.  He warned us of it often.  The God-Man Jesus said very clearly that there was an eternal place of fire, darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth where the wicked would be sent after judgment.

Is Hell Fair?

Now this is a tough question.  Let's be honest, we don't all agree on what exactly is fair and what is unfair.  A few weeks ago, I was talking to a group of friends about a couple that is dating.  Guy A and Girl A have been dating for over a year but they aren't engaged yet.  A different girl, Girl B,  is interested in Guy A and she has been trying to get his attention and holding out hope for a future relationship with him.  Is that fair game?  Is it fair for her to try to get his attention and text him or Facebook him while he is dating?  Well, none of us could agree.  Some said that it was fair game until they were engaged.  Others said it was fair all the way up to til they were married.  Others said it wasn't fair at all because they were dating and Girl B needs to back off.

My point is, we don't agree on what is fair.  So, is Hell fair?  Fair according to whom?  Ultimately, the only person who can say what is truly right and fair is God.


God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses his wrath every day.  --  Psalm 7:11


The Bible tells us that God is a righteous judge meaning that His judgments are always correct and right (fair).  Yet in the same breath, the Psalmist writes that He expresses His wrath every day.  According to the Bible, God is the One who created Hell and He is the one who will send sinners there on judgment day.  Despite this, the Bible tells us that God is a righteous Judge.  Is Hell fair?  Well, it appears that God believes it is.

Does it feel or seem fair to me?  I'll be honest.  No, it doesn't.  It is truly hard for me to grasp how my loved ones who have not accepted Jesus, will suffer in Hell FOREVER.  How could their limited number of sins not be paid off over eternity?  There are loads of ways that theologians have tried to answer this.  Many of them make sense.  But instead, let me just say this.

Could it be, that if God says something is fair and I disagree and think it isn't fair, could it be that I am the one that is wrong?  Could it be that my sense of justice is off and His is right?  Could it be that my understanding of fairness is skewed while God's is perfect?  Could it be that I am failing to grasp just how infinitely holy God is and therefore I am failing to grasp how serious it is to commit one sin against Him?  Could it be that if I disagree with God on this, that I am the one that is wrong?  After all, the Bible does say...


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  --  Isaiah 55:8-9

How Should We Respond?

First, don't argue with God.  The Bible is very clear.  Hell is real and God thinks that is fair.  So, don't rise up arrogantly and say that God is evil for sending people to Hell.  Don't stand as judge over God and declare Him unfair.  Don't claim that if you were God, you would do the right thing and get rid of Hell.  Instead, humble yourself and heed the Word of God.  Even if you don't like it, believe it.  Even if you don't agree with it, declare that God is just and right and you must be mistaken.

Second, get yourself out of the line of fire!  Hell is real and we all, as sinners, deserve to go there!  Grab on to the only way out God has made!


"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. --  John 3:16


God loves you and desires to rescue you from Hell so you can live eternally with Him in heaven.  But your sins have separated you.  So turn to faith in Jesus to be saved.  Jesus lived the sinless life you and I have failed to live, suffered the wrath you and I deserve, and rose to give eternal life you and I could never earn.  Put your faith in Him today.

Third, take up the call to share the good news of Jesus with the desperate world.  According to the Bible, our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, and all are heading to Hell without Jesus.  Let's share this great news of salvation with anyone with ears!


How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"  -- Romans 10:14-15

As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments.  Also, if you are interested in exploring this topic further, check out Erasing Hell by Francis Chan.  I apologize for typos, I have a packed day and don't have time to go over this with a fine comb yet!

Theology Thursday: Why do bad things happen to good people? Part 3

The votes are in and we are returning to our third installment of this question.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  This is a very difficult question and if you are going through a hard time right now, this may not be very helpful.  I think we need to address this question for ourselves before the hard times come so that we have a foundation to stand on in the midst of the storms of life.  During the storm, its difficult to focus on anything other than the lightning and flooding.  So, lets ingrain these lessons now and be ready when life gets tough.

In our first look at this question, we saw that really none of us are good people.  We are all sinners who have rebelled against God and deserve Hell.  Because of that, we should be shocked by all of the good things that God blesses us with that we don't deserve.  In our second look at the question, we saw that hard and difficult times are often the only ways for us to grow in character and learn valuable lessons.  Just like we press through the pain of exercise to gain physical strength, it is vital to press through the pain of loss, conflict, and more to gain strength of character.  That brings us to our third look at the question today.  Why do bad things happen to good people?

Theology Thursday: Is Abortion a Sin?

Before we start, lets take a moment to recognize that for many this is a deeply emotional issue.  Pregnancy is a life changing event and many women wind up pregnant before they are ready to have a baby.  Most women who have an abortion wrestle with the decision and don't make it lightly.  Many of these women go on to struggle with the decisions they have made wondering what could have been.  This is a sensitive issue.  My heart truly goes out to women who find themselves in a situation where they face this decision.  And shame on the boys who claim to be men in their lives who have left them with so few options that abortion seems to be best.

With that said, let's address the question.  As Christians, our view of right and wrong must come from the Bible.  On issues not directly addressed by the Bible, we must allow the Bible and its principles to guide us.  So let's ask the question and look to the Bible for answers.  Is abortion a sin?

Theology Thursday: Why is slavery allowed in the Old Testament?

Well, you've voted it in, so let's answer the question.  The Old Testament has lots of laws about slavery.  But why didn't God just make slavery illegal altogether?  He certainly could have by laying it out as, "Thou shalt not own slaves."  Instead, God lays out numerous laws in Deuteronomy and Leviticus that spell out how slavery was to work in Israel.  So why on earth is God supporting slavery instead of banning it?

Why is this important?  Because "intellectual" types who are opposed to Christianity, whether atheist, agnostic, or whatever, have claimed the Bible could not have been written by God because it contains moral outrages such as slavery.  They argue that slavery of any form is completely unjust and the fact that the Bible allows it proves that it could not have been written by a good God.  So what do you say to that?  Let me warn you, my answer is not short.

Theology Thursday: Is Downloading Torrents a Sin?

Ready for the short answer?  Is it a sin?  YEP!  Do you like that answer?  Does that bother you?  Do you disagree and want to continue doing it anyway?  Before I give you my reasons, let me ask you this.  If God told you to stop doing this, would you?  If God showed you that it was a sin, would you actually listen and stop downloading torrents?  Would you choose to obey Him even though it meant giving up your free music and movies?  If you said yes, then please keep reading and honestly consider what I have to say.  If you said no, then you have an idol issue that you need to deal with.

Strong Faith or Raving Lunatic?

If God told you to kill your son, would you do it?  Maybe you don't have a son, what if He told you to kill your mom?  Would you do it?

Well, apparently you should...

Theology Thursday: Proving God Exists - Part 5

Your votes are in and today's theology topic will be taking another look at the evidence we have for God's existence.  Up until now, we have been covering general arguments that show that some sort of divine being or beings do exist.  Today, we are going to take a look at evidence that takes that one step further and shows that the God of the Bible is real.  We will be looking at many of the fulfilled prophecies within the Bible.

Declaring the Future is Strong Evidence

If I told you that you were going to trip today and fracture your left femur, you would probably look at me strangely.  But what if it then happened?  Maybe at first you'd be in too much pain to think straight.  But after the doctors had done their thing and you were laying in a hospital bed with a big cast on your leg, it would hit you.  Mark told me this was going to happen!  What would you do?  How would you feel?  What would you want to say to me?

Theology Thursday: Can Christians use Anti-depressants?

This is an incredibly tough topic to tackle.  Discussions get very heated because this question is about more than just right or wrong but actual people.  People who are hurting and vulnerable and need help.  I'll be perfectly honest in saying that I'm a little undecided as to where I stand on this (I used to fall into the first view but now I'm leaning heavily toward the third view).  But the question was asked and you guys voted it in a few weeks ago.  So what I'll be doing is presenting the three views as I've come across them so that you can make a more informed decision as you prayerfully consider this if its in any way applicable to you. 

*This whole blog will be referring to severe and lasting clinical depression.  I am not discussing the occasional bad mood or grief we experience through the bumps of life.  I'm talking about the kind of depression that consistently disrupts day to day living through anxiety, worry, fear, etc.

Theology Friday: Old Testament Promises

Do Old Testament promises apply to me or just Israel?  Depending on how "churched" you are, you may not know all of the controversy that surrounds this question.  Dispensationists line up on one side while Covenental theologians line up on the other.  If you don't know what those words mean, don't worry, you don't need to.

There are tons of different promises in the Old Testament.  God speaks to many people and promises a variety of things.  The Bible records those words and conversations.  We need to treat those words and conversations like we would any other to understand them.  The key to understanding biblical promises is context.  CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT.  The truth is that some of the promises in the Old Testament apply to us and some of them don't.  You have to read the context to see which is which.  Here are a few categories that promises might fall into...

Feature Friday: AGT-Something Wicked This Way Comes

Howard Stern is joining America's Got Talent as a judge.

I enjoy watching the occasional episode of AGT on my day off on Hulu.  Last season was incredible with the Silhouettes and Team Illuminate.  I was rooting for those two acts.  Not only is it fun to watch for the serious competition, but the show is fun to watch because of all of the failed auditions and wacky participants.  After all, anyone and everyone is allowed to audition!  That brings in a lot of entertainment.

Unfortunately, it also brings in a lot of things you may not want to see.  Last season featured an act from a male pole dancer who danced in high heels.  I found myself fast forwarding through his acts quite quickly.  The only judge who seemed to agree with me that this was distasteful and the opposite of entertaining was Piers Morgan.  That man has class and on many occasions he fought to remove acts that were distasteful and classless.  In many ways, he held the gates and protected the show from being overrun with poor content.  Alas, Piers Morgan is leaving the show.  And he has a replacement: Howard Stern.

Theology Thursday: Why do bad things happen to good people? Part 1

As a pastor, I get this one a lot.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Its a tough question to answer for two reasons.  First, its an incredibly big topic with much more than just one quick answer.  It will take time to answer it in full.  That's why I've decided to make this a series.  This will just be the first piece to my answer and, if you'd like to hear more, you can vote on this topic again in the future (vote on the right side of the screen).

Second, this question is not asked when everything is great and we are happy with life.  People usually ask this question in the midst of tragedy.  The grief, pain, and sadness that go along with this question often make us angry.  All of those things put together make this a difficult discussion.  So let me start by saying, I'm sorry if that's you right now.  I hope and pray that God comforts you in your time of need.  I assure you that God is good and I urge you to let this difficult time cause you to rely on God more rather than turning from Him in anger and unbelief.

Theology Thursday: Darwin, Evolution, and the Bible

What is evolution?  Does the Bible disagree with evolution?  Has evolution been proven a fact?  These are some questions I intend to answer.  Answering these questions could take up volumes, so I will not be able to address every little detail.  I will try to summarize but this is going to be a lot of info.

Theology Thursday: Can Women Lead in the Church?

Most of us have never seen a female pastor or priest.  How come?  Is the church sexist?  Why can't women be leaders in the church?  What is the deal?

Well, not all Christians agree on this issue.  In fact, there are now several denominations of Christianity that are allowing women to be pastors.  So what is your opinion Pastor Mark? 

Theology Thursday: Proving God Exists - Part 4

What makes something good and other things evil?  Why are some actions right and other actions wrong?  Why do almost all of us agree that stabbing someone out of jealousy is wrong but shooting someone in self defense and in defense of others is not?  Who decided how we ought and ought not act?  Are certain things right or wrong just based on our opinion?  Is it based on a certain set of laws?  Where does morality come from?

The Moral Argument

In our fourth attempt to prove the existence of God, we will be looking at another age old argument known as the moral argument.  This argument bases itself around the question, "Where does morality come from?"  There are several possible answers to this question, but only one answer makes sense.  The only logical answer to this question is that morality comes from a personal, absolute, transcendent being (God).  To read about this in depth, I highly recommend C.S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity.

Theology Thursday: Is Swearing a Sin?

** Last week I covered the topic of homosexuality.  Username Richard the Atheist commented on my article to argue against me.  If you'd like to see my response to him, which is long (I warned you!), then CLICK HERE.**

Is swearing a sin?  The D word, the S word, the F word.  Do we offend God when we use this kind of language?  Should Christians use them?  My opinion may not be the clear cut answer you were looking for.  As a youth and children pastor, believe me, I wish I could say definitively that all swearing is bad.  That would keep the parents at church happy with me.  But, at the risk of drawing their wrath, let me share my honest thoughts on this issue with you.  Let me caution you, this article will get a bit explicit.