Faith in Focus Vision

I spent some time today working on a Faith in Focus vision "paper." More to do, but here's a start:

For several months now we have been holding a bi-weekly event at Toronto Alliance Church called Faith in Focus. Faith in Focus (FiF) has attempted to explore deep issues and tough questions related to the Christian faith with young adults. I would now like to spend some time expanding upon the vision that I see for this ministry.

Downtown Toronto is undergoing some significant change. Demographically, young adults are moving into the downtown core in large numbers (see http://www.toronto.ca/planning/living_downtown.htm). Many of these young adults have no saving knowledge of Jesus Christ (leaving aside nominal Christians and other religions, the 2001 Census revealed that 16.6% of Torontonians have no religious affiliation and that this grouping of individuals had grown a staggering 39.3% since the 1991 Census – the median age for this segment of society is 32.9 years of age – see http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/highlight/Religion/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo=CMA&View=2a&Code=535&Table=1&StartRec=1&Sort=2&B1=501&B2=1). The Downtown Core is also home to two major universities and many colleges. Young adults in Downtown Toronto are desperate in their need of the cross of Christ.

But that is not all. Last Fall I attended a conference in which one of the seminars was entitled The Most Over-Rated Generation. The speaker’s point was that while young adults have been given everything – money, education, knowledge and experience – they fail to live up to the responsibility that comes with such blessing. Certainly their hearts are moved at the mention of social justice issues, but these warmed-hearts amount to relatively little action. It is my opinion that young adults are filled to the brim with potential. I am convinced that if the young adults of Toronto were unleashed on the world with the power of God then transformation, healing, restoration and justice would be realized in beautiful and dramatic ways.

Both of these ideas – the demographic change of Toronto and the potential of young adults feed this vision. My hope and desire is that Faith in Focus would become a place where spiritually dead or weak young adults can encounter the holy and loving Father, be redeemed through the risen Lord Jesus Christ and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to transform the world.

Faith in Focus nights, for now still every second Saturday evening, will begin with worship, have a message, a response song or two and then a time for questions and answers. In the messages it is still my desire to explore deep issues related to faith and life, answer difficult questions related to the Christian faith and encourage people to shine in the world using their gifts and heeding their calling.

Objections to the Faith - Introduction Part 1 (Acts 17:16-34)

For the next while our young adult ministry at Toronto Alliance Church is planning to examine Objections to the Faith. If you are free, considering joining us. We meet at 8 pm on every second Saturday. I am hoping and planning to share my teaching on this blog so that you can catch-up if you miss a week or if you just would like to follow along.

In the movie Patriot Games, Jack Ryan, played by Harrison Ford, witnesses an attack on the British Secretary of State to Northern Ireland. Rather than hide his face from the violence, Jack Ryan (in typical Harrison Fordian fashion) springs into action, rescuing the secretary and even killing one of the terrorists.

Later on in the film, when he is questioned by one of his friends concerning his heroics, Jack Ryan responds, “It just pissed me off. I couldn't just stand there and watch him shoot those people right in front of me. It was... rage. Pure rage... Just made me mad.” In other words, Jack Ryan, when confronted with certain tragedy, could not sit still. He had to act.

In Acts 17 we find the apostle Paul confronted by a reality which he could not ignore. In verses 16 and 17 of said chapter we read: “While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.”

Athens was a city full of temples and images of pagan gods. Paul saw these things. He knew that the false gods were worshiped, he knew that people were lost in their ignorance and false religion and he knew that God was not receiving the honour and glory that were due Him. And so Paul acted. He shared Christ. He confronted false belief.

Our city of Toronto is a city full of false gods as well. There are the mosques and the temples dedicated to Hinduism and Buddhism. But there are also the gods of entertainment, money, possessions, lust and so forth. Anything (excluding the true God) can become an idol if we devote our lives to it and give it prominence. Anything can be worshiped.

When we notice people around us pursuing false gods are our hearts moved as Paul’s was? Do we speak up for the true and living God? And there are other questions we need to ask as well. In a city like Toronto, how can we go about sharing Christ? And in particular, how can we share Christ with the young adult population? There are some principles I would like to share from Paul’s time in Athens as seen in Acts 17:16-34 that will shed some light on these questions.

Why Should we Study the Bible? - It Enhances our Worship

In my opinion, not only does the reading of Scripture enlighten our minds, but it also enhances our worship. It does this in at least two ways. First of all, we have all probably experienced that incredible, uncontrollable desire to break forth into praise and thanks to God when we have become aware of something God has done or of an awe-inspiring aspect of His nature. J. I. Packer, on the back of his helpful book Concise Theology writes: “As I often tell my students, theology is for doxology and devotion—that is, the praise of God and the practice of godliness.” Immersing ourselves in God’s Word will naturally lead to more of these spontaneous outbursts of praise.

The Word of God also ensures that we are praising the true God, and not offering worship to a being of our own devising. In His conversation with a Samaritan woman Jesus teaches who true worshipers of God are: “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.’” (John 4:21-24).

We worship in spirit when our praise flows from within us and is not merely an outward song or action. It is a bit more difficult to nail down the correct interpretation of worshiping in truth. It could serve to reinforce the idea of worshiping in spirit. In this case, worshiping in truth would be equated with worshiping in spirit – we truly worship when we worship in spirit. However, and this is helpful for the point at hand, it could also mean that we worship the God we have true knowledge of. Regardless of our interpretation of this passage, this point remains a valid one.

Having a solid grasp on God’s Word and on theology will protect against attributing false characteristics to God in the midst of our praise. It should be our desire to reflect on and adore God for who He truly is. It should be our longing to thank God for what He truly has done, is doing and will do. The Word of God protects us from false pronouncements concerning God in the midst of our worship.

Why Should we Study the Bible? - It Enlightens our Minds by Teaching us what is True (Continued)

Furthermore, Scripture provides us with answers to difficult questions. Rather than doing serious research, struggling in prayer and engaging in vigorous debate we often allow our personal feelings to dictate what we believe.

More than that, we live in an age of tolerance. When we encounter a doctrine which runs counter to our own predisposition we are regularly tempted to merely shrug our shoulders in defeat and say: “You are free to believe what you believe and I will continue to believe what I believe. There’s no way to be certain who is correct.”

While there are certainly passages in Scripture that are difficult to understand, I think that too often we throw in the towel too early. It is my opinion that if we took the time, Scripture would provide us with solid answers to many if not most of our uncertainties.

Why Should we Study the Bible? - It Enlightens our Minds by Teaching us what is True

Our world tends to deny that there is such a thing as ultimate truth. Pragmatism becomes the guide of many. Whatever works for me personally (ie. whatever makes me feel good or helps me accomplish my self-established goals) is to be pursued with gusto and considered “true” for me. Jesus disagrees with such a worldview. “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.” He says.

The Christian must consistently be chewing on the Word of God because in it she discovers and is reminded of the truth. We must remember that pursuing truth is not simply about filling our brains with information. As believers we most certainly have a curiosity about God and a longing to learn more about Him. However, we must also concern ourselves with the product of our knowledge (or what our knowledge accomplishes in our lives).

In a sense, this is what this entire essay concerns itself with. But here, under the subsection dealing with truth, let me highlight one way in which the knowledge of the truth is essential to the Christian life by reminding us that truth is necessary for salvation! If one is ignorant of the truth there is no hope of eternal life. Without the truth we would not know about the problem of sin nor God’s solution to it in His Son Jesus Christ. Scripture provides us with the essential content of our faith.

Why Should we Study the Bible? - It Enlightens our Minds by Teaching us what is Right

On a regular basis we face a subtle bombardment of opinions advocating for what is good and what is not. While watching a television program we may be encouraged to pursue our heart’s desire above all else. A newspaper article may challenge the biblical understanding of marriage. A gallery may post pornography under the guise of “artwork.” Advertisements routinely seduce us into putting all of our hope and desire into cars, alcohol and clothing. Movies suggest that getting high can be fun. We could go on. These views need to regularly be checked by Scripture or else we will find ourselves pursing ideals which reject and oppose the Lordship of Christ.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” God’s Word provides the guidance we need to make sure that we get on and remain on the right path.

In my opinion, when it comes to righteousness, listening to sermons and reading Scripture is not primarily about learning new things. Most believers already know the basic teachings of holiness in God’s Word and we can sum up obedience in one word: love. Hearing sermons and reflecting on the Bible is more about being reminded to do what we already know we should be doing than about entering uncharted territory.

It is so easy for misunderstandings of what is right and what is wrong to enter the Church. Each and every follower of Christ needs a guide to keep us on track. This guide is Scripture and it needs to be shaping our conduct on a regular basis.

Why Should we Study the Bible? - Introduction

If we browse through stats from such sources as researcher George Barna and Wheaton College we learn something very troubling: a large number of Western Christians today have lost respect for biblical authority and are weak in biblical knowledge. Many Christians are not reading, hearing or submitting to Scripture.

This brings me to several questions: Should believers study Scripture? Is it important to spend vast amounts of time chewing on God’s Word? Shouldn’t we just concentrate on living for God, rather than on accumulating knowledge? Knowledge puffs up, doesn’t it? Isn’t it more important to just obey God? After all, so many Christians have failed Christ by filling their heads with God’s Word but failing to live their faith out.

As you are probably anticipating, my own position is that God’s Word is an indispensable part of a God-honouring Christian life. The answer to the dilemma of Christians with head-knowledge of the Word but no practical outworking of it is not action at the expense of knowledge, but rather action that is formed and shaped by knowledge.

Let me begin by stating that I realize that I will be making some huge assumptions as I attempt to answer the question of why Christians should read Scripture. First of all, I am trusting that you hold to a belief in absolute truth and absolute morality and I am working with the hypothesis that you already believe that God’s Word is truth.

If you struggle with any of these convictions, let me offer you the following suggestions. First of all, if you have not taken the time to examine your opinions concerning absolute truth, absolute morality and God’s Word (and the ground on which your opinions are based), please take the time to do so. I hope to write on these topics, but in the meantime, there are many helpful resources which can provide solid arguments and thought-provoking questions in favour of my assumptions. So often, we reject what we do not understand and disagree with opinions that upset our spirits but have never been seriously contemplated in our minds. You owe it to yourself to understand why you believe what you believe.

Furthermore, please read on in spite of your disagreement with my assumptions. At very least, it will create in you a greater understanding of your fellow human beings and lead to more civil dialogue on such an important topic.