tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post3490087228797310082..comments2023-08-15T06:44:05.705-05:00Comments on Pure Church: How Zealous Are We for the Honor of Our God?FellowElderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08590139703839397873noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-55976077634055909152007-05-30T00:21:00.000-05:002007-05-30T00:21:00.000-05:00Appreciate the thoughts, Thabiti. Grace and peace...Appreciate the thoughts, Thabiti. Grace and peace!Evershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-70287545933474469842007-05-28T08:06:00.000-05:002007-05-28T08:06:00.000-05:00Evers,Great question! Thanks for raising it. Off...Evers,<BR/><BR/>Great question! Thanks for raising it. Off the top of my head (I'll give this more thought), I think I would have couple of responses.<BR/><BR/>1. The violence of Islam is explicitly taught/commanded. It's consistent with the basic teachings of some of its sacred literature. Vigilante and terrorist violence is completely incompatible with NT Christianity. <BR/><BR/>2. It isn't "religion" in the OT that leads to violence, but God himself in judgment of the nations commands certain violent actions. In other words, when we see something like Num. 25 it's important to recognize the direct revelation that's happening there. That's a huge discontinuity between what we see on the pages of OT history and our own day. For someone like Hitchens that may not matter at all. But I think it's important to recognize the difference between a theocratic kingdom receiving direct revelation from God and any modern nation-state.<BR/><BR/>3. "Apples and oranges." Surely there is a significant category difference between unprovoked murder-suicides that kill masses of unarmed, non-combative civilians and Phinehas administering the justice of the Lord with two people caught in the very act of adultery. One is mass murder; the other is punishment of sin.<BR/><BR/>Just a couple of quick thoughts. Thanks for provoking some reflection this morning!<BR/>ThabitiFellowElderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08590139703839397873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-44266371968280070922007-05-26T14:58:00.000-05:002007-05-26T14:58:00.000-05:00God bless you.God bless you.Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08638329132284179300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-79162144758951593542007-05-25T11:04:00.000-05:002007-05-25T11:04:00.000-05:00Thabiti,Great points. Question for you, given you...Thabiti,<BR/><BR/>Great points. Question for you, given your personal background: how would you compare this zeal for the honor of God -- even above life itself -- to [radical] Islam's apparent tendency to be willing to destroy human life for the sake of Allah? Christopher Hitchens -- author of the recent "god is not great: how religion poisons everything" would happily misinterpret your statements as confirmation that religion is the source of violence and death. He's guilty, I think, of putting all "religions" on the same plane (even though most of his contemporary examples derive from violent Islam).<BR/><BR/>Your thoughts?<BR/><BR/>Grace and peace,<BR/>EversEvershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13981549398092045876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-58754282119435698232007-05-22T20:03:00.000-05:002007-05-22T20:03:00.000-05:00TA:AMEN!TA:<BR/><BR/>AMEN!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-19348666888619691062007-05-22T16:39:00.000-05:002007-05-22T16:39:00.000-05:00Bro Thabiti,Thank you for the post. I love the pr...Bro Thabiti,<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the post. I love the providence of God in that when He speaks, you know He speaks!<BR/><BR/>For my devotional this morning the Lord had me meditating on Ezekiel 9. In the midst of the rampant idolatry in Jerusalem, the LORD sends a man clothed in linen to "put a mark on the foreheads (v.4)" of those who the six men to come after should not slaughter. Everyone without the mark is to be killed.<BR/><BR/>Now what is the criteria that the Lord says this man should use to determine who to mark and so spare from destruction? At first I passed over this. But then I was struck and sobered as I realized what the LORD did NOT say.<BR/><BR/>He did NOT say to mark those who were not participating in the abominations being committed. Truth be told, there probably was none visible who wasn't participating in such abominations granted how bad things were by then but that's not the point.<BR/><BR/>The LORD said:<BR/>"Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men <I>who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it</I> (v.4, emphasis mine)."<BR/><BR/>This is chilling and sobering. And this is what marks out, according to your post, those who are zealous for the honor of God and those who aren't.<BR/><BR/>As we look across the wasteland of abominations before us today, it's easy to say "My hands are clean." Little to no regard for the glory of God is necessary for that. We can simply be nice people with complete indifference to the Creator just like any atheist.<BR/><BR/>But it's another thing to "sigh and groan" at such things before our eyes. It takes labor. It takes cultivation of heart to see and savor the glory of Christ. That's NOT easy. It's actually not humanly possible. Yet God demands it.<BR/><BR/>So as I am humbled, convicted, and challenged at the realization of my weak affections and zeal for the God who is infinitely worthy, I am thankful that we serve a God who commands us to do that which He alone must supply the grace for.<BR/><BR/>And so I pray, "Lord, grant me such zeal for the honor of Your name that will cause me to sigh and groan and weep at the sins and indifference to You that is ever before me."<BR/><BR/>Oh that this spirit would be recaptured in the Church today!pilgriminconflicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11560590837002307874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28988815.post-32548661551002196412007-05-22T15:11:00.000-05:002007-05-22T15:11:00.000-05:00Thabiti,An excellent post and one that is well tim...Thabiti,<BR/><BR/>An excellent post and one that is well timed for our culture. This same genre of thought hit me today as well and I wrote a post on it this morning that you can find <A HREF="http://thejonahsyndrome.blogspot.com/2007/05/to-live-is-christ-but-to-die-is.html" REL="nofollow"> <B>here</B></A>.<BR/><BR/>I came at it from a little different angle as I look at Paul's statement "To live is Christ but to die is gain". They essentially get at the same problem which is:<BR/><BR/>Why is God, His Name, And Eternity With Him Not Our Focus In Life?<BR/><BR/>A big question, with many answers. I loved the post!Marc Backeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16978011525047811613noreply@blogger.com