Prophecy Days 13-15: Prophecy vs The Pythagorean Theorem.

I like anecdotes. I especially like anecdotes when I get the “oh, I know where they’re going with this” thought half way through. Then I get to just sit back and watch the speaker struggle as they try and remember all the details and keep all the names and places straight. All the while I’m thinking, “I know what you’re getting at. Just make your point and get on with it.” Then the anecdote ends and I sit ready for the next point with one half of the room who had the same thoughts I did while the other half of the room say, “What the heck was that all about? I though Jimmy was the one who was trying to get gas, not the one who was actually getting gas. Didn’t he say this took place in town here? How did we get across the state?” Anecdotes.

The speaker on Friday night had an interesting anecdote illustrating the ease of mistaking true churches from false one. He was in college and he was friends with a set of identical twins. One was rooming in the dormitory he stayed in and the other was living in another dorm house. At this particular college, you ate in your dorm’s cafeteria for your meals. There wasn’t one campus cafeteria, but one cafeteria in each dormitory. It was dinner time and the speaker and some of his friends were going to get food in the cafeteria. Simple enough. The one identical twin that lived in that particular dorm was not going to get dinner with them because he had a date; I think his name was Gary. Larry, his twin brother, showed up or was hanging around decided to get dinner also. But instead of going back to his dorm, he just grabbed Gary’s ID and decided to eat at this dorm, the one that Gary stayed in.

They all got to the cafeteria and got their food and sat down next to one of Gary’s suitemates. Someone who was suppose to know Gary pretty well. So, he, the suitemate, started talking to Larry, thinking it was Gary. Larry had to play along since he didn’t want to leave the cafeteria, so he did. Larry started talking about, well, himself, that is, Larry saying how great Larry was and so on, but the suitemate thought he was Gary. Anyway, the speaker was telling us the audience how humorous the situation became and that the suitemate never knew he was talking to Larry and not Gary. So in a sense, that’s how churches are. Distinguishing between two different ones can be like distinguishing between two identical twins. Obviously they are different churches, but they look so similar.

Anyway, I thought it was an interesting anecdote and I was able to see where he was going with it when he introduced a set of identical twins. So I sat back and watched the speaker struggle to get the details straight and the audience struggle to follow what was being presented and I had a good time with it. Here are some of the highlights/lowlights of the two sessions from this past weekend.

Friday Day 13: Why So Many Churches? How Can You Tell the True from the False?
In the words of Charlton Heston via Phil Hartman (again with the Charlton Heston), “Oh. My. God.” At this session I fell apart. This is the first session I’d been to where I got physically angry during the session. This was not because of what was presented, but rather a pet peeve of mine that came up. The situation where people who shouldn’t do any talking because they are an audience member, a participant, decide it’s okay to do some talking. They just pipe up and start speaking one-on-one with the speaker. Sharing some personal testimony vaguely matching the subject thinking their insight will some how convince everyone (even though they’re not physically directing their words to everyone, but to the speaker; speaking barely loud enough for he or she to hear them) that what the speaker is talking on is life changing and should be adhered to immediately. It’s a pet peeve.

This particular event described above happened on Friday night and it hadn’t happened before. I contribute this phenomenon to the guided audience participation that took place before the main talk. (This type of participation I am okay with. It’s encouraged and controlled by the speaker, so one person doesn’t spend the whole time rambling.) The activity we were challenged with was to look in the book of Acts and find characteristics of the early church. I thought this a healthy and interesting activity.

I found it so interesting that I participated. I found and shared this verse:

32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his
possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
-Acts 4:32
(NIV)

The speaker was a fan of this verse. He feels, and I agree, that this doesn’t go on enough in Church. He stated that there is no reason anyone should ever be in need if they belong to a church. I agree. I would even take it as far as to say that there is no reason anyone in a community in which a church belongs should ever be in need, but that’s just me.

The reason for the exercise was to help define what is a ‘true’ church. It would make sense, as paraphrased from the speaker, to join a church like that of Jesus and the apostles. It would make sense that the church of Jesus and the apostles would be a ‘true’ church. This is all fine and well, but the trouble comes when you start to define what the church of Jesus and the apostles was. Essentially, in the talk that followed the audience participation activity, it was said that the ‘true’ church is the SDA church. It is true since it obeys all of God’s commands, mainly worshiping on the true Sabbath. Remember, God’s commands here mean the Ten Commandments.

It was this point, the keeping of the correct Sabbath that an inquisitive member of the audience, someone who I hadn’t seen at any of the other sessions, asked the question where in the Bible it says that the Church needs to keep the Saturday Sabbath. This question was answered in a previous session, but the speaker was kind enough to answer the question anyway. Then a different, overly ambitious audience member decided it was time for personal share time. They shared some testimony about how their life changed because of their decision to join the SDA church and proceeded to talk for a good 2 or 3 minutes before the speaker finally said, in kinder words, “All right, you need to shut up.”

This is where it becomes interesting. No fights broke out or anything; no one stormed out cursing God or the church. No, this little tiff illustrated a point of conversation others and I had at a meeting of Birds of the Air (a Bible study) the night before. It also happened that two of the members of Birds were with me at the session that night, Miriam and Ricky (Dan was there too, but he doesn’t attend Birds). The text we discussed was this:

17I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put
obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep
away from them. 18For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own
appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.
19Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I
want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
-Romans 16: 17-19 (NIV)

Ricky brought up that C.S. Lewis calls this “Jesus and . . .” Jesus and alcohol. Jesus and homosexuality. Jesus and the Sabbath. This person who felt obligated to share their story had Jesus and the Sabbath on their mind. The speaker was presenting Jesus and the Sabbath as the true church. These sessions have been a bunch of ‘Jesus and’s. When in actually the true Church is just Jesus.

Sunday Day 14: How to Have Financial Security.

19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes
are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you
is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24"No one can
serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life
more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at
the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who
of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his
splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass
of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he
not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For
the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its
own.
-Matthew 6:19-34 (NIV)

This is a big chunk of what Jesus taught his disciples on money. This entire passage wasn’t used Sunday night, but verses were taken from it. In particular verse 21 and a paraphrase of verses 28-30. The speaker asked a question at the beginning of his talk if it would be nice if we all had just a little more money. He said, “Wouldn’t you like to have a little bit more money? I know I would.” Sure, who wouldn’t right? Then I read what Jesus said in verses 25-34 and I say, “Well, maybe not.”

Money is a solution to all those questions asked in verse 31 correct? When I ask, “What shall I eat?” I answer, “Why don’t I go buy groceries.” When I ask, “What shall I drink?” I answer, “Why don’t I go buy something to drink or turn on the faucet that controls the water that I pay for.” When I ask, “What shall I wear?” I answer, “Why don’t I go to Value Village and buy some slightly used clothing.” It seems if I seek after money, I’ll be given these things. That’s logical. However, Jesus does not say if you seek after money these things will be given to you, but rather if you seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness, these things will be given to you.
Well, maybe money is apart of His Kingdom and His righteousness?

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
-Matthew 5:3 (NIV)

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of
righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
-Matthew 5:10 (NIV)

It seems to me that financial security is far from His Kingdom. At any rate, I feel this is evidence of the American dream, obtaining financial security, creeping into the message of Jesus. It’s fine to be rich, but it’s also fine to be poor. To me God wanting His people to be well off financially is a promise that’s just not there.

It was interesting in that the speaker used the example of the Old Testament patriarchs as examples to show that God want His people to be wealthy; they were all wealthy. However, it seems the speaker missed one New Testament character that sits above the Old Testament patriarchs; Jesus. Jesus was homeless. He looked inside fish’s mouths to pay the temple tax. He took 7 loaves of bread and 2 fish from a kid to feed his friend. Here is someone who was not wealthy. Here is someone whom we are commanded to follow if we are to find God. I have a hard time saying God wants me to be rich or financially secure if He Himself lived a life of poverty compared to how I live right now.

On Wednesday of this week, the place of my employment held a meeting about our benefits package. It being the end of the year, it’s nice to see what changes have taken place and what our options are for benefits. Needless to say, we have a pretty good package: health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, and 401k to name but a few benefits. With the 401k option, there is a person who works as a financial planner that is available for consultation free of charge for employees of the company. He was asked to come in and present at the meeting and give a brief summary of what’s available for investment for our 401k plan, what his suggestions are for investing, and what the economy looks like for investing in the coming year; basically, from an investing standpoint, how to become financially secure for the future. This proved to me true my speculations on Jesus’ view of money. If a man, or woman, defines him or herself by money, there’s no certainty who you define yourself as now will be the same person down the line. If you define yourself by being a house owner, a flood could come out of no where and take that away from you; you’ve lost your defining quality. If you define yourself as being a car owner, you could get in an accident and total that car; you’ve lost your defining quality. If you define yourself by being a lover of, a follower of God, God was and is and always will be; you cannot lose your defining quality. If God were to want us to be financially secure, He would be saying, “Go ahead and put your security in something besides me. It’s okay.” Why would he say that? God is a jealous God who wants no other God’s before Him. Saying go ahead and replace me with money would completely contradict that statement; that command.

It’s natural to want to be financially secure. There are circumstances where if one just had a little more cash, one could save a whole lot of heartbreak. But, in that same circumstance, God can save one a whole lot of heartbreak by remembering the promise that if you seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness, these things will be given to you.

Wednesday Day 15: Prophets: True or False?
One thing that’s for certain that I’ve found in this seminar, my ability to tune out church when I want to has not lessened since I was a kid. It was stated in an earlier post that the sessions are divided up into three parts; one being a faced paced Bible study looking at a particular topic and finding scriptures that support it. This evening’s study was on diet and I’d heard it before and wasn’t convinced. So I tuned it out. In an effort to find truth, I proceeded to prove the Pythagorean Theorem (I used proof #4) in my notes. It’s not that difficult; one strategically drawn picture and four lines and you have it. Truth right there on my paper. Something of which I can be certain.

This session was about the characteristics and importance of God’s prophets. What makes a prophet? What role do prophets play? Are prophets important today? Those were the questions addressed.

I was always under the impression that a prophet, or someone with the gift of prophesy was someone who could portray truth. Truth is only from God; therefore, prophets are only from God. I’m not sure where I heard that (probably in church I would assume), but I can’t seem to align that definition with any I find in an internet search. (My favorite: In the fictional Star Trek universe, the Prophets, also known as Wormhole Aliens, are non-corporeal beings who inhabit the artificially constructed Bajoran wormhole which connects a distant point in the Gamma Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant, near the planet of Bajor and the space station Deep Space Nine. From wikipedia.org.) If my definition were true, then I’d be a prophet for constructing a math proof in my notes. I think my definition might be a bit too broad.

Here are 7 characteristics of a true prophet according to Wednesday night’s session:

1. The Bible is the sole rule of faith.
2. Predictions are 100% true.
3. Fruits are Christ-like.
4. Goes into trance with eyes open.
5. No strength while in vision.
6. No breath while in vision.
7. While in vision God strengthens.

I was with this definition until number 4. Literally it came out of left field. It was said in the same manner in which 1-3 were said and with just as much conviction.
“Fruits are Christ-like. That’s important. Also, goes into trance with their eyes open. That’s important.”
“Wait, what? Trance?”
It turns out that characteristics 4-7 are characteristics exemplified individually by select prophets in the Bible. Not all of the prophets had all 7 of these characteristics, but all prophets had some.

It seems to me that characteristics 1-3 are important for all prophets and that characteristics 4-7 not so much. If a prophet only had characteristics, say, 4 and 5, I’d be skeptical of the truthfulness of their message. But I’m a skeptic.

This session continued the theme of the SDA church tooting its own horn. The speaker mentioned the SDA church was a church of prophecy since it understood prophecy, it taught prophecy, and had prophets in its midst. I was unclear what the Biblical basis for a church of prophecy was; I’m unsure it was ever given.

A Conclusion . . . To Some Extent.
However, my goal in this project was not to collect dirt by which I could bash the Church. That was already my natural inclination. No, I wanted to collect reasons for which to love the Church; love in the way I am commanded to. So, what is there to love here? I’ve been told I don’t belong to the true church, I’ve been told God wants me to have monies, and I’ve been told prophets experience trances. Not much to cling to there; at least not at the surface.

In this entire seminar, the goal has been stated many times: To teach us how to discover the Bible ourselves. One could argue the effectiveness that this seminar has on this goal, but nonetheless, it is a goal I agree with. It is a goal I think should be that of the Church. It is a goal in which I can love the Church for. I would rephrase the goal a little bit and say the Church should teach us how to discover God ourselves. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Not the Bible is the way and so on.

The Church wants to bring people to God; the Church wants to love its neighbor as itself. It just gets caught up in some extraneous things that are getting in the way. God said to love Him and we will obey His commandments; not to obey His commandments in order to love Him. If I had a wife that I loved (that’s not to say I have a wife and don’t love her, but rather that I don’t have a wife), giving her flowers, taking out the trash, and kissing her on the cheek wouldn’t cause me to love her. Rather, loving her would cause me to buy her flowers, take out the trash, and kiss her on the cheek. God is no different.

The sessions are coming closer to an end, so if you’d like to attend, let me know.