NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

11 Reasons The Churches Of Revelation Don’t Represent Church Ages

by 2 Comments

Churches are neither inspired nor predestined.

The Seven Churches Reveal Seven Problems
That Can Happen To Any Church
At Any Time

The book of Revelation fascinates everyone. From start to finish, the mysteries pile up. It mentions many things we haven’t seen or experienced personally, and because those novelties are represented in terms we can’t readily explain (four living creatures with six wings each and full of eyes), one of two things happens: we avoid the text completely or become so obsessed no rational outcome is reached.

That may be why the book opens with some words to encourage us to hold the line.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

We’re told up front that this is prophecy, meaning it points to future events, things that haven’t happened yet. The perspective is very much forward looking, but it’s also important to note that it has a starting place. Jesus addressed Himself to people of that day, not ours.

What Jesus said does apply to anyone at any future time but He addressed Himself specifically to individuals who were living at the time the Book was written. Jesus delivered his message to real churches in real time.

Seven churches were targeted in the first three chapters and Jesus had a individual message for each of those churches. Those churches were located in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) and all of them were started by the first generation of Christians. From their experience, today’s churches can learn a lot.

But what do these messages mean? How should we interpret this material?

One school of thought suggests that these churches, aside from being local and individual, also characterize periods of time or ages from the first century till now. The people who teach this say we are in the Laodicean period today which, obviously, is the last period characterized in this list.

Not only does that idea argue against the church age theory, there are also many other reasons to reject this idea. [Read more…] about 11 Reasons The Churches Of Revelation Don’t Represent Church Ages

Religion Breeds Good And Bad Spirits In Adherents

by Leave a Comment

Both your mind and your attitude must be shaped by the teachings of Jesus.

Repentance Reflects Your Mindset
Not Your Knowledge

Before we begin, a clarification.

When I mention the word spirit, I’m not talking about a personal being, like the Holy Spirit or a demonic spirit or even the human spirit. I’m talking about attitude, perspective or outlook.

In a word, mindset.

Your personal spirit is the core of your being. Your attitude reveals which way your spirit is leaning. Attitude is the barometer of how well you’re doing spiritually.

Attitude and spirit are, of course, inalterably connected but they aren’t the same. When people cheer loudly and excitedly at sporting events, they are said to have lots of spirit but that expression of spirit is different to the personal spirit from which it derives in the same way thoughts are different to the brain.

I’m focused on your attitude, not your personal spirit. [Read more…] about Religion Breeds Good And Bad Spirits In Adherents

9 Ways Religion Endangers Democracy

by Leave a Comment

When religion overtakes a government, it's still a coup.

You Can’t Legislate
Pure Religion

The word “Religion” is used in conversations frequently and most often refers to organizations like churches that claim to represent God or spiritual issues.

Generally, religion is thought of as a good thing and it can be but we also know it has a bad side. According to the Global Center For Religious Research, as many as a third of all US adults have experienced religious trauma, and that’s just in the US.

Religious trauma is defined by Therapist.com as any religious experience that is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive or damaging.

It’s strange that those words should be associated with religion since the only Bible verse that comes close to defining the nature of religion paints a very different picture.

If any person thinks he is religious and does not bridle (control) his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Pure religion that is undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:26-27)

Many thoughts can be extracted from these two short verses but the most important point is religion done properly is helpful and encouraging. It solves problems and lends assistance.

It also means religion must be monitored at all times to make sure it’s staying on the right path.

The focus of this article is organized Christian religion and how we view it. I’m also focused particularly on the ways in which religion interferes with democracy. It goes without saying that there’s nothing in James or any other book that indicates religion should mimic political action groups. [Read more…] about 9 Ways Religion Endangers Democracy

14 Thoughts On Testing The Spirit

by Leave a Comment

Beliefs compel us to act even when what we believe it wrong.

Insisting That Truth
Must Always Be Honored
Is Fair
Adamantly Claiming You Know All Truth
Is Not

The Bible makes a very curious statement in 1 John 4:1.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.

It’s not just curious. It also sounds a bit weird.

Weirdness aside, though, we shouldn’t pass over it too quickly or casually. We’re told to do the test so we need to figure out what it means and how it’s done.

What The Test Implies

At the very least, the need for a test means we cannot walk around thinking we have everything figured out, that there’s never going to be a time when we have all the answers much less know all the questions.

Knowing Jesus gives us a great deal of confidence (and security) but it doesn’t make us all-knowing. The confidence He gives is great but daily living is still an unmapped journey. Faith is simple but should never be simple minded. We still need to pay attention.

Large ships navigate from one port to another over thousands of miles accurately because they trust their navigational instruments. But trust doesn’t mean they turn instruments on and take a coffee break till they arrive. They constantly monitor the situation 24/7, and make adjustments as needed (and they are always needed), until their destination appears on the horizon.

John is telling us to watch where we are going, to pay attention. God is leading. We are following but following requires an intentional, intelligent awareness of where we are in relation to where we’re going each and every day. [Read more…] about 14 Thoughts On Testing The Spirit

Review: Unclobber – Rethinking Our Misuse Of The Bible On Homosexuality

by Leave a Comment

It's intellectually lazy to reference the Bible and dismiss it at the same time.

Deliberation Or Pugilism
Which Is The Better Way
To Find An Answer

Finally!!

A much needed book focused on what the Bible actually says and how a more informed reading should lead us away from the anti-woke doctrines of prominent Catholic politicians.

No, the book doesn’t focus on Catholics or Catholicism. In fact, I don’t remember the words Catholic or Catholicism mentioned at all in the book.

That bit is an add-on by me but an accurate one since Catholics have dominated the discussion regarding acceptable sexual/moral norms for centuries. It’s also true that several vociferous Catholics presently holding significant positions of power are pushing their doctrines on an unwilling public. A public that largely rejects these ideas.

Consider the fact that Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, both governors of two large influential states, both Catholics and both representing the more intolerable version of the Catholic Church. And both aggressively pushing a Republican Party first and anti-woke agenda more unbendingly, irrationally and demandingly than good sense, or the law, allows.

Their leadership is inquisition-like, only with a little less blood shed, as far as we can tell.

DeSantis’ strident form is easily understood once you learn how committed his family is to Catholicism. With an aunt who’s a nun and an uncle who’s a priest, how can he demonstrate an equal level of commitment other than by damning anything and anyone who oversteps the Church’s boundaries, all from high political office. Abbott can’t claim such pedigree so we can only attribute his asininity to a stubborn nature.

You may know this but the Supreme Court is also loaded with Catholics.

But I digress. Back to the book.

There were several reasons I enjoyed this book and hardily recommend it to others. [Read more…] about Review: Unclobber – Rethinking Our Misuse Of The Bible On Homosexuality