GOOD OR BAD, RIGHT OR WRONG?

How do you judge? What standard do you use to determine good or bad, right or wrong? Let me propose four different standards that are used to judge conduct.*
First of all is the standard of our religious beliefs. People are raised with more or less religious standards from which they judge their conduct and the conduct of others. Today less religious standards prevail. In our present context religion is more habit and tradition with little impact on daily life. The casting off of moral absolutes has caused religion to become a follower of cultural morality and not a standard and leader and judge of morality.
Second is the standard of ethics or a personal moral code. Our ethics and morals, which should come from our religious beliefs, today are dictated to us by our culture which is driven by a powerful liberal, secular, ungodly media. Most of us adopt what our culture accepts as normal and acceptable and much too often the religious establishment supports their cultural ethic. Homosexuality and same sex "marriage" is a clear example of a sinful culture imposing its ethics and moral code upon the majority. Hollywood is a leader in this establishment of a cultural ethic.
Third is the standard of law. What the law calls legal becomes what is acceptable as good and right conduct. Cultural ethic and morality eventually changes the law of the land which legitimizes conduct for the general public. The acceptance of abortion and now doctor assisted death are two examples of culture influencing the courts to legitimize what is wrong and evil to make it generally acceptable.
So we can see that the failure of religious beliefs to influence culture leads to legality of what is wrong and evil, and its acceptance as good and right.

As Christians we have a standard that is above religion, cultural ethics and legal pronouncements. We have the Word of God, the Bible, the Holy Spirit within us Who applies the Word of God. We also have a new nature which seeks to proclaim and live out the will of God, showing forth His holy and loving character. This living relationship with God transcends institutional religion, cultural ethics and the legalizing of immorality. What the Bible and the Holy Spirit should produce in us as believers is a worldview that enables us to properly assess religion, culture and law with a clear understanding of what is good and right and acceptable to God and then to act accordingly in this world.
Unfortunately I find in my own experience that as believers we have not developed this worldview and are too easily conformed to this world rather than being transformed by the renewing of our minds which leads to righteous and godly behavior. We say yes to many things we should be saying no to because we are not thinking in biblical terms. We have not brought enough biblical thinking into everyday life choices.
What a privilege is ours to belong to our loving Father and to Jesus our Lord in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Let is honor our God in all that we are and do.
* The idea for this blog came from some comments by G. A. Williamson in his book The World of Josephus p 66.

WHO IS OMAR MATEEN?

A minority group of radical Islamic terrorists is causing the Muslim majority to take a closer look at their beliefs and actions. ISIS and other such groups are causing Muslims to become radicalized in their ideologies and actions, or causing them to vehemently defend a more secular embracing peaceful Islam (which I do not believe is true Islam), or to seek out other belief systems that will bring them true peace. In this last camp are those who are finding Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and their Savior from sin, a belief for which they are ready to give up their lives. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt has spoken out a number of times about the detrimental effects of radical Islamic terrorists on the rest of the Muslim world (see article).
This brings to mind Omar Mateen, the man responsible for the deaths of 49 men and women in Orlando on the weekend. Was Mateen a radical Islamic terrorist? I would have to answer yes and no. From what I have read so far I see Mateen as a confused angry man who decided to commit suicide with the guarantee of entrance into paradise if he took unbelievers to death with him.
I see Omar Mateen as a young man who was oppressed by his strict and radical religious upbringing which produced in him a great deal of anger and rebellion. Being raised in the permissive society of America, Mateen experimented with the pleasures of this world and perhaps even homosexual tendencies which added guilt to his conflicted mind and increased his anger and self-hatred. Coming from a religious system which could provide no power to live according to its demands (and this goes for all religious systems with strict demands and little mercy and forgiveness) Mateen's self-hatred from his own hypocrisy and moral failures, and anger reached the point of self-destruction. Unfortunately Mateen saw in his religious upbringing a solution to his anger and self-hatred, jihad which provided an immediate and guaranteed entrance into paradise. So Mateen pledged his affiliation to ISIS and bought his ticket to paradise. So yes Mateen found a way out of his anger and self-hatred by declaring himself to be a radical Islamic terrorist but his actions were more a result of his strict religious upbringing and his conflict of trying to live in two cultures both of which provided no peace and lasting joy, and a religious system that was powerless to provide any remedy for his sin. Death by jihad was the only way out.
We have seen the same kind of mass shootings by men who have been raised in strict, oppressive religious Christian homes where anger and rebellion have been the result and the outcome taken out on the lives of others and their own suicide. I am not defending the actions of Omar Mateen but only seeking a fuller understanding of his actions. It is too easy to label Mateen as a Islamic terrorist. Much more influenced this man's mind. He was the result of home life, a dual culture, and his radical religious upbringing which produced anger, self-hatred, and ultimately the desire to destroy himself and other.

A true Christian home filled with a genuine love of God, and a loving Christian community provide what is truly needed to nurture a child into a loving and godly man and for that I thank God for His Word, His love, His people, and His church. I look to the day when love and justice prevail forever. Until then we will live in a confusing, chaotic, angry, sin seeking world which has no lasting eternal hope apart from the change that a relationship with Jesus Christ brings.

PS: A good message from Albert Mohler (click here)

HOME

I made it home last night about 2:00 am. Thank you Eric for picking me up in Burlington. The flight home was excellent and I was able to get some good sleep. At the airport the baggage took a long time getting to the baggage area and I was feeling the time pressure, wanting to take the UP train to Union Station and then the GO train to Burlington to meet Eric. At last my suitcase came down the chute. Then I got pulled aside in customs for a baggage check which further delayed me. Finally I was able to take the UP express to Union Station and then GO train to meet Eric for the ride home to my own bed. I slept until 11:30 this morning and feel refreshed and ready for the next task ahead.

All students with teachers in front row. Helene in front row is sitting with husband and team leader Weymann. They went to Vietnam to visit missionaries before heading home.

I thank God for this wonderful opportunity to teach and I thank God for all of those who supported the trip with finances and prayer and encouraging words along the way. I love you more because of your love for me. The students left for home by bus and motorbike, and rickshaw, encouraged and more equipped for the task of preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ from the authoritative Word of God. We will meet again for worship before the throne of our Holy and Loving God.

DAY FIVE

Our Hermeneutics classes ended at noon today and then after lunch we had a closing ceremony for the 50+ students. Each student received “Taking God at His Word” by Kevin DeYoung. After the closing ceremony our host Pastor and his son drove the team with luggage, in two vehicles, to the local airport, a trip of almost 2 hours so that we could all fly to Manila for our overnight stay. Because of plane delays we did not arrive to our hotel until about 11:30. Departure will come very early on Saturday morning for our return trips to North America. Some had to leave at 3:30 this morning and others at 4:30. I will take a shuttle to the airport at 9:00. We will all be glad to be heading home.

One of the things which impressed me, not being from Toronto, was the traffic and the number of people out and on the street in Manila on Friday night as we drove from the airport to our hotel. Most of those people do not know Jesus as their Savior.

My head is very stuffed up this morning and I also had to take some Imodium so pray for my trip home which will extend over 21 hours with layovers. On the way to the airport I got stuck in the front seat with A/C blasting on my completely sweat soaked shirt for the whole trip. I wonder why my little cold is now blown into this stuffed head?

I read Psalm 108.4 this morning, "For your steadfast love is great above the heavens, your faithfulness reaches to the clouds".

Pastor Jovert imitating me as teacher "Remember context, context, context".

 This was a tiring and exhausting week for all of us but refreshing and renewing as we saw our students grow in their practice of Bible interpretation and applying that knowledge to sermon preparation. We all agree it was worth the long trips here and back home and the long exhausting days, and we would all be willing to come back again. Goodbye for now Philippines. May God pour out His Spirit upon you.

DAY FOUR

A great day of teaching and learning. The students are very attentive even to the end of the day and are excited about what they are learning. We as teachers are exhausted physically but energized because of what is happening to our students.
Tomorrow (Friday here) is a half day of teaching, lunch and a closing celebration for the students and we will give each of them a book "Taking God at His Word" by Kevin DeYoung. Then in the afternoon we drive 1 1/2 hours to Davao and then fly to Manila and check into our hotel.
My throat is steadily getting back to normal but I think I am getting a small cold.
Thank you again for your participation in this ministry to these Pastors.
Here are more pictures:

Sanctuary

Left side of where Pastors stay when training

Right side of where Pastors stay when training

Snack and Lunch area. Overhang is connected to Pastor's house

DAY THREE

After going to bed with a very sore throat and thinking I was going to be a real mess this morning, my throat was less sore than I expected and steadily improved through the day so that it is almost normal now. I praise God for that.
I had an easy day, teaching only 1 hour, as my co-teaching student did a lesson this morning and part of the afternoon. I needed to rest for my throat and to recover some energy so today was a blessing. Tomorrow will be a busier day.
The students are really catching on to what we are teaching them. On Monday this looked like an impossible task but we are excited about what has been accomplished so far.
Of my 13 students not one has a Bible Dictionary and only one has a Concordance. These two tools along with a good Study Bible would do wonders for this group. There are 54 Pastors here this week and I would venture to say a survey of those not in my class would show very few with a Bible Dictionary and Concordance. I hope to try and remedy this over the next 3 months. Please pray about this with me. They would not have to be in their language, English would be fine.
Here are more pictures.

My classroom is on the left

Teaching

Teaching

DAY TWO

Thank you for praying. The devotional message went well as did the teaching. I felt at times very much under the energy and creativity of the Holy Spirit as I taught. Now I am exhausted, having been up since 2:30 this morning. I am going to bed soon but want to send out this short blog before I retire.
One of the lady students here is pregnant, due in August, but chose to take the 14 hour bus ride to get here this week. One of the fellows in my class is a former Muslim, converted ten years ago, who killed 3 Christians while a Muslim. I have a sore throat and I am hoping to wake up without it tomorrow morning. Here are a few pictures from today.

Preaching this morning at open session

Notice the prosperity gospel influence on poster behind me

Teaching in classroom