three fold morality

Katy Perry, an American pop singer, has a new hit song.
Lyric except:

I kissed a girl and I liked it
I kissed a girl just to try it
It felt so wrong, it felt so right
I kissed a girl and I liked it

Katy explains and wrestles with:
Her intentions
- I got so brave
- never the way I planned
- not what I’m used to
Her curiosity
- caught my attention
- my experimental game
- want to try you
Her desires
- hard to resist
- so kissable
- I liked it
Her conscience
- felt so wrong
- felt so right
- head gets so confused
Her culture
- hope my boyfriend don’t mind it
- don’t mean I’m in love

Katy concludes:
- no big deal
- it’s innocent

Katy banks on:
1 – Desires being right
2 – Conscience being wrong
3 – Culture being accepting

My question is:
How can this three fold test bring any real confidence in deciding morality?

jesus’ disciple

In today’s culture, living as a disciple of Jesus can imply a different meaning than living as Jesus’ disciple. It could be nitpicking over words but I think this distinction is crucial.

Both disciples believe:
- God became a man
- He lived the life we should have lived
- He died the death we should have died

The variation is in the implied response of the disciple:

A disciple of Jesus:
- emphasises me following Jesus. This can lead to:
- I am saved by grace, and live by works.
i.e. Jesus saved me and has given me commands to follow in order to be pleasing to God.

Jesus’ disciple:
- emphasises Jesus owning me. This means that:
- I am saved by grace, and live by grace.
i.e. Jesus saved me and continues to save me as I strive to follow in His obedience.

Paul writes in Colossians:
Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him

To paraphrase:
Follow Jesus in the same way that you believed in Jesus

Living as a disciple of Jesus or living as Jesus’ disciple can mean the same thing, although the latter more clearly shines the beauty of the gospel.

healing revivals

A recent healing outpouring has reignited the age old battle between the false revival crowd and the don’t judge crowd. The for and against arguments recirculate the news, blogs and conversations from previous movements. I believe two points receive less attention than they deserve: importance and purpose.

In seeking to Biblically approach this subject one must ask:

How important is healing in the Bible?

Looking through the scriptures we see:
- God is able to heal
- God is willing to heal
- God calls us to pray for healing
- God can use us to heal

Interestingly though, the Bible hardly touches on:
- How to pray for healing
- How to heal
- How healing works

The Bible seems to be preoccupied with:
- Jesus
- Sin
- Grace
- Faith
- Redemption

This begs the next question:

What is the purpose of healing in the Bible?

If healing is one of many topics in the scriptures, then it’s purpose must point to something outside itself.
Therefore healing isn’t the purpose of healing.

Healing isn’t the instrument – the Spirit is
Healing isn’t the message – the Son is
Healing isn’t the goal – the Father is

Healing can be used by the Spirit
Healing can accompany a message about the Son
Healing can point us to the goal of the Father

The purpose of everything is the glory of God

Healing is but a means to an end

define sin

Below are a few definitions of sin I could think of:

Christian
- Breaking God’s rules
- Falling short of God’s holiness
- To not love the Lord with all your heart, soul, strength, mind
- Being your own God
- Basing your identity on anything but God
- Turning a good thing into an ultimate thing

Secular
- Committing a crime
- Oppressing another person
- Anything that leaves a guilty conscience
- Upsetting the common good

Are there more?
Does any one define them all?

new blog

Welcome!
This is a new blog set-up as a dumping ground for my unsorted thoughts on God.

My life at the moment is consumed by these questions:
- How can I be used to reach the lost more effectively?
- What is Jesus’ desire for His Church?
- How do I unintentionally compromise the gospel?

Thanks for visiting! You can subscribe here

Joel

P.S. I have another blog that records some evangelistic opportunities during my travels.