Our second topic for today is abortion, which has very close feelings to the death penalty. Is an abortion truly murder, or is it just a necessary part of life?
Another unanimous answer from the classroom: it is wrong, and it is equivalent to murder. We understand that not having an abortion has worldly consequences, but they are simply the 'just deserts' of your actions. By having an abortion, you suffer spiritual, and possibly mental, consequences. Regardless of what you choose to do, God will forgive you if you repent, but some paths are easier to handle than others.
One of our teachers/'adult chaperones' has actually had an abortion. She told us, in person, that she has felt the consequences of her actions. She has said that she thought about it, and after a while, the full effect of what she had done hit her. As to her character, repentance, salvation, etc., I have met very few people with the same amount of faith and passion for Christ as her. By all means, she should be saved, and it just goes to show that by giving a person time, they will repent and turn further to God, not to say that they were not faithful beforehand.
The bottom line is that abortion is wrong, but it's not going to cost you your salvation, as long as you repent.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Die Hard (Without Repentance)
Today's first topic is the all-debated death penalty. Is it okay to put a person to death, even if he/she is a mass murderer, or the sort?
The unanimous answer, in our class, was no. We found it to be completely wrong to put a criminal to death for his/her actions. The Bible specifically states in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not kill." Our Social Principles book that we've been using for the past few weeks is also strongly against the Death Penalty.
There was, however, one point of debate over the death penalty that split the classroom: child molesters. There were strong feelings within the classroom as to the right of such people to live, but we eventually concluded that they, too, had the right to live.
Our basic idea that led us to the belief that even criminals, and child molesters, have the right to live is that of repentance. We believe that God wants everyone to repent, and that if given the chance, most criminals probably would repent. If you put such a criminal to the death, then they may never have the chance to repent, and they may not be saved because of it. By using the death penalty, you are not only commiting a crime against humanity, you are committing a crime against God.
The unanimous answer, in our class, was no. We found it to be completely wrong to put a criminal to death for his/her actions. The Bible specifically states in Exodus 20:13 "You shall not kill." Our Social Principles book that we've been using for the past few weeks is also strongly against the Death Penalty.
There was, however, one point of debate over the death penalty that split the classroom: child molesters. There were strong feelings within the classroom as to the right of such people to live, but we eventually concluded that they, too, had the right to live.
Our basic idea that led us to the belief that even criminals, and child molesters, have the right to live is that of repentance. We believe that God wants everyone to repent, and that if given the chance, most criminals probably would repent. If you put such a criminal to the death, then they may never have the chance to repent, and they may not be saved because of it. By using the death penalty, you are not only commiting a crime against humanity, you are committing a crime against God.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The World at War
If anything has been present through the history of humankind, it is our nature to create wars between one another. Wars have been fought over land, resources, politics, and even people. Even the Bible records various wars that were fought throughout its existence.
One of the leading motivations that leads to war is that of racism. Germans during WWII, for example, listened to Hitler's preaching that Germans were superior to all other races in existence, and hence that they deserved more. This was one of many factors that contributed to the beginning of WWII. The Bible denies this concept in many different passages, claiming that all humans are equal under God. Leviticus 19:15 : You shall do no injustice in judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. In other words, judge people by their faith, not their livelihood or social status.
As to the basic notion of war itself, the church, or at least the United Methodist Church, opposes the notion highly. I'll highlight some various passages from the book on Social Principles of the United Methodist Church from 2005-2008 to prove how greatly the church opposes war.
"We deplore war and urge the peaceful settlement of all disputes among nations." This is a very simple, but very clear statement highlighting the church's stance.
"Some of us believe that war, and other acts of violence, are never acceptable to Christians. We also acknowledge that many Christians believe that, when peaceful alternatives have failed, the force of arms may regretfully be preferable to unchecked aggression, tyranny and genocide." Basically, these sentences say that the church is divided on the issue of a 'just war.' I am 99% certain that our class could debate this subject for weeks on end without a clear resolution on the issue. As it is, we accept both points of view. Let us be clear, though, that a 'just war' is still a war, and as such should be a last resort purely to restore order and prevent a more massive bloodshed.
"We reject national policies of enforced military service as incompatible with the gospel." Simply, the church opposes the draft. We believe that one should never be forced to fight, as their beliefs may contradict their actions in service. However, later in the passage, a statement tells us that the church also supports those who volunteer. "We also support and extend the Church's ministry to those persons who conscientiously choose to serve in the armed forces or to accept alternative service." Despite what we may personally believe, we will never deny the message to a fellow Christian.
One of the leading motivations that leads to war is that of racism. Germans during WWII, for example, listened to Hitler's preaching that Germans were superior to all other races in existence, and hence that they deserved more. This was one of many factors that contributed to the beginning of WWII. The Bible denies this concept in many different passages, claiming that all humans are equal under God. Leviticus 19:15 : You shall do no injustice in judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. In other words, judge people by their faith, not their livelihood or social status.
As to the basic notion of war itself, the church, or at least the United Methodist Church, opposes the notion highly. I'll highlight some various passages from the book on Social Principles of the United Methodist Church from 2005-2008 to prove how greatly the church opposes war.
"We deplore war and urge the peaceful settlement of all disputes among nations." This is a very simple, but very clear statement highlighting the church's stance.
"Some of us believe that war, and other acts of violence, are never acceptable to Christians. We also acknowledge that many Christians believe that, when peaceful alternatives have failed, the force of arms may regretfully be preferable to unchecked aggression, tyranny and genocide." Basically, these sentences say that the church is divided on the issue of a 'just war.' I am 99% certain that our class could debate this subject for weeks on end without a clear resolution on the issue. As it is, we accept both points of view. Let us be clear, though, that a 'just war' is still a war, and as such should be a last resort purely to restore order and prevent a more massive bloodshed.
"We reject national policies of enforced military service as incompatible with the gospel." Simply, the church opposes the draft. We believe that one should never be forced to fight, as their beliefs may contradict their actions in service. However, later in the passage, a statement tells us that the church also supports those who volunteer. "We also support and extend the Church's ministry to those persons who conscientiously choose to serve in the armed forces or to accept alternative service." Despite what we may personally believe, we will never deny the message to a fellow Christian.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Church Gone Digital
Anyone reading this post would obviously say that the internet has become a major part of culture around the world. The internet is probably the most used source for information, and the data it holds is greater than anything anyone a century ago could have possibly imagined. Due to the turn from newspapers and books to the internet as sources of information, a big question has aroused in the church. Is it a good idea to have church online?
There are a lot of people out there who don't go to church, but they can spend hours online surfing the web. God wants everybody to come to him, and how they come to him is not what matters most. If we want to bring in everyone, then we need to try to reach out to internet surfers and the sorts of people who basically live around their computer. Buisnesses, celebrities, politicians, and even porn have started to use the internet as a propoganda and advertisement base. Why shouldn't church follow suit? Besides, there needs to be some balance given to everything un-biblical that's found on the internet.
I'll admit, there are a lot of points about virtual church that have been critizied. The main criticism of virtual church is that it does not provide the community of people that a real church can. In a sense, this is true because you cannot physically interact with other members of a virtual church. However, as technology improves, we can now use web-cams for speech and visuals of church and church-goers. You can't give a person a handshake, but the basic essence of a good community can still be provided by a virtual church. As with most technology, there's always a man (or woman) behind the curtain!
Nevertheless, there was a great debate in our classroom over the purpose of virtual church. Both of the two major sides agreeded that virtual church should reach out to people online. Past that, however, were some arguements. On the one hand, virtual church should be used to teach people about God on the internet, and to provide those people with the comforts of Christianity in a way that they can reach it. The opposing side to this arguement is that virtual church should be used simply to call people who are not attending a real church into church. This side argued that to get the full effect of Christianity and the Christian community, people had to attend a real, physical church. Both sides have valid points, so I will leave it up to you as to which side you agree with more.
One of the other major points of criticism that we discussed was over the implemention of communion. Obviously, clergy cannot enact communion online. The result is that virtual church-goers must either administer communion themselves or not partake in it at all. This is one point on which the critics are correct, as it will be centuries, if ever, before teleportation technology is developed. However, there is still one small claim that supporters of virtual church can make, although it is a bit radical. This claim is that communion is not necessary, or at least not the form of it that is used in church. The basis for this claim would come from the bible, when Jesus says "do this, as often as you eat/drink it, in rememberance of me." This passage can be used to say that communion is remembering Jesus whenever you eat or drink. In this interpertation, you would simply break the bread and pour the drink to remember Jesus at every meal. Remember, though, that this is just one of many possible interpertations of the scripture and does not reflect the overall belief of this class.
To sum everything up, almost everyone agrees that virtual church is good as a way to reach out to internet surfers. Some people continue to say that virtual church should be used to teach online people about God in a Christian community, but others say that virtual church should only be used to bring internet surfers into a real church and real community. As for our class, all but about one vote for virtual church as a way to reach and teach internet surfers about God and Christianity.
There are a lot of people out there who don't go to church, but they can spend hours online surfing the web. God wants everybody to come to him, and how they come to him is not what matters most. If we want to bring in everyone, then we need to try to reach out to internet surfers and the sorts of people who basically live around their computer. Buisnesses, celebrities, politicians, and even porn have started to use the internet as a propoganda and advertisement base. Why shouldn't church follow suit? Besides, there needs to be some balance given to everything un-biblical that's found on the internet.
I'll admit, there are a lot of points about virtual church that have been critizied. The main criticism of virtual church is that it does not provide the community of people that a real church can. In a sense, this is true because you cannot physically interact with other members of a virtual church. However, as technology improves, we can now use web-cams for speech and visuals of church and church-goers. You can't give a person a handshake, but the basic essence of a good community can still be provided by a virtual church. As with most technology, there's always a man (or woman) behind the curtain!
Nevertheless, there was a great debate in our classroom over the purpose of virtual church. Both of the two major sides agreeded that virtual church should reach out to people online. Past that, however, were some arguements. On the one hand, virtual church should be used to teach people about God on the internet, and to provide those people with the comforts of Christianity in a way that they can reach it. The opposing side to this arguement is that virtual church should be used simply to call people who are not attending a real church into church. This side argued that to get the full effect of Christianity and the Christian community, people had to attend a real, physical church. Both sides have valid points, so I will leave it up to you as to which side you agree with more.
One of the other major points of criticism that we discussed was over the implemention of communion. Obviously, clergy cannot enact communion online. The result is that virtual church-goers must either administer communion themselves or not partake in it at all. This is one point on which the critics are correct, as it will be centuries, if ever, before teleportation technology is developed. However, there is still one small claim that supporters of virtual church can make, although it is a bit radical. This claim is that communion is not necessary, or at least not the form of it that is used in church. The basis for this claim would come from the bible, when Jesus says "do this, as often as you eat/drink it, in rememberance of me." This passage can be used to say that communion is remembering Jesus whenever you eat or drink. In this interpertation, you would simply break the bread and pour the drink to remember Jesus at every meal. Remember, though, that this is just one of many possible interpertations of the scripture and does not reflect the overall belief of this class.
To sum everything up, almost everyone agrees that virtual church is good as a way to reach out to internet surfers. Some people continue to say that virtual church should be used to teach online people about God in a Christian community, but others say that virtual church should only be used to bring internet surfers into a real church and real community. As for our class, all but about one vote for virtual church as a way to reach and teach internet surfers about God and Christianity.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Taken by the World
Today, we continue our interpretation of 1 John by examining 1 John 4.
The first section of 1 John 4 that I would like to bring up is from 1 John 4: 1,5-6: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
The basic meaning of these verses is that Christians should not listen to everyone, but only those who speak the word of God. I find this to be a much bigger problem in everyday society than most people wish to acknowledge, especially within high school and teenagers. People today are easily hooked into the world and all of its material goods. They do not think about God at all when they do worldly things, but simply listen to what society tries to teach us.
I see this all too often within teenage society. I don't know how many of you have actually been to high school within the past decade, but school spirit and honor have deteriorated into almost nothing. It is unbelievable how many students curse, cuss, and speak with foul mouths! It is come to my conclusion that the only way I can manage to avoid these mouths during lunch is if I seclude myself in a far corner of the cafeteria! Cell phones are just another example of how teenagers have been tainted by the world. During school, students still try to check their texts and messages, even though the punishment of this crime is having their phone taken for the entire school year. After school, and even in places such as our own Sunday school class, there are people who I would be lucky to drag them away from a cell phone for five minutes! It is also my conclusion that cell phones have become the number one addiction in America; more so even than tobacco and nicotine! All of these un-Godly things are of the world and the false teachings of society, as portrayed through television and music.
It is our duty as Christians to avoid the temptations and addictions of our worldly society and listen to the teachings that God gives us in the Bible. I'm not trying to steer anybody towards becoming Amish or anything, but we need to realize who is in charge. God is the one in charge of everything, not cell phones and television.
As if this teaching was not enough for one chapter, John continues to talk more about loving your neighbors. 1 John 4: 11-12: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
John may have included this in the same chapter as he talks about false prophets to have us remember that we are supposed to love even the worst of people. Just because people are taken away from God by worldly people and worldly things, that does not mean that we can forsake them. It is our duty, also, as Christians to love everyone equally, regardless of where they are from, what they do, or how they act. If a person is bringing a Christian down in his or her faith, then it may be necessary to turn away, but pure Christians should always try to help those that they can. As John says, our love in God is perfected through our love for each other!
The first section of 1 John 4 that I would like to bring up is from 1 John 4: 1,5-6: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
They are of the world, therefore what they say is of the world, and the world listens to them. We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
The basic meaning of these verses is that Christians should not listen to everyone, but only those who speak the word of God. I find this to be a much bigger problem in everyday society than most people wish to acknowledge, especially within high school and teenagers. People today are easily hooked into the world and all of its material goods. They do not think about God at all when they do worldly things, but simply listen to what society tries to teach us.
I see this all too often within teenage society. I don't know how many of you have actually been to high school within the past decade, but school spirit and honor have deteriorated into almost nothing. It is unbelievable how many students curse, cuss, and speak with foul mouths! It is come to my conclusion that the only way I can manage to avoid these mouths during lunch is if I seclude myself in a far corner of the cafeteria! Cell phones are just another example of how teenagers have been tainted by the world. During school, students still try to check their texts and messages, even though the punishment of this crime is having their phone taken for the entire school year. After school, and even in places such as our own Sunday school class, there are people who I would be lucky to drag them away from a cell phone for five minutes! It is also my conclusion that cell phones have become the number one addiction in America; more so even than tobacco and nicotine! All of these un-Godly things are of the world and the false teachings of society, as portrayed through television and music.
It is our duty as Christians to avoid the temptations and addictions of our worldly society and listen to the teachings that God gives us in the Bible. I'm not trying to steer anybody towards becoming Amish or anything, but we need to realize who is in charge. God is the one in charge of everything, not cell phones and television.
As if this teaching was not enough for one chapter, John continues to talk more about loving your neighbors. 1 John 4: 11-12: Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
John may have included this in the same chapter as he talks about false prophets to have us remember that we are supposed to love even the worst of people. Just because people are taken away from God by worldly people and worldly things, that does not mean that we can forsake them. It is our duty, also, as Christians to love everyone equally, regardless of where they are from, what they do, or how they act. If a person is bringing a Christian down in his or her faith, then it may be necessary to turn away, but pure Christians should always try to help those that they can. As John says, our love in God is perfected through our love for each other!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sinless
We're back, and once again, we're continuing on living your faith and righteousness. Our scripture base is from 1 John 3, and we'll highlight different passages along the way.
Class today has been like a giant link of topics, all related, but different. Our first link in the chain was from 1 John 3: 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. The basic meaning of this verse is that followers of God are pure, and are not sinners. This interpertation of the verse created discussion in our classroom.
As most people would agree, including Christians, it is impossible for one to live without commiting sin. Hence, this passage from 1 John seems contradictory to what most Christians believe. However, this passage simply defines sin differently than what we take it to be. Throughout 1 John 3, John makes it clear that there are, by his definition, two types of people: righteous and of God, and evil under Satan. At first glance, this is difficult to comprehend, as most Christians today believe that people make bad choices, but they are still good people.
The difference between John's definition and modern belief is how John's definition is interperted. If you look at sin, by John's definition, as wrong-doings that you do not repent of, then both his definition and modern belief can match. John writes to say that one can tell the difference between good and bad people not by how many times they do wrong, or what they do wrong, but why we do wrong, and how we feel afterwards. Repentance comes when one seeks forgiveness purely, and fully regrets commiting evil. That is what makes people children of God, and not true sinners. People who do not repent, or go out and repeat their actions with no second regrets, are the kind of people that John labels as 'children of the devil'. 1 John 3: 10: By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.
Our discussion in class, the rest of the chain I was talking about above, was about the discussion. We began to talk about what Christians still debate about, such as what is truly a sin and means of salvation, as defined by different denominations and people. It is not a simple thing to interpert scripture since it can be interperted in so many different ways. For this reason, Christianity can be difficult to understand. However, as I see it, it is best to hear all of the different thoughts and discussions surrounding scripture, such as 1 John, because it is through both our knowledge of scripture and of the different interpertations of it that we become wiser in our faith.
Class today has been like a giant link of topics, all related, but different. Our first link in the chain was from 1 John 3: 6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. The basic meaning of this verse is that followers of God are pure, and are not sinners. This interpertation of the verse created discussion in our classroom.
As most people would agree, including Christians, it is impossible for one to live without commiting sin. Hence, this passage from 1 John seems contradictory to what most Christians believe. However, this passage simply defines sin differently than what we take it to be. Throughout 1 John 3, John makes it clear that there are, by his definition, two types of people: righteous and of God, and evil under Satan. At first glance, this is difficult to comprehend, as most Christians today believe that people make bad choices, but they are still good people.
The difference between John's definition and modern belief is how John's definition is interperted. If you look at sin, by John's definition, as wrong-doings that you do not repent of, then both his definition and modern belief can match. John writes to say that one can tell the difference between good and bad people not by how many times they do wrong, or what they do wrong, but why we do wrong, and how we feel afterwards. Repentance comes when one seeks forgiveness purely, and fully regrets commiting evil. That is what makes people children of God, and not true sinners. People who do not repent, or go out and repeat their actions with no second regrets, are the kind of people that John labels as 'children of the devil'. 1 John 3: 10: By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother.
Our discussion in class, the rest of the chain I was talking about above, was about the discussion. We began to talk about what Christians still debate about, such as what is truly a sin and means of salvation, as defined by different denominations and people. It is not a simple thing to interpert scripture since it can be interperted in so many different ways. For this reason, Christianity can be difficult to understand. However, as I see it, it is best to hear all of the different thoughts and discussions surrounding scripture, such as 1 John, because it is through both our knowledge of scripture and of the different interpertations of it that we become wiser in our faith.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Showing the Word
Today, our main topic of discussion is related to our last discussion, in which we talked about how we should be good neighbors and live according to what God has commanded. Our main scripture basis for today is from 1 John 1-2.
In 1 John, specifically chapter 2, John writes about how Christians are hypocrites if they simply say that they 'know God', but neglect to follow out his word through their actions. (1 John 2: 6: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.)
John's writing and message has not changed over the centuries. Christians are still in much the same situation, where many simply attend church and live by God on Sundays only. If we as the body of Christ are to help the world and preach the word to it, then we must act according to what we preach. 'Practice what you preach' would be a very good phrase to use here. How can we possibly convince the world to change if we cannot even change ourselves?
Somehow, here in our main classroom, we drifted into a conversation about Satanism and cults. I think this is a good conversation to talk about because these are the sorts of people that need to hear the word more than anyone. If practising what you preach is the job of all Christians, then preaching the word to those who need it the most is our top priority. Those who have been sucked into the world of Satanism and the occult, are those that we must try to reach at all costs. Every soul is precious and belongs to God, so everyone must know God's word, even if it takes time to reach through to them on his message.
Listening and spreading the word of the Lord, sincerely and with conviction, is not too much to ask of us in the face of all that has been done FOR us. We were put on this earth to spread the love and teachings of the Father, and to practice them and pass them down to our descendants. Faith in God and his lessons IS living, so go forth and LIVE.
In 1 John, specifically chapter 2, John writes about how Christians are hypocrites if they simply say that they 'know God', but neglect to follow out his word through their actions. (1 John 2: 6: he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.)
John's writing and message has not changed over the centuries. Christians are still in much the same situation, where many simply attend church and live by God on Sundays only. If we as the body of Christ are to help the world and preach the word to it, then we must act according to what we preach. 'Practice what you preach' would be a very good phrase to use here. How can we possibly convince the world to change if we cannot even change ourselves?
Somehow, here in our main classroom, we drifted into a conversation about Satanism and cults. I think this is a good conversation to talk about because these are the sorts of people that need to hear the word more than anyone. If practising what you preach is the job of all Christians, then preaching the word to those who need it the most is our top priority. Those who have been sucked into the world of Satanism and the occult, are those that we must try to reach at all costs. Every soul is precious and belongs to God, so everyone must know God's word, even if it takes time to reach through to them on his message.
Listening and spreading the word of the Lord, sincerely and with conviction, is not too much to ask of us in the face of all that has been done FOR us. We were put on this earth to spread the love and teachings of the Father, and to practice them and pass them down to our descendants. Faith in God and his lessons IS living, so go forth and LIVE.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Love Your [Enemy] as Yourself
Today, we'll be moving away from the issue of hunger and turn more towards the social problems that haunt us. We'll be studying grudges and holding evil against another for the next few weeks.
Our main message comes from Matthew 5: 21-24, directly from Jesus: "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
This passage is harsh, and takes some serious faith to follow. One could easily interpert the passage as saying 'don't go to God until you have let go of your grudges.' To be able to do that seems nearly impossible, but there really is no excuse for creating evil. When you speak wrongly of another, even if it may seem right by modern social standards, you are creating evil and blackening your heart. EVERYONE is a son or daughter of God! God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are always going to be in your heart, and everyone else's.
Now, let's go back to the passage. You may overlook it at first, but the fact is, Jesus was addressing this entire passage to people who called themselves faithful. As a faithful follower of God, you are bound to try beyond humanly means to better this world. You are bound to love everyone, and everything, because everyone is a child of God. If you truly are a faithful follower of God, then you have opened your heart to him and let him flow over you. Once you have found God, it is your duty to teach the word to others and give them the chance to know God. God is ALWAYS in EVERYONE'S heart, but most people do not realize this. It is up to the faithful to bring out this awareness.
The best, and easiest, way to spread the word of God is to love EVERYONE. Showing evil by holding grudges and screaming foul language to another, as given by the passage, is evil in itself, and shows that you are not faithful to God. Jesus gives this passage to make sure that EVERYONE loves EVERYONE. Only by showing love and compassion, even to our enemies, do we truly show God's love.
Our main message comes from Matthew 5: 21-24, directly from Jesus: "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
This passage is harsh, and takes some serious faith to follow. One could easily interpert the passage as saying 'don't go to God until you have let go of your grudges.' To be able to do that seems nearly impossible, but there really is no excuse for creating evil. When you speak wrongly of another, even if it may seem right by modern social standards, you are creating evil and blackening your heart. EVERYONE is a son or daughter of God! God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are always going to be in your heart, and everyone else's.
Now, let's go back to the passage. You may overlook it at first, but the fact is, Jesus was addressing this entire passage to people who called themselves faithful. As a faithful follower of God, you are bound to try beyond humanly means to better this world. You are bound to love everyone, and everything, because everyone is a child of God. If you truly are a faithful follower of God, then you have opened your heart to him and let him flow over you. Once you have found God, it is your duty to teach the word to others and give them the chance to know God. God is ALWAYS in EVERYONE'S heart, but most people do not realize this. It is up to the faithful to bring out this awareness.
The best, and easiest, way to spread the word of God is to love EVERYONE. Showing evil by holding grudges and screaming foul language to another, as given by the passage, is evil in itself, and shows that you are not faithful to God. Jesus gives this passage to make sure that EVERYONE loves EVERYONE. Only by showing love and compassion, even to our enemies, do we truly show God's love.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
How We Could Change Life as it is:
Our church is located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. This does NOT mean that we are a tourist center (we lose more people than we get), but rather, we live in a very agriculturally based center. All sorts of food are grown on the shore, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and corn, to name a few.
A classmate of ours shared a story today that perfectly sets the scene for agricultural life here. She told us that the other day, she was looking out at a recently harvested tomato field and saw a huge cloud of smoke rising from it. She could tell that there were still perfectly ripe tomatoes left on the stakes, but never the less, they had put everything in the field on fire. This is a very common story on the shore. Each year, the harvesters pick the green tomatoes (they gas them red and then ship them easier than a truly ripe tomato) and then burn whatever's left to keep the market in check.
This goes to show that there are plenty of things that could be done very easily to help the hungry. It wouldn't cost anyone any money (well, maybe a little bit for paper) to petition to keep the fields from burning. It would actually save the plantation owner money becuase no money would be spent burning the fields. Some people might respond by saying that if extra tomatoes are left out for free, it will hurt the market. The way I see it, if you're willing to run out into a field and scavenger for a few tomatoes, then you probably deserve them or desperately need them. That, or you're just a crazy person.
A classmate of ours shared a story today that perfectly sets the scene for agricultural life here. She told us that the other day, she was looking out at a recently harvested tomato field and saw a huge cloud of smoke rising from it. She could tell that there were still perfectly ripe tomatoes left on the stakes, but never the less, they had put everything in the field on fire. This is a very common story on the shore. Each year, the harvesters pick the green tomatoes (they gas them red and then ship them easier than a truly ripe tomato) and then burn whatever's left to keep the market in check.
This goes to show that there are plenty of things that could be done very easily to help the hungry. It wouldn't cost anyone any money (well, maybe a little bit for paper) to petition to keep the fields from burning. It would actually save the plantation owner money becuase no money would be spent burning the fields. Some people might respond by saying that if extra tomatoes are left out for free, it will hurt the market. The way I see it, if you're willing to run out into a field and scavenger for a few tomatoes, then you probably deserve them or desperately need them. That, or you're just a crazy person.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
All the Hungry Children
We're back, and we're continuing our discussion about hunger. Today, we'll go more in-depth about the two scriptures we higlighted in our last post.
The first verse is pretty self-explanitory when you first look at it. Leviticus states that we should not harvest everything, but leave some extra food for the people who cannot afford it normally. This would actually be a very smart idea to try for a number of reasons. Firstly, most people today see people asking for money for food on the streets and refuse because they are unsure of what the beggars will actually buy, frankly, with good reason. However, if we leave food for them straight from the source, money is not an issue, and those who need food will get more of it. Also, it is well known that Americans are very, VERY, wasteful. Would it be of dire consequence for us to let go of a few crops for the needy? As for money, if we provide food directly from the source for the needy, then there would be less of a need to spend money on organizations giving out food. In the end, it would just be much simpler and easier to solve the problem of hunger from the place where the food is actually grown.
The verse from Deuteronomy deals with the question of "why." Why should we even care for those people on the streets, begging for OUR money and food? What could they ever do to repay us? In truth, these questions are the reasons people do not take part in activities to help the needy. Humans are selfish, and we care not for others, but only ourselves and our own pleasure. We over-indulge and waste without care, and if they think about caring, they eventually come to those questions of why and turn back to their old ways because they cannot find an answer. To us, the answer to these questions of why cannot be understood unless you know God. Why should we care for the needy? God does, but he cannot work except through us. We cannot show our love of God unless we show love to others. The verse from Deuteronomy states that we should love foreigners and the needy because we were once the same. The verse is not literal in the fact that we once lived in a different country, but rather that we were once foreign to God's love. We once did not know of his love, but he brought us in, and now it is our job to do the same. When we feed the hungry, we show God's love and bring more people to him. The more people that do God's work, the better the world can become. All good comes through God. All those people who just walk by the needy and ignore the hungry will not see their lives prosper. The only way that their lives can become better is if they show good and further the work that God does. Why should we help the needy? We should help them because they help us.
The first verse is pretty self-explanitory when you first look at it. Leviticus states that we should not harvest everything, but leave some extra food for the people who cannot afford it normally. This would actually be a very smart idea to try for a number of reasons. Firstly, most people today see people asking for money for food on the streets and refuse because they are unsure of what the beggars will actually buy, frankly, with good reason. However, if we leave food for them straight from the source, money is not an issue, and those who need food will get more of it. Also, it is well known that Americans are very, VERY, wasteful. Would it be of dire consequence for us to let go of a few crops for the needy? As for money, if we provide food directly from the source for the needy, then there would be less of a need to spend money on organizations giving out food. In the end, it would just be much simpler and easier to solve the problem of hunger from the place where the food is actually grown.
The verse from Deuteronomy deals with the question of "why." Why should we even care for those people on the streets, begging for OUR money and food? What could they ever do to repay us? In truth, these questions are the reasons people do not take part in activities to help the needy. Humans are selfish, and we care not for others, but only ourselves and our own pleasure. We over-indulge and waste without care, and if they think about caring, they eventually come to those questions of why and turn back to their old ways because they cannot find an answer. To us, the answer to these questions of why cannot be understood unless you know God. Why should we care for the needy? God does, but he cannot work except through us. We cannot show our love of God unless we show love to others. The verse from Deuteronomy states that we should love foreigners and the needy because we were once the same. The verse is not literal in the fact that we once lived in a different country, but rather that we were once foreign to God's love. We once did not know of his love, but he brought us in, and now it is our job to do the same. When we feed the hungry, we show God's love and bring more people to him. The more people that do God's work, the better the world can become. All good comes through God. All those people who just walk by the needy and ignore the hungry will not see their lives prosper. The only way that their lives can become better is if they show good and further the work that God does. Why should we help the needy? We should help them because they help us.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Hellooooooo World!
We are the Franktown Senior High Youth sunday school class! Our mission is to openly discuss world and social issues from a Biblical and teenage standpoint.
Our first topic of discussion will be hunger. It is a FACT that every 3.6 seconds, a person dies of hunger. It is a FACT that 75% of those people are children.
The Bible has many parables and verses that relate to hunger.
In Leviticus 23:22, it says that "when you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God."
In Deuteronomy 10:18-19, it further states that "he ensures that orphans and widows recieve justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt."
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