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Andy Rau
August 6, 2012

Violence, the Bible, and the Sikh Temple

A man reacts Sunday outside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Wis. Photo © Associated Press.

A reflection by pastor and author Mel Lawrenz.

A chill went up my spine when I got home from church on Sunday and heard about the shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, just a few miles from where I live. I was stunned because the shooting was taking place just as I was preaching at Elmbrook Church on Psalm 46:9: “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.” I had said: imagine if today the suicide bomber’s detonation device shorted out, all tanks and artillery stopped working, all AK-47’s in the world (75 million of them!) were suddenly jammed. All M-16’s and M-4’s turned to dust. In the light of future judgment when God brings all violence to an end, how can we not commit ourselves to being peacemakers in whatever ways we can?

What does the Bible has to say about violence? Much, of course.

But today I find myself going back to a foundational truth in Genesis 9:6: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.”

This is basic, essential, core. We instinctually know violent murder is wrong, but besides our instincts, there is a real reason: if we violate the image of God we are violating God. Human identity comes from being made in the image of God. Human dignity is an unalterable truth because we are made in the image of God. Reverence for God compels us to respect our fellow human beings. Reverence and respect. Those two principles keep us on track in life.

And respect for people because they are made in the image of God not only makes murder wrong, but hatred of every kind. That’s why Jesus said “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:21).

As prayers are said around the world in response to the shooting, may God compel us to have reverence for God and respect for those made in his image.

Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He writes the Everything New devotional for BibleGateway. These days Mel is helping people have a deeper spiritual influence in our world. Check out The Influence Project.

Andy Rau
August 3, 2012

Four Things Christians Can Do During Ramadan

We’re partway through the Islamic season of Ramadan, an annual period of fasting and reflection for Muslims. Around the world, millions of Muslims are fasting, praying, reading the Qur’an, and striving for purity in thought and deed. The post below was published last year during Ramadan, and contains some useful ideas for Christians to consider during Ramadan—so we’re re-posting it today.

The Dome of the Rock, an important Islamic monument. © David Baum

As Ramadan is a specifically Muslim tradition, Christians do not observe it. (The most superficially similar Christian observance is the season of Lent, with its six-week emphasis on sacrifice and prayer; but whereas Lent is an optional practice not mandated by Scripture, Ramadan is a required observance for most Muslims.)

While Christians don’t observe Ramadan, it’s nevertheless helpful to be aware of it. Here are a few things you can do during Ramadan to grow closer to God and show Christ-like grace to our Muslim neighbors:

1. Read up on fasting. While fasting is not a religious obligation for Christians, the Bible includes many examples of people choosing to fast for specific reasons—Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and nights during his wilderness temptation. Bible Gateway’s topical index lists instances of fasting in the Bible, with links to the relevant Scripture passages.

2. Pray for Muslims. Muslims around the world are spending this month in prayer. Why not take the opportunity to pray for them? You can pray that the gospel of Jesus Christ will take root in the Muslim world. And given the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East, there are plenty of specific prayer needs for Muslims living there. Political and religious violence in the Middle East continue to cause great suffering for Muslims and non-Muslims alike; prayer for refugees and for those living amidst ongoing war and violence are greatly needed.

3. Learn more about Islam. How well do you understand what Muslims actually believe? Many misconceptions about Islam have circulated since September 2001. It’s hard to meaningfully relate to somebody—let alone share the Gospel with them—if you don’t understand what motivates them. The internet can be helpful in explaining the basics of Islam (and apologist Lee Strobel thoroughly examined some of the differences between Islam and Christianity in an essay last year), but your best bet might be to ask your pastor to recommend some good reading material on Islam. Or to ask a Muslim directly, which would require you to…

4. Meet the Muslims in your community. Do you know where the nearest mosque in your town is located? Have you ever interacted with members of the local Muslim community? Are you a “good neighbor” to them? How might your own church demonstrate Christ-like love to the Muslims in your community?

Ramadan is an excellent opportunity both to learn more about Islam and to show, through our prayers, words, and actions, that we love our Muslim neighbors and want them to know the peace of Jesus Christ.

If you’re doing something during Ramadan to show love to Muslims, share it with the Bible Gateway community on Facebook!

Andy Rau
August 1, 2012

The 40 Day Journey is Starting Again!

Earlier this summer, we launched a new and intriguing email devotional: the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, drawn from the writing of the famous pastor and martyr. Throughout and after its 40-day run, we heard from many Bible Gateway visitors who loved it. Many of you have asked if there was a way to read entries that they’d missed.

If you weren’t signed up for the Bonhoeffer devotional, or if you missed part of it, we have good news: due to popular demand, we’re running the 40 Day Journey devotional again, starting this Friday, August 3!

You can sign up to receive this devotional at our newsletter sign-up page. (If you subscribed to the devotional during its original run, you’ll soon receive an email explaining the option to receive or not receive the devotional a second time.)

You can read more about this unique devotional in our original announcement. We’re glad to re-start the devotional for those of you who missed out on part of it the first time, and we think that even those of you who participated in the entire 40 day journey will find that it holds up well to a second reading.

Andy Rau
July 31, 2012

Why Don’t We Read the Bible?

This is the second entry in a series of posts by Brian Hardin, author and founder of Daily Audio Bible. In his previous essay, Why Read the Bible Every Day?, Brian shared his own testimony about the power of regular Bible reading. In this new essay, he looks at some of the common reasons that we use to avoid reading the Bible. This essay is drawn from Brian’s book Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything for You.

I believe the Bible is the very Word of God, and that what we need for the life we were created to live is contained within its chambers. This Word is a lamp to our feet, and in the dark it will light our path (Psalm 119:105). In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a story: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). This is the reality of the Bible. It offers us a complete change of paradigm that leads to authentic freedom.

Surveys have shown that most people believe the Bible is the truth and that it holds the answer to the basic questions of life, and yet few of us spend any extended time in Bible study. Even though we claim to need it, we seem to avoid it. Where is the disconnect? Why don’t we read the Bible if we believe it is God’s Word and contains the answers to life’s questions?

There are the obvious distractions. There is no shortage of excuses. But how could something so important seem to mean so little? The ironies compound themselves because we want to have a better relationship with God, we believe the Bible is the truth, and we believe it contains answers for our lives, yet reading the Bible is the one thing we continue to ignore.

There’s a sobering reality lurking just beneath the surface, one we probably wouldn’t say out loud: maybe we don’t really believe reading the Bible will work for us. Maybe it will work for really spiritual people like pastors and missionaries, but not for us. The problem is that this line of thinking makes confetti of the faith we thought we had.

But maybe it’s time. Maybe unraveling the layers of life and what we thought we believed will lead us to what we’ve been searching for all along: the truth, a foundation, a holy context for life.

It’s time to abandon the limitations we’ve placed on the Bible. The Bible is written as a story, a story that has not yet reached its conclusion. The story has wound its way through battlefields and wedding nights, through birthing chambers and funeral parlors, from transcendent pleasure to utter hopelessness. The story has come through voices around Bedouin campfires to stone tablets, from the skins of animals to the printing press. It has passed through ages long forgotten to ages dark and forgettable. Its echoes bound from enlightenments to reformations. This is the unstoppable story of God and his profound love for humanity.

You are a part of this story. Your ancestors and heroes are contained within these pages. This is your story. To become intimate with the Bible is to finally find yourself. To understand that the stage is set and you have a role to play in God’s story is finally to come home. Once you do, you will begin to see with the eyes of your heart, the way you were meant to.

Watch for the next post in this series next week! In the meantime, you can read more of Brian’s writing in Passages, or follow his work at Daily Audio Bible. You can keep up with him each day at his blog, Twitter feed, or Facebook or G+ pages.

Andy Rau
July 30, 2012

Monday Morning Scripture: “Not With Persuasive Words”

What convinces people to believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Ask around the Christian community (and look at the products marketed at churches) and you might settle on a few likely answers: powerful, eloquent sermons and persuasive arguments for Christianity. Active church programs and youth ministries. Masterful Gospel presentations and debating skills. Well-written Bible studies and testimonies. Iron-clad knowledge of apologetics.

None of these are bad things. In fact, they’re all really good things. But when the apostle Paul recounted his evangelism strategy to the ancient church in Corinth, he describes an almost counter-intuitive approach:

1 Corinthians 2

When I came to you, brothers, announcing the testimony of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. For I didn’t think it was a good idea to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit, so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power.

However, we do speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written:

What eye did not see and ear did not hear,
and what never entered the human mind—
God prepared this for those who love Him.

Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man that is in him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God. We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. But the unbeliever does not welcome what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually. The spiritual person, however, can evaluate everything, yet he himself cannot be evaluated by anyone. For

who has known the Lord’s mind,
that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ. — 1 Corinthians 2 (HCSB)

Questions to Consider

  1. What does it mean to share the Gospel message with “weakness, in fear, and in much trembling?” Aren’t those bad things?
  2. Why did Paul give so little thought to eloquence, and what is the point of him calling attention to that lack of eloquence?
  3. If unbelievers only see the Gospel message as “foolishness” and cannot understand it, what must happen for them to become “spiritual people?”
  4. If people do not accept or understand God’s wisdom on their own, and human eloquence is inadequate, why are Christians nevertheless commanded to go out to the world sharing the Gospel?
  5. How does this passage speak to you and your personal approach to evangelism in your home, workplace, and community?
July 27, 2012

In Pursuit of the Crown

We’ve returned to the beginning of the 4-year circuit once again! Today the world’s top athletes (and countless fans) have filled London, each of them hoping break to take home a medal.

And of course, these aren’t your average recreational players. These are men and women who have dedicated years—maybe most of their lives—to their sports. Each and every one of them wants to be the best, and a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics is the ultimate testament to their skills.

Few of us are pursuing our everyday goals and tasks with the unrelenting intensity that an Olympic athlete-in-training exhibits. But that drive and focus are characteristics that we can and should model in our daily spiritual walk, as the apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. — 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (NIV)

As you tune in to watch Olympic events in the weeks to come, it’s appropriate to salute and celebrate the hard work and training that has brought each of these athletes to the games. And take a few minutes to reflect about your own spiritual “training”—your Bible reading, your devotional habits, your reactions to temptation, your relationships with others. If the apostle Paul were to observe your Christian walk, would he praise your determination to “get a crown that will last forever?”

Andy Rau
July 25, 2012

Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?

Why does God allow suffering?If God is good and loving, why does he allow evil and suffering to exist? The following message was delivered on July 22, 2012 by Christian author and apologist Lee Strobel, just days after the deadly theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Lee has graciously given us permission to post it here on Bible Gateway.

It was the worst mass shooting in American history – 70 people shot by a gunman, 12 of them killed, while they were watching the midnight showing of a new movie just 21 miles from where we’re sitting. There are no words to describe the anguish being felt by those who are suffering today; our heart and prayers have – and will – go out to them. There are so many tragic stories, so much pain. And many people are asking the question, “Why? Why did God allow this?”

This has been a heart-rending summer for Colorado. First came the wildfires, which ravaged the houses of hundreds of our neighbors – and prompted many of them to ask the question, “Why?”

And those two tragic events are on top of the everyday pain and suffering being experienced in individual lives – maybe including yours. There’s illness, abuse, broken relationships, betrayal, sorrow, injuries, disappointment, heartache, crime and death. And perhaps you’ve been asking the question, “Why? Why me? Why now?”

Continue reading →

Andy Rau
July 23, 2012

Monday Morning Scripture: Ephesians 2 and Your Relationship to God

What, exactly, is mankind’s relationship with God?

That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? Fortunately, that’s a question with a clear Biblical answer. In Ephesians 2, we learn that there are exactly two ways we can relate to God: with Christ, and without Christ. And the difference between those two states of existence is night and day:

Ephesians 2

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. — Ephesians 2 (NIV)

Questions to Consider

  1. Do you remember a period of your life in which you “followed the ways of this world?” How does your life now compare to that time?
  2. What does it mean to be “dead” in your sin?
  3. Who are the two different groups that were brought together as “one new humanity” by Christ?
  4. What does it mean to you to read that, in Christ, you’re a “fellow citizen” and member of God’s household—not just a servant, slave, or worshiper? What does that suggest to you about the nature of your relationship with God?
Andy Rau
July 20, 2012

Why Read the Bible Every Day? Brian Hardin on the Power of Scripture Reading

Starting today, we’re privileged to share with you a series of posts by Brian Hardin! Brian is best known for founding Daily Audio Bible, a hugely popular Scripture podcast. He’s also the author of Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything for You, a book that aims to help Christians learn to love and delight in Scripture.

As you’ll see, Brian has a heart for the Bible—and for encouraging people to make Scripture reading a part of their everyday Christian experience. We asked Brian if he would share some of his thoughts from Passages here at Bible Gateway, and he graciously agreed. Here’s his first post.

Brian Hardin, author of "Passages."

The previous year had started like the rest: work hard and then work hard to get more hard work. I’d tossed a New Year’s prayer earnestly enough to God, the one about wanting to get closer to him and read the Bible more, but I had all but forgotten it by the second week of January.

By the end of the year I found myself sitting alone on my couch, devastated. The kingdom of work I’d built had crumbled before my eyes in a matter of months, and now I was in a crisis of faith. I vividly remember the prayer I prayed then. It wasn’t a sinner’s prayer, and it wasn’t eloquent.

“Jesus, I’m done with the crap. I’m finished. If you want me to go to Des Moines and make hamburgers for a living, I’ll pack up our stuff tomorrow and leave. I’m fine with that,” I prayed. “I’m going to believe that you’re nearby and that you can seize me before I hit the bottom. If you don’t, I’m dead. I believe my heart will die, and I fear it will be the last time I care about anything.”

God showed up for me that night, and began to whisper truth into my life. And then one night I received a bona fide directive from the Lord, an instruction to do something I would never, ever have done on my own: “I want you to podcast the Bible.”

Earlier that year I had started to read the Bible every day. My friend Brad and I were traveling so much for work that I had gotten into the habit of reading it aloud to him in the car. I wasn’t reading the Bible to gain deep insights into the mystical regions of the soul or to solve theological quandaries. I was just reading it for what it said, and often it said something that got stuck in a corner of my mind and loitered there for days. Stuff like, “The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life” (Galatians 6:7–8 MSG). This was my life right there on the page, echoing prophetically over a couple millennia. It not only contextualized what I’d been experiencing; it gave me a north star and a measure of hope that I couldn’t rationalize but I couldn’t deny either.

So I obeyed God’s direction and began to read a portion of the Bible every day. When I completed my first full revolution through the Bible, I recall looking in the mirror and realizing that I didn’t see anything the same. I had been unwittingly transformed from the inside out, and I looked at just about everything through different eyes.

My friendship with the Bible has taken me the scenic route from who I was to who I was created to be. My path began with an act of obedience to read the Bible every day, and it wound its way almost backward to the beginning, forcing me to deal with the stresses and compulsions of trying to carve out an identity that was mine alone with God relegated to a back-up plan. It took me back to the wounds that life can bring and invited me to compare what they were saying about me with what God was declaring over me.

It can do the same for you.

Watch for the next post in this series next week! In the meantime, you can read more of Brian’s writing in Passages, or follow his work at Daily Audio Bible. You can keep up with him each day at his blog, Twitter feed, or Facebook or G+ pages.

July 19, 2012

New Spanish Devotional Newsletter: Evangelio Viviente

We’re excited to announce our first Spanish-language email devotional: Evangelio Viviente!

Evangelio Viviente is a weekly devotional newsletter that covers faith topics like suffering, prayer, anger and holiness. Each Friday, Evangelio Viviente will challenge and encourage you with questions like: Do I need to grow spiritually? Am I being tempted or overwhelmed? How can I draw closer to God in my daily walk? Each devotional is written by Jose Riveron and is drawn from the Evangelio.com blog. Sign up to receive the weekly Evangelio Viviente devotional here.

Although Evangelio Viviente is our first Spanish-language devotional, there are a number of other Spanish resources at Bible Gateway! Our Verse of the Day email is available in the Spanish Nueva Versión Internacional Bible translation. And Bible Gateway itself can be viewed entirely in Spanish–to switch BibleGateway.com to Spanish, click on the En Español link in the upper right corner of the site.

So now you can start every Friday with a devotion that will boost your spirit and help strengthen your faith. We hope our Spanish-speaker visitors will find this new devotional–and our other Spanish resources—helpful. Sign up to receive Evangelio Viviente here!

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