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How did the world we live in come to be? We live in a world where many suggest it was merely a cosmic accident. The right chemicals mingled at the right time and the end result was the planet earth with its myriad of life. On the other hand, the Book of John clearly articulates that all things were created through Jesus Christ. What does the Bible mean when it speaks of creation? The word the HCSB translates as “create” is the Greek “ginomai” (ghin’-om-ahee). Strong’s Greek Dictionary defines ginomai as “to cause to be.” Thayer’s Dictionary adds that it is akin to a man who “come(s) upon the stage” and appears in public with the intention of performing. Unlike an actor, however, Thayer’s continues on to say that there is an element of “ginomai” that is miraculous.

When John writes that all things were created through Him (Christ), he is asserting that there was a point in time when God appeared on the stage of history and miraculously caused everything, as we know it, to come into existence. When we consider the word “ginomai” on this level, we begin to understand how Christ fit into Creation. Colossians 1:15 teaches that Christ is the image of the invisible God. In the context of our study it becomes evident that it was Christ, the image of the invisible God, who appeared on the stage of creation. God the Father was the director and Christ Himself was the actor providing His personal touches to the performance. And what a performance it was! Paul writes in the first chapter of Romans, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made …” (Romans 1:20 NASB). Christ’s performance was one that has provided witness to God’s existence since the beginning of time.

There is an artistry and beauty in creation. So much so that every time we act, write, or perform we are merely imitating that First Great Performance!

We may quibble over the means of Creation, but there should be no debate over the identity of that First Great Performer. Looking at the word “ginomai” at greater depth helps to clarify this important Biblical assertion.

I’ve screwed up again. I know You’ve got to be tired of hearing this crap over and over again, but I can never seem to get it right. Every time I take two steps closer to Your embrace I stumble and fall away. I’m afraid though that this time is different. I didn’t just get my usual scraped up knees and bloody nose. I have serious internal injuries. The brunt of the damage seems to have been taken by my heart. My passion, drive, and even faith have all suffered. I’ve had one of those earth-shattering moments. You know the kind. I feel like I may never be myself again.

Maybe that’s a good thing. I’ve never really been too fond of myself. I’ve always liked it better when I managed to resemble Your Son just a little bit. More of Him and less of me, I suppose.

I guess what I’m really writing to tell You is that I’m weary. I’m tired of making stupid decisions and then blaming You for the lackluster results. I no longer have earthly desires. They’re too fleeting; too easy to lose. I just want you. It’s weird. I’m a grown man and all I want is for my Father to lift me up into His arms and hold me. I want You to tell me it’s all going to be okay; that You’re going to protect me from myself from this moment on.

I want an army of angels.

I want to understand Your Word with the clarity that has too often evaded me.

I want the Holy Spirit to zap me like lightning.

I want Your Son in His glorified flesh to sweep down from the Heavens and establish His Kingdom.

I’m sorry God, but I want it now. I know things work in Your time and according to Your will, but I’m afraid that if You don’t move soon I may destroy things down here beyond repair.

Please Lord consider my request.

Thanks,
Clark

They came home from school, looked at their Daddy, and said with reverence, “You’re Jon Bon Jovi?“

We’re often encouraged to thank of God as our Daddy. We’re taught in today’s theology that God is all love minus the wrath. He’ll be there to pick us up when we scrape our knees and hum a lullaby for us when we need His peace … this is all surely true – God is love.

However, as I draw closer to Him I am taken by His might, justice, power, and wrath. I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans … I am spared of God’s wrath and entered into a grace relationship with Him only through faith in Christ.

Recently, from the shadow of His grace I’ve seen God in the fullness of His might. With reverence, I can merely utter that He is the God of Creation!

I am stunned that God would allow me, a sinner, to enter into His grace. Ten plus years of worshiping Him and I still can’t fathom His wonder!

My Daddy is God Almighty!

How cool is that?

During a recent prayer I was led to make a list of all the things I have replaced God with throughout my life and was stunned to find the list was so exhaustive. The further I reach back into my past, the longer the list becomes; girls, alcohol, possessions, knowledge, exercise, relationships, food … it’s quite a list, isn’t it?

What’s so surprising about my list is that it is comprised of things that are basically good. Take exercise for example; the Bible teaches us that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and it is logical to conclude that one should take care of it – but not when you are doing it out of vanity and at the expense of time that should be spent with your family. When working out becomes an exercise in vanity it is no longer healthy. When that exercise replaces God as the most important thing in your life – it has become your god.

The same can be said about food. God has created a world full of wonderful delicacies and the family meal can be a blessed time to share an opportunity to praise Him; but when you eat so much you become overweight and unhealthy you have allowed your blessings to become an idol.

As we study my list we discover a basic truth about the enemy. Satan takes what was intended to be a blessing and uses it against us. In our fallen state we don’t always recognize the fine line that shouldn’t be crossed. The closer we are with God the more apparent that line becomes.

At forty years old I have grown tired of the idols in my life. The older I get and the more I study Scripture the more I realize that the Holy Trinity is the only God that satisfies my soul. A line from one of my favorite song goes like this, “To my audience of one, You are Father and You are Son. As Your Spirit flows free, let it find within me, a heart that beats to praise You” (Big Daddy Weave). The false idols I have served in my life only serve to interfere with the relationship I desire to have with my God.

There comes a time in the life of a Christian that all false idols must be cast aside. Let nothing impede God’s grasp on our hearts.

What’s your false idol? Is there anything in your life that receives worship in the place of God? Don’t easily dismiss the question. The idol in your life may take the appearance of something that is basically good. It may be hard to detect, but it is an idol nonetheless.

Let our hearts beat to praise the One True Living God!

Scholars call this new worldview Postmodernism. It is a worldview that has relegated Christianity to the past. Faith in Christ has become a relic of a past age when mankind had yet evolved to the point of recognizing that all spiritual paths are valid. The only spirituality that is valued by the skeptic is that of the “spiritual seeker.” The man or woman who is open to a generic spirituality, believes that all roads are equally valid, and values tolerance over truth fits in well within postmodernism. Why?  Perhaps it is because this generic faith is one that refuses to identify anything as absolute. A man or woman who is astute enough to know there must be a god out there somewhere chooses this kind of seeker mentality over the claims of the Christian because it is just generic and vague enough to escape the challenges of the skeptic who respond to all claims of the fantastic with “that’s nice, prove it” (www.skeptic.com).

However, there is a problem with this skeptical worldview – it is a lie. Skepticism works well in the scientific community because it drives our scientists to perform better and to get results; however, it fails miserably when extended to the realm of the humanities; art, literature, love, and yes … even theology. These pursuits are just as valid as any scientific field yet they are more difficult to define and observe. Who would suggest that love doesn’t exist simply because it is hard to observe empirically. It reminds of a quote from the Dead Poet Society:

“We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.”

While it may be hard to illustrate what love looks like, we know it exists because we can recognize the how it affects the world around us. Science would say the same about an invisible force as gravity. It can’t be seen, but we recognize it as truth because of its affects on the world around us.

The same can be said of God.

You haven’t seen Him. But you can certainly recognize how He affects the world around us. You know He is real because you have bought into generic spirituality in an attempt to define Him in a way that isn’t objectionable. The problem is that if He is real, He isn’t generic. He is a specific being that exists in a specific way. It is up to you to learn about Him … on His terms … not on the terms of the skeptic. You see, the skeptic challenges God to prove He is real. The Bible teaches that He already has in the person of Jesus Christ … it is up to you to embrace Him.

Skepticism says the Bible isn’t true … yet it describes, defines, and reveals communications from God that fit into the world we observe around us better than any other “generic” faith. Christianity takes the “generic” god that you know is out there somewhere and makes Him a very specific God who reveals absolute truth to the people He created.

Praise the God of absolute truths!