NewDayvotional

From the pastor for the people

Answering Objections to Faith in God

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Have you ever tried sharing your faith in Jesus with a friend or co-worker and had them respond something like this:

  • After doing independent research, I’m mostly leaning towards the fact that God is nonexistent.
  • The bible is constantly contradicting itself on many issues.
  • Honestly looking at it from an unemotional and completely logical perspective, the God in the bible is a terrible entity and not someone I want to worship any longer. He allows suffering and disease and murders people who choose not to be on his side and we’re supposed to believe he’s loving and just in doing these things because he has more power over us?
  • Why give “blessings” to one human and allow another to suffer? Because of some divine plan? Because he’s trying to win this eternity-long bet with Satan? It doesn’t make sense and even if it did, there is no love from a God like that.
  • People only believe in a God because it makes them feel good and makes them feel as though they have a purpose in life and are a part of something greater. When you look at it from a logical and factual perspective, it doesn’t add up in any way, shape, or form.
  • Preachers only want your money!

I believe comments like this deserve a response. Since I myself have replied to comments like these on a number of occasions, I thought I’d write this post and share with you how I respond in such situations. My hope is that this post will better equip you to reply with grace and truth (John 1:17) like Jesus.

When people tell me that logic has led them to conclude that God doesn’t exist, here’s how I respond:

You are not looking at things logically. How logical is it to see a watch and conclude there is no watchmaker? Or how logical is it to see a painting and conclude there is no painter? In the same way, how logical is it to look at creation and conclude there is no Creator? Both common sense and logic would lead us to conclude that where there is a creation, there is also a Creator. This is why the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:20, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” NLT We will have no excuse on judgment day for not believing in God. All of creation declares there is a Creator. Here’s a link to a sermon I did entitled “Does God Really Exist?” http://newdaychurch.cc/messages/does-god-really-exist/ I would encourage you to take a listen. I think you will find it helpful.

When someone tells me the Bible is full of contradictions, here’s how I respond:

Concerning supposed contradictions in the Bible, would you mind passing some along? If you’re open to it I’d love the opportunity to address whatever may appear as a contradiction. If you’d rather study this for yourself, here is a book I would highly recommend that addresses the claim that the Bible contradicts itself. It takes the supposed contradictions and shows you how they are actually not contradictions at all. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Bible-Difficulties-Revelation/dp/0801071585/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518037046&sr=1-5&keywords=bible+contradictions If you’re interested in this book I’d be happy to mail you a copy for free. Just let me know 🙂

When someone blames God for the suffering that exists in the world, here’s how I respond:

Suffering is the result of mankind’s rebellion against God. I don’t think you’re doing it on purpose, but in blaming God for the suffering in the world, you are blaming him for something that you and I (and the rest of humanity) are actually responsible for. Sickness, disease, suffering, famines, natural disasters and the like – are all the result of sin entering the world. Genesis 1-2 tells us 7x that the world God originally created was good. The question begs “Well then what happened?” And the answer is that sin entered the world. When sin came, along with it came suffering and death. This is just as God told Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:27, “…you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”) For more on this, check out this sermon I did called “How Can a Good God Allow Evil & Suffering?” http://newdaychurch.cc/messages/how-can-a-good-god-allow-evil-suffering/ If you choose not to follow God, that’s your choice, but don’t let it be because you’re blaming him for something that you and I are actually responsible for.

When someone says that people only believe in God because it makes them feel good, here’s is how I respond:

I can’t speak for others, but I don’t believe in God because doing so makes me feel good. I believe in God because Creation reveals his existence. And I believe in Jesus because history proves that he rose from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead proves his truth claims (that he was and is the Son of God, the Savior of the world). For more on this, check out my sermon “Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead?” http://newdaychurch.cc/messages/did-jesus-really-rise-from-the-dead/

Finally, when someone says that all preachers do is beg for peoples money, here is how I respond.
I can’t speak for others, but as a preacher, I personally have never begged for 10% of anyone’s income. Our mission at New Day is to make disciples. Since stewardship is part of discipleship, we sometimes teach what the Bible says about money. If you don’t like that we sometimes teach on money, you don’t have a problem with us – you have a problem with God. We didn’t write the Bible. God did (through human mediums). It’s like this…If you go to a restaurant and don’t like the food, you are free to attack the waiter, but the person you actually have a problem with is the chef. In the same way, preachers are just God’s waiters. He’s the Chef.
 The apostle Peter instructs us “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV84) I hope this post assists you in doing just that!

Answering Objections to the Tithe

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This past Sunday I preached on the tithe. Here’s are some extra “goodies” I didn’t have time to elaborate on in the message…

Some people say “Tithing is legalistic. The laws on tithing are right up there with the laws about not eating pork or having to sacrifice animals. They’ve been done away with! The tithe was for Old Testament Jews, not New Testament believers. They were under law but we are under grace.” Some people say this because they sincerely believe it, while others say things like this to excuse themselves from any obligation to tithe. Either way, let me shoot some holes in this erroneous way of thinking.

1. Tithing is not legalistic. Legalism is when you try to earn your salvation by keeping the law. That’s what legalism is. The Bible condemns legalism because no one will ever be justified by the law. One can only be justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:20-22). When we tithe, it’s not to earn our way to heaven. It’s to honor God, it’s to show Him that He’s first place in our lives and it’s to fund the work of the local church which is to help people come to know Jesus. That’s not legalism. That’s investing in God’s work on the earth.

2. Tithing has not been repealed. To repeal something is to annul it – to do away with it. And in the New Testament, several Old Testament laws are repealed:

  • The dietary laws were repealed (see Acts 15)- praise the Lord – I wasn’t sinning the other week when I smoked some pork in my smoker!
  • The sacrificial laws have also been repealed – we no longer have to bring lambs to church and have them slaughtered for our sins (see Hebrews 8). Jesus, the Lamb of God was slain to once and for all take away the sins of the world.

Yes, certain laws in the Old Testament have been repealed in the New Testament. But other laws of the Old Testament have been repeated in the New Testament. The laws that have been specifically repealed are no longer binding, but the ones that have been repeated continue to be binding. And as see from Scripture, Jesus doesn’t repeal the practice of tithing, he repeats it “You should tithe, yes” he says in Matthew 23:23, NLT. Therefore, since it’s repeated, it’s still binding.

3. The standard of grace is higher, not lower than the standard of law. Some people say “We’re not under law” and then interpret that to mean that the standard of grace is lower than the standard of law, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible reminds us repeatedly that we, who live after Jesus died, are no longer living in the era of law, rather in the era of grace. Law came through Moses, grace came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). But this in no way means that the bar has been lowered. Jesus could not have been more clear that his standard (the standard of grace ) is HIGHER, not lower, than the standard of the law given through Moses. For example,

  • In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus said: Never mind murder (the standard of law)! Don’t even be angry with someone (the standard of grace)!
  • And in Matthew 5:27-28 Jesus said: Forget adultery (the standard of law)! I’m telling you don’t even lust (the standard of grace)!

In both these instances Jesus took the base line standard set by the law of Moses and raised the bar. So According to Jesus, God set the foundation of the law for us to build on, not shrink back from. We’re to move forward in our giving, not backwards. We’re to look at the example set in the law of the tithe and raise the bar, not lower it.

4. To say “Tithing isn’t for today” is the same as saying “God was concerned in the Old Testament that his children worship him and honor him by putting him first, but God doesn’t care whether or not New Testament Christians do the same.” To say such a thing would be absurd. Here’s why:

  • God told the Israelites that their firstborn children and animals belonged to him (Exodus 13:1-2).
  • God told them that the first week of their religious year belonged to him (Exodus 13:3-7).
  • When they moved into the land of Canaan God told them that the first city they conquered, Jericho, belonged to him (Joshua 6:17-19).
  • God also said the firstfruits of their crops belonged to him. Now “firstfruits” is simply another word for tithe (see Leviticus 27:30) which means 10%. God gave specific instructions that the first 10% of their income belonged to him (Exodus 23:19).
  • And God rebuked the Israelites in the book of Haggai (see chapters 1-2) for not prioritizing his work first over their own.

It sounds to me like it was pretty important to God that his children put him first. So how can anyone argue that this somehow, magically, has stopped being important to God in the New Testament? Especially when Jesus reinforces this Old Testament “Principle of First” in Matthew 6:33 when he said “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” The truth is that putting God first (in every area of our lives, including our finances, is just as important to God today as it was back then.

5. To say “Tithing isn’t for today” is the same as saying “In the Old Testament God cared about lost people learning about Jesus but he doesn’t care about that anymore in the New Testament.” I would remind you that it was the tithe that allowed the priests of the Old Testament Temple to proclaim that God’s promised Messiah was coming into the world. And it’s the tithe that allows the pastors of New Testaments churches to proclaim that God’s promised Messiah has now come into the world. How could it be possible for God to no longer care about the lost? Especially when 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is “…not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

So we see that tithing isn’t legalistic. Tithing hasn’t been repealed. If anything the standard of grace is higher, not lower than the standard of law. So if anything has changed, it’s that we ought to give more than the tithe, not less. God continues to use the tithe as a test to see if we’ll honor and worship him and trust him by returning to him the first part of our income. And He uses it to then fund the ministry of the local church, whose mission it is to preach Jesus.

I hope this helps clear up any confusion you might of had on the tithe. But if not, feel free to email any questions you might still have to me at [email protected]

If you’d like to start tithing you can do so by setting up your recurring gift at www.newdaychurch.cc/giving

If you’d like to start tithing but you first need to position your finances to be able to, you can attend our Money Wise Seminar this Sunday from 11am to 12:30pm where we’ll teach you how to get out of debt and get on a budget. Once you do this, you’ll have positioned your finances to be able to handle the tithe. To register simply email Peter, our groups pastor, at [email protected]

Anti-Social Media: Using Facebook to Protect the Reputation of Christ

Anti-Social Media: Using Facebook to Protect the Reputation of Christ

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“You need to go back to Born Again 101” – reads a Facebook posting in response to a Christian article.

Have you ever signed on to Facebook to see your friends arguing over something silly? These (very public) disagreements rarely end well, embarrassing every person involved. I understand that Facebook has made sharing our opinions and memories with each other easier than ever. However, as Christians, we need to be extra careful that we don’t bring shame on the name of Christ when we argue about trivial or political matters that don’t advance the gospel.

Unrestrained gut reactions can change others’ perceptions of Christ, painting Him and His amazing sacrifice in a negative light. You are a representative of Christ online and your voice has more power than you can imagine. Converse with others with the aim of building the Kingdom of God; it is what He has called us to do! Take care to avoid petty arguments that everyone can see. This is especially true of sharing political views, which are often divisive to many people. Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Sometimes disagreeing Christians publicly argue with each other on Facebook. The Bible says we must always prove our point and try to convince people of our viewpoints…oh wait, that’s not right.  God commands  that we are to be known by our love for one another (John 13:35), but when believers publicly rip each other, Jesus’ instruction to us is clearly violated. If a brother/sister posts something that is biblically wrong or misrepresentative of Christ, call them and have a conversation with them, privately. Encourage them, in love, to delete their post as it is controversial (don’t even address whether it is correct or not). If this does not work, prayerfully consider a peaceful way to correct that misinformation publicly or seek wise counsel. However, keep in mind that the apostle Paul said “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” If you must correct it, be very cautious on how you approach it and avoid further knee jerk reactions. For more advice on disagreements, Jesus provides some solid action steps in Matthew 18: 15-22.

To conclude, ask God to guide all of your Facebook posts before posting. Never post based off your emotions at the moment, always carefully and prayerfully consider what you say online. While you may not care what others think of you, if you’re a Christian you have a bigger responsibility to the faith to consider. Preview your posts in the most critical of lenses, especially if you plan on making a statement about Christianity or are known as a Christian. While these suggestions are only meant to serve as general guidelines, please take it to heart and remember to do all things for the glory of God!

Groups Guard Against Bad Decisions

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One of the worst things you can do is make independent decisions. Independent decisions are a sure-fire way to end up living with regret. Proverbs 15:22 says “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Groups provide the wise counsel, the outside input, the different perspective necessary to guard against bad decisions.

About a month ago I was at my Life Group and I shared that Kristin and I had been talking about whether we needed to buy a little more house (or not). I shared how when we moved into our home we had two kids and weren’t homeschooling. And some of you know that we struggled with secondary infertility (which is when you have some kids but then have trouble having anymore). We had a dry spell of five years and thought we might be done. Well, the dry spell ended, we had two more kids and decided to homeschool. So now we’re wondering if the house we bought is going to work or not. So I brought it up in my group. Turns out, someone else in my group was thinking about buying a little more house too. We ended up talking about it at length. We discussed the relevant biblical principles and I don’t know about the other person, but it was really helpful to me! We basically concluded that God wants us to give generously towards his work and to save (like the ant who stores up in summer what he knows he’ll need in winter). And that we shouldn’t ever put ourselves in a position where finances are so tight that we’ll constantly be stressed out over money issues. It was just such a good and helpful conversation.

People make poor financial moves, poor marital moves, poor career moves all the time. And it’s such a shame, because 9x out of 10, these disasters could’ve been avoided simply by tapping into the wisdom of others. A group guards you from bad decisions by providing you with the perspective, insight and wisdom you need to make good decisions.

  • Paul writes to the Colossian Christians “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…” (Colossians 3:16) Admonish means to warn. Whatever it is you’re considering doing – getting a divorce, relocating to another part of the country, quitting your job, buying a new home, etc – it might be a foolish decision. If you’ll humble yourself enough to let others speak to the issue, they might warn you of some danger that could end up saving you a lot of heartache.
  • The apostle Paul says of the Christians at Rome “…you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14) Part of living together in Christian community is instructing one another when we have to make important life decisions (decisions about finances, decisions about career, decisions about marriage, decisions about child-rearing, etc. etc. etc.)

God gave us the gift of a group to help us so that we don’t make decisions now that we’ll regret later. The question is: Are we taking advantage of this gift from God?

To sign up for a growth group visit www.newdaychurch.cc/groups

The Best Place to Grow Your Faith

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You need to get into a group. You need to prioritize being in a group this year. Why? The best place in the world to grow your faith is in groups! Let me illustrate what I mean…

I read an article a couple weeks ago and was surprised to find out that northern Illinois contains some of the most fertile soil in the world. There are patches of farmland in Argentina, Ukraine and China that are comparable, but according to the article, there’s nothing better in all the world for growing corn and soybeans than the soil of northern Illinois. There’s three reasons why.

  • First, apparently glaciers used to cover northern Illinois. When the glaciers moved on, the soil was younger than the southern soil that wasn’t protected by the large sheet of ice.
  • Second, huge dust storms have blown mineral rich river basin soil all over northern Illinois.
  • Third, instead of forests, northern Illinois has prairie grasslands, which feed the soil crop friendly nutrients.

These three factors make it the best place in all the world to grow crops. Well the question begs: Is there a best place in the world to grow your faith? And the answer is a resounding YES! IN GROUPS! Like northern Illinois, there are certain factors that exist in groups that don’t exist anywhere else – or at least don’t exist in the same way they exist in group. Let me explain. Groups give us the opportunity to:

  • admonish one another (Colossians 3:16) If you’re thinking about buying your wife exercise equipment for your anniversary, no one can warn you (not to do that) on Sunday. But in groups all the men can scream “Don’t do it!” 😉
  • hold each other accountable (James 5:16) You’re not going to be able to ask about how someone’s New Year’s Resolutions are going in the middle of the sermon – but in groups you’ll have all the time you need.
  • be concerned for each other (1 Corinthians 12:25-26). You don’t have time to check in with each on Sunday, but groups provide the perfect time to do this.
  • instruct one another (Romans 15:14). The only person giving instruction on Sunday is the pastor, so Sunday isn’t the right time or place to instruct each other. But groups are the perfect time and place.
  • pray for each other (James 5:16). If I asked everyone on a Sunday to share their prayer requests and then took time to pray for each need, each service would last four hours. But in group, there’s more than enough time for every person to share their prayer request and be prayed for.
  • take Communion together (1 Corinthians 11:24). The Bible says in Acts 2:46 that the first century church “…met in homes for the Lord’s Supper…” The Lord’s Supper is another name for communion. In Bible times they celebrated communion in the home groups, not in the Temple. At New Day we do the same thing. We take communion, not on Sunday, but in our groups. Jesus said of communion in 1 Corinthians 11:24 “Do this in remembrance of me.” It’s a command, not a suggestion. So where are you taking communion if not in your group?

There are 28 unique “one anothers” or “each others” in the New Testament that are best fulfilled in the context of a group…And if you’re not in a group, you literally won’t have the opportunity to obey most of these commands. So for all these reasons and more your group is THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD to grow your faith. Your group simply offers opportunities to grow that you just can’t get anywhere else. As the northern fields of Illinois have THE BEST conditions for growing crops, so your group has THE BEST conditions for growing your faith!

Your next opportunity to sign up for groups is this Sunday January 17, 2016 at 6pm at newdaychurch.cc/groups.