Thumbnail Sketches

Recently I went on a school field trip with my oldest daughter Megan’s class. We visited a museum in downtown OKC about the history of Oklahoma. One section of the museum had some very fascinating “oddities” by Oklahoma artists. One I saw was some intricate drawings of landscapes on paper the size of postage stamps. One man had actually painted a detailed picture of a ship on the head of a pin! I marveled as I thought about how much information could be contained on such a small medium.

Psalm 117 is a thumbnail sketch of the Bible. It is the shortest chapter (two verses) in Scripture, and in part because of that distinction, it is often overlooked as nothing more than a Biblical curiosity. The Psalmist is inspired to burst forth in praise: “Praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 117). Let’s look closely at this thumbnail sketch and see that God intended us to have more than just a curiosity in Psalm 117:

A thumbnail sketch of the Gospel — The words, “nations” and “peoples” in verse 1 are very significant. At a time when most Jews believed that salvation was their exclusive privilege, God inspired one of their own to pen this Psalm. The fact that “all” nations and peoples are exhorted to praise God rebukes an attitude of exclusivism on the part of the Jews. Indeed, Jesus preached and brought salvation not just to Jews, but Gentiles as well (Matt. 4:25, Eph. 2:14-16). Psalm 117 reminded the Jews that salvation was intended for all: “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues were standing before the throne and before the Lamb… saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev. 7:9-10). Psalm 117 is the gospel in miniature. It pointed Jews to the Christian era, when God’s grace and love would be made available to all men in His kingdom (cf. Titus 2:11-14). Because of this, Paul quotes Psalm 117:1 in Romans 15:11 as he explains the gospel system of justification. There’s more to Psalm 117 than often meets the eye!

A thumbnail sketch of God’s love — God’s grace is shown in both His mercy and His kindness (Psalm 117:2). The Psalmist tells us that God’s love in this regard is GREAT toward us. Ancient Jews loved to recite Exodus 34:6, “The Lord God is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in truth...” In this world, people may or may not love us. Friends may betray us, and loved ones may be unkind. God will never waver in the greatness of His love for us, however! We serve a God who would go to the cross before He would sell us out (cf. Matt. 4:8-10). His merciful kindness is indeed great toward us!

A thumbnail sketch of our responsibility — The overarching theme of Psalm 117 is our obligation to praise God. We were created and redeemed, “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:3-14). Therefore Scripture says, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). When Psalm 117 tells us to, “Praise the Lord,” it is declaring His sovereign will in our lives, for, “His truth endures forever.” God created man, and because we are His creation, we are obligated to worship Him. More than that, however, Psalm 117 declares that our motive in praising God is more than just obligation; we are also motivated by His love. No wonder Paul would say, “the love of Christ constrains us!” (2 Cor. 5:14). How could someone who understands the lengths to which God has gone in His love for us say anything other than, “Praise ye the Lord!” Thank God for the shortest chapter in the Bible!

Robert Prater

Letting Go of the Past!

I want you to consider the apostle Paul for a moment. There is no question that Paul underwent a tremendous change in his life. He was at one time, by his own admission, a terrible person (1 Tim. 1:13). When we read of his pre-conversion history in the book of Acts, we will agree with his assessment of himself.

However, while Paul remembered these things, he did not morbidly dwell on them to the point that they precluded him from any spiritual progress. Paul remembered how he had, at one time, been involved in things that were important to him and probably important to a lot of other people (Phil. 3:5-6). Yet Paul had changed and these things, though in his memory, were considered as unimportant to him now (Phil. 3:7).

Paul might use them as learning experiences, but they served little else. He proceeds to say later, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil. 3:13).

Paul had to do that because if he did not leave his past in the past, he would not be able to “…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). That was clearly Paul’s goal in all that he did. If he were to try to live in the past he would be hindered in the present and lose the future! There is the lesson we all need to learn.

Yes, the past has happened. It is history (and I mean that in the clinical, not cynical sense). Christians who repent of their former conduct and continue to dwell on it and live in it will never become what they could be spiritually. What advantage is there in allowing what has been forgiven to constantly be the obstacle we trip over every day? I cannot think of one single advantage. Then why do we do it? Why beat ourselves up over these things.

Let me say that I would gladly put my name down on a list of those who wish for a time machine where we could go back in time and relive certain days or change bad things in the past. Unfortunately, such a machine does not exist. We all live in the present. We all have a future. I think that all of us, as individuals and as a church, need to have the attitude of Paul and build ourselves up from our past and be straining for the finish line. When we do that we will become what we should be spiritually. No one ever won a race by stopping halfway to sit down and ponder the race he lost last week.

Let us learn from them. Let us be resolute in not repeating them again. Let us use them to make us stronger and be determined to prevent them from making us weaker.

God bless,
Robert Prater

Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible

Penn Jillette is the “talkative” half of Penn and Teller, the Las Vegas comedy-illusion team, now with their own program on Showtime. Penn has been an outspoken atheist. But he posted a video blog on his personal website about a man who gave him a Bible, which has much, I believe, to teach Christians:

This video shows how crucial that it is that all true Christians be involved in evangelism. This statement comes from a self-professed atheist. However, even he was moved by the genuineness and sincerity of a man who tried to share his faith by giving him a Bible. We can have an impact if we are courageous enough to be authentic, compassionate disciples of Christ. The man (an atheist) in this video makes a great point. He says that if you really believe that there is a heaven and a hell and you don't try and share your faith with everyone you meet, you are among the most cruel people on the planet. Something to think about. Watch the video below and prepare to be challenged.

God bless,

Robert Prater

In light of a recent Sunday evening sermon I preached on the woman caught in adultery, I recently re-reading and shared some of the findings to the congregation from the book unChristian by David Kinnaman which I read and reviewed on this blog back in November 2007. Kinnaman works for the Barna Research Group and he spent quite awhile gathering research about young people's view of Christians and Christianity. He also polled young people within the church, and, surprisingly their views matched the "outsiders" thoughts pretty closely.

Kinnaman discovered that the view of Christians is, in general, quite negative. Christians are seen as hypocritical, too focused on getting converts, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political and judgmental.

Whether these things are true about Christians or not, these are the perceptions people have of us. And what I thought was extremely interesting and profoundly sad is that the people polled were not getting the majority of their negative feelings from the "liberal media." They were getting them from Christians themselves:
Being hurt by Christianity is far more common among the young than among older outsiders. Three out of every ten young outsiders said they have undergone negative experiences in churches and with Christians. Such hurtful experiences are part of the stories of nearly one out of every two young people who are atheists, agnostics, or of some other faith.

Kinnaman says: "[Y]oung people said they formed their views of Christians based on conversations with others, often with Christians. This is significant because not only does it mean we have a great deal of responsibility in developing many of the perceptions that people hold, but it also suggests the possibility that our words and our lives can change these negative images."

Kinnaman notes that Christians have become "famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for." He points out that people in this generation are naturally skeptical of everything -- not just Christians. They are looking for genuine people, and they see Christians as people who pretend as though we are perfect, when, in fact, we live very similar lives to non-Christians.

Kinnaman said that the automatic reaction of some Christians to this research is to say, "whelp, we expect the world to hate us. Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers." This sentiment is true to an extent. Christians receive push back because they are promoting biblical truths and values in a relativistic society. Many people don't want to hear that they're wrong.

However, this does not give us license to avoid the truth in this research. Christians have a bad reputation, and we've apparently done something to get it. Kinnaman points out that we are to represent God's holiness and His grace in our interactions with non-believers.

I've heard some things like this before, but after reading through this research, it is quite sobering to realize how non-Christians view me and my friends. And although Kinnaman is sure to note that in order to fix this problem we should not go around watering down the gospel, he does give suggestions for how we should show Christ to others. Young people today are looking for people who live out what they say they believe, which is good. If Christians, as a whole, try to be more Christlike in our everyday lives, we have the opportunity to change these perceptions.

The apostle Paul advises Christians to 'live wisely among those who are not Christians' and to 'let your conversation be gracious and effective,' (Col. 4:5-6, NLT) Eph. 4:15 still says, “speaking the truth in love.” Paul challenged the Corinthian church that they were to be "the aroma of Christ" to the world. One writer has said: “If people would taste the "Bread of Life," they must be made hungry through the fragrant lives of those who are feeding on it. Sometimes people stay away from the banquet table, not because of the food, but because of the aroma of those on the inside.”

The real possibility exists of having our rhetoric against culture comes across as hatred or dislike of the lost and unconverted, only driving them further away from the good news of Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to show the world His love, not condemn the world (John 3:16-17). Jesus is our model on how to deal with people in our culture. We are His Body, His presence, in the world today. Just as the Father sent Jesus, we have now been sent by Jesus to be the agents of His redemptive love (John 20:21). We can't be content to become enemies of our times, our culture, or our world. Instead, we must learn how to better love them, attempt to have genuine dialogue and understanding of them. We must learn how to better cultivate relationships and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.

So let's be more careful with our rhetoric and more genuine with our service to those in our communities who are unbelievers!

What do you all think? Is there validity to this research? If so, how can those of us who are Christians do a better job of showing Christ to those around us?

For Christ,
Robert

Christian's Take on Waterboarding

The above picture was a group demonstration of waterboarding

Christians are hardly in agreement on the question of “harsh interrogation techniques” including the controversial waterboarding on terror suspects. Particular right now the water boarding debate is raging. And it should I guess. However, the “politicizing” and “witch hunt” that some want to pursue on the previous Bush administration is ridiculous.

Every administration has greatly differed on the policies of the previous presidential administration. And when a new administratation comes in, there is the moment to change and differ on the policy issues. And President Obama clearly has done that. Right or wrong. I agree with Senator John McCain who on Thursday warned that any attempt by the Obama administration to prosecute the Bush-era officials who wrote memos signing off on water boarding would start a "witch hunt." I thought change meant moving forward and not looking back and focusing on the past mistakes.

I mean even Democrats like Bill Clinton and other leading Republicans who oppose torture like Sen. John McCain say it is acceptable to torture someone in a "ticking bomb" scenario. Real life doesn't produce the kind of a-nuke-is-about-to-go-off scenarios featured on the television drama "24." The closest we are likely to get is the capture of high-level al-Qaida operatives like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed with knowledge of ongoing plots. Should we have tortured KSM? Well, we did and reportedly helped roll up al-Qaida terrorists around the world.

Circumstances matter. If we were water boarding political dissidents, then it would be right to compare us to Saddam Hussein. If interrogators were water boarding KSM every morning for their own amusement that would shock the conscience. But not many consciences will be shocked at subjecting him to 90 seconds of uncontrollable panic to get information that might save lives.

If the Senate disagrees, Congress and the President should put itself clearly on record forbidding water boarding. And I think they are probably going to. Enough already with the Bush witch hunts though!

Now, what should a Christian’s perspective and view be concerning all this current watering board controversy? Well, quite frankly, I think you’ll find all kinds of opinions and views from across the broad “Christian perspective.” I think good people, good, sincere, devote, loving Christian people can and will differ over this issue.

I mean, what would Jesus do? Difficult to say the least. .

Well, here’s my Christian view on it.

Many Christians and some leading evangelicals say that water boarding is torture, and that the Christian response has been “shameful.” One writer said in a nutshell: “As Christians we must never condone the use of methods that threaten to undermine the inherent dignity of the person created in the image of God.”

Well, that is not wrong. But it is also not completely right. Water boarding is a form of duress applied during an interrogation. It is not fatal, but it is extreme duress, if the waterboardee doesn’t know if he will live or die.

There are two questions: first, is this an effective means for getting a suspected terrorist to reveal information that might save innocent lives. Second, does the means by which we would obtain this potentially life-saving information undermine our claim to be Christian?

First answer: the effectiveness of the technique is conditional. Those who serve in the military combat arms are waterboarded as part of their training. But virtually all pass through this, knowing that it isn’t for real. Knowing that the service doesn’t want to drown them, only to toughen us up. So it isn’t “torture” when used as a training tool.

For a captured terror suspect, different matter. He doesn’t know he isn’t going to die heinously. It is torture. To which I would add, “so what?” — if, and only if, this is a last resort to protect innocent lives. And, please, terror suspects don’t tend to be innocent. As for whether the technique works, sometimes it does; sometimes it doesn’t.

Second answer is no. The Bible may be silent on this particular matter, but it does reserve the right for lawfully constituted governments to use the sword (Romans 13). To claim that waterboarding that does not lead to death (or even to permanent injury) is worse than killing is to lose sight of the big picture.

More importantly, we have a duty as Christians to protect those unable to protect themselves. This goes as much for unborn children and the sick and elderly as it does for innocent civilians who are the usual target of cowardly terrorists.

Under the right, and we hope, extraordinarily rare circumstances, waterboarding of a suspected terrorist can be a necessary thing to do and I don’t believe “unChristian”— if there is some potential to protect innocent life.

What do you think?
Robert Prater

Abba Father (remake) - Acappella Company

This is a powerful remake of Acapella’s classic song “Abba Father” (Take me Home). It touches my heart and convicts me of my need to better show the love of Christ to those who are hurting. This video also has a dual meaning. First, that those suffering simply DO want 'outta here"; and secondly, is a cry to be set free, to be saved, a cry of helplessness and hopelessness.

May God help us to show them the way to Christ that will lead all of us home to the Father.

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:15-17)

God bless,

Robert

Worst Winner Ever

The most extreme act of a “loser” I've ever witnessed. The scoreboard at the end even makes it worse! (he wasn’t celebrating a win, but a point!) The song that has been added in the video is perfect!

Even though I've never done a dance like that in that arena, I know there are times when, in my heart, I arrogantly strut as if I have accomplished some great task. In reality, any boasting that wells up in me should be completely consumed by the cross of Jesus Christ.

Now, on a lighter note and to be a little honest, I’ll admit, there’s been a time or two maybe when I felt like doing such a dance (in my heart) after a good sermon (which doesn’t come around often Lol!):)!!

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

In the Cross,
Robert