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Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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When the storm hits

Posted on September 29, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

calm-before-storm-1.jpgThe disciples were freaked out by the wind and the waves. They were on the lake at the bidding of their master but it didn’t seem to be working out so well. These men, some of whom were experienced fishermen, were convinced that they were going to die.

You can find this story in Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41 and Luke 8:22-25. Matthew tells us that the boat was being swamped by the waves. Mark adds that the boat was being filled with water. Luke informs us that the disciples were in jeopardy.

What was Jesus doing while all this was happening? He was asleep in the back of the boat. The disciples are doing what they were told to do, they are facing death and the one who told them to do it is asleep!

Can you relate to this? I sure can. We do what we think is right, we follow the instructions of the one who claims control over human history and sometimes it looks as though it will end badly. We are looking for comfort and Jesus seems to be asleep. We echo the disciples’ question, “don’t you care that we are perishing?”

I am convinced that even while he slept, Jesus was in control of the situation. His apparent unconcern about the storm caused the disciples to be alarmed. Yet he was master even when his mastery was not immediately on display.

The disciples’ perception did not match reality. They did not see the entire picture and, often, neither do I. I get caught up in the here-and-now. I get caught up in my own search for safety and comfort. I get caught up in a whiny self-focused funk that prevents me from seeing the way God is moving behind the scenes to accomplish his purpose.

Jesus may have been asleep in that boat. Jesus may appear to be distant and uncaring right now, but he still maintains control and his will cannot be thwarted by incompetence or disobedience. He stilled that storm on the lake and he will eventually still the storm that is around us right now. All I need to do is trust in the one who has proved trustworthy.

Maranatha.

Filed Under: Bible Reflection Tagged With: boat, calm, Jesus, prayer, storm

The Storm Before The Calm: Why Utopias Fail

Posted on August 27, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

StormI am not an expert on Biblical prophecy. I read prophetic passages and have interest in them, but it is not my calling to find correlation between current events and Scriptural predictions. I think that this type of study is useful, and I’m glad someone does it, but it is not my primary interest.

That being said, I see indication in Scripture that things will get worse before they get better. Scripture indicates that the world will move into a storm before it will experience the calm that follows the culmination of history.

Contrast this with utopian predictions by people such as Ray Kurzweil who see technology solving all of man’s problems. In this writings, Kurzweil does a good job of demonstrating that the pace of technological advancement is accelerating. We can be grateful for much of this advancement. I am writing this blog post on a personal computer which has speed and computational power that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago. I am also grateful for the advances in medicine and technologies that provide for better living conditions. Technology has proved effective in correcting what is wrong with the physical aspects of life.

Those who believe that man can solve all his problems through technological innovation ignore one basic fact. Man is inherently flawed in a way that no technology can fix.  Technology cannot address or correct man’s moral problem. Utopian schemes fail because they refuse to acknowledge the moral problem with all men. Every elitist scheme fails because the elite are as morally flawed as those to whom the elite feel superior.

Every advancement in technology can be used for good or for evil. We live this out every day. I have virus protection software because some very smart people are intent on destroying what I create on this computer. Criminals use computers and other technology to commit crime. Dictators use technology to force their will on their people. Advances in weaponry increase the ability of would-be conquerors to kill and subjugate.

I am grateful for technology, with it we can do much good. Therefore I am not against technology. I do see, and Scripture predicts, that the advances in technology will be used for evil purposes and that it will not go well for humanity until Jesus returns.

I began writing this post before I knew that Hurricane Irene was bearing down on the east coast of the United States. I am reminded that this physical storm and the havoc it can bring, is a picture of the moral and political storm that is brewing. The moral and political storm will be more destructive and ruin more lives than the physical one.

Yet, I am comforted that the one who calmed the storm when he walked the Earth, is still living and active. For those who embrace him he offers salvation out of the storm until that day when he will cause all storms to cease.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10 that eventually every knee will bow to the name of Jesus. It is then that all will experience calm.

Filed Under: Christianity and Culture Tagged With: Apostle Paul, calm, Jesus, storm

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