Generic Christianity?

Newsletter article for June 2003

© 2003 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

There is a tendency in America to reduce the Christian faith to a “generic Christianity.” I am not sure if this originates within the church. It may come from our ignorant and illiterate society’s desire to fit everything into simplified categories that are easy to understand, and easier to ignore, but I have seen this idea beginning to make its way into churches and into the minds of Christians. (Actually I can’t see into the minds of others, but I can recognize this when it comes out of their mouths.) This tendency may also come from an overwhelming desire to avoid conflict so it avoids issues that may cause conflict or division, and reduces the Christian faith to some simplified, lowest common denominator. Jesus Himself didn’t do this. He recognized the divisive nature of His message when He said in Matthew 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”

This simplification of the Gospel message is not something that Christians ought to be doing. The message of the Gospel can be simplified for children and others into a message that can be as simple as “Jesus loves you” we ought not stop there as if that were sufficient. Although this simple message is the most important truth of the Gospel (and is enough to bring eternal salvation), there is much more to the Christian faith than just that. Just as babies grow from only needing a diet of milk to a gradually more complex and varied diet, so Christians need to grow from this simple message of the Gospel to a more detailed and mature understanding of God’s Word. We can’t remain “baby Christians” for an extended period of time any more than we can live our whole lives on a diet of only milk. We must either grow or die. The trouble with a simplified, generic Christianity is that something important is lost in the transition.

What is lost in generic Christianity is the specific details which make Jesus real to us, and show us that He is the true source of life and salvation for all who believe in Him. If Jesus is generalized or simplified to the point of abstraction then to our minds He becomes just that, abstract, and with abstraction He then becomes unreal to us. I think in some cases this is the intended effect. When, for example, feminists attempt to de-masculinize the Bible they are making God’s Word into something generic, and then (and only then) is it possible to dismiss it as something irrelevant and out of date. The same thing happens when fundamentalists attempt to determine which parts of the Bible are important, and which are not, or even when well intentioned evangelists try to cater to special interests in order to try to make the Bible less offensive to certain people. But even though God’s Word may offend some, God still intends us to preach and teach it in all its truth and purity, because that is the best way to bring salvation to those who do not yet have it.

Jesus is a specific man, an Israelite, a descendent of King David of the tribe of Judah (a Jew). He was born sometime around 4 B.C. (even though this seems to make no sense it results from some kind of addition error when the Gregorian calendar was first developed) in Bethlehem. Jesus is the only begotten son of God, and the firstborn son of a woman named Mary. After fleeing to Egypt to escape the murderous insanity of King Herod, His family settled in Nazareth, where Jesus grew up and lived a mostly unremarkable life. At around age thirty Jesus called twelve disciples to follow Him and He began a three year ministry during which He demonstrated His divine power through teaching and miracles. Although Jesus demonstrated great power and an ability to do whatever He wanted, He allowed Himself to be arrested, charged with false accusations, and condemned to die by crucifixion. He died and was buried, and on the third day after His death He rose to life again. After forty days He ascended into heaven where He rules over all creation at the right hand of God the Father. All this was done for us and for our salvation. We know all this (and much more details of Jesus’ life and mission) only from the Holy Scriptures which, from Genesis through Revelation, is the true Word of God.

The specific details of the life and mission of Jesus are offensive to sinful human beings like us. In Galatians 5:11, St. Paul complains that if he is preaching anything other than the truth of God’s Word then “the offense of the cross has been abolished.” The specificity of God’s Word, though it may offend us from time to time, should really be a comfort to us. The details of our own lives are of great concern to each of us. It ought to be a tremendous comfort to know that our Lord and Savior, Jesus, also had to deal with the same specifics in His life. Hebrews 4:15 shows us that our Savior can sympathize with the details of our lives because He was “tempted in every way just as we are – yet was without sin.” His sinlessness, although foreign to us, is what qualifies Jesus (and no one else) to save us from the consequences of the guilt of our own sin.

Therefore we should avoid this generic Christianity. But the only way we can avoid it is if we are well taught in the truth of God’s Word and in the specifics of Holy Scripture. We all need to be in Church to worship every week, and those of us who are confirmed ought to receive the Lord’s Supper frequently. We all need to study the Bible frequently, at least once a week, although every day would be much better. As we do this Jesus will become a more important part of our lives and we will appreciate Him for who He is. Jesus is our one and only Lord and Savior. There is no one else like Him.

The Morality of War

Newsletter article for November 2002

© 2002 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

With the past year’s military action in Afghanistan, and the talk lately of a potential war in Iraq (again) I believe that it is good to take a look at the Bible’s views on war and military action. This is not necessarily an easy task. The Bible is somewhat ambivalent about war, in much the same way that it is ambivalent about such things as divorce and slavery. The Holy Scriptures clearly frown on both divorce and slavery, but they also accept them and deal with them as an ongoing reality because people are sinful. The same is true with war, except for the fact that unlike divorce and slavery, God actually told His people to go to war on occasion, although with some very strict and oftentimes bizarre rules of engagement.

Because of this ambivalence about war you can sometimes find both “hawks” and “doves” quoting the scriptures to support their position, which just confuses the issue. However, there is one passage that I find most illuminating to help understand this issue. You may find it in Joshua 5:13-6:7. There are few books of the Bible which contain more battles than Joshua, and here in the account of the fall of Jericho you will not find a more bizarre battle tactic, but God does most of the actual killing (which is proper).

In this passage Joshua is preparing for battle when he meets a man with a drawn sword who claims to be the “Commander of the army of the Lord,” From what follows this is apparently God Himself in human form. Joshua asks the man if he is “for us or for our enemies” and He replies “neither.” Now I find this rather puzzling and somewhat strange. The “Commander of the army of the Lord” proceeds to give instructions to Joshua for how the Israelites will go and attack Jericho in a siege which must result in the death of all the people of Jericho except for the former prostitute Rahab and her family (because she protected the Israelite spies when they were in the city.) Since God clearly wants Israel to destroy Jericho you might expect that he would be for Israel and against Jericho, but He instead says that He is for “neither.”

How can God not be against the people that he is going to kill in just a few days? We can find the answer in Scripture. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all sinners in God’s eyes. There is no one who is better than anyone else because we are all sinners. No one is saved because they are more worthy than anyone else, because no one is worthy of salvation. However we also read in Acts 10:34-35 that “God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” In the book of Joshua God did not favor Israel because they were better than the Canaanites, instead God had promised the land to Abraham’s descendants because God had chosen Abraham as the ancestor of the Messiah (Christ) who would come to save all sinners from their sin. The Israelites were far from perfect. Many times they showed themselves to be no better than the Canaanite people they were fighting, but God was able to lead Israel to repentance, while the Canaanite people stubbornly rejected God’s calls to repentance. That is why God gave Israel the Canaanite land and destroyed the former inhabitants.

So what does all this mean for today? There are some very profound lessons here which are ignored at our peril. All war happens as a result of sin. God doesn’t want nations (or others) to go to war for the sake of conquest or cruelty. But since God has sanctioned war in Biblical times we see that there are occasions when even the Christian may get involved in war.

Romans 13 says that God gives the authorities “the sword” to enforce laws and keep the peace. From this we can say that war may be waged in defense against an unprovoked attack, and also for the sake of upholding justice and peace. This is shown most recently in the fight against Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist network in Afghanistan. They made an unprovoked attack on our nation, and we fought back to discourage terrorism and to bring peace to the world. In the process we (hopefully) laid the groundwork for a more stable, peaceful government in Afghanistan. The fight against Germany and Japan in World War II was also a just war which brought justice and punishment to those nations which sought to expand their empire by force.

Let us therefore first of all pray for peace, that there may be no need for our countrymen to fight and die in a war. Next let us citizens hold our nationally elected representatives accountable and only pursue war for the sake of justice and peace. Finally let us take advantage of the peace that is here and spread the message of the Gospel both in our country and in others so that more people may come to believe in Jesus and be saved. If we do this then God will certainly continue to bless our nation and give us the peace which we treasure so much.

The True Story of a Terrorist Turned Christian

Newsletter article for November 2001
© 2001 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff
Since the unbelievable attacks on the United States on September 11 many people have been struggling with their emotions about this incredibly evil turn of events. The Bible has much to say about the presence of evil in the world, about its cause, consequences and (thankfully) its solution. The following story is completely true, and shows us how to view the situation in a completely Christian way.

There once was a man named Saul. He was born in the Middle-East and grew up in a privileged family. He was well educated and well respected among his peers. Even as a young man, Saul quickly moved up the social ladder. He was kind of a zealot, but he lived in a place and time where zealotry was appreciated and rewarded. He had studied religion (of sorts) and was convinced he was right, and he didn’t care who suffered because of it.

Saul grew up learning about a god who only made commands, demands, and requirements of his people, but this god had no mercy. The way that Saul learned about his god made him impossible to please, but Saul tried to please him, and so Saul wanted to be like his god—merciless, demanding, and unyielding.

In the course of practicing his religion, Saul took the job of making sure all of his countrymen were diligent in their obedience to their god. He was ruthless in carrying out this task. He particularly focused on Christian people, who he saw as a threat to the worshipping of his god. Saul attacked civilians, including men, women, and children, and put them in prison and he even had some of them killed for their disobedience to the laws of worship. Saul did not even respect national boundaries. He pursued his victims across borders into different countries. Saul was a nasty, evil man who only brought fear, terror, and destruction, wherever he went, and left hatred and death in his wake. You would think that God (the real God) would have been extremely angry at Saul and many people would ask the question, “Why didn’t God kill Saul?” That is a good question, but the answer is even better. God didn’t kill him because God had a better plan.

We know Saul today as Saul of Tarsus, but he is also known as Saint Paul. Now you might complain that nothing I have said so far would qualify this man as a saint, and you would be correct. Up to this point, Saul was an evil terrorist who was working against God and His plan to spread the Gospel and bring salvation to the world. You might think that it would take a miracle to change a terrorist into a saint, and you would be absolutely correct, but God specializes in miracles, and that is exactly what happened.

Saul was on his way to Damascus, Syria to terrorize the Christians living there. As he traveled Jesus met him on the road and knocked him to the ground, and temporarily blinded him to get his attention. Jesus asked him, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul replied, “I don’t even know who you are.” Jesus responded, “I know. That’s the problem. I am Jesus of Nazareth, who you are persecuting.” Jesus told Saul to go to Damascus and wait there and he would be told what to do. Now Saul was frightened. He had thought he was serving God by bringing terror to Christians, but now he began to realize just how horribly wrong he was. He believed he only deserved to die because of his vicious, hateful, evil crimes, and he was correct. However Jesus didn’t kill him.

After a few days to let Saul think about what he had done, He sent Ananias to Saul to teach him about Jesus. Ananias wasn’t too happy about the mission. He had heard about the evil things that Saul had done to Christians, and he was afraid. God told him to go anyway, and because Ananias trusted in Jesus he went to Saul, even though he was afraid he was going to suffer because of it.

The first thing Ananias did was to say to Saul, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.” Immediately something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. Then he told Saul about Jesus. He told Saul that God is not only a God of rules and laws and fierce power and judgment, but God is a God of mercy, love, and forgiveness. Jesus is both God and man, and he shows us how much God loves us. Because of our sins, we all terrorized the Son of God to the point that He was unfairly murdered, but instead of paying us back in the same way, Jesus still loves us and forgives us and wants us to love him back. Saul was amazed by this message. He had never known that God was so kind and loving, but he knew it was true because he had met Jesus, and despite his vicious crimes, he was still alive. From that moment on, Saul dedicated his life to serving Jesus, and the change was nothing short of miraculous.

Instead of persecuting others, Saul was persecuted. Instead of imprisoning others, Saul was imprisoned. Instead of beating and torturing others, Saul was beaten, whipped, abused, and even had rocks thrown at him in an attempt to kill him. Yet through all this, Saul remained faithful to Christ and continued to preach and teach about Christ’s love and did not return the hatred with hatred. Saul endured much suffering to bring the good news of salvation to many people. He preached about the love of Jesus to everyone who would hear him, and also to some who would not listen.

Saul had learned about the true God and it changed his life in every way. God was a God of love and mercy and forgiveness, and Saul wanted to be just like God. God had spared his miserable life when he did not deserve to be saved, and Saul wanted everyone else to know how wonderful God is, but whereas early in his life when Saul didn’t care who suffered in the practice of his religion, after Saul knew Jesus it was Saul who endured suffering, and because of his witness and testimony many people also came to know the love of Jesus and were saved.

Jesus tells us to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Why and how should we do this? The life of St. Paul shows us exactly why and how. Jesus changed Paul’s life and because of it many more people learned about Jesus and were saved. God wants all people to be saved and there is no one who is so bad that Jesus cannot forgive them. The life of Paul shows that. If God can forgive a terrorist, then He can forgive anyone, especially you and me. Pray for your enemies, that God would show them the truth, and they would know His love, change their hateful ways, and be saved.

For further information on St. Paul’s life read the following: Acts 7:54-8:1, Acts 9:1-31, Acts 22:1-21, Galatians 1:11-24, First Timothy 1:12-17, Second Corinthians 11:22-33. Second Corinthians 12:1-10.

Why Can't I Have Cancer, Too?

Newsletter article for November 1999

© 1999 Rev. Paul A. Wolff

I read an interview this October in Bicycling Magazine featuring the winner of the Tour de France bicycle race, Lance Armstrong. You probably have heard of him. He is the Texan who two years ago was fighting for his life with testicular cancer which had spread to his lungs and to his brain. At the time the doctors thought they were being optimistic when they told him he had a twenty percent chance of surviving. Well, he not only survived the cancer, but he came back to win the toughest bicycle racing series in the world, and perhaps the most difficult athletic achievement in sports. Not only did he win the race, but he dominated the 2,400 mile race which was also the fastest Tour de France in history. Lance is an inspiration to all who are fighting cancer, and many others.

Lance was asked by the interviewer a question about his feelings about his cancer, and how it affected his life. He gave the astonishing reply that he owes his life to cancer, and that if he had a choice he would go through it all again. Now, perhaps like me, you are thinking, "He has got to be crazy." But, you know what? Lance Armstrong is not crazy. He simply learned how to put things in the proper perspective in his life.

This summer during the Tour de France I heard another interview with Lance Armstrong where he explained that very soon after he was diagnosed with cancer he accepted the reality of the cancer. He saw that there was a very good chance that he would not live very much longer, and if he did survive, he would lose everything that he had to pay his medical bills. He also accepted the fact that he would very likely never be able to return to the sport of cycling which he loved and had been very successful in competition. He knew that whether he lived or died he would lose everything, and he accepted it. In accepting that he would lose everything he had, everything he had worked for, and everything he was, he gained something much more valuable.

You know Lance Armstrong is someone special when you are reading an interview and you find yourself envying someone who was on the brink of death from cancer, which is still a vicious killer. As I was reading I thought to myself, "Why can’t I have cancer, too?"

Now I am not saying that I am dissatisfied with my life. I am quite happy with my life, and I thank God for perfect health. But I find that I usually take life for granted. In fact, I have a better record in Bicycling races than Lance Armstrong. I won the only bicycle race I was ever involved in. It was only a one mile sprint around Elizabeth Park in Trenton and I beat my best friend, and a guy we met who challenged us to a race. It’s a far cry from the Tour de France, and although I enjoyed the victory, I don’t believe that I would wish to go to the brink of death just to win the greatest Bicycle race in the world.

It wasn’t cancer which made Lance Armstrong into a great bicycling racer (although the 20 lbs. he lost during chemotherapy probably helped him in the mountain climbing stages), but dealing with cancer helped Lance appreciate the victory more. When the full extent of his cancer was known he could hardly have expected to be alive this year, much less the winner of the Tour de France, and a hero to bicyclists and cancer victims worldwide. When Lance accepted that because of cancer he would lose everything he had, everything he has now is a gift from God. If God had let the cancer have its way Lance wouldn’t be married, he wouldn’t be a new father, and he wouldn’t be alive, much less a worldwide hero as the winner of the Tour de France. All that he has accomplished since his cancer is a gift from God.

St. Paul had a similar attitude when he wrote to the Church in Philippi. In Philippians 3:7-9 St. Paul writes, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

St. Paul’s situation was a little different from Lance Armstrong’s, although his attitude is similar. Paul had been persecuting Christians because he believed that they were against God. When Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and told him otherwise, Paul immediately began to follow Jesus and soon became one of the greatest apostles. Before he became a Christian, Paul was headed down a path which was headed toward destruction because he was opposing Christ. So it is no wonder that after he found salvation in Christ he considered all his previous accomplishments to be not only worthless, but harmful.

In his life before knowing Christ, St. Paul was on the fast track to success. He had accomplished great things in his life, and he was making a name for himself. But when Paul met Jesus on the way to Damascus he quickly gave up all his former accomplishments, and all the glory that he was gaining for himself, and he began to serve Christ. The gifts that Christ gives his followers are so much greater than what the world has to offer that St. Paul calls all his former accomplishments "rubbish."

St. Paul shares Lance Armstrong’s sentiments when he writes in Phil. 3:10-11, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." St. Paul is eager to share in suffering as a follower of Christ because he knows that the riches that Christ gives are worth any kind of suffering. This is the same sentiment of the apostles in Acts 5:41 where they left the court "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name [of Jesus]."

No matter how good you are at whatever you do, you cannot overcome death. No one can. Only Jesus Christ can overcome death, and through faith in Jesus we share in both His death and resurrection. This is a gift from Jesus. It is very similar to the gift that Lance Armstrong received. Lance thought he was going to die, but not only did he live, but his strength was returned and he went on to win the greatest bicycle race in the world, and all the glory and honor that goes with that accomplishment. By all rights Lance should be dead by now, instead he is a worldwide hero. But then, by all rights we should be dead by now because of our sins, but Jesus Christ has rescued us from sin and death and has promised us salvation, glory, and honor. It is a precious gift.

I believe that it is the realization of this gift which makes Lance Armstrong say, "I owe my life to cancer." If he had won the Tour de France before he got cancer he would have taken pride in himself and would have put his priorities in the wrong place. Now he can appreciate the victory and all that life has to offer for what it is, a wonderful gift from God. My dear friends in Christ let us learn a lesson from Lance Armstrong. Let’s remember that all that we have is a gift from God: our possessions, career, family, even life itself are all gifts from God. If we accomplish anything it is by God’s grace. May this cause all of us to give thanks to God every day for His loving kindness, especially for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. For through His death we died, and through His resurrection we live both now and forever. Praise God! Amen.

How to Read the Bible

Newsletter article for August 1997

© 1997 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Regular Bible study, or just plain reading Holy Scripture is an important part of the life of any Christian. Here are some steps which I hope can give you some guidance and encouragement to help you grow spiritually in your study of Scripture.

Begin with Prayer

Since you intend to “Listen” to God’s Word, by reading the Bible, it only makes sense that you would speak to Him first. One helpful prayer might ask God to help you understand what you read, and that through your study your faith may be strengthened.

Read the Bible.

I apologize for stating what should be obvious, but many times we overlook what is obvious. In order to grow in our faith, and grow in our knowledge of Scripture we need to read the Bible. Books and articles about the Bible can help us in our study and understanding, but only after we have read the Bible in the first place, and have accumulated a list of questions about things we didn’t understand, or issues which need further explanation. Other devotional material and books about the Bible should never replace studying the Bible itself, but may be used along with regular Bible study to aid in our understanding.

Use a Version that You can Understand.

It is important to remember that the Holy Bible is a translation of languages which are foreign to us. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Greek, and even the best translation can be hard to understand when it talks about things which are foreign to us. The King James Version (KJV) has been the standard English translation of the Bible for hundreds of years. It is very faithful to the Hebrew and Greek texts. It is also very poetic and beautiful to read. The trouble with the KJV is that it was presented to King James I of England in 1611. The English language has changed somewhat during the past 386 years. It hasn’t changed so much that we can’t understand the KJV (or other contemporary English works, such as William Shakespeare’s works), but the language has changed enough to make it a struggle to understand the KJV.

I believe that many people who find it difficult to understand the Bible will be less likely to spend time studying it. This is not to say that struggling to understand the Bible is bad. Actually, any study of Holy Scripture will involve some struggling to understand what the text is talking about, no matter what translation you use. However, my goal is to encourage you to read the Bible more, and if one translation is a barrier to Bible study, then you are better off using a different translation.

The New International Version (NIV) is the version we use in Worship at St. Timothy. It is relatively easy to read, and is a reasonably accurate translation. However there are a number of other translations which are fine also, (including one called the New King James Version).

I would caution against using versions such as the Living Bible, the New World Bible, and any version which is “Gender Neutral”. These are not really translations of any known ancient Biblical manuscripts, but are paraphrases of English translations. These may be acceptable for some personal devotions, but for serious study I would avoid them. Since they are not translations they are not always faithful to the original text, and the authors may have their own agenda which in some instances contradicts what the Holy Spirit gave the Biblical writers to write.

Listen to the Bible on Tape.

You can purchase the Bible on cassette tape. This way you can listen to it in your car on your way to and from work, or at home when you are washing the dishes, or doing housework. The Bible on tape is particularly helpful if you have trouble reading (if you know someone like this you may have to tell them about this article), or have vision problems.

The Bible is about Jesus.

This may also seem to be obvious, but it is important. It was this point (and all of its implications) which led Martin Luther to begin the Reformation in 1517. The whole Bible (including the Old Testament) points to Jesus Christ as our only savior from sin. This is what the Bible is about, nothing more, nothing less. This is important because how you approach Scripture affects how you understand it. The only way the Bible makes any sense is if you see it as being about Jesus Christ and what He has done to save you and me from our sins.

If you were to view the Bible as just a book of rules to show you how to live a decent life, then some passages make no sense: “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10) and “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) More importantly if you view the Bible this way, Jesus’ death makes no sense because he kept the Law perfectly and didn’t deserve to die.

There are Two Main Teachings in the Bible.

This point is related to the previous point. In order to understand what the Bible is teaching us we need to know that there are only two main teachings in the Bible. Every passage in Scripture falls into one of these two categories (although some passages are harder to distinguish than others). Those teachings are Law and Gospel. The Law tells us what we ought to do and not do, shows us that we haven’t done what we ought to do, and condemns us for being sinners. Now, this sounds as if the law were a terrible thing, and if the Bible were just a book of laws, then we would have no hope. But the Law is part of God’s Word, and it is good and useful because it shows us that we need a savior. This leads us to the Gospel. The Gospel tells us what God has done to save us from the condemnation of our sins. The Gospel is about Jesus Christ, alone. The Gospel shows us that the only way we can be saved from our sin is by God’s grace through Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Gospel also tells us that God offers this salvation to all people for free. We don’t have to do anything to earn it (that would be Law). Both Law and Gospel are found throughout the Old and New Testaments, sometimes within the same verse (see Romans 6:23). We need both the Law and the Gospel, and they work together to bring us the salvation of Christ. As we read the Bible, we should distinguish between Law and Gospel, and not confuse them.

Ask Questions, then Seek the Answer.

As you read the Bible you are bound to find some passages which you don’t understand, or which seem to contradict another passage in scripture, or which contradicts something you thought Scripture said. This is unavoidable, and it can be somewhat troubling for a new Christian, or for someone who isn’t used to studying Scripture. The first thing to do when this happens is to pray. Ask God to help you understand His Word. Then see if you can find another passage in Scripture which answers or explains your question. A helpful tool for interpreting the Bible is the maxim: “Let Scripture interpret Scripture”. The Bible is God’s Word, and he wants us to know him and understand what He has done for our Salvation, although he does make us struggle to understand from time to time.

It is also helpful to use other Christians as resources. Ask someone else if they can answer your question. Other Christians may have struggled over that question before, and found an explanation or answer. Also, don’t be discouraged if you go to the pastor first, and he can’t answer the question. He doesn’t know everything (even if he has spent many years in the ministry), and some questions just can’t be answered by anyone.

Make Bible Study a Habit.

There are good habits, and there are bad habits. Habitual Bible study is a good habit, unless you use it as an excuse to neglect your family obligations, or your own personal care. Regular Bible study is a hard habit to get into because the devil tries very hard to keep you away from it. Satan works hard to give you distractions, and to make other time-consuming activities seem more important, so that you don’t feel as if you have time for Bible study. It is hard work to resist these temptations and to make time for Bible study, but the rewards are a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s love, and for all that Jesus has done to save you.

May God bless you and help you grow through your study of Holy Scripture.

Religious Freedom is a Threat to Christianity

Newsletter article for May 1997

© 1997 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

Early in April an article in the newspaper attracted my interest. The headline read: “Religious freedom kills Christianity among Japanese.” The article told about the history of Christianity in Japan. Saint Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan in 1549 and the message flourished. By 1600 there were at least 300,000 Christians in Japan. Shortly afterward, Japanese general Hideyoshi banned Christianity and began a fierce repression. Until the 1850’s it was widely believed that the Christian faith had died in Japan, but then a French Priest found a group of Japanese Christians. There were as many as 50,000 people who were secretly Christian. Generations of Japanese people were “Hidden Christians” and had kept the faith alive from the 16th century to the 19th century despite persecution.

However, the present day descendants of those “Hidden Christians” say that although their ancestors were able to remain faithful through centuries of active antagonism and persecution, there is a new threat which is turning the next generation away from Christ. That threat is religious freedom.

It may be difficult for us to see religious freedom as a threat to Christianity. Many of our predecessors in this country came here to escape persecution so that they could worship God freely and openly. The Christian church has had its ups and downs in the past two centuries, but for most of the 20th century Christianity has been overwhelmingly popular in America. However, we face the same threat that the Japanese Christians face.

It seems ironic that a faith that could last hundreds of years of persecution might not survive religious freedom and tolerance, but that is often how it works. The country in Asia where Christianity is growing the fastest is China and Christianity is still banned in China. History tells us that during the persecution of Christians in the first few centuries after Christ, the church grew exponentially. Much of the growth of the early church did not occur despite the persecution. The church grew because of the persecution! Or rather, the church grew because of what the martyrs believed in (i.e. Jesus Christ).

It worked something like this: because the martyrs were willing to suffer and die for their faith in Jesus that showed other people that there was something special about Jesus Christ that made people willing (and even eager) to die for his name. When these observers tried to find out what was so special about Jesus, they heard about God’s grace and love for all people, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life through Jesus. Thus many people were converted and the church grew throughout the time of persecution.

There are no lukewarm Christians during times of persecution. If Jesus doesn’t mean that much to you, or if you are not absolutely sure of the resurrection from the dead, then you are not going to risk your life proclaiming your faith. However, if you are convinced of your salvation, and agree with St. Paul that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18) then no threat of punishment, or even death, will cause you to lose your faith. Also by your witness, others will see the truth of Jesus and will be converted.

The word “martyr” comes from a Greek word meaning “witness”. When the martyrs were killed for their faith in Christ, they were acting as witnesses. A witness testifies about what he or she has seen, or knows. A Christian testifies that Jesus loves us at all times, and that he saved us from our sin so that we will have eternal life.

So what does religious freedom have to do with this? We usually see religious freedom as a guarantee that we can worship Christ without harassment. However, even in our society we can see signs that such freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Any anti-Christian preacher, or false prophet can start his own “religion” and he is free to lead as many people to their destruction as he is able. And he has the full protection of the law up to the point where he breaks the law in any way. This was tragically shown by the recent “Heaven’s Gate” cult earlier this year. The leader of that cult could tell as many lies that his evil mind could imagine, but he was protected by the law until he started murdering his followers.

But it isn’t only cults that threaten people’s faith, it’s also our secular society. With the religious freedom that we have we are bombarded on many sides by pressures to take our Christian faith for granted. The outward freedoms that we enjoy cleverly conceal the fact that there is a real battle going on. Satan didn’t go on vacation just because we are able to freely worship Christ. Instead, Satan uses more subtle means to make us complacent in our faith, as he tries to lead us away from Jesus. We can see that Satan is at work when, after the mass suicide in San Deigo left 39 people dead, there are still people thinking that there may have been some truth in what that cult was teaching. We saw these people on the television news shows.

There are countless ways that we are tempted to turn away from Jesus. If we let it, our job might pressure us to take over the time we would otherwise devote to worshipping God. Our hobbies or special interests could also interfere with Sunday worship. Even our family could lead us away from Christ. And over all of this is the temptation to deal with people in a selfish way, rather than in a loving way that Christ has called us to do. St. Paul encourages us in Philippians 2:3 to “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

So what is the meaning of all this? If the real key to church growth is persecution, then should we pray for persecution, or actively seek it out? No, even in the early church those who ran forward and offered themselves for martyrdom were called “spontaneous martyrs” and were considered to be false martyrs. Martyrdom was considered to be a special gift that God granted to certain people under extreme circumstances. No Christian wants to die, because this life is a gift from God, and we should not take it lightly. However, this life isn’t all there is, and there are more important things than life. Our faith in Jesus is more important than life because we know that the life that we have in Jesus is eternal, so that even if we lose our life for Jesus’ sake we know that we really haven’t lost anything because Christ Jesus will give us so much more in the life to come.

Don’t take your faith for granted. There are people suffering every day for their faith, and you never know when it will happen to you. No matter what happens in your life, you don’t want to be caught unprepared. But don’t be afraid about what might happen to you in your life. God is watching over you and will take care of you. “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! ... Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:27-28, 32)

Witnessing - One Person at a Time

Newsletter article for February 1997

© 1997 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

The new year is already one month old. I wonder how many resolutions have been kept. I don’t make New Year resolutions myself. It’s not that I’m perfect and don’t need some self improvement (far from it), but I recognize the futility of the exercise.

Nevertheless, I do have some goals for the year. It is my wish that this congregation would grow in their Christian faith through worship and Bible study. It is also my goal that the members of this congregation will also grow in their willingness and ability to witness their faith in Jesus Christ.

I learned a good lesson about witnessing during my time at Concordia Seminary. It is true that I took Evangelism and Missions classes, but the event which I am describing occurred after classes. I was the editor of the campus newspaper, and it was my job to report on what was happening on the campus. The Seminary campus can sometimes be a busy place, and October 10, 1993 was just such a night. There were baseball playoffs on TV, a piano recital in the auditorium, and a lecture on missions to Muslims in a conference room.

I wanted to get someone to report on the lecture because I thought it would be an interesting and useful topic for future pastors. However, everyone was busy that evening, and no one who I asked was willing to report on this lecture, but because the editor wanted the story, the task fell to him to do himself. I didn’t want to do it because I had already assigned myself two other articles for the following issue, and because I wanted to do other homework that evening.

There were only five people at the lecture. The lecturer was Dr. Luther Meinzen, a retired missionary to India. Also in attendance was Dr. Meinzen’s father (who at the time was 95 years old, and still had an iron grip when he shook my hand). Professor Harley Kopitske and his wife were also there, along with one seminary student (me).

Dr. Meinzen’s presentation wouldn’t have taken place if the student hadn’t been there. The Kopitske’s didn’t need to know about foreign missions because they spent many years as missionaries in New Guinea. Rev. Meinzen (the elder) didn’t need to hear the lecture because he began his mission work in 1920 in India and was a missionary there for 37 years (his son followed in his footsteps). But because one student showed up, Dr. Meinzen (the younger) was glad to spend an hour talking about missions to Muslims.

In witnessing to Muslims, it is important to emphasize the caring aspect of your Christian faith. Take the time to get to know the people you are dealing with so that you can be an effective witness. Muslim people are just as diverse as Christian people, so it pays to find out where they are coming from. It is somewhat ironic that those who are less indoctrinated in Islamic theology are usually the most rigid and uncompromising. Those who are more educated are often more open minded and willing to listen to what you have to say. It is also important for you to be willing to listen to what they have to say.

Dr. Meinzen suggested that argumentation is not the way to witness the Christian faith. You should show an openness to find out what they believe in. It is important to remember that in general, Muslims are very righteous people. Since there is no separation between Church and State in Islam, the Islamic rules of conduct are strictly enforced in many countries. Dr. Meinzen said, “People compare the best in Christianity with the worst in Islam, but that’s not the approach of Christ. ‘Do unto others as you would have them do to you’ is the law of love.” Christ didn’t stereotype people, or prejudge them, but he talked with all kinds of people, ate dinner at their houses, and took care of their needs through healings and the like.

“There’s a Tamil proverb,” says Dr. Meinzen: “You can’t dry the tears of your baby without getting your hands wet.” That is also how good witnessing works, where you get so close to a person that you get your own hands wet when the person is sorrowful. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He got so close to us that he became one of us when he was born of Mary in Bethlehem. Jesus ate with sinners, and tax collectors, and he died on a cross to take away our tears forever.

At the lecture, Dr. Meinzen gave an example of this hospitable kind of witnessing. A few years ago the campus pastor of Kent State University invited a Muslim doctor to speak to his Bible class about Islam. The pastor instructed the class to be polite and to listen to what he had to say, and not argue or put him down for his beliefs. A short time later the doctor invited the pastor to the Islamic Student association on campus to tell them about Christianity. This was an unexpected, but welcome opportunity to share the Gospel with Muslim people from several nations.

That is how missions work, and in some ways witnessing your faith is like Dr. Meinzen’s presentation, best when done on a one to one basis. You may be reluctant at first, but it can be very rewarding.