The Blind Beating the Blind

As you can tell from the heading, this is a pretty weird post and the title doesnt do it justice but it will surfice anyway.
I was listening to a sermon by John Piper on the life of Newton - the guy who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace" and a whole myriad of others.
During the sermon Piper made a commical, but applicable illustration!
He was speaking about the patience us Christians need to have with non christians, or with Christians who havent seen the truths we have been priviledged to see.

Remember the story of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46 who came to Jesus and was given sight?
Do you think it would have been fair of him to go around beating up the other blind people who kept walking into things simply because they could not picture the sights he described to them?
NO WAYS!
In the same way, we as christians must be patient and perservere with unsaved people and not be surprised when a "good" person does something you would consider wrong... they cannot see as we can see - our sight does not originate in us, it is a gift, and we can't be impatient with others who cannot see as we can see, but instead help them to find the Person who can open their eyes!

Sideline Critics

A talk Neil gave us at YP last friday has really got me thinking about this issue.
One thing that really stands out in my mind of my gran was how we would be all sitting in their lounge watching the cricket and she would be shaking her head and telling the batsman that if he would just hit the ball through the gap he would score runs, or if he would just hit a few sixes South Africa would win the game. She could not seem to understand why on earth they werent just hitting sixes! Of course none of us could persuade her otherwise.

This is a harmless example of something we are so prone to do in everyday life. We critisize others so easily and so often we are no better than they. What an oportunity to be different - not to join in when someone is being critisized and even to add something about that person which is good?
Things like these make an impression on people - evangalism isnt just about walking around with a Bible reading it to your friends, you can contribute in a small way which may result in something big happening!

Hope you think about it as much as I did
Antz

Christians and the Internet #1

Introduction:

Over the last little while I have been thinking a lot about the issues which face us as Christians living in the 21st century. About how we have adapted to the technology available and now take it for granted that we can talk to people hundreds of kilometres away at the touch of a few buttons. We have such a wealth of information available to us. Google as a search engine has around 3.083 billion web pages listed (and only around 10% of all web pages available are listed) and it is estimated that on average there are about 1 000 000 new static web pages being added the net every single day. That is a heck of a lot of information which is freely available for us to browse. However, not all of it is stuff which we should be filling our heads with and as Christian teens we need to be very careful and discerning about what we fill our minds with and the way we use the internet.

In the this post and the sequels which will follow, I plan to write about issues surrounding the internet and how I think we as Christian teens ought to live accordingly.

Well, before we look at the negatives and dangers of the internet we must acknowledge that this is a great source of information. I mean, what homework assignment can a teacher possibly give you that you cannot possibly find an answer to on the internet? Isn’t that great? The internet is possible the most useful tool a scholar can find – have you ever wondered what people did for finding answers before the internet was freely available? They would have had to traipse off to the library and spend hours pouring over books looking for the piece of info that they needed, upon which they would have to rewrite that article into their books!
What a schlep!
I’m not sure about you, but I certainly appreciate the ease with which we live life in the 21st century.

Not only is the internet useful for schoolwork, but there are many God-glorifying, edifying websites out there which we can actually use to learn about God and find answers to our questions about things written in God’s Word.
We can chat to friends, play games, read blogs, listen to podcasts, watch movies and so much more.

As Christians we cannot afford to “just do” anything, we should first think about it and put it under the microscope of the Bible to see if it lives up to the standards God has placed before us, because whether you are aware of it or not, there is stuff out there which can be really harmful to us, offensive to God, and downright illegal.

Ephesians 4:1 says: “therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”

Our calling is to: “walk before me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1) and so we should be more than willing to take radical action to truly live up to the name “Christian”

In the following articles I hope to discuss issues like the copyright law, Online relationships, Dangers on the internet, Managing your time etc. I don’t claim to know it all, but as a guy who spends a fair amount of time on the computer this is something which I have given a lot of thought recently and hope to share with you some of the conclusions I’ve reached.

The theme verse which I thought would be fitting for these articles is from Luke 12:48 “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”

In Him
Antz

I was kissed (tagged)

I was tagged...

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4 and write what it says.
- Gerhard's flat, but he felt as though he could go another week without closing his eyes.
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?
Computer screen, radio,lava-lamp
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Cant remember dont have TV
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
- 20:45
5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
- 20:50
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
- Jars of clay, toilet re-filling
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
- This afternoon, stuffing network cable into the roof
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
- My screen - duh
9. What are you wearing?
- PJ's and Bathrobe :)
10. Did you dream last night?
- Yes
11. When did you last laugh?
- 5 minutes ago... chatting
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
- A clock, a few pictures
13. Seen anything weird lately?
- Yes
14. What do you think of this quiz?
- Pretty sad
15. What is the last film you saw?
- Star Wars (The animated one)
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
- A nice car :)
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.
- My finger is swollen
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
- Replace Telkom!
19. Do you like to dance?
- No
20. Comment to George Bush:
- Good luck buddy!
21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
- Not sure... I'll cross that bridge when I get there
22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
- Give up with the names, will you?!
23. Would you ever consider living abroad?
- Maybe, but probably not.
24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate?
- "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master"
25. 3 people who must also do this quiz in THEIR blog
- Beth
- David

Lydia's Birthday!

Hey Lydia
Sweet 16!
Hope you have a good birthday, and a wonderful year!
I'm not gonna ask whether or not you've been kissed :)

Are we living in the matrix?

After looking at the title of this post I'm sure you're thinking "He's insane!". But before you write me off as a crazy, over-zealous Matrix fan hear me out a bit :)

For the sake of all of you who missed the point of the Matrix completely and for those of you who havent watched it at all I'll summarise the main gist of the story for you.

The Matrix is all based on the idea that what we percieve to be reality might not be as real as we think it is. He askes Neo how he would define "real". Morpheous then proceeds to tell Neo that if real is what we can see, feel and touch then "real" is just electrical signals interpreted by your brain.
Neo has been freed from a massive computer program or "game" which all people have been plugged into and are living out their lives in. This computer porogram is simply a "realistic" simulation of life on earth. However, people on earth are oblivious to this tiny piece of information.

The reason for this is also explained by Morpheous: in the early 21st century (where we are living today) humans marvelled at their creation of "AI" - Artificial Intelligence.
A whole race of machines and robots were programmed with AI. Predictably a war broke out between the two and the humans reasoned that the main source of power for the machines was solar-power and so we scorched the sky. The machines were then faced with a severe power problem.
But - the human body generates more bio-electricity than a 120volt battery and over 125000b.t.u. of body head... The machines had found all the energy they would ever need.
So they plugged all humans into a simulated reality while they "lived" on the energy produced by the fields of humans plugged into their system.

Their were some humans who were freed in the beginning by a certain person and shown the truth and they worked to free other minds enslaved by the system of the matrix.
Since it was a computer program, those who knew the truth could manipulate it to a certain extent, hence all the crazy fighting moves etc.

Now besides the allegorical value of the story, I think the concept holds some water. (Dont roll your eyes:) I do not believe that we are plugged into a computer program and that this life counts for nothing, but the concept that the Matrix raises does make you think about some of the fundimental truths we know about this life.

Firstly, and the most obvious one is that this life is not all there is... we exist on this earth for a higher purpose than just this life. If it were so we are to be pitied above all men. And further more it is our God-Given purpose to show the world the truth... we are enslaved by sin!

1Co 15:19 If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
(This means that if we only have hope in God for this life and after that we die to eternal death then we are sad people indeed)
Luk 18:30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life."
Joh 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
2Co 5:4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Secondly, we shouldnt fear in this world
Mat 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

And lastly we should not worry about our abilities or put trust in ourselves
Mat 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Mar 9:23 And Jesus said to him, "If you can! All things are possible for one who believes."
Joh 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

Prayer is the key!
Mar 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mat 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

So my encouragement to you is not for you to try to dodge bullets and learn kung fu moves, but to remember that this life is not all we live for and it is worth living for God's Glory now instead of for ourselves because our reward is great:
1Co 3:14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

Free will - does it exist?

This has always been something I've been interested in but my church (Brackenhurst Baptist) had been discussing election when I really started to seriously think about the issue of free will.

My dad, who is a pastor gave me a book called "A Primer on Free Will" by John H. Gerstner which really opened my eyes regarding this topic!

He starts the book like this...
"Dear reader, you have in your hands a booklet entitled A Primer on Free Will. I dont know you, but I know a good deal about you. One thing I know is that you did not pick up this book of your own free will. You have picked it up and have started to read it, and now continue to read it because you must do so. There is absolutely no possiblity, you being the kind of person you are that you would not be reading this book at this time.
Still, you have not already put down the little book in indignation. If you had, you would not have read that sentence. A few of you may smilingly know how right I am. But some of you are angry because you think that what I have said about you is foolish and absolutely false. You insist, "It was of my own free will that I picked up this book and am reading it now. And you, author are not telling the truth when you say it was otherwise and that I actually have to be reading this at the present moment." "

A ver interesting introduction I thought!
After reading the rest of this wonderfully written little book I came to the following conclusions:

There is no such thing as a "free" will in the true sense of the word...

Think about it for a moment
Free means totally uninfluenced by anything, unhindered and free of any boundaries whatsoever.
If you claim to have a FREE will than you can only be insane...
If you think carefully about it, every descision and every choice you make are in some way determined by other factors. Motives. Nothing you do is done without a reason.
We, being rational creatures act according to reason, we cannot function without it. Anyone who behaves as if they cannot reason is deemed to be a lunatic.
You absolutely HAVE to be reading this post (I'm not just being arrogant ) because your mind is a type of difference engine. You weighed up the pro's and con's of reading the blog and it seemed better to you to read the post than not to.
You might say now "I'll prove you wrong and stop reading right now", but if you study that carefully you find that the motive for stopping would be to prove me wrong and therefore your choice was based once again on a motive. If you decide to do something completely random like punch your screen, you motive would be that you wanted to do something random. So therefore our will will never be free in the true sense of the word.

You dont have completely free will because you cannot do everything you will yourself to do. You cant fly because your will is bound by laws like gravity etc.

But your will is free in a sense because your motives are based on your personality, morals etc. Therefore your descisions will be inclined a certain way - if you are a good person (saved) you will be inclined to choose to make the right descision because it seems good for you to do so. If you are a bad person you will inclined to choose to make the wrong descision because that will seem good to you.

So therefore we do have a freedom and can be held liable for sins and for good deeds, but our wills are certainly not free and are influenced by innumerable factors.

Dont you find comfort in God having control over our will though? Imagine if we were left to ourselves!!! I dont pretend to fully understand all of the issues surrounding free will, but I'm pretty convinced that we dont have free will and that God controls our destiny.

A preacher (cant remeber his name - might have been spurgeon) once put forward a brilliant allegory. He said that we are like an ant on a piece of paper and God directs us not by turning us (we arent robots) but by turning the paper...

And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Opening Comments

Hey... I never thought I'd get a blog, but hey - anything can happen!
I'll try to make this as interesting as possible for you guys but dont hold your breath for too long :)