The Riddle of Epicurus

Acts 17 introduces an interesting group of people to our teaching series, The Jesus Story… Continued! The group is called the ‘Epicurean philosophers.’ Most Americans, though heavily influenced by his thought, have never heard the title Epicurean Philosophers. Much of how life is lived by 21st century Americans carries amazing similarities to the teachings of Epicurus.

Epicurus lived 300 years before the time of Jesus. He was a philosopher, teacher and a prolific writer, though most of his writings were destroyed. He established a learning center where his philosophy was passed down. At the end of his life he willed this school to one of his students and set-up an endowment to continue educating and training others in his philosophy.

Over the last 15 years people have wrestled with and written about what is referred to as ‘The Riddle of Epicurus.’ The Riddle of Epicurus is older than the writings of Jesus. The Riddle of Epicurus is one of the oldest statements about the issue of the ‘problem of evil.’ Googling ‘The Riddle of Epicurus’ results in over 650,000 websites. The Riddle has been written about in books, magazines, blogs, and textbooks positively, negatively and ponderously. The Riddle is used more and more as part of an argument for the rejection of the God of Christianity and the Bible. It has received significant press over the last few years by published authors and arm-chair bloggers. The Riddle can be found in various different forms by different bloggers and writers.

The Riddle of Epicurus goes like this:
Is god willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. (All Powerful)
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. (Not Loving)
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him god?

Because this riddle was unable to be solved by Epicurus, his students or teachers he concluded that if there is a god or gods, they are not involved in life on this planet.

Do these arguments sound vaguely familiar? Have you heard some form of this idea before?

More and more people process life this way: If there is something I can’t see, I don’t understand or a question I can’t answer, then it must not be real.

This is the ultimate statement of man claiming there is no god because he himself is not god who would be able to see everything, understand everything and can answer everything.

The truth of life has been stated another way. “There are two things I know: There is a God and you are not Him!”

There is a God and I’m not him!

Happy Father’s Day!

When I pray for fathers, families and children in the church and community, I regularly pray the last verse from the book of Malachi. Malachi was the last prophet to speak in the years before Jesus came to earth. A prophet is someone who speaks on God’s behalf. The words of Malachi were the last words that the children of Israel would hear for 400 years. So the last words of the last prophet are significant. The last words of the last prophet mean something today!

His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:6 NLT)

Turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. That is God’s desire for Father’s Day. Father’s Day is not just about honoring fathers. Father’s Day is about fathers being reminded of the call to serve and lead their children and families. Father’s Day is about emphasizing to children how important fathers are.

NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon describes being a father like this: “I had no idea of the real true purpose of everything I do until I became a father.” Driven by Ambition

Former Mariners star Alex Rodriguez said it this way: “Dad left us when I was 9. What did I know back then? I thought he was coming back. I thought he had gone to the store or something. But he never came back… It still hurts.” Would Rodriguez have made different choices than some of the poor ones he’s made if Dad had never left?

The importance of Dads is found in the words of the poem, “The Little Chap Who Follows Me.” Google it!

A careful man I ought to be; A little fellow follows me; I do not dare to go astray; For fear he'll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes; Whatever he sees me do he tries~ Like me, he says, he's going to be; The little chap who follows me.

Happy Father’s Day!

Get a hold of yourself!

A few weeks ago I commented about how character has been taking a bashing of late. Every day the news gets more bizarre as the stories of well known people’s behavior is unraveled for the world to see.

The one area of character that is taking the hardest bashing is self-control. It is apparent that there is a serious lack of self-control throughout the corners of the globe. Self-control is an interesting idea. The word that is used in the original language actually means ‘to grip or to take hold of.’ The idea is ‘to grip self or take hold of self.’ We use a phrase with those words. We say to someone who is out of control: Get a hold of yourself!

Does ‘self’ control what you do or do you control ‘self’? Self-control is about controlling self. When we don’t control self – we are rightly accused of being ‘selfish.’ Selfishness is when ‘me’ is in control. Everything is me, me, me!

Self-control is when self is being controlled. Jesus said that His followers needed to ‘die daily.’ Die to what? Die to self. Die to me. The only thing that will put an end to selfishness or me-ishness is death. Dead people can’t demand that their wants get met.

Philosopher, writer and teacher Aristotle once said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.”

Fortunately ‘self-control’ is not something I have to create or pull out of a hat. Self-control is a character strength and trait that the Holy Spirit wants to create in every life. Paul wrote to the church in Galatia saying: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, … and self-control.

The Holy Spirit wants to, is waiting to, and will, when given access, create the fruit of self-control in a person’s life.

Your assignment – Pray every day: Holy Spirit create the fruit of self-control in my life. Amen

Accountability - Place or Replace

Over the last 10 years of church history ‘accountability’ has become a regular part of the vocabulary of people’s lives. People talk about being ‘in an accountability group’ or ‘having an accountability partner.’ You might overhear others talk about ‘being held accountable.’ Regularly, here at South Whidbey Assembly, when helping someone break a habit or some life controlling practice, we will utilize the strength of accountability.

Accountability is an interesting practice. I might recruit someone to ‘hold me accountable’ for how I am doing in my spiritual disciplines of praying, reading, fasting, meditating, giving and so on. It is a great thought that someone would ‘hold me accountable.’ The problem is that someone else can only hold me accountable when two conditions are in operation. Condition number one is that I give full permission to and cooperate with the one holding me accountable. Condition number two is that I am brutally honest when I don’t do what I am seeking the accountability for. Both conditions are totally controlled by me! When accountability fails to work – this is most often the point of the breakdown.

One of the understandings that I have recently come to is that accountability has a place but it is not meant to replace. Let me explain.

The place for accountability is to help me, support me and coach me while CHARACTER is being formed in my life. Accountability is meant to be the supports holding up a particular wall while adjacent character walls and character structures are put into place.

Accountability is not meant to replace character creation, growth or development. When accountability hinders character creation, the person is weakened and not strengthened. When accountability becomes a replacement rather than having a simple place, the person fails to move forward as is intended.

Ultimately, the character of Jesus in us is what is to guide our choices, habits and practices - not accountability.

The bottom line question has to always be: Is the character of Jesus being formed in me?

Convenient or Inconvenient Love

Most of us have people in our relationship world that are pretty easy to love. We enjoy spending time with them and they enjoy our company. We are rewarded emotionally when we serving them. We often think like them and have similar values. It doesn’t take much to love them. There is very little emotional displacement in our lives. If every connection in our relationship world were this kind of connection life would be less stressful. Convenient would describe these relationships.

On the other hand, we all have people in our relationship world that are more difficult to love. Spending time in these relationships is draining. Serving them takes an emotional toll on us. They make think different than us. They may have different values. Loving in these connects displaces huge amounts of emotion. The love needed in these relationships could be described as inconvenient.

Jesus talked about convenient and inconvenient love.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:46-48 (NIV)

Jesus’ idea of being perfect is not what most of us think. Being perfect is often thought of as ‘moral’ perfection. Living an upright life is important. Living an upright life is desirable. Being perfect though is about loving when it is inconvenient to love. Jesus said that loving only when it is convenient ultimately has no reward.

Truly loving happens when we allow the emotional displacement and allow our lives to be inconvenienced for the benefit and welfare of others. Truly loving is when time is displaced, money is displaced, and emotions are displaced.

Love is really only love, not when it is convenient, but when it is inconvenient.

What Kind of Shadow does Your Character Cast?

If you follow the news even a little bit you are aware that this week has given us a semester’s worth of lessons on what it looks like to be lacking in CHARACTER.

• The head of the International Monetary Fund, and the man likely to have become the next President of France, was arrested for inappropriate actions towards a hotel worker.

• Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed a child that was born to a domestic worker over a decade ago. His marriage is over.

• For $200 a British woman lied about having injected her 8 year old daughter with Botox. The story made international news.

• 2004 Olympic Gold Medal cyclist, Tyler Hamilton, returned his Gold Medal, having admitted that he had been using performance enhancing drugs.

It is easy to pick out character deficiencies in others – but what about in my own life? Seeing, or not seeing, character deficiencies in my own life is like looking at my own hairdo in the mirror. At best I only partially know what my hairdo looks like. I only see a portion of my hairdo unless I use two or three mirrors – I can’t see it all. The front of my hair can be pristine while the back of my head looks like it was hit by a storm.

‘Character’ is very similar. The temptation is to look as good as we can to people. From the front the character looks good. From the side things don’t look so good. From the back the response is “Wow!” “I didn’t see that coming!”

The US Air Force defines character a, "Qualities of moral excellence which compel a person to do the right things despite pressure or temptations to the contrary."

Character is described as a ‘complex mix of attributes that make-up and determine a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions.’

President Abraham Lincoln said character is the tree and reputation is the shadow.

What does your character really look like? What kind of shadow does your character cast?

Jesus, develop the righteous character produced by Jesus Christ! (Philippians 1:11)

The Lions are Hunting

I have been in a number of conversations over the last few weeks where the discussion has been about the craziness of the world we are living in.

The pressures that people are feeling right now from the world situation, the national situation and the economic situation are significant and are taking their toll on people.

I wish that was all that was happening though! It is not.
•Parents are struggling with the pressures their children are under.
•Married couples are struggling to keep their relationships together and growing.
•Pornography is damaging men and women, married and single, young and old.
•Singles are struggling with loneliness and the pressures of a promiscuous culture.

Everything that is happening reminds me of a verse written by the Apostle Peter:
Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow. (1 Peter 5:8 NIrV)

It is interesting that Peter uses a lion as a picture of the attacker. Lions are great hunters. There are some interesting facts that make the picture of a lion especially apropos to the struggles of life.

Lions are not the fastest of animals. They are actually slower than most of the prey they eat. They are sneaky though. They will sneak up on a ‘wildebeest’ and then pounce in a final burst of speed. They are also experts at waiting until the prey needs something like water or shade and then hunting them in their moment of need. They also rely on the forgetfulness of the prey. It is not unusual for a herd of ‘gazelle’ to be chased and one to be caught and eaten while the rest of the herd goes back to business as usual. Within a short time the whole episode starts again as if the herd of ‘gazelle’ were taken by surprise. Lions also hunt in a group. The prey gets distracted by one lion, only to be caught by another.

Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Don’t be snuck up on. Be ready when you have a need. Don’t forget how the enemy works – he’s relying on a person’s forgetfulness! Be on your guard when the lion is trying to get you in one area another lion might strike!

Don’t Wait – Start the Change Today!

Just recently I heard someone say that people change for three reasons:
1. When they hurt enough that they have to change something.
2. When they learn enough that they want to change something.
3. When they receive enough that they are able to change something.

Why? Why does it have to be that way?

It is unfortunate that we humans find it so hard to break out of habits and patterns that keep us stuck where we are. It would be best if, when we hurt a little, we would change. It would be best if, when we learn a little, we would change. It would be best if, when we receive a little, we would change. Unfortunately that is not the way it is.

We are slow to change and often require lots of hurt before even attempting to change. John Maxwell says it this way: “People change when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.” Couldn’t we change a little quicker?

My encouragement to you would be to start today. Don’t wait for more pain. Don’t wait for more learning. Don’t wait until you think that you have enough to be able to change. Start the change now.

Pray for change. Pray some more for change. Pray for you to change. Pray for wisdom to change. Pray for the strength to change. Pray for the courage to change. Make a plan.

Don’t wait for more pain. Don’t wait for more learning. Don’t wait for more tools. Start today!

The Resurrection is more than a story... Part 3 of 3

What was the resurrected Jesus like? Jesus’ resurrection body had “flesh and bones.” He was not a ghost. The disciples were able to recognize Him and to touch Him. He spoke with them.

But could they all have been having a group hallucination? No, because the disciples were not the only ones who saw and touched Jesus. Paul makes a long list of people who claimed to have seen the risen Christ personally, and notes that “most of them are still living” (1 Corinthians 15:6).

Moreover, there has to be some explanation for how the cowardly group of disciples was transformed into a group of leaders. Many of them went on to live sacrificial lives, and were killed for teaching that Jesus had been resurrected.

Jesus had risen, just as He told them He would. After a criminal does his time in jail and fully satisfies the sentence, the law no longer has a claim on the criminal, he walks out of jail free.

Jesus Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. The sentence upon him was an infinite sentence because of the infinite nature of man’s sin. He must have satisfied the sentence fully because on Easter Sunday He walked out of prison free. The resurrection was God’s way of stamping PAID IN FULL right across history so that nobody could miss it. The sentence was fulfilled. The penalty was paid. ------- Adapted from: King's Cross by Timothy Keller © 2011.

The Resurrection is more than a story... Part 2 of 3

The resurrection was inconceivable for the first disciples. It was as impossible for them to believe, as it is for many of us today. Granted, their reasons would have been different from ours. The Greeks did not believe in resurrection. In the Greek worldview, the afterlife was liberation of the soul from the body. According to the Greek worldview the resurrection would never be part of life after death.

As for the Jews, some of them believed in a future general resurrection when the entire world would be renewed, but they had no concept of an individual rising from the dead. The people of Jesus’ day were not predisposed to believe in resurrection any more than we are.

Celsus, a Greek philosopher who lived in the second century A.D., was highly antagonistic to Christianity and wrote a number of works listing arguments against it. One of the arguments he believed most telling went like this: Christianity can’t be true, because the written accounts of the resurrection are based on the testimony of women—and we all know women are hysterical. Many of Celsus’ readers agreed; for them, the fact that the witnesses were women was a major problem. In ancient societies women were marginalized, and the testimony of women was never given legal credence.

Do you see what that means? If Mark and the Christians were making up these stories to get their movement off the ground, they would never have written women into the story as the first eyewitnesses to Jesus’ empty tomb. The only possible reason for the presence of women in these accounts is that they really were present and reported what they saw. The stone has been rolled away, the tomb is empty and an angel declares that Jesus is risen. ----- Adapted from: King's Cross by Timothy Keller © 2011. To be continued next week.