n0klu's Rants

  Oct 26, 2021 at 1:00 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Persecution Complex Persecution Complex “…keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Peter 3:16 Scripture Focus: 1 Peter 3:13-17 Do some Christians face a soft form of persecution in our society? Most certainly. Maybe you are one of them. Christian business owners sometimes face fines for maintaining their values. Christian students are met with increased harassment and ridicule in schools and universities. Many who despise the gospel mock Christian claims of persecution (though actually there is a hint of truth in what is said). How should we respond? We have a responsibility to pray for our leaders, to advocate for justice, and to ask that the church be left in peace from government interference. All of this is good and proper. But frankly, we complain too much. We throw pity parties. This does not earn us sympathy from our unbelie...

  Oct 25, 2021 at 12:01 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Why Am I Afraid? Why Am I Afraid? “And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” Acts 8:1 Scripture Focus: Acts 8:1-8 You think we’re living through difficult days? Compare our time to that of the early church when a mob led by Saul of Tarsus murdered Stephen. A great persecution—perhaps the beginning of a genocide—was launched against the small body of new Jesus-followers. Imagine having to flee for your life with your family! We see many discouraging trends in our culture today. Families and communities are breaking down. Perverse practices are encouraged. Hostility toward Christians seems to be growing. Perhaps you feel a little like those early believers—running for your life. But notice where the early believers fled: to Judea and Samaria. In Acts 1 Jesus had promised t...

Oct 19, 2021 at 1:04 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     My Everyday Gods My Everyday Gods “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” Romans 1:22-23 Scripture Focus: Romans 1:18-23 Let’s be real—we all struggle with idolatry. Money, power, pleasure—even love and family can take the throne of our lives. As Tim Keller clearly (and painfully) shows in his book Counterfeit Gods, our idols are often not inherently evil. They are good things that we’ve made God things. We can detect idols by analyzing what we fear and what we dream about. One big idol many soldiers wrestle with is alcohol. And this often masks even deeper idols. Alcohol is not treated in Scripture as an evil in itself, but, like everything else, it can be put to evil use. Whether it’s alcohol or another idol, we must ask ourselves, “Am I treating this as a gift and giving glory to God? Or am I treat...

  Oct 18, 2021 at 12:28 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Trust Whom You believe Trust Whom You believe “Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 Scripture Focus: Mark 9:14-29 Probably 90% of my soldiers didn’t know the gospel. The other 10% struggled to embrace it on a day-to-day basis. I know I certainly did. While I might know Scripture and a host of theological truths, even a pastor struggles to embrace the very truths I confess and share. Can you relate to that? Some of us are better at explaining our God than experiencing Him. I can tell you that God has loved us from eternity past (Ephesians 1), yet many times I do not live as if I trust His love. I resist being vulnerable with God in prayer and in trusting that He will not let anything separate me from His love (Romans 8:28-39). But there is often a gap between what I believe to be true and what I truly believe. Here is a bond we share with our unbelieving friends. While...

  Oct 15, 2021 at 2:20 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     The Story To Stand On The Story To Stand On “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:25 Scripture Focus: Matthew 7:24-27 Do you have a worldview that can explain suffering and death? Asking that question is one way I can determine a soldier’s well-being. They often come to my office because they have no way to adequately process suffering in the past or present. The most important thing to ask about one’s religious claims is whether or not they’re true. But this truth is also manifested in whether or not they work. Can your religious claims lend true meaning and hope to the sufferer? Do they begin to address the familiar question, “How can a good God allow people to suffer?” As believers in Jesus Christ, we have the Rock on whom we can stand. No other religion or worldview can explain suffering, but we have...

  Oct 13, 2021 at 1:20 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     What Do I Believe What Do I Believe “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.” James 2:19 Scripture Focus: James 2:14-26 Two typical lines I hear from soldiers are, “Chaplain, I’m not religious,” and, “Don’t worry, Chaplain, I believe in God.” Both of these bring on important conversations. The first claim is simply not true. We all have an explanation for why the world is the way it is and how we’re to live as a result. We all worship at the altar of some deity, even if it’s ourselves. We are all “religious.” But the second claim is just as concerning. When soldiers tell me they “believe in God,” I start peppering them with questions. Who is this God? What is He like? How do you know Him? Usually, they have no answers. A spiritual-but-not-religious attitude is just as bad as the pretend atheism. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Are you rooted in a worldview consisting of clichés ...