Faith Daily Workout
This is a favorite question of skeptics with an agenda. Recently, this question was directed to a Christian Minister on a television news program. The Minister hemmed and hawed, then answered something like, “We mortals can not hope to understand the mind of God.” What kind of an answer is that? The Lord at one point during His ministry responded to a religious leader who attempted to trap him into error by quoting the scriptures. Jesus rebuked the religious leader and explained to him that he neither knew the scriptures nor did he understand them. Then, Jesus went on to explain the scriptures to the man.
Why would a compassionate all powerful God allow horrible things to happen to good people? What about the Virginia Tech shootings where so many young people were killed by a deranged man? Well first of all God did not have anything to do with it. It was a deranged man filled with a lust for self-importance that killed those people. But God, all knowing, all compassionate, did not stop him. Why? Phrase the question another way. God, all knowing, all powerful, all compassionate, did not take away the man’s free will. Why? Because God gave all men and all women free will. God does not say something today and then tomorrow change his mind. God does not say something today and then next week change his mind. God does not say something today and then ten thousand years from now change his mind. God’s Word is the glue that holds creation together. God’s Word does not change.
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” Genesis 2: 28
God created the earth and turned it over to mankind and womankind and their descendents forever. He gave us free will. Everything is possible to us. Every evil and every good thing is possible to men and women. We can choose God or reject Him. We can obey God’s commandments or not obey them. The choice is ours.
But, God did not just give us this great gift and leave us to our own devices. He also gave us His Word. There are thirty-nine books in the Old Testament and twenty-seven books in the New Testament. There are nine hundred and fifty-six pages of His Word in the King James Version of the bible. He gave us a guidebook for life. He also gave us the ministry of the Prophets and he gave us the ministry of the Messiah. He gave us the example of Jesus Christ who overcame the world and conquered death.
We can study His Word and develop faith muscles that will move mountains. Or not. But, God does not change His mind and He will not take free will away from mankind. Therefore, unless all men and women repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, evil men and women will unfortunately continue to use their gift of a free will in perverse ways and they will continue to do horrible things to good people.
Faith For Tomorrow
Where are the monuments to William J. Seymour?
In 1906 William J. Seymour was 35 years old when he accepted an invitation to preach to a small mostly African American congregation in Los Angeles, California. He ended up his stay in Los Angeles preaching from the front porch of a small house located at 214 North Bonnie Brae Avenue. The Holy Spirit fell over Pastor Seymour’s ministry and soon there were so many worshipers, including large numbers of whites, that they filled the block. The following is a quote from a Bonnie Brae resident at the time: “They shouted three days and three nights. It was Easter season. The people came from everywhere. By the next morning there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in they fell under God’s power; and the city was stirred. They shouted until the foundations of the house gave way, but no one was hurt.” Thousands of persons descended upon Los Angeles. Pastor Seymore and his supporters found a small building on Azusa Street and a revival broke out that was like no other. Men and women went to Azusa Street, waded through the crush of people, heard Pastor Seymour preach the love of Jesus Christ, and went out into the world to preach the good news. Newspapers of the day, including the Los Angeles Times, could not ignore what was happening on Azusa Street and sent reporters to the scene. The stories seemed to have dwelt to a great extent on the fact that people of all races were coming together to worship and they seemed to love each other and sometimes even hugged each other. The Los Angeles Times found the hugging to be disgraceful.
The revival lasted for approximately three years, then the Azusa Street location became home to a small Pentecostal congregation led by William J. Seymour for the rest of his life. He is buried in a nondescript grave in a cemetery in East Los Angeles. Not many people visit his grave.
William J. Seymour was the son of slaves, early in his life he lost an eye. He never became wealthy, never lived in a fine house. He lived and died modestly. But, the movement that began under his direction at Bonnie Brae and later at Azusa Street started a flow that became a great river of faith. Great ministries, like the Assemblies of God, were born. At Azusa Street, thousands heard God’s call. Today there are something like 500 million Pentecostals world wide.
There are no monuments to Williams J. Seymour anywhere in Los Angeles or anywhere else. There are no holidays in his name. He never received an honorary degree from a University. School children do not read about him in school. And that is as it should be for a faithful servant of God, because in heaven he sits to the right of Saul of Tarsus.
And behold, there are last which shall be first, and first which shall be last.
Luke 13:30