Interview with Crucible of Faith Ministries - Spiritual Transformation

 

Here's my interview with Crucible of Faith Ministries.

2300 views.

Eight Reasons to Believe that God Exists

 

                                                                     (Monroe County)

 A long, long time ago Bill Craig (aka William Lane Craig) was one of my campus pastors at Northern Illinois University, where I did my undergraduate degree in philosophy. I was honored to sing in Bill and Jan's wedding. 

We were always talking about our faith, the existence of God, apologetics, metaethics, philosophical anthropology, and much more. It all got inside me, and has never left, but has been tended and watered and nurtured over the decades.

Here is Bill's essay in Philosophy Today where he gives eight reasons to believe God exists ("Does God Exist?"). Read the essay for the reasoning. 

They are:

1. God is the best explanation for why anything at all exists.
2. God is the best explanation of the origin of the universe.
3. God is the best explanation of the applicability of mathematics to the physical world.
4. God is the best explanation of the fine-tuning of the universe for intelligent life.
5. God is the best explanation of intentional states of consciousness.
6. God is the best explanation of objective moral values and duties.
7. The very possibility of God’s existence implies that God exists.
8. God can be personally known and experienced.

(If #7 confuses you, it's the modal version of the Ontological Argument for God's Existence.)

Our True Labor

(Monroe)

It's Labor Day weekend in America. Time to rest and recreate from work. 

For followers of Jesus, our true work is all that is done "in the Lord." This brings satisfaction, as we view ourselves working for God, and his greater purposes. This was my experience as a new follower of Jesus. 

I was working my way through college. I had a job as a custodian, at the large factory my father worked at. I was convinced I was to work hard at all that God called me to do. Colossians 3:23 was living and breathing in my soul.

Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, 

just as though you were working for the Lord 

and not merely for your masters.

And I did. I worked hard, with joy, to please my heavenly Father, and my earthly father as well. What kind of witness would I have if my labor was half-hearted?

God's greater purposes have to do with the redemption of his creation, to include persons. Our job may involve making things, selling things, cleaning, teaching, whatever. But our real job involves the bigger, redemptive picture of what God is doing. This is our true labor. 

We see this in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58. 

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord . 

"Labor" is "vain" if it has no meaningful purpose. "Vain  labor" is boring. "Boredom" is not having nothing to do, but finding no meaning in what one is doing.

A philosophical example of vain labor is Albert Camus's "Myth of Sisyphus." Sisyphus, according to the Greek myth, was punished for all eternity, and condemned to roll a boulder up a mountain, only to have it roll back down to the bottom when he reaches the top. This happens over and over again and again, everlastingly. 

Camus claimed Sisyphus is representative of the human condition. Sisyphus struggles perpetually, and without hope of success. His labor is absurd. Camus thinks if Sisyphus can accept his absurd labor, then he can find happiness in it.

Many people view their labor as absurd. They find no joy in it. Their work lack telos (purpose), and is in vain. 

But, from the Jesus-perspective, all labor "in the Lord" is not vain, but meaningful. When what we do emerges out of who we are in relationship with Christ, our lives become purposeful. Purposeful, *telic living, brings satisfaction.

We are to view God as our Employer. From this God-relational POV, redemptive activity can be seen and experienced everywhere. What seem to be vain, meaningless tasks, from a human POV, take on eternal, missional qualities. This happens, not because of any intrinsic majesty of the task at hand, but as a function of who we are under.

Labor under the Lordship of Jesus, and abound in the work you are doing under God.

Know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.



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*telic - a purposeful or defined action; from the Greek word telos, meaning "end," or "goal"; such as telescope, literally "to see to the end."

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In my book I talk about prayer as purposeful activity - Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God.

Day 32 - One Day Jesus Was Praying

 

 I am reading, slowly, through the Gospel of Luke. This morning I began in Luke 11:1:

One day Jesus was praying in a lonely place.

I can't get past this verse. It's enough for me.

The verse does not say:

One day Jesus thought about praying.

It doesn't read:

One day Jesus desired to pray, but didn't have time for it.

It's not:

One day Jesus read a book about praying.

Nor does it say…

One day Jesus said "I believe in the power of prayer."

It does say:

One day Jesus was praying.

 

One day Jesus was actually doing it.

 

One day Jesus was engaged in praying. 

 

One day Jesus, my Lord,

my exemplar,

my mentor,

was spending considerable time talking with God.  

One of his followers saw him doing this. This follower was so impressed that he wanted to do what Jesus was doing. Which was: communicating with the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

When Jesus finished dialoguing with God, the follower who desired to do the same said to Jesus, "Mentor, teach us to do what you just did."

A disciple of Jesus prays like Jesus prayed.

I bless you with a deep, powerful praying life that, more and more, emulates that  of our Lord Jesus! 

 John Piippo 

johnpiippo@msn.com

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Most of what I have to say about praying is in my book Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God.