Wisdom, Children and the Dark
Stephen Hawking turned 70 on Jan.8, 2012. This man is considered to be "...one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein."(Calgary Sun-Jan.9) He has led an extraordinary life. Almost 20 years after his birth, he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig`s disease. He was not expected to live past his twenties.
Since that time he has been confined to a wheelchair and can only communicate via an electronic voice synthesiser; however, he "...has broken frontiers in research into theories of  time, space, relativity and black holes."(Calgary Sun- Jan.9)  In 1988, he published an international bestseller "A Brief History of Time" which was no small feat for a book about physics. He is currently a Cambridge University professor and researcher.
In May 2011, Mr. Hawking was reported to have made comments concerning Heaven in a newspaper interview. He maintains that " ...there is no heaven or afterlife...That is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark...".(Calgary Sun-Jan.8) The implication is that people who believe in an afterlife have the intellectual maturity of a small child.
As a Christian, I am one of those people who believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell. I admit that I was tempted to respond to Mr. Hawking`s comment with indignation. I started to feel angry that this man considered me to be a simpleton for my belief; however, I was reminded of several Bible passages concerning wisdom, children and the dark.
The Bible offers a warning to those who will find themselves to be the object of  someone`s disdain. In 2 Peter 3:3, 5a the writer states:

First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions ... They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago...

Romans 1:19-22(in part) states:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse...but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools...



I am not quoting these passages in an attempt to insult scientists. I am grateful for science. It is a blessing from God. The pursuit of knowledge leads to the truth; however, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 8:1, knowledge can also lead to arrogance. This is something that can afflict anyone including Christians. This sport of hurling contempt at each other does not lead to a full understanding of  the truth.

As for children, they are often afraid of the dark. They are rarely afraid of learning. At first every concept is welcomed and accepted as being the truth. As we grow older we process all this information along with reality and find that not all things are true. Another thing that seems to happen as we get older is that we lose that enthusiasm for knowledge. We get, as is said, stuck in our ways and refuse to budge out of our ruts. In Matthew 18:1-4 Jesus responds to a question that was asked by His disciples:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?" And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.

Did Jesus mean that we should remain ignorant as children? No. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians about giving up "childish ways" in order to mature in the Christian faith. He also admitted that, at that time, he only knew "...in part."(1 Corinthians 13:11). The key word to both these passages is "humble". As Christians we are not to have the brain of a child but the heart of one.

Concerning the dark, it is unnatural to be always in the dark- physically and metaphorically. All life needs some amount of light in order to grow. A person who does not have a lot of  knowledge is said to be in the dark. Also to be experiencing hardships in one`s life is described as having dark days. The dark is a scary place but having knowledge of the truth will help one navigate through the shadowy landscape. Jesus taught His believers in John 8:31-32(in part):

Jesus then said..."If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Amen!

Approval

The cult of self esteem tells us that everyone needs approval and praise. People like to feel important and that they are special. This feeds our sense of self worth according to the world. Some Christians have seemed to accept this concept and feel the need to incorporate this into their faith. The question I ask is: Should Christians be seeking this kind of approval? Is this a Scriptual concept?

Matthew 6: 1-5 Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them;

otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is heaven.

When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the

hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured

by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give

alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing; that your

alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand

and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by

men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

The passage above certainly flies in the face of today`s cult of self esteem. Of course we are all to do good to our fellow man for this is a noble pursuit. In this age of reality TV and celebrity fund raising, however, we must let as many people know of our good deeds as is possible. If others see and approve of our "alms" then we will feel important and special. Someone might ask what is wrong with that? Well Scripture seems to teach that we are to help out our fellowman but that we are not to put the focus on ourselves in any way. We are not to use someone`s misfortune or our piety to elevate ourselves in the eyes of others. It isn`t about us. It is about being faithful servants and seeking the approval of our Master.

Worship of the church

When we love God with all our being, we will desire to worship Him. To worship God means to adore and literally “to kiss, like a dog licking His master’s hand”. In this verse, we see that God is in charge. He is the Master and Lord. It makes sense then that the way Christians are to worship God would be in a way that He desires.  

The New Testament Church

Today we will be studying the Church. There is a prophecy in the Old Testament that foretells of a new era, one in which people of all nations will come together and no longer war with one another but live in unity and harmony,

The Ten Commandments

This evening I was talking to a woman that said she believed that the Ten Commandments brought light into the world and that it was this light that would judge us at the end of time. I didn’t know how to respond at the time for I know that many people believe that the we are to follow the Ten Commandments today. 

The Christian Age

Jesus lived under the Mosaical Age while on earth. He taught the people the most important message that God wanted them to learn and live by, which fulfilled all the Laws and regulations and could be summed up in one word..... love!

Dividing the Word: Patriarchal and Mosaical Ages

As we have learned, loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength is the first commandment and in order to love God totally we have to be willing to obey Him just as a child obeys their parent and shows them love, trust and respect for their authority.