Sample Chapters

Forward

The bright Texas afternoon sun shone through the tall second-floor windows of the ninth-grade classroom. It was the fifth period, the next-to-last class of the day. To say it was hot is an understatement of epic proportions. The air conditioning could not keep pace with the withering glare. I sat in the fifth row, third seat, and tried to ignore the sweltering heat and concentrate on the overhead projector screen ahead of me. Below the glowing silver square, Ms. Wells was holding court.

She seemed remarkably unperturbed by the scorching conditions in her classroom. She stood like a statue behind the rattling overhead projector, a fistful of different-colored dry-erase markers, her jet-black hair perfectly coiffed with a white streak down the side, and her crisp, long-sleeved blouse fastened at the neck with an antique pin.  She didn’t even break a hint of sweat. Looking out over the light blue horn-rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose, she would smile and encourage us with, “See? Easy! Whose got another?”

It was the same ritual every day. Ms. Wells would have us trade last night’s homework papers and grade each other’s. Then, before we turned them in for counting, she would invite anyone to have her work on any number of problems to demonstrate how to do them correctly. The problems that seemed so confusing just hours ago almost magically solved themselves as she scrawled the vast equations across the screen.

I hated math. It was hard enough when it was numbers. However, this was Ms. Wells’ Algebra 1 class, which covered integers, exponents, and a range of other non-numerical concepts. I was completely lost most of the time. I would spend hours each night agonizing over the problems, only to have about half marked wrong despite my best efforts.

It was never less than half, though. You see, Ms. Wells was aware of students like me. The ones who baked in her afternoon classrooms, the ones who had no interest in her incredible numbers, the ones who hated her favorite topic of discussion, algebra! The assignment was always the same: the next chapter, problems 1-21. Twenty-one chances to get it right, but only 10 chances to get it wrong. Wait, how does that math work?

You see, in the back of that edition of the math book, there was a section called “selected answers.” It contained the correct answers to all the odd-numbered problems! Ms. Wells was aware of this and even pointed it out to us during the first week of class. She had no problem with us checking ourselves against the answers to see how we were doing, and if we couldn’t manage to solve the problem, she invited us to use the supplied answer and try working the problem backwards to see if we could figure it out. She knew guys like me would struggle, but she made sure we would still pass her class, one homework assignment at a time.

There was one huge caveat, though: you had to show all your work. She would not give any credit for a correct answer unless the appropriate amount of work accompanied it on the paper. So, as I labored into the night, filling pages with numbers and fractions and calculations, I could be assured that even if I couldn’t manage to solve the problem correctly myself, I could use the correct answers and pass the assignment.

As Ms. Wells effortlessly solved for “X,” I would follow along and learn where my mistakes occurred, and there were a lot of them. It seemed so easy for her, but I knew that night I would be back in my room, working on another 21 problems in anguish, and probably have a lot of them wrong again. However, I knew that this would not be my future, as I would surely pass her class, thanks to her gracious benevolence and my diligent work.

Life is a lot like algebra. There are many times the answers don’t seem to come easily or logically. There are times when you can make rational choices and seem to come up with a solution, only to find later that it was utterly wrong. Sometimes it seems the steps you take now have no bearing on the outcome you desire. One of the most common mistakes made in algebra is the incorrect application of the order of operations. Knowing when to add, subtract, multiply, or divide based on the parentheses makes the difference between solving the problem and working to complete it, only to fail ultimately. In life, we must make defining choices based upon wisdom, but how do you get that wisdom? Fortunately, God has also provided a book to help us address the problems we face in our lives. In His inspired Word, the Bible, He reveals the Truth and the answers to the most pressing issues we encounter. Like Ms. Wells, He knows we may fail a lot, for a variety of reasons. But He has assured us that if we have faith in His truth, we will prevail. But also, as Ms. Wells required, although God provides all the answers, we must be prepared to show our work. James 1:18 says,

“I will show you my faith by my works.”

God never gives us His opinion. He provides eternal truth. Our humanistic minds oppose and grapple with this truth, and many times God’s ways seem counterintuitive. Often, to understand what God’s truth is, you must look at the opposite of what our culture endorses. Jesus said in John 14:6,

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but through me.”

God openly declares in Isaiah 55:8,

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are My ways your ways…”

In this guide, we will examine some of the issues and questions facing Christian men today. Using God’s word and citing examples from my life and others’, you will see answers to those questions explained and played out in measurable, tangible ways. You may have objections to my conclusions, but beware, objecting to God’s truth is utter foolishness. You may disagree with God, but that doesn’t change His truth. Just because you don’t understand His ways, like I didn’t understand algebra, doesn’t mean that you must fail, even if you get it wrong.  Any fool can learn from their own mistakes. A wise person learns from the mistakes of others. I invite you to consider the attitude of Psalm 19:7-9,

“The law of the Lord is prefect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgements of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.

Revelation 2:7 says,

“He who has an ear, let him hear.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem 1 Where did we begin?

The first revelation we receive from God is Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God” … This short, innocuous-looking phrase is the cornerstone for our reality. Everything we are conscious of is the result of this truth. These four words are the explanation for the cause of life and the purpose of life. Our life, our very existence, is all about God, not us. We are accountable for responding to this truth, whether we like it, agree with it, or acknowledge it.

Willian Paley, in his apologetic work “Natural Theology,” goes into great detail explaining how our existence is not the result of random chance, a sequence of unrelated events, or any of the other “scientific” explanations humanists put forth to account for our origins. Obviously, the “Big Bang” theory, the theory of evolution, and other humanist or philosophical theories that attempt to construct our history apart from the existence of God are scientifically unviable. Of course, the process of God speaking our reality into existence from nothing is functionally the same thing as the Big Bang theory, except humanists cannot seem to bring themselves to credit the God who made it happen. Modern archaeology, paleontology, and similar fields are not true sciences when it comes to origins, but secular humanist philosophy.

Everyone knows and agrees that it is impossible to make something out of nothing. And everyone knows and accepts that we have something now where there once was nothing. However, the disagreement arises when people refuse to acknowledge their responsibility, if any, to whoever has made all we know. So, instead of taking the evidence we see in the creation and drawing the obvious and natural conclusion that there must be God out there, “science” eliminated that pillar of the equation, and is futilely trying to come up with a correct solution without all the factors.

Ms. Wells often said, “Two wrongs don’t make a right, but two wrongs can make a solution!” In algebra, if you make a specific error and repeat that error in a particular fashion, you can often come out with what appears to be a plausible solution. However, that solution is always wrong. This was the source of my frustration with the homework: I could find answers, but they didn’t align with those in the back of the book, and I often struggled to understand why. The same has happened with our scientific minds. By deliberately erring and eliminating the obvious truth of God from our minds, we have developed some “plausible” solutions, which are wrong. And, when it comes to origins, everyone knows they are wrong, but being philosophically humanistic, people would rather be wrong in their hubris than be accountable to God. The problem is that our reasoning doesn’t change the truth.

Another thing Ms. Wells said was that Algebra uses the known to solve the unknown. When my son Dan was a child, he expressed his desire to become a sanitation worker someday. When asked why that vocation, he responded. “You get to ride on the back of the truck, and you only have to work one day a week!” Of course, we laugh about it now, but in the simple mind of a child, who only saw the truck on garbage day, it seemed like an undeniable truth. That’s how “science” handles the subject of God. Instead of using the known creation to solve for the unknown, that being God’s existence, nature, and attributes, “science” uses the unknown, its implausible theories and hypothetical conjectures, to attempt to solve the known. It reminds me of the crab in The Little Mermaid, discussing his human treasures with no idea of their actual uses. Modern tools, such as flawed carbon dating, flawed evolutionary processes, and the flawed application of proven scientific laws, all require miracles to work as proposed, which, ironically, falls within God’s realm. The scientific community at large, instead of putting their faith in a God they can’t see, puts their faith in billions of years, fantasizing that if enough time passes, anything is possible.  Obviously, our reality is beyond our capacity to comprehend fully. Still, instead of searching for the foundations, they conjecture a hypothesis that conforms to their philosophy, even if it’s scientifically void. Romans 1:18-23 put it succinctly,

“…unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His external power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculation, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the incorruptible God for an image…”

These words, inspired by the Holy Spirit to Paul, who was in Greece at the time, were a direct response to the current philosophy of his day, particularly that of Plato. These sowed the seeds for what we know as secular humanism, or the idolatry of self.

The theory of evolution is so laughably corrupt that it’s a marvel people can look at you with a straight face and pose that it is true, and instead claim there are errors in the Bible. For example, how can an organism decide to have no teeth, then grow baby teeth, then replace them with adult teeth? How can symbiotic creatures exist? In Tennessee, there is a cave open to tourists that features an underground attraction with a pool of fish. The adult fish are all blind because the darkness causes their eye muscles to atrophy. However, all the newly hatched fish are born sighted, because that’s how evolution doesn’t work! In Glen Rose, TX, there is a riverbed with dinosaur fossils in the rock. There are several sets of footprints alongside the beasts. The dinosaur footprints are readily identified, including pictures of the creatures no human has seen for several thousand years. However, some footprints remarkably resemble human footprints; you can put your heel in them and match up your toes. “Scientists” have determined they cannot be human because their timeline doesn’t account for the coexistence of man and dinosaurs. It doesn’t help that unscrupulous individuals, either to make a quick tourist buck or “help” God out, have created fake prints for sale and presented obvious hoaxes as proof of creation. We live in a Romans 1 world. Interestingly, although the humanlike prints seem obvious, the same scientists who mock their authenticity instead pitch their own knowingly flawed theory of evolution, which is patently scientific fiction!

So, here we are, in this world beyond our capacity to grasp without putting one’s faith in something. There is a God; there must be, it’s the only scientific thing that connects the dots. The real question is not whether there is a God, but what is God like, and what does that have to do with me?

You would expect God’s creation to show some of His attributes. You’d want Him to provide written records of Himself and His activity. You’d wish Him to make a personal appearance. And you’d expect that these would have a significant impact on our world. The fact is, He did all of that, and He is the only religious deity who claims to have done so, and it has had an undeniable impact on our world.

The natural creation that humanists worship displays the creativity, organization, beauty, and complexity of God. The natural laws that govern our universe show His power, order, and wisdom—the separation of humanity from the rest of creation points to His image and holiness. We have the history of humanity, from creation to approximately 30AD, in factually traceable genealogies. This undisputable history, confirmed by secular sources, includes human interactions with God. And we have the historical, factual appearance of Jesus Christ, who claimed to be God and proved it during His life, death, and resurrection, completely fulfilling hundreds of prophecies made over thousands of years.

The Bible is the most verifiable text in human history. There are more manuscripts of the ancient Biblical text than of secular texts, which are nevertheless trusted despite their lack of corroboration. The continuity of the Biblical text, written over thousands of years in different languages by various people for different audiences, sometimes unaware of each other, is nothing short of miraculous. It takes a disturbingly reckless amount of prejudiced bias to dismiss the factual authenticity of the Bible.

A compelling proof of the Bible’s divine nature is its remarkable accuracy. This is probably the most common excuse to dismiss God’s communication with us. However, a student of the text will discover that there is no error in the substance of the original revelation. The manual nature of reproduction led to clerical errors, omissions, and additions, which are easily identified given the sheer volume of unadulterated text available. Modern critics of the Bible often cherry-pick passages they claim are erroneous; however, their apparent “errors” result from a poor understanding of the original text, confusion due to the nature of Old English, particularly in the original King James version, and sloppy research. I attended a conservative Bible college that operated a publishing company. Once a year in the bookstore, we had the opportunity to buy factory seconds, including Bibles, at a steep discount.  So, in one sense, this devout orthodox, conservative college was encouraging the sale and distribution of Bibles with known errors!

One of my favorite alleged error passages in the Bible is also relevant to the context of this book due to its mathematical nature. In 1 Kings 7:23, we read,

“Now he made the sea of cast metal, ten cubits from brim to brim, circular in form, and its height was five cubits, and thirty cubits in circumference.”

This was a description of a metal basin built for Solomon’s temple. The text reports the dimensions, but it appears to contain an error: a circular object 10 units wide cannot have a circumference exactly 30 units, given that pi is approximately 3.14. Remember the formula: C=πR2?  Now, is this a mistake? Maybe it’s just rounding? I propose that God inspired this record as it is, because it is not a mistake, but an opportunity to demonstrate the wisdom of God and the folly of man to oppose it. You see, the most important thing you must do to interpret scripture correctly is to understand the context. If we read further in verse 26, the description continues,

“It was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, as a lily blossom…”

So now we know not only the dimensions but also the shape! It was a cylinder 30 units in circumference, with a fluted top 10 units across.

 

 

 

So, the math works, the Bible is accurate, and the impulsive dismissal of God’s word is unfounded. There are no mistakes, contradictions, or errors in the divinely inspired word of God. However, even in the face of this and other examples of misinformed and blindly ignorant opinions regarding the accuracy of the Bible, it doesn’t matter whether or not the Bible is true, Jesus is alive, or God is real; the person is going to choose what they want to believe, regardless of the truth, facts, or reality. Even if you reject God, the reality of His existence is something that everyone will grapple with at some point. God has made it clear that those who put their faith in Him will spend eternity with Him, and those who do not will be separated from Him. While Hell is a real destination for those who refuse Him, it seems that nobody there would ever be inclined to change their minds. God does not send humans to Hell; they go freely of their own volition.

So, what is the purpose of our existence? Solomon wrapped it up after a lifetime of debauchery, pursuing all the alternatives to our existence in the name of research. He concluded in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14,

“The conclusion, when all had been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”

 

For discussion:

1. Do you try to synthesize humanist and biblical accounts of origins?
2. Have you ever explored claims of Biblical errors? What did you discover?
3. What is your strategy for debunking the public-school indoctrination of your children?

 

 

 

Problem 3 What is salvation?

Numerous books and references discuss in detail our sinful nature as human beings and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Basically, Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden corrupted humans both physically and spiritually because of our humanity’s unique composition reflecting the image of God. It is important to realize that, according to God, there is no statute of limitations on sin. Unlike our culture, which has determined that if you stay out of trouble long enough or do enough good things before you are caught and judgment pronounced, you may go free, God’s standard of holiness, that is perfection, mandates punishment in all cases of sin. The punishment for sin is death. Now, we often relegate the term “death” to the cessation of organic life. While this is true for plants and animals, we humans, being created in the image of God, are significantly different. We not only have a fleshly organic body, but we also have an eternal soul. A better way to interpret the word “death” in Biblical contexts is the idea of “separation”. When we die, our organic body ceases to function, but our spiritual soul continues to exist. It is just separated from our body. When we sin, we are separated from God, which is also considered death. Ephesians 2:1 describes this as,

“…And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…”

Paul is very clear that these people were very much alive physically, but their behavior was killing them spiritually. In Eden, the death that God warned about occurred, spiritually instantly, and physically over the years. The resolution to the spiritual death was faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This faith was demonstrated through a series of sacraments, later codified as the Mosaic Law, and then replaced by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The church age began after the ascension of Jesus, as the Apostles began to organize and were subsequently scattered around the Mediterranean.

As time passed, the collection and organization of inspired scripture in the form of books, historical accounts, letters, and diaries from the various authors became what we know as the Bible. However, being human, there was also some significant distortion of the truth introduced, particularly after Christianity became legitimized under Constantine as the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the direct lineage of the first church and the apostles. The Pope is supposed to be God’s representative on earth. Ironically, the papacy had been rife with heretical interpretations of the Bible they originally compiled, not to mention the obscene moral scandals they initiated over time. While the Catholic Church compiled our Bible, it seems that most Catholics prefer not to read it. Eventually, the Protestant Reformation occurred, and the truth of salvation by faith alone was restored. Today, generally, Catholicism is a works-based faith where, if you do most of the right things, as the church directs, you believe you will get to go to heaven when you die.

The problem with any works-based faith is that works were never enough to gain salvation. Even the Mosaic Law never promised to save you from your sin. Diligent adherence could cover your guilt if you put your faith in the messiah’s arrival in person, but performing the law itself was impossible, so it never saved anyone. In fact, the Law was never intended to forgive sin, just reveal and define it. Like Paul said in Romans 3:20,

“…because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for though the law comes the knowledge of sin.”

And in Romans 8:3,

“For what the Law could not do weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin…”

Salvation and eternal life are not based upon perfection in what we do, but on holiness, or what we are. Christ wasn’t holy because He never sinned. He never sinned because He was holy! Even if we were able to behave perfectly, we would still be condemned because we are born with a sinful nature. We can’t fix that. You see, since God held Adam, not Eve, accountable for their sin, we have a sin nature passed on to us through our fathers when we are conceived. God explains it in Romans 5:12, which will be discussed in more depth in Problem 13, Marriage. This is why Jesus did not have a human father, yet was conceived in Mary through a miracle of God. Only Jesus Christ, because He was born without a sin nature, yet was still human, can offer salvation for us based on God accepting His substitutionary death on the cross as forgiveness for our sins. That alone makes us holy in God’s eyes, according to 1 Corinthians 1:30,

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification (holiness), and redemption…”

Which is essential because, according to Hebrews 12:14,

“…pursue peace with all men and the sanctification (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord.”

Once we accept Christ by faith, we are made holy, or sanctified, in His eyes, although our practical sanctification will require diligent obedience for the remainder of our lives.

Another example of distorted truth prevalent today is the pamphlet “My Heart, Christ’s Home,” which was very popular in the 1950s and coined the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart.” This is an adaptation of Ephesians 3:17,

“So that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith…”

and Revelation 3:20,

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Asking Christ into your heart has more to do with “practical” sanctification —the process of submitting your entire life and nature to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit —than with salvation. Not to mention the confusing anatomy and biological implications for young children to grasp, and the theological error that we, as depraved sinners, have an option to take the initiative in our salvation.

Modern evangelism is all backwards. Initially, the Christians went out into their spheres of influence, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and witnessed the gospel. The result was that people were saved and then began attending the church for spiritual growth. The gospel message was simple: Jesus Christ is God, His death on the cross forgives sin, His resurrection assures eternal life, and He is coming back soon, so you need to be ready. The Christian message rapidly spread across the Roman Empire and beyond with this simple message of hope. The death and resurrection of Jesus weren’t even questioned, as contemporaries accepted them as historical facts. Not only that, but the primary messengers, the eleven remaining apostles and Paul, were all radically transformed in their conduct after their exposure to the resurrected Christ. The previously cowardly, impotent disciples became bold speakers and miracle workers. Paul, the violent pursuer of the Way, suddenly abdicated his Jewish religion and proclaimed Christ to the Gentiles with the same relentless zeal he had previously persecuted Jewish Christians with. Most of these early church leaders were martyred.

Now, it’s one thing for people to die for a lie or a myth that they genuinely believe is true, which is what many today claim happened then. For example, on September 11, 2001, we all saw men fly airplanes into skyscrapers because they fervently believed their religion required them to. It’s not uncommon for people to believe a lie and act irrationally. However, absolutely nobody is willing to die for a lie that they know is a lie. We occasionally see prisoners claim to confess to crimes they didn’t commit, but even in these cases, the claim is a response to mitigate a threat of worse treatment. Nobody admits to a crime they didn’t commit to be tortured. So undoubtedly, the claims of these twelve men, among others like James, the brother of Christ, and Luke, who followed Jesus from a distance, are correct.

That’s not the model, nor the message, that some churches are advocating today. The “Willow Creek” model, championed by the wealthy, disgraced pastor Bill Hybels, is precisely the opposite. This model, widely adopted since the 1980s, creates a church environment that caters to unbelievers, not Christians. The theory is to get people saved; you invite them to church, where they feel comfortable while being instructed soothingly and practically on how to love God and others, so they can go to heaven when they die. We create an entertaining atmosphere, complete with all the stage and show theatrics of Broadway, and deliver an affirming, pragmatic message by professional Christians, avoiding unpleasant topics such as human depravity, sin, hell, the judgment and wrath of God, or His impending return and the implications of life after the rapture. Then, if you succeed in making them feel welcome and loved, they will join your church and, over time, somehow get faith in God. In the process, hopefully, they will give your church some money, help with managing logistics, and invite their friends to repeat the process until you get a massive church, which then becomes self-sustaining with a huge endowment and multiple revenue streams apart from just the offering. The key thing is not to confront people with their hopelessness now, but to encourage them to consider their eternity. Hopefully, they conclude that it is much better to die and go to heaven, and respond like making a reservation on an interdimensional cruise ship, as seen in the movie WALL-E.

The problem with the Willow Creek model is that, like all humanist-based religious ideas, it doesn’t work. You get big churches filled with people who love their church, love their imaginary version of their god, who is often little more than a fantasy idol, and will still probably love them when they are in hell, having heard those gut-wrenching words from Christ in Matthew 7:23,

“Depart from me, I never knew you.”

Salvation was never intended to let you go to heaven when you die. Nowhere in the Bible is the pitch ever, “ask Jesus into your heart so you can go to heaven when you die.”

The thief on the cross, the first Christian, implored Jesus in Luke 23:42 with,

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

In other words, “Jesus, you are the eternal Messiah, and I submit my life to you.” It is unknown whether he was brought up according to the Mosaic law. We do not know his status regarding any offerings and sacrifices, the observance of the Passover, or compliance with other mandatory feasts and sacraments. What he does is he proclaims the sinless nature of Christ to his fellow condemned and acknowledges Jesus as the eternal God.

According to Luke 23:43, Jesus responded with,

“Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise!”

In other words, starting today, you will be with me forever!” Salvation from our sins means we can be with Christ now! We can have a real, dynamic, tangible, measurable, life-changing relationship with the living God who created our eternal reality today! Do you want forgiveness for your sin? 1 John 1:9 says,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Do you want the power to stop sinning? 1 Corinthians 10:13 says,

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to bear it.”

Do you want to experience God’s intervention in your life? Jeremiah 33:3 says,

“Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Do you want to be relieved of your guilt? Psalm 103:10-13 says,

“He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”

Just put your faith in Jesus, and that happens today! Faith in God is different from belief in God. James 2:19 says,

“You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder.”

Believing in God is something you do. You were told some truth, considered it, weighed the options, and decided it held some merit. That is not faith, and trusting in your belief in God is idolatry. Faith is accepting the assurance of God’s election of you and the forgiveness of your sins, which leads to your entire nature being irreversibly altered beyond your control, a state of repentance with respect toward your sin, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit enabling you to fellowship with God personally, the desire to become like Christ, and spending your remaining energy bringing glory to God.

What if there was no heaven to go to when you die? Would you still accept Christ? The Old Testament saints did. Although David expressed some ideas about the afterlife in 2 Samuel 12:23, this was not the motivation for his acting as a man after God’s heart. The motivation was God Himself, as eloquently expressed in the Psalms. What the Willow Creek model teaches is that if you love your god, love others (at least the ones who agree with you), and love your church, you will punch your ticket to paradise.

However, if one examines the most basic element of saving faith, as presented by the thief on the cross next to Jesus, a different model appears. Jesus affirms they will spend their eternity in fellowship.

The thief didn’t say the sinner’s prayer, may not have even attended catechism, and devoted a significant part of his entire existence to wickedness. After his conversion, he wasn’t baptized, didn’t have a chance to join a church, attend a small group, love others, or do any of the things we associate today with a Christian lifestyle. Yet, we will meet him as a pure and righteous saint. We see all the elements of Romans 10:9-10,

“…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

The thief embodies this truth. Although Jesus was being crucified as a criminal, he was sinless. Although Jesus was going to die within hours physically, the thief expressed faith in His eternal life. Although Jesus was being mocked as the “king of the Jews,” the thief acknowledged the reality of His return and His Kingdom. Ultimately, although Jesus was a man, the thief recognized him as God.

It’s not the words you say or the things you do that result in salvation; those merely reflect the attitude of your heart toward God. Faith in Christ alone, apart from anything else, enables God to send the Holy Spirit into your being and begin the transformation process. Sadly, many people believe that a one-time prayer, the application of water, a class, or a statement is what saves them, unaware that nothing spiritually regenerating has occurred.

At the other end of the spiritual spectrum, today, there is a movement of people “deconstructing” their faith. Although shocking to see once purported Christian leaders abandoning their faith and denouncing the God they once proclaimed, it’s a sobering reminder that this is what happens when you buy into Christian culture and put your faith in it, not in Jesus. The god that you construct in your imagination, even if it’s your Christian heritage, is still just an idol, replacing the true, transformative God.

I would encourage you to read the Old Testament. There, in the historical narrative, you will discover the other side of God’s nature. The Holy One, the Righteous One, the Omnipotent One, the Sovereign One, the God who administers justice, who wipes out civilizations that defy Him. The God who is to be feared, not cajoled. You will learn the reason why you need to put your faith in Him, and it’s not so you can go to heaven when you die; it’s that you don’t deserve to live even now, but somehow God still wants a relationship with you, today.

Many claim to be Christians, but they are just managing their sin to appear to be better than they really are. The good news is that God already knows your sin and has paid the price you owe. Instead of pretending to be good when people are watching, accept Christ now and experience the transformation that happens when the Holy Spirit gets ahold of your life and changes you. Put your faith in Jesus, and the good will flow out of you, instead of trying to be good and hoping to impress Christ.

 

Discussion questions:

1. Are you saved? How do you know?
2. If being a follower of Christ were a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
3. Are you in danger of becoming a martyr for Christ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5 Do I have a calling?

I grew up in a Christian home. I was saved at an early age, although I didn’t get baptized until my late teens. I was immersed in Christian culture. My mother was an experienced evangelist for Child Evangelism Fellowship, and my dad was also a devout Christian, so we practiced spiritual discipline daily. Devotions, memorization, tithing, prayer, and church attendance were mandatory parts of life. I felt I knew all the answers.

When I was nine, I felt a calling from God during a missionary conference. For me, it was sitting there as Darrell Smith, a missionary to Brazil, preached about submitting to God’s will in our lives and pursuing His plan for us. I felt like a hand was pressing down on my back between my shoulders. It was the strangest sensation, feeling as if the Holy Spirit were sitting behind me, pushing me. That experience of feeling God’s presence altered my life; even during my rebellious teenage years, I felt a boundary placed on my behavior because, eventually, I was going to be a pilot for God.

During high school, a guy from church offered me a job at a local airport. There, I was surrounded by men who were also making careers out of missionary aviation. I was immersed in godly men from both Moody Bible Institute and LeTourneau University, who were skilled pilots and mechanics. These men were affiliated with Wycliffe Bible Translators’ Jungle Aviation and Radio Service, South American Missions, African Inland Missions, and Mission Aviation Fellowship. It was a who’s who of technical Christian life. I learned aircraft maintenance and got my private pilot’s certificate while still in high school. They mentored and counseled me daily, and although I didn’t like the thought of school, I felt God’s path for me went through Chicago.

In December 1985, I began the application process to Moody Bible Institute’s Moody Aviation degree program. It seemed like the logical step to accomplish what I thought at the time was God’s calling for my life, namely, becoming the best missionary pilot since Nate Saint. The journey went smoothly, from application and acceptance to orientation, the first semester, the second semester, and the inevitable selection for the evaluation camp, which I assumed was a mere formality in my case. You see, Moody does not charge tuition, so they are meticulous in selecting candidates who will succeed in ministry. Having been in the business of making pilots since the inception of missionary aviation and having trained approximately half of the Christian bush pilots, they knew exactly what they were looking for. They had this profile of the type who would do at least two terms abroad. Already a licensed airplane pilot and having performed complex aircraft maintenance, I was brimming with confidence that life was working out just fine and acceptance was assured. Prospective candidates took two years of Bible classes in Chicago, then moved away to complete their aviation degrees. The Pre-Aviation coordinator selected individuals who would be sent to an evaluation camp for a week of testing, in either one of those two years, to determine if they thought they would meet that profile and be offered a subsequent training slot.

At the end of the evaluation camp week, the late Chief Pilot, Ron Royce, sat me down in his office on Friday morning and presented me with a letter of rejection. He looked me squarely in the eye and told me I was “Careless, undisciplined, overconfident, and would probably kill someone if I continued in aviation.” He recommended changing majors and offered to have the academic counselor in the adjacent room assist. I said nothing. I snatched the letter from his hand, stormed out to the dismay of my fellow applicants, got in my truck, squealed the tires in the parking lot, and left, completely heartbroken, humiliated, and despondent.

That crisis sparked my search for identity; a quest to understand who I was, what I was created for, and how to discover my life’s purpose. Ron’s words shattered me and brought into question everything I thought God was, too. I went from having a spiritual destiny to being worthless.

I failed to report for class that semester following my rejection. I accepted a full-time job at the airport instead, but it had lost its purpose; it was all I knew how to do. I sat on my bed that Thanksgiving weekend, wrestling with God. In anguish and despair, I asked God what He wanted from me. Nothing. Then I upped the ante —I told him, “I’ll do anything you ask, just make it obvious.” Suddenly, I felt the same presence as when I was nine. “Go back to Moody,” was the command I discerned. I protested, “I’m done there, I’ll never do aviation!”  The response could have been an audible voice, “You just do what I say and let Me worry about the aviation.”

I wrote to Dr. Stowell, President of Moody, and was graciously allowed to return for the second Pre-Av year, where I met my wife and flourished in the study of God’s word and learning theology. And of course, God kept His word. After I finished and left, He opened the door to a wonderfully fulfilling and prosperous career flying helicopters.

My career has been nothing short of miraculous. I returned home after my second year at Moody, and my boss wrote a letter to the FAA certifying my work as a mechanic and recommending me for the Airframe and Powerplant exam to become a certified aircraft mechanic. The FAA granted that application, and I became a mechanic at virtually no cost. For comparison, my daughter is also an A&P mechanic, but her schooling cost us over $40,000. Next, I got a job with a fellow who operated helicopters and needed maintenance. He offered me a lower wage than I was making at the time, but he also included the benefit of getting me a commercial helicopter certificate. I jumped at the chance and learned how to fly a helicopter, all while getting paid for it. As part of my job duties, I required a higher level of maintenance certification, so we petitioned the FAA to authorize me to take the Inspection Authorization exam, which they granted. I was the youngest IA in the Dallas area at the time.

The FAA allows specific certificates to be used to substantiate training requirements for different aircraft. Since I had obtained my commercial helicopter certificate, they used a significant portion of it as credit toward my airplane commercial pilot certificate as well. My in-laws gave me a gift that enabled me to obtain an additional airplane instrument rating while pursuing my commercial certificate. So, in the five years after I wrestled with God on my bed about my future, He had blessed me with over one hundred thousand dollars’ worth of aviation training, certificates, and ratings!

Eventually, my maintenance career culminated in running a Bell Helicopter Service Center in Michigan, where I also learned how to fly multi-engine helicopters. During this time, I also worked for that boss’s other company, installing cameras on aircraft. The highlight of this experience was a trip to Saudi Arabia to install a television camera on a helicopter, allowing the Ministry of Information to broadcast aerial footage of the pilgrimage to Mecca worldwide.

As a Christian, this was a source of conflict for me. How could I justify using the career God blessed me with to propagate a false religion? After discussing my concerns with my wife and recounting her experience of smuggling Bibles into Cuba under the guise of being a tourist, I wondered if I was being sent there in my maintenance capacity for a spiritual mission. If someone were seeking the Lord, and He wanted to provide them with a copy of His Word, how else would he do it? And who else could He send? And who would go? Well, I decided to go and take my Bible from Moody, which was a highlighted, cross-referenced, annotated treasure trove of truth. The severe penalties for propagating Christianity in Saudi Arabia were clearly spelled out in the visa documents I was provided. The scary part was the US State Department notice that if I violated Saudi laws and brought contraband into the country, there was no diplomatic recourse, and I was at the mercy of the King.

I packed the Bible and left for Riyadh with everyone back home and my church praying for me. When it was time to change planes in Paris, an issue with my boarding pass caused us to miss the flight to Riyadh. By the time we got there, my luggage had been sitting for several days. The tools were there, but the case with the Bible was missing. We petitioned the airline to find the case and proceeded with the work.

I recall sitting in the hotel the first morning waiting for our handlers to arrive, and the lobby was playing background music, and I couldn’t believe my ears. Here, in the lobby of a hotel built by Osama bin Laden’s father, in the heart of Riyadh, the center of Islam, the piano played a marvelous instrumental rendition of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” It reminded me of the verse Psalms 139:7-10,

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.”

We finished the job, and I had the opportunity to informally present the Gospel during routine conversations with both our Filipino handlers and the Deputy Minister of Information.

The evening we were scheduled to leave, I still hadn’t received the case with the Bible. However, as I received the call from the desk that the limousine to the airport was ready and that I should turn in my room key, a courier arrived with my case. Had he been one minute later, I would have gone. I told the driver to wait, I retrieved the key, and rushed to the room. I took the Bible, slipped it under the Koran in the nightstand, and left. I was never so relieved when the jet departed on time for Paris several hours later. I often wonder who first discovered the Bible, and whether I will meet them in heaven.

As I entered my forties, I decided I didn’t want to spend any more time in an office or turning wrenches, especially while I still had a good pilot medical certificate, so I resigned and began flying helicopters full-time. Here, the airplane instrument rating God had provided 25 years earlier proved its value, as I used it as credit to obtain a helicopter instrument rating as well. After that, the company offered me an upgraded check ride at no cost, so I received my Airline Transport Pilot certificate, meaning I hold both the top maintenance and pilot certifications the FAA offers. God is so good! I am happy I did what He obviously wanted!

Perhaps the defining moment in my social identity as a Christ follower occurred with the death of JFK, Jr. At the time, I managed the helicopter for NBC in New York, so I was on Martha’s Vineyard getting video coverage. We based our aircraft at the same airport from which he departed, and upon our return, we discovered that a shrine had been constructed. Among the flowers, cards, candles, stuffed animals, and trinkets was a photo of little John in the Oval Office dressed in a little romper, with a beaming President Kennedy and some aides in the background. You see, up to this point, my faith was very rigorous and crushingly legalistic. One had to dress and act in a certain way. My dad said, “Son, if you went to see the president, you’d wear a suit and cut your hair. It’s only appropriate to do the same when you go to church!” Amid the verses, prayers, tithes, and serving, the joy and love were removed. It was just a legalistic duty.

Staring at the photo, I had an epiphany. Yes, I would have to cut my hair and wear a suit like the aides, unless the President were my dad, then I could come into His presence like I was, and he would relish the time with me because of his love for me, not for what I was wearing. That marked the beginning of the shedding of legalism that had previously hindered my ministry. I found that I could love people if I saw them as Christ did, rather than judging their worthiness.

People look at my life and think I am special and lucky. I have worked hard, but that’s not the reason for any of my professional success. My life’s verse is Psalm 37:4,

‘Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

What I didn’t understand at Moody Aviation was that God’s calling is an abstract principle. I was a Christian pilot who wanted to serve God, but what He wanted was a Christ follower who happened to be a pilot.

My call wasn’t to a place, vocation, or career; it was to a relationship. A commitment to do whatever God delights in, not what I desire. My purpose in life was not to become the next Nate Saint, but to be Pete Laitinen, the guy who God could plug in where He needed and then move to the next assignment. The guy who modeled sacrificial giving beyond the tithe, so people would be encouraged to obey with their finances. The guy who loved his wife like Christ loved the church, so men would be motivated to restore their marriages. The father who taught his children as they walked along the way, showing them how to be spiritual leaders in their homes. The confident believer who publicly defends his faith and gives an account of the hope he has.  And lastly, the man who is not ashamed of the Gospel, who is quick to articulate it to anyone looking for the purpose of life.

As an introvert, it is not me on the platform or in front of the class; rather, it is God working through me. As a cheapskate, it’s not me giving away tens of thousands of dollars; it’s the Holy Spirit assuring me of His provision. As a strict disciplinarian, it’s not me loving people who have different styles or expressions; it’s Christ’s love for me guiding me to love others. And, as a somewhat lazy worker, it’s not me running sound, setting up chairs, or posting security; it’s God’s Word reminding me that a servant should be found faithful and diligent.

Eventually, I was conferred a bachelor’s degree in integrated ministries from Moody Bible Institute. After 40 years, it was the culmination of decades of learning who I am and who God is, making me to be. It’s not the coveted aviation degree I initially sought. Still, reflecting on a lifetime of doing whatever God wanted, as He made it obvious, it seems like the most appropriate resolution.

 

Discussion questions:

1. Have you or anyone you know had an unmistakable encounter with Christ as I described? What effect did it have?
2. Is an encounter like I described essential for every believer?
3. What other ways can you determine God’s will for you apart from a dramatic encounter?
4. What is God’s will for you?