Hey yall, so we just started the new year (2022 woot woot) and we had our first Summit of the year last night. As I expected, attendance was low. Omicron is running rampant through our area (my wife and I both had it through Christmas break and now the rest of my family has it) and I even advised yall that if you weren't feeling well you shouldn't come. This is okay. We missed you and we pray that God restores your health and well-being, if it be His will.
So, since we had such a small group, I decided to change up the message. Rather than sharing the message I had prepared (which was an awesome message I think and you'll get to hear it next week) I decided to engage in an interactive discussion. I opened it up to those who were there to ask the questions they had related to faith and the Bible. Of course, there were some jokes, we laughed, we had fun with it. Some of the questions asked were:
1. Are there aliens and would their existence debunk the Bible? We talked about this and concluded that it is totally within God's power to have created aliens. The Bible makes no mention of extra-terrestrial life, and we run into some theological problems if there is intelligent life out there. For example, that would mean they are stuck in a sin-filled and decaying universe because of Adam and Eve's sin, even though they have absolutely no connection to or knowledge of our planet. On top of this, part of what makes Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross work for us is that He was a man. If there are aliens, they would not be able to find salvation through Jesus Christ. All of this being said, I think it is entirely possible that there could be life out there in the universe, but I do not believe there is intelligent life. If I'm wrong, and there are intelligent aliens out there, that doesn't mean the Bible is wrong, it just means there are things we didn't know before and things that God did not reveal to us through the Bible. Don't let aliens shake your faith. =)
2. How tall was Jesus? Apparently, the average height of Jews 2,000 years ago was around 5'5". We don't know exactly what Jesus looked like, and its really not important, but He isn't described as being particularly taller or shorter than others, so He was probably between 5'3" and 5'7". Again, we don't know so don't let that shake your faith.
3. Are there animals in Heaven (and specifically pets)? This actually got asked a couple of months ago, but we talked through it again. The short answer is, we don't know. God doesn't take the time to lay out exactly how everything is going to be when we are with Him for eternity, so we can only speculate. In Revelation John describes the creation of a new heaven and a new earth. We think this will probably be a restored and perfected version of the original creation, and since that one included animals, it would make sense that there would be animals in the new earth. However, I agree with something Dr. Jason Lisle talked about, which is that it won't be the same animals that we have today. The reason for this is that the animals we see today are all part of the decaying world we live in (just like us). Since we, who are made in the image of God, will be resurrected with new glorified bodies, it would make sense that the animals in the new earth would be restored to a perfect state. To make that simpler, I believe there will be animals in the new earth, but I don't believe any of our pets will be there. Now, Dr. Lisle also shared that he believes it is within God's power to bring our pets to the new earth, so if you asked God to bring your pet back, He could do that. At the end of the day, we don't know, so as I have been saying - don't let this shake your faith.
4. The last question was one that I asked: what is the purpose of church? I was amazed and extremely encouraged to hear some of you recall what we had talked almost two years ago from Acts 2:42-47.
"42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
These were the practices of the early church. The main part of our discussion was about what would happen if a Christian became separated from the church. They would be more easily tempted away from their faith, they would be more easily discouraged and overwhelmed by the world, and they would find it much harder to keep following Jesus. Being a part of a local church allows us to have community with fellow believers, to learn more about our faith, the Bible, and God, and to be encouraged in our walk and in obedience to God. It is easier and more fulfilling to live the Christian life in community with other Christians than it is to try to go it alone. So, if you are reading this and you are not a part of a local church, please please please go and be a part of one. Our church is open to you.
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