A response to my "If God exists, why does he allow bad things to happen to "good" people?"

I receive the following response to my original post:

I am not attacking you but I do have some comments about what you said...maybe we are saying the same thing two different ways...just curious

Were do we get the idea He disciplines us because we did something WRONG....teaching is done when people do things write...and its not always with blows..in Greek it is translated in a verbal or instructional method not a beating method....
Because of the system that God set up were He gave us free will to choose a blessing or a curse it allows Satan to test us....when we make a hole...like fear it gives Him access through GOD's Protection.....
Yes trials and Tribulations come and when they do we must put our faith to the test.....which matures us....but just sitting around complaining is not testing ones faith...we must fight the good fight....why is it good....cause if you don't quite you can't lose!
God did not need to tell Job, actually you can see Job figured it out for himself....realizing He opened himself up to fear...

Yes to say that would seem a bit much but sometimes actually most times that is all it is....we opened ourselves up and then the domino effect....

I like most of what your mentor says but that is not biblical...God says He is our protector.....so if we do right things He will protect us! Doesn't mean hard times won't come or bad things won't happen it just means that through and through God will brings us through the others side without the smell of smoke.....even when we stand in the fire!
What you consider faith is actually hope....Faith believes and has no uncertainty....hope is future with a bit of uncertainty...
Though there is a price to pay for doing right it there is no lack of guarantee....actually its a promise from a God who can't lie...the prevention of people doing what is right is a lack of faith, perseverance and love! Though the reward of Heaven is great so to is the reward we receive here and now....our blessings are eternal....and wants to bless us abundantly .....


Here's my reply:

Actually, we disagree on these key issues.

Hebrew 12:5-8
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

The Lord does discipline when you do something wrong. See in verse 5, He rebukes you; i.e., He's pointing out to you what you are doing wrong.

I never associated God's discipline with "a beating". However, there may be hardship resulting from God's disciplining. There is always hardship associated with life course correction. e.g., Jonah didn't want to go to Nineveh. So God caused him to be thrown overboard and swallowed up by a big fish and taken to Nineveh (not exactly a cruise on the Pacific Princess).

No, Job never knew what happened to him. In fact that's the point of the story. The Lord spent several chapters saying to Job and his friends, "You don't known what I've been up to since the creation. You don't understand the big picture." After God's tirade in those chapters, God did not reveal to Job and his friends what had been happening to Job.

Yes, God is our protector. However, there is a priority of what He is protecting:

1. our soul


2. our eternal glory


3. then, somewhere further down the list is our body

God allowed Satan to give Job boils on his skin. God didn't protect Job from that.

You got to look at the big picture. Our bodies are mortal. They will die. Their purpose is to house our souls during this very temporary period in which we (our souls, our characters) are being perfected. Once they have served their purpose, we will receive new glorified bodies.

The lack of guarantee of reward to which I was referring is the lack of guarantee of reward here and now. As you can see from my post, I believe in a guarantee of reward in heaven.

Hebrew 11:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

When should the church worship corporately?

Someone started a discussion thread in one of the Christian forums arguing that we, as Christians, should worship on the seventh day of the week (the Sabbath as specified in the Old Testament) and not on the first day of the week.

Here is my response.

The Lord never said that we are to worship on the Sabbath (the seventh day). The word Sabbath was transliterated from the Hebrew word meaning intermission (period between doing things, rest). The Lord commanded us to keep it holy (qadash) and not work on that day.

Exodus 20:8-11

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (qadash).
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The Hebrew word in verse eight that was translated to the English phrase "keep holy" is "qadash".

Qadash simply means clean, purify, dedicate, set apart.

It does not convey any meaning which can be translated to worship.


In fact, the Lord gave us the Sabbath for our sake: so that we would have rest.

Mark 2:27
27 Then He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."


The Lord also commanded us to rest on the seventh year.

Exodus 23:10-11
10 For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops,
11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

Also, the fiftieth year (after seven seven-year cycles), the year of jubilee (battle cry), is set apart to be holy. In addition, bond servants are set free and all property are to be returned to their original owners. (Leviticus 25:8-17)


The irony is that, for most American Christians, Saturday and Sunday are the two busiest and most stressful days of week. We do most of our shopping and catch up on our household chores on Saturday. And on Sunday, we are up to our neck in church activities and after church often there's work that are due on Monday. And we certainly do not observe sabbatical year nor the jubilee year.

It is insane that we should be debating whether to be ultra-busy with church activities on Saturday or on Sunday. We need to rest!


So, when should we worship?

The example set for us by the original church is to worship every day. The original church met twice daily to worship: once in the temple courts with everyone in the church to worship corporately and once in the homes to worship in small groups.

Acts 2:46-47
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.

Allow me to summarize what the Bible tells us should do:

1. Worship corporately daily at the church building (temple).


2. Worship in small groups daily in our homes.


3. Rest on the sabbath (sun-down Friday to sun-down Saturday).


4. Celebrate the risen Christ on Sunday (not just Easter)


5. Rest on the seventh year


6. On the fiftieth year, rest, forgive debts (free bond servants - those who can't pay their debt), and return properties to their original owners.

If you really want to debate the issue, you should be debating whether we are willing to sign on the doing all of these.

p.s., I'm assuming that we no longer have to celebrate passover since it is for revealing who the Christ is and we already know who the Christ is. It's Jesus!

p.p.s., I'm also assuming that we no longer have to celebrate any of the atonement holidays since Jesus has already atone for all our sins (past, present, and future).

If God exists, why does he allow bad things to happen to "good" people?

Of all the questions asked by seekers, probably the most asked is the question:

If God exists, why does he allow bad things to happen to "good" people?

Most often, I hear Christians answer it by saying that God will discipline us when we did something wrong.

Hard times are SOMETIMES due to the Lord disciplining us because we did something wrong.

However, not ALL hard times are due to the Lord disciplining us because we did something wrong.

• Sometimes, it's because you've been faithful. For instance, Job was being faithful when the Lord singled him out to Satan. In this case, God called Job as a witness to testify that God is worthy of worship. Satan was allowed to cross examine Job. However, it was not a verbal cross examination; after all, people lie all the time. Satan was given the permission to cross examine Job's heart with those trials.


• Sometimes, we are called to be a witness to our neighbors through our hard time. Most of my friends and neighbors know that I take care of my mother who had a stroke and my brother who has numerous medical problems. Often, people would come up to me and ask how I do it. And it would be a prime opportunity for me to be a witness to testify that "I can do everything through him who gives me strength. [Philippians 4:13]"


• Sometimes, it's because God is just helping us to grow and it has nothing to do with whether we did something wrong or not. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [James 1:2-4]"


• Sometimes, it's because of something going on in the spiritual realm that effects what happens here in the physical realm and we would not know until we are on the other side of eternity. For instance, God never told Job and his three friends what actually caused Job's hardship.

One final note:

One of my mentors said the following which keeps me on course when the storm hits.

If doing the right thing guarantees protection from bad stuffs and rewards of good stuffs then everybody would be doing the right thing. It is precisely the fact that there is a price to pay for doing the right thing in addition to the lack of guarantee of protection and reward that prevent many from doing the right thing. All we, who are doing the right thing, can do is to trust that the reward that we receive in heaven is much greater than the pain we suffer now. And that's why it's call faith.

Concluding My "The Woman at the Well: Scorned Sinner or Holy Woman?" Discussion

In my previous blog entry, about the woman at the well in Sychar, I was using the second definition of the word "holy": "set apart".

Someone posted the following question:

What is living holy?
How do we walk the walk according to the Word of God. Scriptures please!!!!!!!!

Here's my response.

To be holy...

• (before salvation) You must be saved: redeemed through his blood and the forgiveness of sins.
  
  Ephesians 1:3-8 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 4.]
  3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
  4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
  5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
  6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
  7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Gods grace
  8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
  
  Ephesians 5:25-27 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 27.]
  25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
  26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
  27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
  
  Colossians 1:22
  22 But now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation


• (after salvation) You must abandon ignoble pursuits and pursue noble purposes which includes abandoning sexual immorality and pursuing sexual purity.
  
  2 Timothy 2:20-21 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 21.]
  20 In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.
  21 If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
  
  Romans 12:1-2 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 1.]
  1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.
  2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
  
  Colossians 3:12-17 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 12.]
  12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
  13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
  14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
  15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
  16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
  
  1 Thessalonians 3:3-5 [You'll find the reference to being holy in verse 4.]
  3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
  4 that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable,
  5 not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;

More particularly, we are created to do good works that God has predestined for us. These good work are the noble purposes and all other are ignoble purposes.

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Although all believers will be saved from eternal damnation, there is a second judgment in which our actions are weighed and our rewards are determined.

2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each mans work.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

To be holy is to accept Jesus as both our SAVIOR AND LORD: get saved, do good works that God has predestined for us, and abandon all other works.

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.

(Digging a Little Deeper into 1 Timothy 2:11-15)

For big picture ideas, a translated Bible is sufficient for a reader to comprehend the text. However, in many cases, seeing, the nuances in the Bible, requires knowing the text in the original language.

For example, in John 21:15-19, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?"; each time Peter answered, "You know I love you." If the reader doesn't know better, he'd think that Jesus went out of His mind. However, if you read the original Greek, you'd see that Jesus asked Peter, "Do you agape me?" And each time, Peter answered, "You know that I phileo you." Peter was not willing to commit to saying that he agape Jesus.

1 Timothy 2:11 is another instance in which one has to go to the original Greek text to get the nuances of what Paul was saying to Timothy.

So, I'd like to insert the original Greek word next to the important words in these verses.

1 Timothy 2:11-15
11 A woman (gune) should learn in quietness (hesuchia) and full submission (hupotage).
12 I do not permit (epitrepo) a woman (gune) to teach or to have authority (authenteo) over a man (aner); she must be silent (hesuchia).
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman (gune) who was deceived and became a sinner.
15 But women will be saved (the word "woman" is not in the original text only the third person singular form of saved) through childbearingif they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

Here are the definition of the Greek words.

gune - a woman; specifically a wife
aner - a man (properly as an individual male):fellow, husband, man, sir.
epitrepo - turn over, give leave , give permission
hesuchios - properly keeping ones seat
hesuchia - stillness (feminine version of hesuchios)
authenteo - act of oneself, usurp authority over
hupotasso - submit self unto
hupotage - derivative of hupotasso

I made several of observations about these verses.

1. Although "gune" is translated to woman in 1 Timothy 2:11-15, in Ephesians 5:22-24, "gune" is translated to "wife"
   
   Ephesians 5:22-24
   22 Wives (gune), submit (hupotasso) to your husbands (aner) as to the Lord.
   23 For the husband (aner) is the head of the wife (gune) as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
   24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives (gune) should submit to their husbands (aner) in everything.
   
   So, while most people assume that 1 Timothy 2:11-15 is about women teaching in church, there is a possibility that the assumption is false. Paul may be talking about the wife usurping the husband's spiritual authority in the family. In fact, the bit about Adam and Eve really doesn't make much sense if it's an elderly woman teaching young men and women.


2. If we search the Bible for the Greek word "epitrepo" (permit), we'd find that the word is used only when giving permission for the immediate situation. It is never used as an imperative for all situations.
   
   Matthew 8:21
   21 Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let (epitrepo) me go and bury my father."
   
   Matthew 8:31
   31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, permit (epitrepo) us to go into the herd of pigs."
   
   John 9:38
   38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission (epitrepo), he came and took the body away.
   
   1 Corinthians 16:7
   7 I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits (epitrepo).
   
   Hebrew 6:3
   3 And God permitting (epitrepo), we will do so.
   
   So, Paul was only denying permission for these particular women (or wives) to teach at that particular time. In fact, we do know that Paul acknowledge women speaking with the inspiration of God.
   
   1 Corinthians 11:5
   5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her headit is just as though her head were shaved.
   
   (Prophesizing is speaking with the inspiration of God and not necessarily predicting the future.)
   
   So, why was Paul not willing to give permission for these particular women to teach? We know from history that at Ephesus, Timothy was dealing with Gnostics. In Ephesus a man named Cerinthus was a leader of this cult. There is a great possibility that the women to whom Paul is referring were being influenced by the Gnostics.


3. Paul, however, does seem to make a distinction between teaching and leadership. When identifying the qualifications of spiritual leadership roles (elder, deacon, or overseer), Paul specified that the role be filled by a man with only one wife.
   
   In his epistle to the Ephesians, after he specified that we are to submit to one another, he specified how the husband and wife are to submit to one another. Wives are to submit to the husband as the church to Christ. Husband are to love the wife as Christ loves the church.

Concluding My "Theology of Christian Discipleship" Discussion

In my initial post, I asserted that because of predestination, we are saved before the creation.

Ephesians 1:4-5
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

Someone asked, "Why would Paul write what he said to the Roman church in Romans 10:9-10? ... If they were already saved, Paul wouldn't have had to tell them to confess or believe.

My response was:

It's a matter of perspectives. Yes, the requirement is that one has to believe and confess in order to be saved. You get no argument from me on that. However, if God predestined the elect, an unilateral covenant, he would fulfill it (as good as done). Just like Abraham was saved before Jesus died on the cross.

To close this topic, someone posted the following:

While a cat is not saved until
the fireman climbs up and sets him free,
I have never seen a cat skeleton
in the branches of a tree.

A Response to My "The Woman at the Well: Scorned Sinner or Holy Woman?"

I received the following in response to "The woman at the well: scorned sinner or holy woman?"

Remember brother that she was a Samaritan, the Samaritans no longer followed the Law because they had integrated idolatry into Judaism. this was the reason the Jews would walk around Samaria rather than risk any contact with a Samaritan. the woman was an adulterer, but she did not know the truth. she was waiting for the Messiah because He would teach her the truth. Jesus had compassion on her because she didn't pretend to know the truth, she was honest, and she desperately needed/wanted the truth. she went to the well at noon time in order to avoid the scorn from the other Samaritan women, none of them would go to get water in the heat of noon. she was a sinner even by Samaritan standards, yet He used her to reach the whole town. God reveals Himself to those who desperately need His healing touch, and then because of their testimony countless others are saved. if you look at the background of many powerful preachers today, you wont see a born man of God, you will see a retch who has been healed.

God bless you and your heart to know the Word :)

in His grip, sp.

He made two points.

1. She was a sinner, thus not holy.


2. She would not have been stoned for adultery since Samaritans do not obey Jewish laws

To the first point, I agree that she is indeed a sinner; however, no more than any Jew is a sinner nor any more than any of us is a sinner.

The Gospel of John never accuses this poor woman of any sin except that she lives with a man who is not her husband. And I have accounted for that in my previous post. I have also accounted for the scorn of the other women in my previous post.

Does her being a sinner mean that she is not holy? That's sort of a trick question.

If I were using the word "holy" to mean sacred, then I would agree that she can not be holy if she is a sinner.

However, I was using the second definition of the word "holy": "set apart". Thus, she can be a sinner and also be set apart by the Lord for a special purpose.

To the second point, I disagree.

First a historical background:

When the Assyrian Empire conquered ancient Israel, it deported the upper classes of the Israelites to Assyria, replacing them with settlers from other parts of the Assyrian Empire. The lower classes and the settlers intermarried and merged into one community, the Samaritans. They practice Samaritanism which is a religion based on the Torah. (See 2 Kings 17). Because God sent lions among them to kill them, the king of the Assyrians sent one of the priests from Bethel to teach the new settlers about God's ordinances. Currently there are about 700 Samaritans living in Israel and in the West Bank.

Now my response to the second point:

When the exiled Jews returned they had to make a choice to either recognize the Samaritans as Jews or not. There was a bit of economic-social-political wrangling. The result is that the returning Jewish exiles decided not to recognize them. The reason that was given is that the Samaritans do not practice pure Judaism because they sometimes refer to the native gods of the imported people groups. (While I am not going to call this assertion a lie, because I'm sure the accusation must have been based on some shred of truth, I do believe that this aspect of the Samaritans was overblown.) The Samaritans, on the other hand, claim that their worship is the true religion of the ancient Israelites, predating the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, but that claim has historically been rejected by normative Judaism. Thus, started the rift between the two groups. Over the years, the divide became so great that the two groups literally hated each other.

The Samaritans do believe that there is only one God, the same God recognized by the Hebrew prophets. Their view of God is the same as the Jewish biblical view of God. They believe that the Torah (their version) was dictated by God to Moses.

The two religions are essentially the same.

Their main Torah text differs slightly from the Jewish text (Masoretic Text). Some differences are doctrinal: for example, their Torah explicitly mentions that "the place that God chose to establish His name" is Mount Gerizim. Other differences seem more or less accidental.

The form of the letters in the manuscript copies of the Samaritan Pentateuch, called the Samaritan alphabet, is different from that of the Hebrew copies, and is probably the same as that which was in general use before the Babylonian captivity. There are other peculiarities in the writing.

There are differences between the Hebrew and the Samaritan copies of the Pentateuch in the readings of many sentences. In about two thousand instances in which the Samaritan and the Jewish texts (Masoretic text) differ, the Septuagint (LXX) agrees with the Samaritan. For example, Exodus 12:40 in the Samaritan and the LXX reads, "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel and of their fathers which they had dwelt in the land of Canaan and in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years." In the Masoretic text, however, the same passage reads, "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years." The New Testament, when quoting from the Old Testament, agrees as a rule with the Samaritan text, where that differs from the Jewish text (Masoretic text).

The Samaritan version of the Ten Commandments commands to build the altar on Mt. Gerizim, which would be the site at which all sacrifices should be offered.

Although the Samaritans adhere to the Torah (the first five books of the bible), they reject the Halakha (Rabbinical Jewish law).

However, the laws concerning the putting to death of adulterers is found in the Torah.

The woman at the well: scorned sinner or holy woman?

As a single person, I'm constantly asked why I'm single. More often than not, I'm asked it when I attend a new Christian fellowship (new for me that is). What a ridiculous thing to ask! Do what kind of answer do they expect? "Yes, I'm a wanker that women wouldn't want to wed!" Hmm... It wouldn't be appropriate in mix company much less a Christian fellowship.

Anyway, I finally came up with a more appropriate answer. It involves the story of Jesus' encounter with the woman an the well.

John 4:17-18
17 "I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, You are right when you say you have no husband.
18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

I have seen many commentaries jump on these verses and immediately pronounce that this woman is an adulteress. Their reasoning:

1. All five of her husbands divorced her.


2. The man, with whom she is living, is not her husband.


3. She was probably scorned by the town since she had to get water from the well at high noon.

Here's my defense of this poor woman:

I don't believe that these men divorced her because she committed adultery. Do you remember what they do to adulterer at that time. Remember when they brought the adulterer to Jesus and asked him what they should do with her. That's right, they would stone adulterer. Jesus had to answer, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." I can understand that she might get away with it once if her first husband quietly divorced her. However, I'm doubtful that she would be able to get away with it four more times.

Is she intimate with the person she is currently living with? There is a high probability that she may be. However, in those days, unlike our own, women are dependent on men for protection and for provision. With out a husband, she is forced to seek the protection of a man who is not her husband. But does that make her an adulterer? I think we can safely say that they have a common law marriage relationship.

I do agree that she was scorn by the town, but why? More particularly, why did her husbands divorced her?

If you've ever been anywhere in the middle east, you would see one commonality among married women. Wherever they go, their children are there.

This woman did not have a single child with her when she went to fetch the water. Let's assume that someone else is watching her children. She's a scorned woman; who would watch her children? You may be thinking, what about a relatives; if she has relatives, would she have been forced to live with a man who is not her husband? I'm not saying it's impossible but I am saying it's highly unlikely.

I believe that this woman was divorced and scorned because she was barren.

This poor woman, who couldn't have a child, was passed from man to man until the last guy wasn't even willing to giver her his name.

Unfortunately, at that time, children were considered blessings from God. So if you have neither children nor wealth, the town would consider you as someone from whom God had withheld His blessings. If so, they can accuse her of doing something displeasing to God causing God to withhold his blessings.

The obvious question would be: Why did God withhold children from this woman.

The answer: So that she would be there at the well when Jesus arrives and she can lead the town to Christ.

This woman was made holy (set apart) for this purpose.

Why am I single? Because I was made holy (set apart) for God's purpose.

If your walk with Christ is a trip from one end of the country to the other...

I used to lead Christian discipleship groups. Usually, when the group is first formed, I would ask everyone to assess how they are doing spiritually. I would try to do it in a fun way. One fun way is when I would ask everyone the following:

If your walk with Christ is a trip from one end of the country to the other, what kind of transportation would best describe how you are currently moving and where would you be (geographically) right now? Why did you choose that form of transportation and why did you choose that geographic location to describe how you are doing spiritually.

I would get a lot of very fun but very poignant answers and everyone has a lot of fun, not only coming up with his/her answers but also hearing others.

Yesterday, I started a discussion thread asking that question. And, to be fair, I posted my answer first.

Here is my answer:

I'm a tractor trailer rig currently refueling at the Iowa 80 truck stop.

Why a tractor trailer rig?

Because I've been carrying a heavy load for a while.

My dad had a stroke that left him an invalid. My brother developed chemical imbalance illnesses: hypothyroid, diabetes, and a plethora of others. Through all this, I continued to fulfill my ministry responsibilities while working full time at my day job. Then, my dad had a heart attack and passed away, after which my mom had a stroke that left her an invalid. Then my cat, Amelia, developed kidney disease, high blood pressure, a heart murmur, and degenerative joint disease all of which require special daily attention.

Why at the Iowa 80?

Because it is in the middle of the country and it is the world largest truck stop.

Although I've come a long way in my walk with the Lord, I know that I've still got a long way to go.

I've completed my ministry responsibilities and about the same time paid off my house which allowed me to work three days a week at my day job, a thoroughly needed break. Last week, the Lord finally allowed my cat to rest in peace.

Although I've been running on empty, the Lord is currently refueling me.

All this came just in time because I think I would break if I wasn't given the respite.

Praise God that he gives me all that I need when I need them.

Mathew 6:31-
31 So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?"
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Mechanics of the Co-Existence of Free Will and Predestination

As I had mentioned before I believe that there is both free will and predestination. Most, of the responses, question how both can be possible and how a just God could pick one person to be saved while allowing another to perish when all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Because the number of responses expressing these two concerns are so overwhelming that I am forced to address them.

To answer both concerns, we would have to examine the mechanics of God's predestination and how it interacts with our free will. I broke it down in the the following three principles.

1. Although God commands us to repent and receive Christ, it does not necessary mean that we are capable to do so in our fallen state. Calvin's argument is that without God's intervention, we do not have the ability to see the choices. Without the ability to see the choices, one can not exercise free will.
   
   The power of sin is like when a strung out junkie needs a fix. He needs to be brought down to a state in which the interventionist can converse rationally with him before the junkie can see that there are choices available to him. It is at that point in which he can choose rehab or to go back on drugs. While in the strung out state, he is unable to exercise free will.
   
   Thus, without God's intervention via the Holy Spirit, we, in our fallen state, do not have free will.


2. When God intervenes to save the sinner, He does not overpower the sinner and force the sinner to submit unwillingly nor does he eliminate the sinner's choices. All of the sinner's choices are still there. The difference is that the Holy Spirit would demonstrate how much better is the choice, of salvation through Jesus Christ, than any of the other choices.
   
   It's like if you've been eating two week old stale bread for all you life and is presented with freshly baked cheese Danish rolls topped with strawberry jam. Would you have to be forced to take the cheese Danish rolls?
   
   Calvin argues that even if the sinner initially refuses, God would continue to entice the sinner until the sinner finds it desirable enough the accept.


3. Why would God entice some sinners into the Kingdom and allow others to perish? Contrary to popular belief, there are things that God is incapable of doing! (I can hear the gasps.) That's true. God can not do anything that is counter to His good and perfect character. Here are some examples:
   
   
   • God can not do evil.
   
   
   • God can not love evil.
   
   
   • God can not contradict Himself.
   
   
   • God can not break any of his promises.
   
   There are more, of course; but you get the idea.
   
   Since we know that God does not desire for anyone to perish, we can conclude that the only ones, that God would allow to perish, are those whom He is incapable of saving. Since the only things, that God is incapable of doing, are those which would violate his character, we can conclude that in order for God to entice the sinner, that is not predestined, into accepting Christ, God would have to do things that would require God to violate his character.

Theology of Christian Discipleship Discussion Continues

The discussion of predestination so far, however, has barely skimmed the surface of my initial post.

If I had intended to post to just stimulate an intellectual discussion, then I might as well not post it in the first place. We would be like the theologians in the Middle Ages who spent countless hours discussing "How many angels can stand on the point of a pin?" (No, it's not "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?")

However, if you had been holding fast to belief that there is only free will without predestination prior to now, then the introduction of the simultaneous free will and predestination concept should cause a paradigm shift in your view of how to pursue Christian discipleship and Christian ministry.

For instance, without predestination, evangelism would be done with a shotgun approach. Spread your resources to maximize coverage. After all, you don't want to let anyone fall between the cracks.

Predestination, however, would require that you spend a lot of time listening to the Lord and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. After all, only God knows whom he had predestined and what he wants you to do in His plan.

Your view of what is "good works" and what is "dead works" would also shift.

Without predestination, the criteria for being "good work" and "dead work" would be based on what is in your heart. Are you motivated to do it because you want to please God or are you motivated to do it because you want to earn God's approval or to earn anything else from God.

While I agree that if you are doing something to earn God's approval or to earn anything else from God, you are doing "dead work", it is not a precise definition if you introduce predestination into the paradigm.

With predestination, everything that does not forward God's plan is done in vain and is therefore dead work irregardless of your motives.

Are you starting to see the divergence on how you approach discipleship and ministry with the two paradigms?

Responses to My "Theology of Christian Discipleship"

As I had hoped, I received a lot comments on my "Theology of Christian Discipleship". They really fall into four categories:

1. Requests for clarification
2. Reinterpretation of predestination as God's foreknowledge and not God's action
3. Total rejection of predestination

Here are a sample of their comments and my responses.

1. Requests for clarification


• Reader's Comment:
  So, you think this is saying that we all go to heaven?
  
  My Response:
  No, only the ones that God predestined go to heaven will go to heaven. However, we do know that there will be someone from every people group among those who are predestined.
  


• Reader's Comment:
  I'm confused by what you are trying to say. God gave us all free will so we could choose whether to follow him or not, whether to live for him or not. I have no idea what you are trying to say.
  
  My Response:
  Predestination and free will are not mutually exclusive. Both are occurring simultaneously.
  
  He does give us certain level of autonomy, however, ultimately, His Will will be done.
  
  Consider Jonah. He was called to preach in Nineveh. He refused. God made sure that he gets there and preach. Did he have free will? Yes, he could have chosen not to preach when the large fish brought him to Nineveh. Did God reshape Jonah's heart so that he would fulfill what he was predestined by God to do? Yes, otherwise Jonah would not have (although begrudgingly) preached to the people in Nineveh.
  
  It comes down to, do you take the easy way and just do what God asks; or do you take the hard way and have God take extreme measures?
  
  It's your choice. Free Will.
  
  However, either way, His Will will be done.
  
  But to focus on the "predestination and free will" issue would have missed my main point.
  
  The main point is that Christian discipleship is a life long process (starting even before you accept Jesus as your Lord and savior) that God is doing in your life. More particularly, God has a uniquely tailored plan for your life.
  
  I hear many people talk about "choosing to follow Him and living for Him", but what does that mean? The problem is that it means different things to different people. Unfortunately, it sometimes means the wrong thing.
  
  In this "free wheeling" American society, too often, it means, "There's a set of good works from which I can choose to do and as long as I'm doing some of them, God would be happy."
  
  No, No, No! God has a uniquely tailored plan for your life. In that plan, there is a set of spiritual milestones that he has predestined for you.
  
  Now you have a choice, you can either
  
  
  1. Pursue any old set of good works and think that God would be satisfy that, only to force God to take extreme measures to make course corrections.
     
     or
  
  
  2. Listen for God's call and pursue His call.



2. Reinterpretation of predestination as God's foreknowledge and not God's action

Reader's Comment:
There is a difference between God ultimately knowing what choices we make, and predestination. The argument for predestination is flawed. It takes into account that God is omnipotent, omnitemporal, omniscient, etc., but seems to leave out the part about His grace and the choice that comes because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

God knowing the outcome does not make the outcome predestined. It was part of His design to give us free will. The major gift for those who choose eternal life isn't just the eternal life, but their life here, on this Earth. That is also part of the gift of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is a gift of victory. How can we have victory if we don't have the choice to fail? God knowing the outcome does not effect the outcome since He has elected to let US choose the outcome. Ultimately, the Lord knows who is and isn't going to be in the kingdom, but He has given the slight bit of control as to us being able to choose our eternal life to us.

The ultimate act of love is to be willing to let someone go if they want to go. God would not be the loving God that He claims to be if he didn't give us to choice to not be in His kingdom for eternity.

I cannot believe the claims that God and the prophets make in the Scriptures about God loving perfectly if it is predestined as to who is and isn't saved. I can believe that God is Love if He has given us the free will to choose whether or not we want to spend eternity with Him.

People don't want to accept the fact that it is our own choice as to whether or not we spend eternity in the kingdom of Heaven with the Lord. Why? I think it is because they are looking for a cop-out, an excuse to explain why they fail at being perfect. The don't get it. We don't have to be perfect, we just have to make the choice and love the right God back.

A choice made so simple... Maybe it is too simple, especially when every religion in the world is tied up in legalisms, rites, and rituals.

My Response:
If you believe that predestination is about knowing the outcome and not causing the outcome, how do you explain:

Rom. 9:16-18
16 It does not, therefore, depend on mans desire or effort, but on Gods mercy.
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Please remember

Romans 8:30
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

By the transitive property of this statement, those he predestined, he justified and glorified. There is no condition associated with that verse. It did not say, those he predestined and yield to his call, he justified and glorified.

Please also note that, all the verbs are in the past tense. Yes, I checked with the original Greek, they are indeed in the past tense.

Do a search of the bible for the word elect and you'll see that it refers to those who are saved as the elect and that He elected us.

Can you claim that His election of us is a passive process? That he foresaw our free will?


3. Total rejection of predestination
   
   
   • Reader's Comment:
     I HATE TO DISAGREE WITH U ADVENTURER, BUT IF PREDESTINATION WAS TRUE--JESUS WOULDN'T HAVE DIED 4 OUR SINS. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GET TO HEAVEN.
     
     My Response:
     Jesus dying for us is part of God's plan. So there is not conflict between Jesus dying for us and predestination.
     
     Think of it this way. God specified the condition in which we need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior in order for us to be saved. However, just Jesus dying on the cross would not get us to accept Him as our Savior. Our hearts are too hard. It requires God's intervention. It is after the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we are willing to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
     
     Consider your own journey. Did simply hearing the Gospel automatically compelled you to accept Jesus as your Savior or did the work of the Holy Spirit have something to do with it? If the latter, then God could have withheld the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, by choosing you to apply the work of the Holy Spirit before the creation, He predestined you to be saved.
     
     But my main point is that not only does he predestined you to be saved, he also predestined you to a whole set of spiritual milestones. (see the biblical references in my previous posts.)
     
     Consider Jeremiah 1:5 (a verse the pro-lifers are always quoting):
     
     5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
     
     Do you think Jeremiah could have walked away for his destiny?
     
     Was Jonah able to walk away from his destiny?
     
     If He predestined you for a whole set of spiritual milestones which requires you to be saved, wouldn't it then be necessary for him to predestined you to be saved?
   
   
   • Reader's Comment:
     So you believe that God predestines people to be damned to hell for eternity?
     That's ridiculous. You're great at twisting the scriptures, man. What a sadistic "God" to do such a thing.
     
     My Comment:
     No, we damn ourselves by our own sin and God saves. There's a difference.
     
     The problem is that you are viewing it from an American paradigm: "Everybody deserved to be saved but their actions can disqualify some from being saved."
     
     It's just the opposite: "Everybody deserves to be damned to hell and God's action can qualifies some to be saved."
     
     If you don't believe in predestination then, explain to me the following verses.
     
     Ephesians 1:4-5
     4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
     5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will
     
     Romans 8:30
     30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
     
     Ephesians 1:11-12
     11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His Will,
     12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
     
     Acts 4:26
     27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
     
     There are a lot more verses supporting predestination.
     
     You can't pick and choose your Bible verses. They support both free will as well as predestination. But your blinders are currently not allowing you to see the possibility that both can be true simultaneously.
     
     It's ironic that those who are most vehemently opposed to predestination are the very ones who fervently defend that salvation comes from grace and not work.
     
     Can I assume that you don't consider making a choice as doing work? Irregardless, if your choice saves you, wouldn't you therefore be able to take credit for making the choice while others did not? :-)
     
     Consider Romans 9:16-18
     16 It does not, therefore, depend on mans desire or effort, but on Gods mercy.
     17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."
     18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

Theology of Christian Discipleship (concluding good works and dead works discussion)

My view of good works and dead works is derived from my theology of Christian discipleship in which the prime directive is Matthew 16:24-26

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Christian discipleship is all about giving up one's own agenda (deny himself) and taking up Jesus' agenda for him (take up his cross and follow me). Whether one is willing, to do so or not, is a reflection of what is in one's heart. And it ultimately determines if one is saved or not (For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it).

The qualification of this principle is that taking up Jesus' agenda requires seeking God's plan for you. Anything outside of God's plan, irregardless of whether you or the rest of the work think it is good or not, is not good work. Even if you sincerely believe it is good, if it does not conforms to God's plan, it is not good work. Only God's plan is good work. It's all about following Christ (take up his cross and follow me).

The obvious follow-up question would be: "What's the purpose of this prime directive?"

This question can be answered with the following big picture principles.

1. We are not saved at the time we make the decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and savior. We are saved before the creation of the world. Our decision is simply one of the steps in the discipleship process.

Ephesians 1:4-5
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will


2. Everything that we experience is part of the discipleship process. It includes all our experiences, before we made the decision, in which God is calling us.

Romans 8:28-30
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.


3. Part of the discipleship process is the doing of good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


4. Some of the good works will result in trials to develop perseverance because the development of perseverance is required for spiritual maturity.

James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything


5. Also accompanying the good works are the miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit know as Spiritual Gifts. Different Spiritual Gifts are given to different people. But they are all given for the common good. There is a common misconception that Spiritual Gifts are like magic wands that one can pull out and (bling) cause miraculous things to happen. No, a Spiritual Gift is really a set of miraculous events with common characteristics that the Holy Spirit performs but is credited to the believer.

1 Corinthians 12:7-11
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.


6. Jesus will return when all, who are predestined to be in saved, have completed their discipleship process. Those who are predestined include people from every nation, tribe, people and language. And part of our own discipleship process is to use our spiritual gifts to participate in completing the work of making disciples of people from every nation, tribe, people and language.

Act 1:7-8
7 He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in£ the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Revelation 7:9
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands


7. When all the good works are done, the believers that had fallen asleep (died) will rise into the air first. Then the believers who are still alive will rise up with them. And we will all meet Jesus in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:16
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.


8. At that time, we will be give new glorified bodies to clothe our perfected souls.

1 Corinthians 15:50-54
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.


9. And as a prize for "finishing the race", we will be given the Crown of Righteousness, of Life, and of Glory.

1 Corinthian 9:24-25
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

2 Timothy 4:8
8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

1 Peter 5:4
4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

One last "I love you" for Amelia

Early yesterday morning, I heard a loud thumping and found my cat, Amelia, dragging herself up the stairs with her two front paws. Amelia had lost the use of her two hind legs. I immediately rushed her to the emergency veterinary clinic.

Amelia was 21 years old and for the past year, had been struggling with a breakdown of kidney functions, high blood pressure, the lost of vision in her right eye, and a heart murmur. This morning, the vet told me that Amelia also had degenerative joints in her hind leg and there's nothing she can do to allow Amelia to regain use of those legs. I had to choose between allowing her to continue to struggle with her illnesses or to put her to sleep.

Amelia was named after Amelia Earhart, the aviator because she had always wanted to fly. When I first received her as a kitten, she was already excited with the way the birds take flight. Every time she saw, through the window, a bird flying, she would jump on to the window sill and watch. And when the bird is out of sight, she would climb down to the floor and try to jump and take off. Shortly after first seeing birds fly, she climbed up the stairs and jumped from the second floor banister to the first floor. It scared me to death but she was all right. After that episode, she was Amelia Earhart.

Early yesterday morning, as I cradled Amelia in my arms stroking the top of her head and her back and listening to her heavy breath, I knew. After a life of flying in her dreams, it would be terrible to force her to crawl with her front paws for her remaining days.

As hard a decision as that was, I knew that it was time to give her back to the Lord.

I whispered, "I love you" to Amelia one last time before the vet injected her. Then I continued to stoke her as she gently fell asleep.

As I left her, I lost a huge chunk of myself; just as I had lost a large piece of me when my grandmother passed away, just as when Susie's plane crashed in Mexico, Just as when my Dad died of a heart attack.

Do animals have souls? Do they go to heaven? Suddenly, all the theology in the world doesn't matter.

Lord, please receive my baby into your arms.

Good Works and Dead Works Discussion Continues

Someone else posted a rebuttal to my response to "good works and dead works" post. He wrote:

The definition does not fall apart. You have just added more to the definition. Good works must be faith based as well. Take your guy who went to make repairs at the church. God will still bless him even if that is not what God wanted him to do. He was acting out from his heart. God judges the heart, not the motive or whether we got the "calling" right. I can't find the words here to convey what I want to say. But, God will bless all we do if our heart is right. Yes, we may do something that He didn't call us to do, but because of His grace - He will bless it.

Here's my reply:

The operative word there is grace. In another word, there is a problem that requires God extending grace.

Do we then say, I'm not going to worry about that problem because God's going to extend grace anyway? Of course not. We keep making course corrections.

I never said that we or our work are not blessed if we fall short. In fact, God blesses us and our work all the time. Sometimes, he does so for no apparent reasons but to give us joy.

It's like when you ask your child to come in for dinner. Instead of coming in right away, the child stays outside for a little longer. But, when the child comes in, the child gives you a rock and says, "I got this for you". So, you smile, say "Thank you", pat the child on the head, and get the child ready for dinner.

Just because you blessed the child for bringing you a rock, does it make the child's unresponsiveness and ridiculous effort to please you "good work"?

In the same way, God's blessing on us or our work does not validate our action(s) as good work. What kind of criteria is that?

Doing whatever things that we think is good without consulting the Lord does not constitute good work.

Believing sincerely that it is good does not make it good.

Ephesians 3:10
For we are Gods workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

There is indeed a set of good works that God has reserved for us to do.

Good works require that you seek out what God wants.

Not doing so would be you telling God what He wants.

There are too many people who says, I'm good at (whatever that person is good at), so therefore that's what God wants me to do. That's just backward.

We need to ask, "God, what do you want me to do?" And then discern if what we are good at fits into what God wants.

Here's my gripe. While we are on this side of eternity, we are in the business of being perfected in our faith. Too often, people stick tight to whatever they've been doing for the nth number of years because "they are now good at it", never stepping out of their comfort zone, never allowing their faith to be stretched.

Their excuse: "The ministry would be more effective if I stay at this position."

I want to scream, "GOD DOES NOT NEED YOU TO DO ANYTHING!!!!!!!!! HE CAN DO IT HIMSELF!!!!!!!!!! HE CALLS YOU TO COME ALONG FOR YOUR BENEFIT!!!!!!!"

If you are truly interested in doing good works, you need to be seeking what God wants you to do.