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Technology choices seem limitless these days. I get a little embarrassed when I realize how many gadgets I have laying about and how many social networks I belong to. Granted, they’re all designed to enhance my life and work… but sometimes it can get overwhelming. Is this friend on Facebook or Twitter? Can I text them or should I call? Do I need an iPad, or just want one?

As more and more devices and technologies compete for our attention and free time, I think we need to be more discerning about which ones we do and don’t participate in.

What technologies have you decided not to use because of your faith? Have you given up anything because you found it was interfering with your relationship with God?

There’s a sense sometimes in modern Christianity that true faith means always waiting patiently for God to act. Phrases like “Let go and let God” and “God will provide” are offered as mantras to chant when times are tough… but are there situations when acting in faith means taking a bold step forward?

Blaine Smith of Nehemiah Notes writes that the Bible presents two modes of faith to follow, depending on the situation. When we’re facing a situation that’s completely outside of our control, we should exercise what he calls “Level One” faith—waiting patiently for God to move. But when a situation presents an open door or an appropriate opportunity to act, then we should exercise Level Two faith—taking bold initiative:

Scripture teaches… that we are called to exercise two different levels of faith at various times as Christians. At one level we are to be inactive and wait patiently for the Lord to move. Here faith involves believing that Christ will bring about a solution apart from any effort on our end. It is shown in so many situations in Scripture where people were either told to be still or forced to be still and wait for the Lord to act. Examples include Joseph in prison, the Israelites at the edge of the impassable Jordan River, and Jesus’ disciples just before his ascension when they were instructed, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4).

Yet Scripture just as frequently affirms the faith involved in taking personal responsibility. We find so many impressive pictures in the Bible of individuals who, without any divine revelation or special prompting, took bold steps to reach a personal goal: Naomi and Ruth moving from Moab to Bethlehem, Nehemiah courageously organizing the Israelites to rebuild Jerusalem, Paul knocking on many doors to find opportunities to preach–in his own words, “making it my ambition to preach the gospel” (Rom 15:20 RSV).

In reality, there can be just as much faith involved in taking personal initiative as there is in waiting passively for the Lord to provide. While Ruth would have been commended for staying in Moab and waiting for God to heal the heartbreak of her husband’s death, she probably showed greater faith in going to Bethlehem. By moving forward she placed herself in a vulnerable position where she had to trust the Lord to protect her, to open doors and to make her venture successful. Interestingly, it was this very move that opened her to the relationship with Boaz, who became her husband.

It is right, then, to speak of a second level of faith that we are to demonstrate as Christians. At this level we are active and assertive. We take initiative to find the answer to a need. And by moving forward we force ourselves to a dependence on the Lord that wouldn’t be possible if we merely sat still.

Read the rest of the devotional at Nehemiah Notes.

Is there a situation in your life where you should be exercising “Level Two” faith? Or are you facing circumstances that require waiting patiently on God rather than stepping out on your own initiative?

I’ve been thinking about baptism quite a bit lately. My church had a wonderful baptism service on Easter in which a range of men, women, and children joyfully took the plunge. I was particularly stuck by the fact that some of the people being baptized were doing so for the second time in their lives.

I’d never encountered re-baptism before, but upon reflection, it makes sense to me. As with an initial baptism, re-baptism is a public statement of your faith, and there are myriad reasons why one might want to reaffirm that sentiment.

The text that’s often cited for re-baptism is in Acts 19:1-7 Paul baptizes a group of men into the “name of the Lord Jesus.” What makes this baptism interesting is that these 12 men had previously been baptized by John the Baptist.

I don’t think one can extrapolate an air-tight doctrine from this text alone, but it does suggest that there are circumstances in which re-baptism is an appropriate course of action. Church history is filled with examples of various denominations re-baptizing people upon conversion (often to the detriment of ecumenical relations).

What do you think? When, if ever, is re-baptism appropriate?

A few non-hypothetical scenarios might help frame this conversation. How would you respond to the following situations?

1. As an adult, John was pressured into baptism by friends and family. He went through with it even though he wasn’t sure of the theology or ramifications of what he was doing. Later, he harmonized his feelings and theology and affirmed that baptism was a correct course of action. Should he be re-baptized now that his thoughts and feelings are different?
2. Sharla was baptized by a pastor who was shortly afterward found to have been involved in deeply rooted sin that cost him his position at the church and tore his family apart. Should Sharla be re-baptized?
3. Constance was baptized as a baby by her parents. Later as an adult she felt the need to recommit to baptism. Should she be re-baptized? Or just affirm the previous baptism?
4. Jeffery was baptized at the age of 30. When he hit 50 a series of life circumstances brought him to the point of renouncing his faith. At 60 another series of life circumstances brought him back to the faith. He wants to recommit his life to the Lord. Should he be re-baptized?

Share your thoughts!

[photo by flickr user lancefisher.]

Does being a Christian mean you’re immune to fear? It’s sometimes assumed that if you believe in Jesus’ resurrection, you shouldn’t be afraid of anything—including death. Can you honestly say that you don’t fear death…and if you are afraid, does that mean you’re a bad Christian?

Not according to this devotional from Our Daily Journey with God, which addresses the tension between faith and fear:

Having faith does not mean that we’re not afraid. It gives us the courage to stand tall and to hang on in the middle of our fears. And the greater our fears, the stronger our faith can become.

We place our faith in Jesus, whose resurrection has defeated death. If we minimize death and claim that it’s no big deal, then we inadvertently also cheapen Christ’s resurrection that conquered it. But if we honestly admit that death is the enemy that terrifies us, then we can begin to appreciate the unparalleled power of the resurrection.

Faith isn’t about suppressing fear and pretending that everything is okay. But it does allow us to swallow hard—with shaky knees and sweaty palms—and cling to God’s promise that we will live again. Death is frightening, and for that reason it provides the ultimate test of our faith.

Read the full devotional at Our Daily Journey with God.

Is fear of death something that troubles you? What other fears and anxieties do you face, and how does your faith help you deal with them?

Brian Deacon isn’t a Christian. It’s a wholly unremarkable fact—many billions of people don’t believe. But Brian is a bit different. Despite his unbelief, he’s had a direct hand in leading hundreds of millions of people to faith in Christ.

Brian portrays Jesus in the Jesus Film, which by some estimates has helped bring 225 million people to the Christian faith. He isn’t the first evangelist to not fully believe the message he spread. In the following devotional from Our Daily Journey with God, Sheridan Voysey writes about another “unbelieving evangelist:”

Jesus once healed a blind beggar (John 9). The means were unconventional—saliva, mud, and a dip in the creek. When the beggar returned with sight, his community plied him for answers (vv.8-10). He told them that a man called Jesus had healed him, though he didn’t know much more than that (v.11). The beggar was dragged before the Pharisees, who were incensed at Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. “I don’t know whether He is a sinner” (v.25), the former sightless man said to the Pharisees regarding Jesus. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!”

Read the rest of the devotional at ODJ’s site.

Do you know of other people who have preached Jesus without believing in Him?

The Lausanne Movement is holding their once-per-decade meeting in Cape Town this year. As part of the run-up for the conference, they’ve partnered with Christianity Today to create a series of videos to go along with The Global Conversation initiative. Previous videos have explored global partnerships and the idea of following Jesus while still being a Muslim. This month they’re talking about truth and common ground.

In the following video, they ask people on the streets of Madison, WI a simple question: what in life are you completely sure of?

Common Ground from The Global Conversation on Vimeo.

How would you answer that question? What in life are you completely sure of?

[HT: Out of Ur.]

Share your thoughts!

What’s it like to feel your faith slipping away? Christianity Today published an interview with David Bazan, a well-known musician and the former frontman for the indie rock band Pedro the Lion. Bazan is a former evangelical Christian who no longer counts himself as a believer, but he continues to speak (and sing) about God and the doubts that led him away from the Christian flock.

Bazan’s departure from Christianity was a sad and reluctant one, and his former faith continues to haunt him, as this quote illustrates:

Christian spirituality has played a huge part in your music. Will it continue to play a role?

In some ways, I hope not. But I can’t imagine that it won’t. It’s still the central question of my life. I read a lot about theology and church history. I’ll never get a vacation from this. I’m not kidding when I say that this is the central question of my life.

Bazan is certainly not the only person to abandon the Christian faith; but the circumstances of his departure make for an edifying read. Bazan didn’t reject his faith to become an angry, bitter atheist; nor did he simply drift away from Christianity due to apathy or a lack of commitment. Rather, his departure was prompted by, among other things, a sense that the Christianity he practiced was actually interfering with the ethics he wanted to pursue.

The interview doesn’t get too specific about those obstacles, but one obvious question that occurs to me is whether the hurdles that drove Bazan from the faith truly were fundamental elements of the Christian faith, or if they were human “additions” to the faith. It’s also interesting (and a little disturbing) to see the powerful role that fear played (and continues to play) in his spiritual life.

What’s your reaction to the interview? What might you ask or say to Bazan if you had the chance to talk to him about Christianity?

In the Gospels, Thomas famously doubts Jesus’ resurrection. Thomas even went so far as to say that unless he could put his fingers where the nails held Jesus to the cross that he wouldn’t believe Jesus had been raised. A week after Thomas’ proclamation, Jesus appeared to the disciples and Thomas called Jesus his Lord and his God. Thomas’ first-hand knowledge strengthened his faith.

In the following devotional, Our Daily Journey with God reflects on the relationship between knowledge and faith:

The preacher asked his audience whether they believed he had a $20 bill in his closed hand. After a woman said that she believed he did, the speaker announced that he would destroy her faith by opening his hand and showing the money. “Now that you know I have a $20 bill,” he said, “you can no longer have faith that I do.”

If the preacher is correct, then the return of Christ will destroy the faith of His followers, for our faith will now be sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). And Jesus would not have told Thomas, “You believe because you have seen Me” (John 20:29), but rather “Because you have seen Me, you are no longer able to believe.”

The preacher mistakenly thought that empirical proof destroys faith. Instead, proof strengthens faith by eliminating the uncertainty that often accompanies it (Hebrews 11:1). Firsthand evidence confirms our knowledge, which bolsters our faith.

Faith is not the opposite of knowledge. Faith actually rests on knowledge. The more we know, the more we’re able to believe. Knowledge itself is not sufficient for faith, for even demons believe and tremble (James 2:19), but it’s impossible to have faith without it.

Read the rest of the devotional at ourdailyjourney.org.

Have you had any experiences where knowledge has strengthened your faith?

In a devotional today at Words of Hope, Jessica Heikoop asks if Christians are truly “surrendering all” to Jesus. Christians often talk, sing, and pray about turning over their lives to God, but have you ever considered just what it means to completely surrender your life to Him? Consider what true “surrender” means:

This encompasses every aspect of our lives. It is rendering to God all that we are and all that we have. True surrender doesn’t just pick and choose those parts of ourselves that we feel like giving him. He wants all of us, not just a portion of our lives, not a small fragment of our time, not merely a fraction of our possessions.

Selective surrender isn’t real surrender. If you want to be a living sacrifice, you can’t say, “Lord, you can have my heart but not my head, my voice but not my hands and feet.” You can only say, “Lord, I surrender all.”

Read the full devotional at Words of Hope.

Have you devoted all of your life (not just your Sundays) to God? How might your life be different if you did?

The book of 1 Corinthians gives Jesus one of the most unusual titles you could ever imagine being applied to a religious figure: stumbling block. The point (as I understand it) is that one of the hardest things to accept about the Gospel message is the person of Jesus Christ himself. The person and meaning of Jesus defy human learning and logic; the fact of the Messiah trips up and confounds those who approach Christianity from a human-focused perspective.

In your religious journey, have you encountered what you would describe as a stumbling block? If you’re a Christian, was there one particular issue or demand that you bumped up against time and time again before you finally made the choice to follow Christ? What ultimately helped you to make it over that obstacle?

Share your thoughts!