549 results for tag: Brad Jersak
Q&R: Baldies, Bears & Cursing in God’s name – Brad Jersak
The Punishment of the Children who Mocked Elisha in Bethel; The Widow before Elisha; Unknown; Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany; about 1400 - 1410; Tempera colors, gold, silver paint, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 33.5 x 23.5 cm (13 3/16 x 9 1/4 in.); Ms. 33, fol. 229v
Question
Greetings! How are we to understand the young boys in the book of kings who mocked Elisha's bald head and were mauled to death by bears. Certainly this could not have come from the Lord. Elisha had cursed them in the name of the Lord when the bears came and mauled them.
Response
You are correct. I think what you are saying is obviously true: CERTAINLY, this could not ...
“Lower the Heat” (assuming faithfulness in disagreement) – Brad Jersak w/ Floris Kersloot
The following are my takeaways from advice I received from Dutch psychologist Floris Kersloot. The topic was on how to understand and respond as peace-builders when faced with angry reactions over theological (or political) convictions.
He who is slow to anger has great understanding but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.Proverbs 14:29
Even when (and especially when) sharing something so basic and central to Christianity as "God is love" or "Jesus calls us away from hatred into love," we often see people of good faith triggered into inexplicable anger and defensiveness. When our perspectives and opinions about God ...
Q & R – If we’re already forgiven, why strive to be good? Isn’t that salvation by works? –Brad Jersak
Q: If we’re already forgiven, why strive to be good? Isn’t that just “salvation by works”?
R: First, let’s examine each phrase of this question.
“If we’re already forgiven”—Yes, indeed we are. As Christ makes clear from the mercy seat of the Cross, “Father, forgive them,” is the once-for-all divine verdict for sinners. Paul concurs in Romans 5 when he says that when we were still sinners and enemies, Christ died for us, justified us and reconciled us to God.
“Why strive to be good”—Yes, as much as we believe and hope that our goodness is generated from within, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5) ...
Follow Your Heart! Really? (part 2) Brad Jersak
Jeremiah 17
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out ...
Follow Your Heart! Really? (part 1) Brad Jersak
“Follow you heart.”
There’s something about this bit of proverbial wisdom that sounds so right, so refreshing, so healing. To those who’ve shaken free of the restraints of religious moralism or experienced the bankruptcy of rationalism, the rediscovery of one’s heart is a thrilling find indeed. To uncover this precious gift from beneath a thousand layers of emotional limestone is, in a deep way, to be born again. And what a wonderful surprise to find out that perhaps the human heart is, at its core, not some monster to be destroyed, but a pearl to be reclaimed and cherished.
And so we hear this anthem, this slogan—Follow your heart!—...
Tutu, Truth & Reconciliation – Brad Jersak
Desmond Tutu - https://www.flickr.com/photos/portofsandiego/
With the passing of Desmond Tutu, we say farewell to the architect and chair of South Africa's breakthrough "Truth and Reconciliation Commission," which opened the seemingly impossible exodus out of that nation's apartheid system without devolving into civil war. The model that he and former president Nelson Mandela managed has become a template for other nations who seek to resolve past injustices and find a way to reconciliation.
For those who don't know exactly how it worked, what Desmond Tutu realized was that there could be no peace, justice, or reconciliation without both ...
Q & R: “Not counting our sins against us” Part 2 – Brad Jersak
"Not Counting Our Sins Against Us"
In a previous post, "Not counting our sins against us," I wrote concerning Paul's remarkable claim that at the Cross, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself not counting our sins against us." (from 2 Corinthians 3:18-19). That last phrase is a stunning repudiation of every claim that God is beholden to some higher justice that requires payment or punishment as a condition of forgiveness or reconciliation.
Further, it shines bright among a constellation of similar verses that wipe out any sense of record-keeping on God's part. Two others that come to mind:
* Hebrews 8:11-12 citing Jeremiah ...
Separation vs. Alienation & “the fear of God” – Brad Jersak
“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he FEARED.” Hebrews 5:7 KJV
My friend Lazar Puhalo recounts his memory of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth on a new-fangled invention called the 'television. It was June 2, 1953. During the coronation of this graceful and gracious 27-year-young woman, the same style of King James language used above referred to the new queen as our 'fearful and 'terrible sovereign, which sounds ominous indeed. And yet, those who 'feared her with reverence and awe' also felt a deep ...
Sometimes Waiting is Hard – Brad Jersak
Waiting:
“Advent” is a word I was unfamiliar with as a child growing up in my Baptist tradition. But in my years with the Mennonites, I became familiar with the ritual of lighting candles on the Advent wreath in anticipation of Christ’s nativity.
Advent, I learned, meant arrival but intrinsic to that word was the waiting, the anticipation and the longing of God’s people for his appearance and especially his deliverance. As a little boy, I relived that expectant hope as the calendar slowly edged forward to Christmas.
Sometimes Waiting is Hard
I think most children find waiting for the climax of Christmas morning difficult … but they may ...
Q&R with Brad Jersak – “No longer counting our sins against us”
Question
"For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT)
+ no longer counting people's sins against them+ no longer counting people's sins against them+ no longer counting people's sins against them+ no longer counting people's sins against them+ no longer counting people's sins against them
So, why do we count sins against ourselves and others? If we stopped counting (perceived) sins done by others, would we not then stop counting sins by or against ourselves?
And what then does the message or ...
Q&R: Matthew 11:12 – “The violent take it by force” with Brad Jersak
Question
Since changing my old perspectives about an angry, vengeful, wrathful God, and a Jesus that retaliates, and on my desire to bear arms to defend myself, could you illuminate for me a better understanding of Matthew 11:12, which I regard as an over-used familiar scripture about "spiritual warfare" and violence?
Response
Good question. Those Christians who love to pray and identify themselves as "intercessors" or "prayer warriors" often gravitate to the biblical language of "spiritual warfare." Paul uses "battle" and "weapons our warfare" in passages such as Ephesians 6 and 2 Corinthians 10 to make the point that the Christian's ...
On the Great Flood (2021) Brad Jersak
Abbotsford Flood (2021)
ON THE GREAT FLOOD (2021)
In retrospect, documentaries may call it ‘the Great Submersion’ or ‘the Sumas Prairie Deluge.’ It has already been identified as the most costly natural disaster in Canadian history. I’m referring to the catastrophic flooding that we have experienced around my city (Abbotsford, BC) through the final week of November 2021. After high winds and a historic downpour across southern BC (our November monthly rainfall fell in under 48 hours), rising waters either submerged or shattered all the highways out of the port of Vancouver, cutting off supply ...
“Father, forgive them” – Particular & Universal – Brad Jersak
"Father, forgive them.”
When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine. “If You are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!” Above Him was posted an inscription: THIS IS THE ...
Understanding Theological (and Political) Anger – Brad Jersak and Floris Kersloot.
The following are my takeaways from advice I received from my psychologist friend, Floris Kersloot. The topic was on how to understand and respond as peace-builders when faced with angry reactions over theological (or political) convictions.
Even when (and especially when) sharing something so basic and central to Christianity as "God is love" or "Jesus calls us away from violence into cruciform enemy love," we often see people of faith and good will triggered into what seems like inexplicable anger and defensiveness. For theological perspectives to cause angry reactions rather than lively discussions should seem strange. What ...
Sacrifices, Offerings & the Cross – Brad Jersak
1603-1604. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
Sacrifice in Human History and the Torah
Sacrificial religion is far more ancient than human history itself. Archaeologists have even discovered signs of burial ritual even among Neanderthal graves. And sociologists such as Rene Girard have developed theories of how sacrificial offerings (of flowers or food) developed into sacred violence, whether it was the slaughter of humans or the vicarious sacrifice of animals (cf. Rene Girard, Violence and the Sacred). By the time the Jewish Torah was composed in its final form, we have a narrative that walks readers through these stages:
◦ God provides ...
Reading from the End (with children) – Brad Jersak
Reading from the End (with children)
Bradley Jersak
Hannah (an alias) is an undiscerning fan of R-rated literature. Granted, the exclusive focus of this compulsive vice is her daily dive into the Bible. For those who’ve actually read the Bible, this is of little comfort, given that she’s weighs in at just eight-years-old. It’s certainly alarming to her parents, who catch her sneaking away to read the Old Testament tales of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll unsupervised. They seriously considered hiding this contraband from her, but she is incorrigible. For her ninth birthday, she asked her parents if they would finally reveal what the ...
Fact, Fiction or Truth … or Why Aren’t You Reading Novels? Bradley Jersak
I frequently encounter surprise and even occasional disdain when I recommend works of fiction as a critical element of one's spiritual or theological diet.
"What's the point? Novels aren't true," I'm asked with incredulity. Or sometimes, "I only read spiritual books," with a judgmental edge. As if works of fiction are neither spiritual nor true.
This belies a fundamental lack of understanding about the nature of truth. Truth, especially God's truth, is true regardless of the genre by which it is delivered, whether fiction or nonfiction; prophecy, poetry or parable; apocalyptic or dystopia, and so on.
Add to the literary genres other ...
Plain Truth Ministries | Box 300 | Pasadena, CA 91129-0300
