(late) thoughts on our worship gathering nov 19th

Testing? Temptation? How do we know which it is? And what are the two all about?

What kinds of questions have passed through your mind since the church building fire? Have you stopped and given some time to those questions? Have you avoided dealing with some of them because they may have been uncomfortable?

Nate asked a question that may or may not have passed through your mind at worship:

Was this an act of evil to try to tear us apart as a church community? I’m not talking arson here…just taking a second to think…did the forces of evil that we can’t see, taste, touch, feel get together to try to plunge a knife into our heart as a church, try to make us throw up our hands and say forget it? Or is this a test by God to put us in a place of discomfort, a place where we need to figure out what our identity is and where our foundation is? Or is this just a part of living in a broken world where things like this happen, and our response to this thing determines who we’re going to lean on and where our treasure is? Or is it all three?

He suggested the answer isn't quite as simple as might think it should be...but isn't reality like that if we're honest? Not quite as simple or step-by-step as we might hope? Surprises us...shocks us....?

As we continued to talk about this matter, we looked at Luke 4:1-13 and talked about the experience of the Biblical character of Job...finding that the difference between testing and temptation isn't found in knowing whether a situation is good or evil, but in the intentions of those involved. God tests us, desiring to shape our character and person; that we would emerge faithful and stronger. Satan tempts us, desiring to see us fall flat on our face...laughing at us when we fail, and kicking us when we're down. And both divine and demonic purposes can be at work in the same situation! That sounds uncomfortable...

So how do we respond? Knowing we are humans, and see the incomplete picture, we pursue faithfulness. We take steps, we trust God, and we find that as we face life depending on Him, our character is strengthened, our light burns brighter, and we find life amidst the struggle...

Link to the sermon is here. (if the above stuff was confusing, you might want to grab the whole sermon to read...feel free to dive into the Bible and share if you see something different than Nate that may be challenging to yourself and others as well. email him at natedmyers@gmail.com, and we can maybe have a fun conversation around the topic!