Pastor,

A few questions. I’ve been reading 2 Samuel 12 and it bothers me. David commits adultery and his mistress bears a son. God reveals that as part of the punishment the child will die. Why would God choose to punish an innocent child for the dad’s sin?

Second, I’ve been thinking about the topic of suicide. Some believe that when one kills themselves that it is an unforgivable sin and they go to hell. Is that true? What does the Bible say about this? I’ve lost people to suicide and it’s always made me wonder.

Thanks!

Question Guy

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The following is a recent e-mail exchange; slightly modified for confidentiality.

Pastor Matt, 

Just so you know, I’m agnostic. I can’t rule out the existence of God and I can’t satisfyingly prove it either. But here are some questions I’m struggling with. Is it possible that grave robbers or Romans took Jesus’ body so his followers didn’t make a monument out of his grave? What makes Jesus’ followers different from the followers of David Koresh or the 9/11 terrorists? Their changed lives are not enough evidence of Jesus’ validity; the terrorists were just as confident in their beliefs and willing to die too. Isn’t it possible that God sent different prophets to different parts of the world at different times, and Mohammed is just like Jesus? Why does one religion have to be “right”? It’s just like political parties. Thanks for helping.

Yours,

Unsure Eddie

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The night I speak I’ll have about 20 minutes to talk and somewhere around 25,000 kids listening in. Crazy, right? It’s been a really interesting process over the last few months to wrestle with just what God wants them to hear.

I believe He’s led me to a really cool place with what I’ve prepared, but I still wonder at times - “is this making the most of those 20 minutes and the attention of the 25,000 kids?”

So let me ask you. If you had just one shot, 20 minutes and the attention of 25,000 kids–each at a pivotal point in their life–what is the one thing you’d want them to hear? What would you say with your one shot?

This was especially true for our Good Friday’s Service of Darkness. In it we taught of Good Friday’s connection to Passover and how both the historical event, when God rescued his people from the hands of Pharaoh through the blood of a lamb, and the annual celebration of it that followed for millennia, were foreshadows to the death of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We did this through a series of short films which taught how the death of a lamb became a powerful, heart-wrenching, Israelite family tradition—commanded by God—that helped them remember their dramatic salvation from slavery to Pharaoh and look forward to how God would save us all from slavery to sin in the future.  If you missed the films you can watch them HERE. (Be sure to watch all three in order.)

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I was lying.  She knows it.

There’s something in me that is always itching to have a project, work on something, write something and that keeps me from ever feeling okay with just sitting, relaxing, and “being” and not “doing.”  I feel guilty when I just sit, even though I know that I need to; even though I know those I love need me to.

It’s something I pray about. It’s something that I know is really, at it’s heart, a pride issue for me. I think that the world needs my constant effort. Likewise, my sense of self-worth is tied to my ability to obsesssively achieve. Both are bad, narcissistic and sinful. (See, I’ve read enough of the scriptures to know how jacked I am.)  Thank you for Jesus.

All that said, I really am looking forward to this weekend. Really, I am.

The second reason is arrogance. And what I mean is that in 21st century, Western culture, we are a people that tend to pray only when we have a major crisis. You know, when disaster strikes or death is looming. And in our part of the world life is pretty comfortable, life is pretty good. And when we’re feeling successful we’re far less prone to call out for a Savior. So we don’t pray.

And yet if you were to poll 1,000 people and ask them if prayer should be a priority, I’d bet the remaining hair on my fast-balding-head that the majority would say “sure.” Below are links to some books and resources that I believe to be very helpful in cultivating a life of prayer. Some are teachings on prayer, others are devotional books that will help get your heart ready to pray and even provide you with the words to say. Enjoy.

- Pastor Matt

Prayer Resources:

• Portals of Prayer | An online daily devotion. Short and to the point. Just like it’s supposed to be.
• A Year with Jesus; Daily Readings and Meditations | By Eugene Peterson. An excellent book of daily devotions and prayers. Buy. It. Now.
• Praying with the Psalms; A Year of Daily Prayers and Reflections | By Eugene Peterson. Again, a wonderful book.
• A Simple Way to Pray | Free - in pdf format.  A teaching on prayer by Martin Luther. It teaches how to pray through the Lord’s Prayer, 10 Commandments and more.
• Little Visits with Jesus; A Family Devotional | This family devotional is perfect for those with elementary age children and lower. It offers short family devotions and prayers.

- Pastor Matt

First things first: Get a good Bible.

The key here is readability and accuracy. At CrossPoint we uphold two translations: the New International Version and the English Standard Version.  There are other great ones, but these (especially the ESV) are the best. I highly suggest getting a “study” version of either translation as they come packed with helpful notes, maps and articles.  As for recommendations I use the ESV Study Bible from Crossway. You can purchase one HERE.  For a FANTASTIC Bible to read as a family with young children click HERE.

Second: Surround yourself with good people.

The Bible was never meant to be studied in solitude. Doing so generally leads to one of two things: frustration or heresy. Instead connect with a community of other Christians and study / read together and lean on one another’s collective wisdom and experience. At CrossPoint we offer a ton of Bible Studies, HomeTeams, and classes where you can encounter God’s Word with others.  For a full list of classes happening right now click HERE.

Third: Get some great resources.

There an countless books and devotional guides that will assist you in studying the Bible, understanding it’s story, and then embodying it’s message in every day life. Here are several resources that I use personally and have taught to others.

• Knowing the Bible 101: A Guide to God’s Word in Plain Language
• Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: 12 Ways you can unlock God’s Word
• Faith Alone: A daily devotional
• The Bible Podcast: A daily reading of scripture

Fourth: Surround yourself with great teachers.

God’s Word has power not only when it’s read or studied but primarily when it spoken and preached. I regularly listen to the sermons of several pastors as a way to keep myself immersed in the Bible and what it says. We live in a day and age of great accessibility to some of the world’s best teachers of the faith. Below are links to several men that I regularly listen to - and so should you. These are links to podcasts - if you don’t have iTunes simply Google their info and you’ll be able to access their church web-sites and download from there.

• John Ortberg | Author, Pastor, Menlo Park Church - S.F. CA
• Matt Carter | Pastor, Austin Stone Church - Austin
• Mark Driscoll | Pastor, Mars Hill Church - Seattle
• Matt Chandler | Pastor, The Village Church - Dallas
• Andy Stanley | Pastor, North Point Church - Atlanta
• John Piper | Pastor, Bethlehem Church  - Minneapolis
• Ken Klaus | Lutheran Hour Ministries

Origins - Part 6 from crosspt media on Vimeo.

Origins - Pt. 1 from crosspt media on Vimeo.

The Theology of Dad from crosspt media on Vimeo.