Actually, mixing with missionaries isn’t something that we do all that often! But as you saw from our newsletter, it’s been a bit of a theme in the early weeks of 2023.
We enjoyed, for example, a visit from two couples from the US who are part of our mission (at two different times). We had some fun time to hang out and chat.
We recently enjoyed some “cultural orientation” time in Mexico City, and, of course, some fellowship, with a missionary family who has been on the field for a few months (but I had not yet met them) (picture above). So we saw the sights and had some tacos, and then we all came back to worship with our church on Sunday.
A tradition has been “MK Camp” every spring, and this will likely be the last one for a while for Nathanael! We’re there right now. 🙂 Shari is the counsellor for the younger girls.
We’re in prayer for our church, and other churches in Mexico City, as this week is also a youth camp! Due to previously mentioned conflicts, we’re not there. But I’m sure they would appreciate it if you join us in prayer for the youth and the leaders and organizers. They’re there at a camp out of state until Saturday.
And then – Resurrection Sunday! If everyone coming back from all their camps is still awake to celebrate properly. We’re looking forward to the weekend, which gives us an extra reminder to meditate on and celebrate our God’s great work of salvation for us.
So a bit of a breather over the weekend before plunging into a few weeks of absolute chaos. But we won’t talk about that right now! Just stopping by because I realized I hadn’t updated you all for a while.
Last time we talked about the environment in Genesis 1 and 2 – at the beginning of creation, in a perfect world. But we all know that the world didn’t stay that way. So let’s move on to Genesis 3.
The basic history – the first man and woman rebelled against the Creator. And so God Himself placed His creation under a curse. Let’s see what God said…
To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Genesis 3:16-19
Notice what happens here. God’s purpose continues, but it is now under a curse. What has changed?
Purpose: “Be fruitful and multiply” – but now “in pain you shall bring forth children”
Purpose:“subdue [the earth], and have dominion” but now there is “enmity” (Gen 3:15 – speaking of the serpent, but this is part of the conflict between humans and their environment) and “cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life … By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread”
Purpose:“fill the earth” but now, all will die (return to dust)
Purpose: Humans were in the garden to “work it and keep it” – but now they would be expelled from Eden (Gen 3:23-24)
There is another major worldwide change that we need to look at – the Flood. Here’s what God tells the new “first family”:
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood…”
Genesis 9:1-4
Here’s a change – now people were allowed to eat meat as well as plants. It’s not wrong to kill an animal and eat it. But killing a human is entirely different. Why?
…And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.
Genesis 9:5-7
Murder and justice. And once again it is confirmed that we are to fill the earth. Later in the chapter, we learn that we can have families, confident that God is not about to send another worldwide flood.
So, we have some instructions. We also know that there is an even more basic purpose in the creation, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism correctly states: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11:36
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31
So we need to keep some of these basics in mind as we look to see what else the Bible has to say about the environment. And I have to admit, I found some things that surprised me.
Let’s actually start at the end. We know that the creation is under a curse. But what does the end of our current history look like?
In Romans chapter 8, Paul is teaching that, although we’re already redeemed, we still suffer in this present world.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
Romans 8:20-23
Redemption is coming, glory and freedom, not just for us as believers, but for all of creation.
Let’s see what the Apostle Peter has to say. In his second epistle, Peter is talking about those who mock believers, denying that the final judgement is coming.
For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. … Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:5-7,11-13
And so, how will God renew His universe? He’s going to destroy it, and remake it. The final destruction of fire doesn’t appear to come from humans, but from the hand of God. And so in Revelation 21 we read “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (Rev 21:1).
All of this is temporary. The shirt I’m wearing is temporary too. But I’m still going to wash it and take care of it. But I understand that it has a temporary purpose.
In the meantime, God has promised to sustain the basic cycles of the earth. Yahweh says in Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
Think about this carefully, because I’ve heard some confusion about this. This promise of God is not saying that the earth will never get warmer or cooler, or become polluted, or that there will never be any natural disasters, or that a species will never become extinct. This verse does not say that there will be no consequences if we do not care for the earth.
However, it does promise that God will sustain the general cycles of the earth and care for humanity in general. We don’t fear complete environmental destruction from human activity. We know how history will end.
Two important facts from Scripture: (1) God tells us to care for the earth. (2) God Himself cares for the earth, and also judges the earth, as its Sovereign King.
How exactly are we to care for the earth? Actually, the Bible gives us some very helpful guidance. We’ll dive into some specifics next time…
One of the first things that we learned in our Biblical Anthropology series was the concept of dependence. We were created as dependent beings – of course, the very fact that we were created means that we are in some way dependent.
And as human beings, we’re not only dependent on God, we also depend on one another, and on our environment in general.
And that’s why our next topic is “The Environment”. And it is, without a doubt, a very current topic. As was the case when I taught this series in Spanish, we are being inundated with news about the earth and climate change. When I first taught this series, the big news was COP26 – “the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties” – in Glasgow, Scotland.
But the truth is that most of us have grown up with environmentalism. Saving a species from extinction – climate change, pollution. It’s one of the great conversations of our generation.
And so we’re going to go to the Bible to study this issue. And as has been our custom, we’re going to start at the very beginning – Genesis 1. We started there at the beginning of our Biblical Anthropology series, and it feels like we’ve been hanging out there ever since!
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
The source of everything – God Himself. And let’s remember what we learn in Colossians – “… by him [Christ, the Son] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible … in him all things hold together … in [him] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 1:16-17; Colossians 2:3).
Our Lord is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. All wisdom and knowledge is found in Him.
God created all things, and so all things belong to Him. God never sold off His rights to the universe. He didn’t lose everything in a bad investment. All things are His.
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…
Psalm 24:1
Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
Job 41:11
And so let’s begin with the basics:
God created all things.
God sustains all things. (Everything ultimately depends on God.)
God owns all things.
God is sovereign over His creation.
God gives all things their purpose.
Remember when God created the first man and woman, He gave them this command:
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28
We’ve talked before about this as the “Creation Mandate” (in our discussion of technology). And in the same chapter, we read about the original state of Creation:
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31
Now, moving on to chapter 2:
The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Genesis 2:15
All of this is part of the purpose that God gave to the first humans.
Now, before we go any further… the environment has been a matter of massive debate in our lifetimes, and of course the Church has been involved in that conversation. At times, unbelievers have accused Christians of not caring for the environment, of not being concerned about the earth.
We don’t like to be called bad people, and we don’t want conflict. And so very often the response has been something like this:
“Just look at what the Bible says in Genesis 1 and 2. These verses show that we should be administrators of our earth as Christians. We are indeed responsible to care for the environment. And so – we’re all on the same side, right?”
And we take a giant leap from Genesis 1 and 2 into everything that we are being told to do.
In fact, believe it or not, there’s a “Green Bible”. Listen to this promotional material for this edition:
The Green Bible will equip and encourage people to see God’s vision for creation and help them engage in the work of healing and sustaining it. With over 1,000 references to the earth in the Bible, compared to 490 references to heaven and 530 references to love, the Bible carries a powerful message for the earth. This Green-Letter edition of the Bible will highlight scriptures in green ink that teach about God’s care for creation and how God interacts with creation, in an effort to bring greater awareness to how this message is woven throughout the Old and New Testaments. Essays from leading conservationists and theologians on how to read the Bible through a ‘green lens’ as well as a green topical index and Green Bible trail guide for personal study will be paired with teachings throughout the ages to show people how caring for God’s creation is not only a calling, but a lifestyle.
The Green Bible (2010)
First of all, for those who have studied hermeneutics (Bible interpretation), this line “With over 1,000 references to the earth in the Bible, compared to 490 references to heaven and 530 references to love” will be recognized as absolutely horrible logic – counting up references (verses?) about something, out of context, and using that to measure relative importance (now we know that the earth is more important than love?) – ridiculous. Just – don’t buy this Bible.
But anyway, we’ve seen this general strategy before. Take a phrase from the Bible, out of context, such as “love your neighbour”. Next, redefine the words, and use the phrase to promote whatever the world wants to promote. And this creates a “false consensus”. In other words, it looks like everyone is in agreement – on a very surface level – when that is really not the case.
I was at the gas station and someone came up to my window to show me their absolutely marvellous product. And sadly for them, I wasn’t interested. And so she said, “Don’t you like free gifts?”
“Not today, thanks.”
“Don’t you care about the environment?”
“Um… thanks….”
Now of course, if she really wanted to give me free gifts with which I could save the world, I guess I should have paid a lot more attention! But I have a feeling that there was a little more to it than that! 🙂
Yes, we have a lot of agreement with many who are not believers. Yes, as we’re going to see, we can work together – believers and unbelievers – to care for the planet. However, as we’ve seen throughout our study, very often our points of agreement are somewhat superficial. Look at the five absolutely basic fundamental truths that we have already looked at today – how many of these would an unbeliever accept?
And so we’re not going to simply appeal to Genesis 1 and 2 to include all the current ideas about climate change and conservation – we need to go a little deeper.
We’ve started with a look at the world in its perfect state, and God’s first commands. But we know that the world didn’t stay that way. So next time let’s look at the Bible’s teaching about the world after the Fall…
Ten years ago today we had a major children’s event in the community of Jesús María! Cookie decorating and egg dying on a grand scale – about 150 people involved. This is only one of many tables set up for the kids (click the image for a larger image):
Now you may notice that everyone was rather bundled up! March is one of the warmest months here… normally. But in 2013, it was cold, getting down below freezing.
The good thing was that there was a lot of snow on the volcanoes, so I got some excellent pictures! It was a beautiful view that year.
It is our desire to equip local pastors and elders for their long-term ministry. One of the many ways this is happening is through the special project, Retreats and Resources for Pastors.
It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like! 🙂 When you give to this project (and yes, it is a tax-deductible gift in Canada or the USA), you are providing resources such as Bible study materials, and also help with transportation and fees for retreats for pastors/elders and their wives once a year. Obviously what we can do will depend on the funds available.
This is a project that you can give to as an individual or family, or you can make it a special goal for your Bible study group, church, classroom, etc. For instructions on giving, just go to the donate page, click on your country, and then look for instructions for special projects. But to make it simple, you will be giving through Avant to Project #71969.
We’re coming to the end of our study of Communication and Creativity. But we’re going to look at a few more things that the Bible has to say – in a moment.
First, here are a few questions to ponder:
How have I seen the world use art to fight against God, or to tempt me to sin?
How could I use what I’ve been learning to change the way I create or “consume” art?
How could I use art to fight for the Kingdom of God in the months ahead?
Remember, art can be used for good and evil. Yes, we have often seen it twisted to a wicked purpose. Used to feed sinful pleasure. Used to manipulate or abuse others. Pornography. Gluttony. Lies.
But we should end our study by remembering the positive – We were created to be creative! And we use our creativity to communicate with one another and with God – and that is a wonderful thing. Art can be used for God’s glory, the fight the good fight of the faith, and to enjoy as a gift from our Creator.
Jesus was at the house of Simon the Leper in the town of Bethany – and we presume from the nickname that Simon was a leper that Jesus had healed. Mary, Martha’s sister, was there. And Martha, Mary’s sister, had come to help serve the food – she was apparently pretty good with the culinary arts.
Mary had an alabaster jar of perfume (alabaster was a type of stone from Egypt). This tiny container would cost a year’s wages – imagine!
And she used it to anoint the Lord. She didn’t pour out a little – that would have been a lot – the beautiful smell would have filled the room. No, she broke the container and poured it all on his head! This might seem odd to us, but it was not out of the ordinary in the custom of the day to anoint with perfume. But the amount – the value – that was very much out of the ordinary. Extravagant!
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
John 12:4-5
We know now that Judas was actually stealing from the money bag, so he wasn’t exactly concerned for the poor. But some of the other disciples were probably thinking the exact same thing.
And yet, Jesus defended Mary’s extravagant gift.
Yes, there is a time to give to the poor. But there is also a time to enjoy God’s gifts, and to give to God – in a creative and extravagant way, for His glory! In a sense, we’re “giving back” to God. And because of our own creativity, it is something uniquely ours.
God loved us with a love that was extravagant, luxurious, abundant, generous, lavish. “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
1 Corinthians 2:9
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Creativity and communication allow us to love extravagantly. But we recognize we are ever dependent on the Creator of the universe. And we create as creatures. We should create based in truth. We should create with purpose, with the ultimate goal of glorifying God and enjoying Him. With extravagance.
