Recently I seem to be asking questions that I was previously very reluctant to consider. I know I am not supposed to test God but I just can’t understand why he has not shown himself more directly in more than 2,000 years? Even according to biblical standards this is probably the longest period of time without a direct and powerful intervention from God.
- Why are you keeping yourself hidden?
- Why haven’t you shown yourself in more than 30 generations?
- What are you waiting for?
- Why must I rely on ancient accounts of you that have such scant documentation? None of the originals of even that documentation exist today!
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Why am I forced to try and understand today’s world through a two thousand year old filter?
I know from my abundant studies in this area that these are questions often asked by people who have not yet come to know Christ. They make comments like “I know he was hung on a cross to die about 2,000 years ago and then came back to life, but what has he done lately?”. Many evangelicals say “he told us everything we need to know in the Bible.”
- But aren’t our varied interpretations of just what the bible says the cause of us splitting into more than 35,000 versions of Christians?
- When is enough enough for even God?
- Why can’t he provide us with clearer answers to today’s problems?
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Why can’t he give us clearer directions on what it really means to be his disciples?
Why, why, why…
RedLetterLiving 
Frustrating isn’t it? And if we are all honest with each other and ourselves we all ask the same questions.
My constant prayer is that He return and quickly to stop the suffering. Scriptures tell us He is patient so that many might come to salvation. Patience is good. Salvation is wonderful. But the suffering continues unabated. I guess I should ask myself why I don’t stop the suffering or why the collective church doesn’t do more to end suffering. Could it be He is waiting to see us do just that?
Peppy, I’m not asking him to come back now. (I’m not sure I am ready to go to the next world yet 🙂 )I just wish he would set all us Christians straight on just what he expects of us and where we should be getting his messages/inspiration. It would have to be a very powerful message as so many of us Christians are so deeply entrenched in our own versions of God that it will take something literally earth shaking to move us off our current stands.
This constant dividing ourselves in order to maintain institutionally pure is doing much more harm to the kingdom on earth than almost everything else. At least in my humble opinion.
When you give your creation free wil – free choice about whom they will serve (Joshua), and evil is allowed to flourish than this is the world and the church you will find. Very independent. Thank goodness we do have that choice! Imagine all of us having to live under one evil religious system? That happens and has happened mightily in the past. With Satan as the God of this present world system, I am very thankful to God that we do have a free system to worship in such as our country. Of course, that means we put up with a lot of evil. Or should we see this as an opportunity to further God’s kingdom?
None of us will ever be totally ready when He comes. It will surprise us according to scripture. He needs to come back and stop all the many ways evil causes suffering. I feel selfish to wish otherwise:-). All our manmade ideas of worshipping Him are just vanity, vanity anyway.