iWorldview

Dear Crosswalkers, The death of the co-founder of Apple is big news in the Silicon Valley and in the world. Shrines are appearing at various Apple stores. In San Francisco, flowers and candles appeared, and post-it notes covered the store windows.  One simply said, “isad,” and another followed: “isad2.” Of course we all admire his creative genius. He has been compared to Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Walt Disney, which is elite company.  As a visionary leader, he is a champion. He had the courage to live out his motto to "Think Different." In so doing he encouraged many other great leaders and innovators to see things, not merely as they are, but as what they can be! Steve Jobs is credited for inventing the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.  In a culture that cherishes technology, he is at the top of the heap. Our school is filled with iMacs, and I have been blessed with ipods and itunes, not to mention my iphone. Is he a genuine hero? That is not the terminology I would use. A genius, yes! A hero of technology? Affirmative! A visionary leader extraordinaire ? Unquestionably!  Here in the Silicon Valley he will be rightly cherished and fondly remembered for his absolutely stunning accomplishments. Jobs died yesterday at the relatively young age of 56 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His life was a gift from God, and we should pray for his family. We should also appreciate the way God gifted him, and see his visionary leadership as a gift to the world. At the same time, it is appropriate to evaluate his spiritual legacy in the light of God's word. Back in 2005 he gave a now famous commencement address at Stanford University. Clips of this address are being prominently featured on TV, and quotes from the address are cropping up everywhere. It is important that we are discerning about the veracity of his speech in the light of Biblical truth. Below are some pertinent quotes from that speech in italics, with my comments in ALL CAPS: "Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith." GREAT ADVICE, BUT FAITH IN WHAT? "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?'"GOOD QUESTION! GREAT ADVICE! "And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." AGAIN, GOOD PRACTICAL ADVICE! WE DON'T NEED TO BE STUCK IN AN UNHAPPY AND UNFULFILLING SITUATION. GOD GIVES US THE POWER TO CHANGE OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER! "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." UNTIMATELY, IF SPEAKING ABOUT MATERIAL GOODS, THIS IS SPOT ON. NO HEARSE EVER PULLED A U-HAUL TO THE CEMETARY! HOWEVER, THE LORD JESUS SPOKE ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF GAINING THE WHOLE WORLD AT THE EXPENSE OF LOSING YOUR SOUL!  THE TRUTH IS, WE DO HAVE SOMETHING TO LOSE, OUR SOULS. "No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.”  THESE WORDS ARE A GOOD REALITY CHECK! “And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life." WITH ALL DUE RESPECT FOR HIS BRILLIANT INTELLECT, I HOPE WE CAN AGREE THAT THIS IS NONSENSE! IN FACT IT IS THE EPITOME OF A SECULAR WORLDVIEW. FAR FROM THE BEST INVENTION OF LIFE, THE BIBLE CALLS DEATH “THE LAST ENEMY.” IF WE HAVE NO SOULS, AND IF THERE IS NO ETERNAL LIFE, AND IF EVOLUTION IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE, AND IF MOMENTARY FAME IS A MARK OF A GREAT LIFE, THEN DEATH MAY BE THE BEST INVENTION OF LIFE. BUT IF THE BIBLE IS TRUE, THEN LIFE IS A PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD. AND SO IS ETERNAL LIFE. THE BEST INVENTION OF LIFE IS NOT THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, BUT THE LIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE! "It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true." OK, BUT CLEARED AWAY AS RUBBISH? AS ANTIQUES THAT HAVE LOST THEIR VALUE? AS JUNK TO BE DISCARDED? THIS IS THE UTILITARIAN WORLDVIEW WHICH POSITS THAT LIFE IS ONLY VALUABLE IF YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING TO SOCIETY. ON THE CONTRARY, THE BIBLE SAYS THAT ALL LIFE IS OF VALUE BECAUSE WE ARE CREATED IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD! ULTIMATELY, WHO YOU ARE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT YOU CAN DO. "Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." THIS IS WONDERFUL ADVICE, CLEARLY IN LINE WITH BIBLICAL TRUTH!  "Don’t be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."   UNFORTUNATELY, THESE NICE SOUNDING WORDS EMBODY THE ESSENCE OF NEW AGE PHILOSOPHY IN WHICH YOU ARE YOUR OWN GOD. THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS THAT GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS! OF COURSE THERE IS A SENSE IN WHICH WE SHOULD FOLLOW OUR GOD GIVEN DREAMS, BUT AREN'T THESE WORDS A BIT ARROGANT? IS EVERYTHING ELSE SECONDARY TO YOUR HEART AND INTUITION?  THE TRUTH IS YOUR INNER VOICE CAN BE VERY MISLEADING. THE BIBLE SAYS OUR HEARTS ARE DECEPTIVE ABOVE ALL ELSE. THE FACT IS WE NEED THE WISDOM OF OTHERS. WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER! WE HAVE ALL BEEN BLESSED WITH THE WISDOM OF OTHER PEOPLE'S THINKING! AND MOST OF ALL WE NEED THE WISDOM OF THE SCRIPTURES. WE CAN DECEIVE OURSELVES, BUT GOD’S WORD WILL NEVER DECEIVE US. IT IS A LAMP FOR OUR FEET AND A LIGHT FOR OUR PATH. WE CAN LET OURSELVES DOWN, BUT JESUS WILL NEVER LET US DOWN. HE HAS WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE. HIS TRUTH IS OUR JOY! Steven Paul Jobs leaves a mixed legacy, as most of us will. I encourage you to embrace the courage and innovation and visionary leadership of his legacy. When it comes to matters of eternal significance, I encourage you to listen to the Bible! This Sunday at Crosswalk, we will celebrate the word of truth as the one way to help us influence others for all eternity.  It will be a great day at Crosswalk; I hope to see you in church. Blessings, Pastor John

DEAD SEA SCROLLS ARE NOW ONLINE! The Dead Sea Scrolls (first discovered in 1947) are now available in digital format. Click here to check it out for yourself:  http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/ But here's a fascinating story demonstrates the trustworthiness of the Bible. The Great Scroll of Isaiah from the Dead Sea Scrolls was written in about 150 B.C. The Aleppo Codex, one of the best manuscripts for our version of the Old Testament, was written in about 1000 A.D. Now you can compare those two versions of Isaiah chapter 1—written over 1,100 years apart! To do so click here:  http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/chapters_pg It's stunning how much they agree! All of the variations are minor differences. So don't let anyone tell you people changed or corrupted the Bible over the passage of time. It simply didn't happen that way. God used the diligent ministry of those ancient Hebrew scribes (the Masoretes) to carefully preserve and copy his Word.