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The Election

I'm not really into politics. I never have been. So I'm not really caught up on all the issues that are being discussed. I mean, I know enough to get by, and I realize there's talk about the wars, and about the economy, and all that stuff. I get that. But I don't consider myself well-read in any of these areas. Not that most Americans are...though we may think we are.

But I do know that this is all a bit ridiculous to me. I mean, are these two men really the best this country has to offer as choices for the next leaders of America? Seriously. We can't do any better than this? We as a country keep yelling about how bad George W. is, and how badly we need change, and we've chosen McCain and Obama as our top two possibilities for bringing about positive change? Can we not do any better?

On the one side, we have a great war veteran who has survived great brutality as a prisoner of war and has served many, many, many years in the Senate, yet he seems so old and robotic that nobody would ever like him. And since we are all about appearances and how likable somebody is, the idea of seeing boring old McCain lead the country makes many people quiver.

Then there's Obama. Full of charisma. Willing to say whatever he can to make the people happy. Lacking any real experience at all, but hey, that's okay, because he seems to be a good guy, right? I mean, who cares if he has shown favor for partial-birth abortions and that he is in the Senate because he ran essentially unopposed in Illinois. Who cares that he thinks the best thing we can do is take all of our troops out of Iraq at once, thereby leaving a mess of a situation and making the US a sitting duck for widespread hostility. Who cares, cuz he sure seems nice.

With the election only weeks away, I acknowledge that I need to exercise my right to vote. I get that. But I would love to be able to write in somebody like my mother, who I am sure would do a better job than McCain or Obama ever could. I could write in Tiffany, but she's not old enough yet. I could write in my father-in-law...I don't agree with his morals, but he seems to care enough about people. I can think of a number of people who would do infinitely better as the president of the United States than either of these two men. Yet this is what we've been given, and though it is less than ideal, may God's will be done. I am confident that God is in control and that He will work through whoever gets into office. And God's will may not be our will, but it is for the expansion of His glory. So regardless of who are choices are and who ultimately takes office, may God be praised as we look to begin yet another chapter in the story of this country.

It's....October?

What happened to September? It was here the other day...

But it's now October, which means a lot. It means that the weather is "changing" (highs are in the 80s now). It means that millions of people are flocking to Dallas for the state fair. It means that candy corn is more easily found in the grocery store. And it means that the semester is halfway over.

My last semester...halfway over.

Am I really this close to be being done? It seems like only yesterday I started, but soon I'll put away those books and pens (For all those Saved By The Bell fans out there). In two months, my last papers are due and my last exams will be taken, then I'll be done. I'll be given a piece of paper that says that I am qualified to go and teach God's Word to people of other nations.

Yet I feel so unbelievably unqualified. I'm not ready to carry this responsibility. But I know that God has other plans than I do. I know that He will give me the ability to do His will, regardless of how I feel or what a little piece of paper says. So I must learn to rely on Him, not my education.

And those are my thoughts this morning.

Goin' to a Wedding

I'm getting a sister. I am the last of "the Wessler boys" to get a sister, as I was the first one married. But now, I get a sister. And Tiffany gets a sister. And that sister's name is Heidi....though I've never seen her in pig tails.

Not that a single person reading this blog (of the four of you I know who have read it) cares that I'm getting a sister, this is a big deal in my life. At my wedding, all of my brothers (except Zach...he doesn't say much) commented on how great it was to get a sister, and how happy they were that it is Tiffany. Growing up, we were five brothers without any sisters, and everybody knew it. When Zach was born, people would say that we made a basketball team. We actually did make a basketball team one summer for the Gus Macker 3-on-3 tournament in Peoria, which was really interesting because it was the 3 oldest boys plus Dad, making us play against all these old people when I was in Jr. High. And if you've ever seen me play basketball, you can only guess how intimidating that was for me. All that to say we've always looked forward to getting a sister. So, at my wedding, my brothers were all excited because they finally got a sister.

And I got a wife. :)

But, I still don't have a sister. But all that's going to change. We are packed and ready to fly up to St. Louis, then drive to Peoria because Nate is getting married tomorrow. Granted, they should have gotten married before I did, but they took their time. And we can't change the past. So now they're getting married. And we're excited.

I'm finally getting sister.

Salvation by…works?

Okay, so I don't want to step on any toes here, but this entry is based off a conversation I had with James while talking outside the bathroom on the second floor of the library. If you were in the library at the time, you probably heard us as neither one of us is particularly quiet. Anyway, somehow we got around to talking about evangelism and the way it is taught in many (most?) evangelical churches today. This goes along with a previous entry, as we agreed that we should not go out and evangelize because we are told to do so by others. We brought up the fact that, at DTS, we have to share the gospel with at least 5 people during the semester in which we are taking evangelism. Granted, we should be doing this anyway, but our emphasis was on the requirement aspect of it. But it's not just at DTS. James said he had looked at other seminaries but decided not to go there because the students were required to share the gospel with at least 2 people every week while a student at that seminary. Again, sharing the gospel is a good thing. Requiring it as part of a grade or even as part of being eligible to remain a student places the emphasis in the wrong place. Evangelism should flow from our worship of the King. If we truly love Him, our life will reflect this love and we can do little but share the gospel with others (though this need not be done by reciting the "4 Spiritual Laws" or, if at DTS, the "Bad News, Good News").

This conversation led into a discussion of the methods used to reach the lost. Being raised Lutheran, the concept of an altar call was completely foreign to me until I started visiting Baptist and Assemblies of God churches. Though I have no problem with the concept of an altar call – I believe that making a physical expression of one's faith is great – I take issue at those who believe that altar calls are necessary for Christians to participate in, or, even worse, necessary for salvation. Last I checked salvation is given by God as a gift. A gift granted by grace, through faith, but a gift nonetheless. And this is not by works. That means that no altar call is necessary for salvation, no matter how many preaches may make it seem otherwise.

And these altar calls may not be merely those found at the end of many church services. They are the common means by which many Western evangelists finish their presentations. Think about it. How many times have we heard somebody share the gospel and finish by saying, "If you believe what I said just now, then pray this simple prayer and you will be saved." The requirement of "praying the prayer" takes the place of the altar call, placing the emphasis not on the One who saves but on man's ability to do something to get salvation.

I'll let the sit for a second.

 

 

Just think about it. By saying that they must "pray this prayer" we are adding a requirement to salvation that was not put there by God. Yes, it makes sense to our finite, human minds to add something to the gospel presentation so that we may be assured that somebody is saved, but this does not make it a requirement for salvation. If somebody does not "pray the prayer," they may still be saved…we just might not know it. And that's okay. We don't need to know. If we require the prayer, or even present it as a requirement, we are adding a condition to salvation and, all of a sudden, salvation is by works. No matter how often we preach otherwise, as long as we make the altar call or the prayer a necessary component of our gospel presentations, we are preaching a works-based salvation in practice. And that, my brothers and sisters, is not the gospel.

I could keep going, but I need to get to class. I'm thinking I am long overdue for an entry on baptism…and since that ties in very nicely with this one, I very well may hit on that topic next time.