Near the Edge

He was 13. It was a fun day and the rocks were inviting. Perhaps he could get a better view if he got out on them and looked down. There was a slip. A fall. And he was looking up at heaven. He was 13. Mt. Erie hadn’t been friendly to him.

Carol and I took a trip last Monday to Mt. Erie on Fidalgo Island near Deception Pass. It is a steep drive to the top where there is a cell tower, several paved paths to viewpoints with guard rails, awesome views of Whidbey Island and the Anacortes refineries, as well as very accessible sheer cliffs. Even though it was cloudy, it was a beautiful scene.

However, I have to confess, I have a visceral reaction to heights. Even with a guardrail, I can’t get even close to the edge without trying to hang part of my body back near the mountain while my head peeks over. I’m freaked by heights.

The really spooky part of the adventure, however, was how accessible the cliffs were. In fact, Mt. Erie is famous for its great climbs on the rocky faces. The cliffs are also very accessible to novices, like the young man whose story about his death in 1992 appeared on a marker near the parking area.

I was thankful that Carol and I had come by ourselves on this trip. A week earlier we had hiked to the Ice Caves at Big Four near Verlot with our three oldest grandchildren. We had thought about the trip to Mt. Erie with them. I was so glad that we had not brought them. Not because they wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but because they would have wanted to explore nearer the edge than we were comfortable. In fact, the cliffs were so accessible, that, if we had had our grandchildren there, it would have been difficult to keep them away from the edges…even though they are great kids.

I was thankful we hadn’t exposed them to the temptation to get too close to the edge.

That reminded me of some verses from Romans 14 and 15…15 If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
RO 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
There are things I can do and places I can go without getting to the edge of the temptation. However, by taking others there, I expose them to the temptation. They may not be where I am, may get too close to the edge, and may fall. This is why I choose to abstain from certain beverages and entertainments. I may not fall, but if people go to the edge with me, they may fall, even though I don’t. It is out of love that I choose to not go near the edge of myself, lest others follow me and slip.

When the Culture Defines Hate

When the culture defines hate, expect the fat to hit the fan.

When it isn’t politically correct to be a Christian, when Christian values and morals become immoral to the culture around you, expect that being a Christ-follower will make you look hateful. When the culture defines hate, just not agreeing with their position is hate. You can do nice things, but impact the economy or say some behaviors are immoral, and people will come looking for you.

At some point, what you believe about God, about life, about yourself, and about others will change your life. And, you will call others to change their lives. Any time you ask people to change, or even when you start changing, you impact others. We are interconnected on this planet. If a butterfly in Brazil can cause a weather change in Massachusetts (as Chaos Theory teaches), then you changing how you live because Jesus has taken over your thinking and your choices will impact others around you.

Paul’s culture defined hate in Acts 19. For two years he had taught the good news that God wanted to invade our lives through Jesus and take over (the Kingdom of God): Paul… had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

Then people’s lives began to change because God was now calling the shots. Paul released a slave girl from demonic domination and her employers lost income. People burned their magic books and began realizing that the current religion was bogus…so they quit buying the silver dolls used in the sex-worship of the culture. This impacted the business sector, because the demand for silver and for silver dolls dried up. AC 19:23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

Businessmen lost income, and when their pocketbook was touched, they got angry. As long as these followers of the Way just did their own thing, had their nice Bible studies, minded their own business, no one was going to get hurt. But, when they started changing what they bought and how they lived, the fat hit the fan. The culture thought it was hateful to teach people that dolls weren’t necessary to life and happiness. The culture thought it was hateful to impact people’s livelihood that supported what was obsolete. When the culture defines hate, expect to be ridiculed publically. Expect to get shouted down. AC 19:28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar…. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there... they all shouted in unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" AC 19:35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.

This story from Acts 19 teaches us some lessons about how to react when the culture defines hate.
• Don’t go to the arena (don’t get involved in arguments. Your reactions and arguments will only be seen as defensiveness. False thinking is self-evident.)
• Don’t speak evil about others’ beliefs or behaviors or fight over cultural issues.
• Declare clearly that God gets to call the shots in our lives (the Kingdom of God)