The Bible Is an Outdated Relic
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What qualifies Mike Winger to talk about the Bible?
Mike Winger is a pastor and the featured teacher of BibleThinker online ministry. He graduated from the School of Ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and was ordained in 2006. He has been teaching theology, apologetics, and verse-by-verse Bible studies for over a decade. His biblical teachings have inspired a large congregation that goes to his church and made them able to distinguish between false teachings and genuine ones.
Mike Winger is a pastor and the featured teacher of BibleThinker online ministry. He graduated from the School of Ministry at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and was ordained in 2006. He has been teaching theology, apologetics, and verse-by-verse Bible studies for over a decade. His biblical teachings have inspired a large congregation that goes to his church and made them able to distinguish between false teachings and genuine ones.
---> "that goes to his church" ? An online ministry or brick and mortar?
The Bible isn't just a book of sad stories.
I was thinking how the Bible doesn't really have any stories with happy endings. Except then I thought of one exception…the story of Ruth. But, as I considered this (incorrect) observation, I realized the Bible has many happy stories if you include those consisting of brief incidents.
For example, the story of the son of the widow at Nain had a very happy ending. Happy endings also characterize other stories including: the centurion's servant, the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes, the demon-possessed man in Capernaum, the demon-possessed boy whom the Messiah's disciples could not heal, Jairus' daughter, the woman with the ongoing issue of blood, the crippled (bent over) woman, Simon's mother-in-law, the man with the shriveled hand, the man with leprosy, the ten men who had leprosy, the paralyzed man who stood up and walked, the five thousand (men) who ate and were filled in Bethsaida, the feeding of the four thousand in the region of the Gerasenes, the blind beggar who received his sight, the healing of the sick on the island of Malta, the healing of Aeneas, Lazarus' being raised from the dead and Tabitha's being raised from the dead; not to mention at least two times when the Messiah is described as healing multitudes.
Listing these incidences reminded me of how just yesterday I wrote that it seems to me one of the main messages implied by the Messiah's teachings is that we spend far too much time focused on the material and not nearly enough time and effort looking at things from a spiritual perspective, and this led me to recall stories with happy endings that were of a more spiritual nature, such as: the salvation of Zacchaeus the tax collector, the sinful woman with the alabaster jar who received forgiveness (i.e., Mary), and the criminal who was forgiven on the cross as he was being crucified next to the Messiah.
And I find it kind of ironic that the last thing to come to my mind was the coming of the Holy City, the new Jerusalem (in the last two chapters of Revelation) which is quite a happy ending indeed.
And on top of this, there are a number of stories that should and WOULD have had a happy ending, except that people weren't satisfied with having been blessed by God. These stories include: the exodus of the Israelite people from Egypt, with their failing to be satisfied with having been delivered from slavery and granted their freedom, leaving Egypt with an abundance of silver, gold and clothing, not to mention a daily supply of manna to feed them in the wilderness, so that it took them 40 years to cover a distance they should have been able to traverse in just 10 to 12 days; the conquest of the seven nations of Canaan, where Achan was not satisfied with the spoils of victory he'd been allowed to take in previous battles, but chose to take some of the things devoted to destruction in violation of God's covenant, resulting in a loss at the hands of the Amorites—and when Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor instead of driving them out completely, as they were instructed, which led to a lot of problems including the Canaanites serving as a thorn in their sides for many, many years; or the period of Judges, where the people of Israel did what was right in their own eyes, eventually leading to their captivity in Babylon; and finally, there was the deliverance of the people of Nineveh from the destruction God had threatened due to their turning away from their evil ways, which produced in Jonah a desire to die rather than elation or joy over God's mercy.
So then, it seems to me there is a lot which is good that we encounter along the way if we follow God, that we can be happy about if we so choose. But being human, it is also extremely easy for us to want more, or to want to have our own way, and that we can do this too if we so desire. Yet, we do so at our own peril.
I was thinking how the Bible doesn't really have any stories with happy endings. Except then I thought of one exception…the story of Ruth. But, as I considered this (incorrect) observation, I realized the Bible has many happy stories if you include those consisting of brief incidents.
For example, the story of the son of the widow at Nain had a very happy ending. Happy endings also characterize other stories including: the centurion's servant, the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes, the demon-possessed man in Capernaum, the demon-possessed boy whom the Messiah's disciples could not heal, Jairus' daughter, the woman with the ongoing issue of blood, the crippled (bent over) woman, Simon's mother-in-law, the man with the shriveled hand, the man with leprosy, the ten men who had leprosy, the paralyzed man who stood up and walked, the five thousand (men) who ate and were filled in Bethsaida, the feeding of the four thousand in the region of the Gerasenes, the blind beggar who received his sight, the healing of the sick on the island of Malta, the healing of Aeneas, Lazarus' being raised from the dead and Tabitha's being raised from the dead; not to mention at least two times when the Messiah is described as healing multitudes.
Listing these incidences reminded me of how just yesterday I wrote that it seems to me one of the main messages implied by the Messiah's teachings is that we spend far too much time focused on the material and not nearly enough time and effort looking at things from a spiritual perspective, and this led me to recall stories with happy endings that were of a more spiritual nature, such as: the salvation of Zacchaeus the tax collector, the sinful woman with the alabaster jar who received forgiveness (i.e., Mary), and the criminal who was forgiven on the cross as he was being crucified next to the Messiah.
And I find it kind of ironic that the last thing to come to my mind was the coming of the Holy City, the new Jerusalem (in the last two chapters of Revelation) which is quite a happy ending indeed.
And on top of this, there are a number of stories that should and WOULD have had a happy ending, except that people weren't satisfied with having been blessed by God. These stories include: the exodus of the Israelite people from Egypt, with their failing to be satisfied with having been delivered from slavery and granted their freedom, leaving Egypt with an abundance of silver, gold and clothing, not to mention a daily supply of manna to feed them in the wilderness, so that it took them 40 years to cover a distance they should have been able to traverse in just 10 to 12 days; the conquest of the seven nations of Canaan, where Achan was not satisfied with the spoils of victory he'd been allowed to take in previous battles, but chose to take some of the things devoted to destruction in violation of God's covenant, resulting in a loss at the hands of the Amorites—and when Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor instead of driving them out completely, as they were instructed, which led to a lot of problems including the Canaanites serving as a thorn in their sides for many, many years; or the period of Judges, where the people of Israel did what was right in their own eyes, eventually leading to their captivity in Babylon; and finally, there was the deliverance of the people of Nineveh from the destruction God had threatened due to their turning away from their evil ways, which produced in Jonah a desire to die rather than elation or joy over God's mercy.
So then, it seems to me there is a lot which is good that we encounter along the way if we follow God, that we can be happy about if we so choose. But being human, it is also extremely easy for us to want more, or to want to have our own way, and that we can do this too if we so desire. Yet, we do so at our own peril.
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"God Wants Us to Be Happy"
I remember that when I was younger, I would often hear certain Christians justify their committing sin by saying, "I know that God wants me to be happy, and this makes me happy," which I regarded as a bunch of malarkey. But just to make sure, I searched the entire Bible and confirmed that NOWHERE does it say that God wants us to be happy.
(I found that what some Bibles translated as happy was actually the word "blessed," and that virtually every time this term was used, it was in connection with obedience to God's word, and NOT a departing from it.)
On the other hand, the Bible DOES indicate that believers should experience joy. But, happiness and joy are NOT the same thing, at least not in a biblical sense. This weekend, Pastor Harrison provided a definition that I think did a pretty good job of summing up my understanding of what biblical Joy refers to…
Here are some things that biblestudytools.com says about joy...
The original Hebrew for "joy" in Nehemiah 8:10 is "chedvah," meaning joy or gladness. The root word for joy in this context means to rejoice or to make glad. "Strength" in the same verse is a Hebrew word meaning "a place or means of safety, protection refuge, or stronghold." The root word of strength means "to be strong, prevail; to make firm, strengthen." The joy of the Lord is a constant gladness and cause to rejoice. It stems from an inner strengthening from our relationship with Him. When Jesus died for us, He restored us to a peace with God that cannot be undone.
Jesus experienced the fulfilling joy that stemmed from His Father's strength, and wanted us to be filled and overflowing with it (John 15:11). So then, biblical joy is the result of a Christ-prioritized life.
I remember that when I was younger, I would often hear certain Christians justify their committing sin by saying, "I know that God wants me to be happy, and this makes me happy," which I regarded as a bunch of malarkey. But just to make sure, I searched the entire Bible and confirmed that NOWHERE does it say that God wants us to be happy.
(I found that what some Bibles translated as happy was actually the word "blessed," and that virtually every time this term was used, it was in connection with obedience to God's word, and NOT a departing from it.)
On the other hand, the Bible DOES indicate that believers should experience joy. But, happiness and joy are NOT the same thing, at least not in a biblical sense. This weekend, Pastor Harrison provided a definition that I think did a pretty good job of summing up my understanding of what biblical Joy refers to…
Here are some things that biblestudytools.com says about joy...
The original Hebrew for "joy" in Nehemiah 8:10 is "chedvah," meaning joy or gladness. The root word for joy in this context means to rejoice or to make glad. "Strength" in the same verse is a Hebrew word meaning "a place or means of safety, protection refuge, or stronghold." The root word of strength means "to be strong, prevail; to make firm, strengthen." The joy of the Lord is a constant gladness and cause to rejoice. It stems from an inner strengthening from our relationship with Him. When Jesus died for us, He restored us to a peace with God that cannot be undone.
Jesus experienced the fulfilling joy that stemmed from His Father's strength, and wanted us to be filled and overflowing with it (John 15:11). So then, biblical joy is the result of a Christ-prioritized life.
About a year ago, I recorded a few thoughts and ideas on the topic of joy. And since they pretty much go along with the above post, I will paste them here as a backup location where I can find them (if I wish) at any point in the future...
THE SECRET TO JOY AND CONTENTMENT
No matter where we go, society bombards us with the message that more stuff equals greater happiness. Yet, in looking at the lives of those fortunate enough to have met with “success” in the form of fame and fortune, one has no difficulty identifying wealthy individuals who find it necessary to turn to drugs and alcohol for solace, despite all of their material gain.
Even more tragic, there are those cases in which people who "had everything" went so far as to end their own lives, committing suicide even though they were living lives of grandeur. So, if money isn't the panacea to solve all our problems, where are we to turn for answers? It seems that the more people have, the more they want, and no matter how much one acquires, it's never enough. So then, what is the secret to joy and contentment?
In fact, the foundational principles to attaining happiness are not really a secret at all. But, as is typically the case when it comes to the truth, most people don't want to hear it, and if unable to avoid it, they’ll usually refuse to accept it when presented to them. Nonetheless, the first ingredient to happiness is an intimate, personal relationship with Almighty God.
Paraphrasing the 3rd chapter from the book of Philippians…
A lot of people are simply interested in appearances. But, to find true happiness, I had to recognize that such things mean nothing – even if I can list what others might think of as impressive. The very credentials our culture waves around as something special, I had to tear up and throw out with the trash (figuratively speaking) along with everything else I used to take credit for.
All the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me became insignificant – so much cow manure. I've dumped it all in the trash so I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I gave up that inferior stuff in order to know and partner with Christ personally.
I'm not saying that I have it all together or that I have it made in the shade. But I’m on my way, laying hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this. But, I've got my eye on the goal, where God is leading me – to Jesus Christ. I'm off and running and I'm not turning back.
I want everything God has for me. Now that I’m on the right track, I’m staying on it. It’s true, there are a lot of people out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get me to go along with them. But, all they want is easy street. They hate God. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods, belches are their praise, and all they can think of is their appetites. No, I’m sorry, but there's far more to life for me.
Again, the first ingredient to happiness is an intimate, personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, not to mention the recognition of one’s utter dependence on God, as well as the fact that everything we have and everything we are ultimately came from Him.
Moreover, living with a conscious awareness of God's presence in one's life, a sort of "walking in the Spirit," keeps you ”plugged in” to the power source that provides you with the strength for every issue of life
So really, faith, humility, submission, dependence, and unselfishness – all in the context of a personal relationship with Almighty God – are the key ingredients that go toward making a contented life. They create a sense of belonging, of identity, of purpose, of direction, and of fulfillment that make it possible for one to be satisfied with very little else. And once you learn to be satisfied with very little, being happy just isn't all that difficult.
Moreover, being in partnership with God in righteousness also makes it possible to experience another quality that is absolutely necessary in order to attain true happiness: an awareness of and absolute confidence in the fact that God, who has sovereign control over everything, is intimately familiar with your circumstances, and knows each individual issue in your life – in so far as He is in charge of every single contingency in existence in the universe – is working all of it together to fulfill His purpose for you.
Knowing that this is true, beyond any shadow of a doubt, makes it possible for one to live independently from his or her circumstances, with one's current situation becoming immaterial with respect to one's happiness because you know that ultimately God is working it all out for your good. You can be indifferent to the circumstances around you because you trust God to take care of it.
So, whatever it is that God has called us to endure and with whatever provisions He has made for us, and especially for those of us to whom He has given much, the challenge is to be content and to be willing to divest ourselves of that for the benefit of others, for the joy and privilege of seeing God bless them through us.
So then, the final ingredient to happiness is being utterly preoccupied with the well-being of others, to follow Christ's example in being a servant, losing ourselves in love for others and being more concerned about their blessings and ours. In the words of John McArthur…
So, beloved, contentment is an elusive thing in this society because this society wants to make you a victim. This society wants to emphasize and glorify your personal rights. This society wants to personalize and privatize and individualize your spirituality and your Christianity so that its everything you think it ought to be. This society wants to turn Jesus into the genie, you rub the bottle, he jumps out and gives you what you want. This society through advertising wants to dissatisfy you with absolutely everything.
I admit there are troubles and issues in life, and there are struggles in life, but so many of them stem from the selfishness that this sinful approach breeds. When you bring...introduce your selfishness into your marriage, it will mess it up. You introduce it into your family, it will mess it up. It will mess up the church. It will mess up any relationship. It will mess you up if you're driven by self- satisfaction. That's a terrible thing. That's a tragic thing.
And when you tell people that Jesus...they should receive Jesus because He will produce self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction, you have put them on a road to disaster. Some of them may actually come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and then spend most of their Christian experience wondering why it didn't work out the way you were promised it would.
If you're going to be selfish, if you're going to be a victim, if you're going to take every wound personally, if every time somebody says something that offends you, or something you didn't like, you're going to strike out, then you will destroy all relationships. You will destroy your own life.
But if you will recognize that your circumstances are by the providence of God what He intended for you and that you should be satisfied with little and utterly detached from your circumstances in terms of their ability to change your contentment, then you will learn to be content. And wouldn't it be wonderful if we were all so contented because it would turn to great praise for God.
It may seem strange to say that unselfishness breeds happiness, but there is a biblical principle that says you will reap what you sow. We say, "What comes around goes around." But it means roughly the same thing. You get what you put out. If you want friends, you need to be a friend. And so it goes...
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee and there is none on earth beside Thee, my heart and my flesh fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." To have God was to have everything and He needed nothing. He had learned that the chief end of man was to glorify God and the chief joy of man was to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. And, listen, the love that he had for God in that relationship was enough...it was enough.
THE SECRET TO JOY AND CONTENTMENT
No matter where we go, society bombards us with the message that more stuff equals greater happiness. Yet, in looking at the lives of those fortunate enough to have met with “success” in the form of fame and fortune, one has no difficulty identifying wealthy individuals who find it necessary to turn to drugs and alcohol for solace, despite all of their material gain.
Even more tragic, there are those cases in which people who "had everything" went so far as to end their own lives, committing suicide even though they were living lives of grandeur. So, if money isn't the panacea to solve all our problems, where are we to turn for answers? It seems that the more people have, the more they want, and no matter how much one acquires, it's never enough. So then, what is the secret to joy and contentment?
In fact, the foundational principles to attaining happiness are not really a secret at all. But, as is typically the case when it comes to the truth, most people don't want to hear it, and if unable to avoid it, they’ll usually refuse to accept it when presented to them. Nonetheless, the first ingredient to happiness is an intimate, personal relationship with Almighty God.
Paraphrasing the 3rd chapter from the book of Philippians…
A lot of people are simply interested in appearances. But, to find true happiness, I had to recognize that such things mean nothing – even if I can list what others might think of as impressive. The very credentials our culture waves around as something special, I had to tear up and throw out with the trash (figuratively speaking) along with everything else I used to take credit for.
All the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me became insignificant – so much cow manure. I've dumped it all in the trash so I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I gave up that inferior stuff in order to know and partner with Christ personally.
I'm not saying that I have it all together or that I have it made in the shade. But I’m on my way, laying hold of that for which Christ laid hold of me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this. But, I've got my eye on the goal, where God is leading me – to Jesus Christ. I'm off and running and I'm not turning back.
I want everything God has for me. Now that I’m on the right track, I’m staying on it. It’s true, there are a lot of people out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get me to go along with them. But, all they want is easy street. They hate God. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods, belches are their praise, and all they can think of is their appetites. No, I’m sorry, but there's far more to life for me.
Again, the first ingredient to happiness is an intimate, personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, not to mention the recognition of one’s utter dependence on God, as well as the fact that everything we have and everything we are ultimately came from Him.
Moreover, living with a conscious awareness of God's presence in one's life, a sort of "walking in the Spirit," keeps you ”plugged in” to the power source that provides you with the strength for every issue of life
So really, faith, humility, submission, dependence, and unselfishness – all in the context of a personal relationship with Almighty God – are the key ingredients that go toward making a contented life. They create a sense of belonging, of identity, of purpose, of direction, and of fulfillment that make it possible for one to be satisfied with very little else. And once you learn to be satisfied with very little, being happy just isn't all that difficult.
Moreover, being in partnership with God in righteousness also makes it possible to experience another quality that is absolutely necessary in order to attain true happiness: an awareness of and absolute confidence in the fact that God, who has sovereign control over everything, is intimately familiar with your circumstances, and knows each individual issue in your life – in so far as He is in charge of every single contingency in existence in the universe – is working all of it together to fulfill His purpose for you.
Knowing that this is true, beyond any shadow of a doubt, makes it possible for one to live independently from his or her circumstances, with one's current situation becoming immaterial with respect to one's happiness because you know that ultimately God is working it all out for your good. You can be indifferent to the circumstances around you because you trust God to take care of it.
So, whatever it is that God has called us to endure and with whatever provisions He has made for us, and especially for those of us to whom He has given much, the challenge is to be content and to be willing to divest ourselves of that for the benefit of others, for the joy and privilege of seeing God bless them through us.
So then, the final ingredient to happiness is being utterly preoccupied with the well-being of others, to follow Christ's example in being a servant, losing ourselves in love for others and being more concerned about their blessings and ours. In the words of John McArthur…
So, beloved, contentment is an elusive thing in this society because this society wants to make you a victim. This society wants to emphasize and glorify your personal rights. This society wants to personalize and privatize and individualize your spirituality and your Christianity so that its everything you think it ought to be. This society wants to turn Jesus into the genie, you rub the bottle, he jumps out and gives you what you want. This society through advertising wants to dissatisfy you with absolutely everything.
I admit there are troubles and issues in life, and there are struggles in life, but so many of them stem from the selfishness that this sinful approach breeds. When you bring...introduce your selfishness into your marriage, it will mess it up. You introduce it into your family, it will mess it up. It will mess up the church. It will mess up any relationship. It will mess you up if you're driven by self- satisfaction. That's a terrible thing. That's a tragic thing.
And when you tell people that Jesus...they should receive Jesus because He will produce self-fulfillment and self-satisfaction, you have put them on a road to disaster. Some of them may actually come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and then spend most of their Christian experience wondering why it didn't work out the way you were promised it would.
If you're going to be selfish, if you're going to be a victim, if you're going to take every wound personally, if every time somebody says something that offends you, or something you didn't like, you're going to strike out, then you will destroy all relationships. You will destroy your own life.
But if you will recognize that your circumstances are by the providence of God what He intended for you and that you should be satisfied with little and utterly detached from your circumstances in terms of their ability to change your contentment, then you will learn to be content. And wouldn't it be wonderful if we were all so contented because it would turn to great praise for God.
It may seem strange to say that unselfishness breeds happiness, but there is a biblical principle that says you will reap what you sow. We say, "What comes around goes around." But it means roughly the same thing. You get what you put out. If you want friends, you need to be a friend. And so it goes...
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee and there is none on earth beside Thee, my heart and my flesh fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." To have God was to have everything and He needed nothing. He had learned that the chief end of man was to glorify God and the chief joy of man was to love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. And, listen, the love that he had for God in that relationship was enough...it was enough.