Introducing a newsletter service that puts 2-3 weekly lessons of wisdom and pop culture in your inbox. Using the power of video game, comic, and movie pop culture with the worldview of the Bible, young adults are invited to grow and develop their mind, body, and spirit through stories that matter to them.
Each short and concise message will include relevant stories from the world of comics, sci-fi, and pop culture, but it will be tied into a life lesson geared to improve the quality of your life.
How can Batman help with forgiveness?
How can Sonic teach us about contentment and greed?
How can Thanos teach us about true power and authority?
We dive into these issues and explore them. These articles take less than five minutes to read (but you are welcome to reflect on them as long as you want). Relevant questions and challenges encourage you to put healthy choices into practice.
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In one comic book story, Batman finds there is a terrorist cell finding everyone he has ever saved and eliminating them. He finds that this group is run by a leader who lost their husband and child by a driver who was saved by Batman. The leader's worldview is that Batman has no right to save people that are meant to die because their fate is already sealed. Does the terrorist, named Equilibrium, make a good point?
The villain brings up a point about how we view fate. If someone meets their demise, is orchestrated by a higher power or is it a random act of chaos? Can humans upset fate, ruining a divine plan?
Theologians have debated this idea for years, questioning whether a god has complete control over the course of history or if it is an open playground for humanity to decide. Those that believe God controls everything, allege that God makes every major decision from death, life, salvation, and even our own decisions. Those that believe in the openness of freewill believe that God invites humanity to join his story, but cannot force anyone to make a decision.
Scripture shows us instances of both. Adam and Eve were the first humans ever created, being given a choice to eat a forbidden fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil. Later God's people are put into slavery by Egypt, God foretells that he will "force" Pharoah into rebelling against him so that he can show Pharoah his true power. Jesus invites all his followers to taste, drink, and experience his leadership giving them a choice, but at the same time he admits that it is God who draws people over to Jesus.
Which one is it? Where does our free will begin and God's choices for us end? I believe we can take comfort in knowing there is a paradox where both can live in healthy contention. The good news is that God is not a villain who acts on impulse or an unstable deity that makes rash decisions. Scripture tells us that God has crafted the story of humanity since the beginning of time. His plan included making the world, overcoming the problem of humanity's evil, restoring a relationship with himself, and allowing his followers to share their love with him. Jesus is the ultimate proof that God has plans that are meant to bring back the world to perfection.
It is a dizzying to think about fate and consequences and many of our movies create dilemmas where villains try to control the future, but once we rest our confidence that God is the chief of time and his purpose is to make the world better, then we can use our daily choices to follow and connect with him. Both sides will ultimately benefit. |
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Research: Galatians 1:3-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:1
Beginner Checkpoint: What does it mean that God is in control of history? How do you think Jesus lived on earth to benefit God's plan?
Advanced Checkpoint: What control in our daily choices do we need to give to God knowing that he has plans that support us? How does Thessalonians 4:1 put the responsibility on us?
Challenge: Make a list of weekly decisions and routines that you would like to give over to God. Ask for God's wisdom and input for these decisions. |
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