Bridge Builders
by David Lazarus

We live in an increasingly challenging world. Change. Moral issues. Family values. Nuclear power. Scientific discoveries. Cultural revolutions. Advances in education, psychology, sexual revolution, technology, politics, terror, referendums…
 
What relevance does an ancient religion from the Middle East have to do with the big issues and problems of today.”
 
Does the Bible apply to modern life? Does the Bible really give answers to the modern problems and issues that we are facing here and now everyday?
 
How do we apply the Bible to our everyday, modern lives?
 
Two mistakes often made trying to bridge the gap between Bible and modern world
 
1. Conservatives:
We love the Bible. Feel comfortable in the world of the Bible, the language of the Bible, know to quote the Bible and discuss the integrate details of the Bible.
 
We don’t know how to use our faith in the real problems of life, the world. We isolate ourselves from the world around us. We create our own little world. So, we don’t know how to relate to the world around us. and so We see the world as the enemy. We are not successful in impacting the world. Not able to articulate, express opinions that reflect thought and faith. Faith does not appear to be relevant.
 
2. Liberalism:
Modern people living in a modern world. Comfortable discussing all the modern issues. Value modern advances.
 
But we are not sufficiently grounded in the Biblical truth. Don’t have a grasp of the Biblical worldview and so are unable to think in a godly way about the issues.
 
Or, We are so concerned about what people say and think that we sacrifice truth and faith.
 
 Learn to apply our faith to life.
What is significance of our faith in the modern world.
 
Faith without works is dead.
 
Degree to which we love man is degree that we love God
 
Our faith is incarnate
 
Story of Jesus coming into world.

Connecting between God and man.

Bridging the gap between the Biblical faith and the dilemma of man.
Festivals are retelling of our “story” in order to be applied to our world, our lives
 
It is the responsibility of every generation to rethink and interpret what Biblical faith means in light of the modern world. i.e. Generic engineering, Palestinian problem
 
We often lose our children because of the Generation Gap.
 
Question of hair color or type of shirt you wear.
 
Appropriate answers for today’s problems and issues.
 
Hair color, ear rings, referendum

Mt. 23:23-24 Common mistake we make
 
“Tithes of mint…” Things that not required by the Law. Tithing was required of certain things, but these things were above and beyond.
 
Trivializing issues
Conservatives. Irrelevant.
 
Conservatives often think that they are right and others wrong.
Discussing things that really didn’t matter at all while ignoring the main issues.
 
“Justice, mercy and faith.”
 
Justice.
That the Lord favors the poor and needy.
That he despises corruption and lying and stealing.
Understanding that God is far more concerned with the 1000’s of children who are growing up without parents than he is with what shirt you are wearing.
He is concerned with the shirt you are wearing, but there is no sense worrying about that if you are not concerned with the greater issues
Weights.
Justice is standing up for what is right and what is wrong.
 
Mercy is the heart of God responding in love to every issue of life. Womb, mother’s love which overlooks every problem and believers for the best
 
Faith is living by the principles of justice and mercy because we love God and believe in him and his ways. Faith is the proof of what we believe. It is living out the life of Messiah in us
 
Issues of the heart, spirit and mind.
A mind that understands God’s Justice,
a heart that knows his Mercy and
a Spirit that believes enough to live by faith

“Blind Guides” Look like a guide, but can’t give any direction.
This is what a church or believer looks like when he only knows how to do the things of church life but doesn’t know how to apply them to real life.
 
Nice clothes, nice hair, nice music, nice chairs in kehila but not real life of Messiah.
 
Mt. 23:25-26 just what religious people do
 
“Gnat and Camel” Ridiculous. Yeshua with a sense of humor.
 
Picture a blind man straining to keep out a gnat from his cup of water while in the mean time a camel goes down his throat.
 
This is how a believer looks like when they proclaim that they know all these great truths, yet it doesn’t work in real life. This is what we look like when we are so concerned about our little doctrines of this and that and in the mean time the world is rushing by us with major changes and upheavals. We look stupid! Ridiculous.

Grasp the greater issues of life.
A framework from which we can understand the everyday practical decisions and issues of life in a Spiritual, biblical way.

Issues in Israel too complex to have simple answer.
Not my job to tell you what to think, but teach you how to think
 
Need to be able to discuss issues intelligently.
When we don’t the gospel is irrelevant.
 
In Africa and Brazil often gospel doesn’t affect society
 
History Gospel affected great changes in society.
Women’s rights, slavery, justice systems

A biblical framework for understanding of life, humanity, the world the future, which will help us respond to all the different situations the modern world is serving us.

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