Torch, Spring 2004

14 TORCH / Spring 2004 I’d say, “I have no idea, I just want to learn. I want to know the Scriptures. I want to know the Greek and Hebrew. I want to know history. I want to know philosophy. I want to know it all.” I really wanted to learn. It was amazing how God used that, and even now I have an insatiable desire to learn. In I Peter 1:1-12, the apostle Peter opens up with the glories and the blessings and the privileges that we have in being in Christ. There is an inheritance reserved for us in heaven! Therefore what is the first commandment he states? “Prepare your minds for action” (v. 13). Isn’t that interesting? That’s the first thing, the first challenge, the first command. We live in a culture that teaches you to be passive in the way that you think. Scripture says to “prepare your minds for action.” In today’s culture we need to have constantly active minds. One of the reasons so many struggle with pornography; one of the reasons we struggle so much with attitudes that come to us from music and movies and other forms of entertainment is because we think passively. We don’t attack those things with our thinking. Romans 12:1-2 proclaims: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Many have memorized this passage, but the key is that when it gets down to the idea of transforming, we are transformed how? In our minds — “by the renewing of your mind.” Every sin that you’ve ever committed has started in your mind first. If we can control our minds, we can control everything else. True renewal comes in thinking differently about ourselves, about the Lord, about whatever we are struggling with. That is how we are transformed. I Thessalonians 5:21 says to “test everything.” In my house, whenever we would see a movie or listen to a song, my kids knew we were going to talk about it. They’ve grown up that way. After we had seen Signs , Alex, my 14- year-old son, said, “Dad, you know, of all of the movies made by M. Night Shyamalan, this is by far the most theistic. The first two we saw ( The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable ) were more transcendental, but this had theistic elements that I think were just really interesting.” I thought that was pretty good for a 14-year-old, but what made my heart glad was that he just didn’t sit back and say, “What a movie.” What I struggle with is people saying, “Oh, that’s such a great movie.” “Well,” I ask, “Why was it a great movie?” I get answers like, “Keanu Reeves was in it,” or, “It was so spiritual.” Just because it’s spiritual doesn’t mean it’s good either. Test the spirits to see if they’re from God. Shyamalan tends to be very spiritual, but is Thinking Worldviewishly continued from page 12