We have been talking about believing in God, and although it is not explicitly stated in John 3:16 (our primary text), we do need to be able to define and explain sin.

The challenge, of course, in this culture is to find a way to do so, firmly and biblically, and yet without our listeners blocking out the discussion because of their religious stereotypes. Now, we have the assurance that it is not our responsibility to convict the world of sin, and that “No one can come to me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent me draws them” (Jn 6:44, NIV). But we still have a responsibility to be as clear and convincing as possible.

So how do you explain sin without using religious language? How’s this?

God had given Adam and Eve one rule, just one rule. By keeping this rule, they were able to show God in a concrete way that they loved him and lived in submission to him; he is God and they are not. The Garden had many different trees with many different types of delicious fruit, all to be eaten and enjoyed. God had created them all, and had created them good. But there was one tree — and we don’t know what type it was; I’m sure it wasn’t an apple tree but that’s just me — and they were told not to eat the fruit on that tree. It was called “the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Life is a journey. Life is a hike from our City of Destruction to the Celestial City. But no matter how the journey unfolds along the path, it has a beginning point. In Jesus’ imagery, the journey begins at the gate. In my imagery, the hike begins at the trailhead.

Everyone’s trailhead is a little different. For some, we started the journey on our mother’s knee at a young age. For others it starts after a difficult time in the teenage years, and perhaps in the midst of those difficult times you met a friend who started to walk with you. For others the trailhead is much later, after you have sampled life and found it lacking. Our trailheads can often look quite different.

However all of our trailheads have many things in common, and today I want to talk about what we all have in common. As you start your journey as a follower of Jesus, or if you are just thinking about it, or if you are walking with a new traveler, it is important that we have the same understanding of what the trailhead looks like; otherwise it will become confusing on down the path.

One of the defining moments in my life was when I was in graduate school. I was waiting for the bus, and a young coed asked if I was one of those “Divinity” students. (That’s what it is called in Scotland.) I said yes, and she asked if I were a Christian. I said yes, and she responded, “What is a Christian?” Much to my shame, I had never thought through a quick and decisive answer. I was working on a Ph.D. but had not thought through this most important of all questions. The bus came in two minutes and she got on.

Note: This is the back story to our basic discipleship class, Life is a Journey, and why we started with a discussion of conversion.

When I decided to create our own new believers curriculum, the first step was to marshall what forces I could from the congregation. I looked for men and women who had a proven track record of mentoring new followers of Christ, as well as those who had a clear understanding of the end goal. I wanted people who had a heart for evangelism and discipleship, justification and sanctification.

I learned two things very quickly. 1. There are not many of them. 2. The few are easy to find. These are the people who are already doing the work, who are looking for people to serve. We used to joke that one of the ladies had a “bathroom ministry.” She watched the congregation very carefully during the service, and if a woman got up and left crying, there was a good chance one of two things were happening. 1. She were hurting. 2. She was being convicted by the Holy Spirit and needed a Phillip to guide her. This lady was God’s agent of leading many women through an awareness of their sin to God’s gracious forgiveness and Jesus’ provision of access to the Father.

I started this blog because I want to share what I am writing for new believers, but there are few things I want to share first before I start. This blog post is on vengeance.

“I’m still standing better than I ever did,
Looking like a true survivor; feeling like a little kid.
I’m still standing after all this time,
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind.
I’m still standing!”

I watch the cartoon musical Sing the other day, and when Taron Egerton sang this Elton John song, something touched me deep down in my heart. “I’m still standing.”

We all know that vengeance is a good thing when it is a God thing. Our job is to forgive; it is God’s job to act out his perfect love and justice when he sees fit in ways he sees fit.

Did you see Chief Justice Roberts' graduation speech at his son's ninth-grade commencement? This is the part that caught my eye.

From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice.

I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty.

Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted.

I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either.