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Announcer (00:00:00): It's time to think about the Bible like you never have before. This is Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com. Today's topic is, "Can We Be Content With Chaos?" For most of us, chaos brings stress. To say that life often borders on being chaotic is a massive understatement and it's getting worse. Sometimes we might wonder where God is while we're all spinning out of control. Is He watching? Does He know? The answer may be surprising. Here's Rick and Jonathan.

Rick (00:00:38): Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years. Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?

Jonathan (00:00:46): James 3:17: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy."

Rick (00:01:00): Chaos rules. Just look around at the world's social, political and moral condition. We all want what we want, and we seem to now go to greater lengths than ever before to demand that we have it. Having what we want doesn't stop there as we now, more often than not, demand that what I want is accepted by all. This chaos is not merely limited to my social media presence. Oh no. It expands into my perceived right to relabel any and every aspect of life as I see fit. From politics to family dynamics to workplace expectations to educational environments, we are running towards a social order that is founded upon disorder. What are we as Christians supposed to do with all of this? How could these unsettling and monumental developments possibly be part of God's plan?

Jonathan (00:01:51): It's our belief that God is a God of order. Our theme text tells us this, James 3:17: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." This verse describes God's wisdom as a calming influence.

Rick (00:02:15): It is such a calming verse to read, and yet God uses chaos as a tool of that calm order. How can this be? Well, to begin to understand, we need to first understand a little bit about chaos. Jonathan, let's just go to a standard Merriam-Webster dictionary definition. What is "chaos"?

Jonathan (00:02:37): "Chaos is a state of utter confusion, a state of things in which chance is supreme."

Rick (00:02:45): Okay, that's interesting. "Utter confusion, a state in which chance is supreme." Chaos can mean complete disorder, but it can also mean a disorder that is beyond our capacity to understand or measure. In the field of mathematics, the field of understanding chaos is a very, very, very big thing. We thought we would drop in on a little bit of the understanding of how that field works and where they go and what they look at in terms of figuring chaos out. This is from "How Chaos Theory Unravels the Mysteries of Nature," and this is from Seeker. Here's just a basic introduction:

Seeker (00:03:27): "Deterministic chaos. See, as humans, we're always trying to know more about how our world works. So we make models. For example, we have a bowling ball. We know the weight of the bowling ball, the effect of gravity, the density of the air, the height of the balcony from which the bowling ball is to be dropped. And we can put all those things together into a system of equations that we can use to tell us things like how fast the bowling ball would fall, or the force with which it would impact the ground. That means we can also reasonably predict what might happen if any of those variables were to change. This is a deterministic system. The behavior of certain variables is determined by their known characteristics, but not a lot of the world is like the bowling ball example. It's a whole lot messier."

Rick (00:04:13): She's talking about a deterministic system in which mathematics comes into play to say, "Hey, we can predict the deterministic system." This is a big, big thing, as we'll find out as we go through the podcast. Predicting weather is all about the mathematics of "deterministic chaos." We want to take that as a basis because it's going to help us understand the bigger picture of chaos, because chaos comes to us in different ways. First, we have what we just listened to, a "deterministic chaos" that is strictly designed by God. Our first aspect here is going to look at this and say, "Let's look at a deterministic chaos that's actually designed by God." We're going to label it. We're going to call this "planned chaos." It's designed by God, it's "planned chaos." In this kind of chaos, things seem to be out of order and out of control, but they are in fact precisely as God designed them to be. The single greatest example of this is creation. So Jonathan, let's look at Genesis 1:1-5:

Jonathan (00:05:23): "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep..." Let me stop here. To the untrained eye, the chaos and harshness of this beginning stage would make no sense. How can you possibly get all of the diverse and detailed life the earth brought forth out of that?

Rick (00:05:48): You're right. You look at that and you say, "Well, that's just so far off from what the finished product looks like. There's just no way you can go from there to here because of the incredible detail and the beauty and all of the things in the earth." Well, from God's perspective, this was His designed starting point, His "planned chaos," something that looks completely out of order, but really isn't. It was simply a beginning point as it held all of His predetermined and necessary ingredients to make the earth inhabitable. When we look at this "planned chaos," it looks out of control, but God's basically saying, "Wait, wait, wait. Just let Me finish. Just let me finish. Just let me finish." So...

Jonathan (00:06:37): Back to Genesis 1.

Rick (00:06:38): I'll let you finish!

Jonathan (00:06:40): Continuing in verses 2-5: "...and the spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day."

Rick (00:07:01): We're just taking this small clip of creation as an example of God's "planned chaos." Out of a seemingly dark and senseless mass of elements, God created the systems of Earth. Now, we've obviously dramatically oversimplified that, but it's God's "planned chaos."

Jonathan (00:07:23): The fact that creation is still going on in the universe while it continues to expand is amazing. Is that just by chance? I think not.

Rick (00:07:36): For me, Jonathan, take a side point for a moment, to see all of these things continuing to unfold and to say that there is no power behind them, that to me is just absurd. We don't understand. Here's the point; we don't have to, because it's bigger than we are, and it's His "planned chaos." Now, let's hold that thought on "planned chaos," because along with God's "planned chaos," chaos also comes to us by way of God's permission. This is a little bit different. This kind of chaos contains elements that are not of God's direct creation, but are results of God's planned permission of evil and sin. This is a chaos that's a little bit different, and we're going to label this. We're going to call this God's "permitted chaos."

Jonathan (00:08:28): To the untrained eye, this kind of chaos is scary. Its elements cannot be easily traced back to a clear and definitive design plan. However, as we shall see, this brand of chaos is, in the end, always subject to the external will, power, and wisdom of God.

Rick (00:08:49): This chaos, this brewing, it's got evil and darkness in it. What we're saying is God didn't build the evil and darkness, but He can use the evil and darkness within His grand plan to have this chaos be for a reason. Let's hold that thought, and we're going to really spend most of our time on "permitted chaos:" this kind that doesn't come just from God but comes from all of the elements and where sin has gone and so forth. There are many, many, many great examples of this kind of "permitted chaos." We're going to use one here today that is very familiar to us. We've used this many, many times. I'll tell you, Jonathan, every time we speak of this biblical account, I learn something new. In chapter 1 of his prophecy, Habakkuk was given a disturbing vision of how the Chaldeans would overrun, would completely overrun God's people. Here's what he said in Habakkuk 1:2-4:

Jonathan (00:09:54): "How long, O LORD, will I call for help, and you will not hear? I cry out to You, Violence! Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention arises. Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted." Habakkuk is distraught. He's crying, LORD, where are you? Don't you see what's happening?" This seems senseless to Habakkuk. Why wasn't God stepping in and averting the chaos?

Rick (00:10:38): For all of us, we can get to that exact same point. You look at the chaos in the world around us, you look at the things going on and you say, where's God? Doesn't He see? Doesn't He understand? Well folks, the tune that we're singing is not a new tune. This has been around for ages and for generations because darkness and sin always are godless. You say, "Well wait. If it's godless, and this is God's creation, the two don't go together." Hold on; let God finish. That's really what we want to get to here and we're going to unfold this later on. But let's go a little bit further. That was Habakkuk 1. That was Habakkuk's sense of disturbance here. After he poured out his heart and poured out his fears to God, he then goes and waits for God to respond. Habakkuk 2:1-3:

Jonathan (00:11:34): "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the LORD answered me and said, Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay."

Rick (00:12:06): Habakkuk basically says, "Okay, I know God's going to have something to say to me. I maybe got a little bit overdone in my reaction like, God, how come You don't see? Because I really know better." I'm doing a little paraphrasing here and a little bit of opinion, but he comes and what he's basically told is, "There's a vision to all of this, and you're going to have to wait. Even though the vision looks like it's going to take forever, it will come." Next, God proceeds to speak of evil and idolatry. He talks about how bad things are going to be in Habakkuk 2. Then in chapter 3, which we'll come back to later on in this episode, Habakkuk sums up the glorious ending of what God has revealed. He sums up the vision, and there's an enormous lesson here having to do with the chaos of the moment that Habakkuk was looking at saying, "This is awful. I can't handle this. It's too much. God, we need your help!" You've got this amazing difficulty, but the story continues far beyond that. We'll get to that later on in the episode. Jonathan, let's begin to put this part together. Let's find some Clarity in the Midst of Chaos. What do we have?

Jonathan (00:13:25): When we look at the darkness and chaos of world events, we, like Habakkuk, can be assured that all of what is happening is within the permitted chaos of God's plan. He sees it, He understands it and has ultimate solutions for all of it. Am I regularly reminding myself of who has ultimate control? Rick, does this mean God uses Covid 19, hurricanes, and disasters for His glory?

Rick (00:14:00): Okay, I would actually rephrase that question. I would say God allows within His "permitted chaos" Covid 19, natural disasters, and hurricanes and so forth for His glory. He allows it because He allows the unraveling of things to show the sinfulness of sin. We will unfold this as we go. Those are all pieces of the chaotic puzzle that so many of us look at and say, where is God? Hold on, let Him finish. This is God's "permitted chaos" that we are beginning to look at and hopefully beginning to appreciate. Chaos is big. Chaos is everywhere, but not to worry because God already knows and already has His planned outcomes for everything.

Jonathan (00:14:55): If God does have a grip on all the world's big picture chaos, how do we get a grip on our own chaos experiences?

Rick (00:15:04): That's a good question. As Christians, it's important that we put our life experiences and our life observations in their appropriate perspective. Whether the chaos that affects us comes from our small circle of influence or bigger social or world events, either way, it needs clarity. Now, this clarity can only come when we realize that our fundamental reactions to chaos can increase or decrease its power.

Jonathan (00:15:37): We either react to chaos by feeding it or by diffusing it.

Rick (00:15:44): Exactly. In other words, chaos can have greater power because of me, or less power because of me. There's a little bit of responsibility right there. Let's get into this and let's look at how we respond to chaos. Are we overwhelmed by chaos because it displays large-scale, lack of control? Or are we overwhelmed by chaos due to our own personal lack of knowledge or faith? Now it could be a combination of the two, but those are two big things. Is it because of the lack of control or is it my own personal lack of knowledge or faith?

Jonathan (00:16:19): This next letter from the Apostle Paul was written from prison. He was under house arrest. How does he handle that chaos? Philippians 4:10-13: "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Rick (00:17:06): Paul is sitting in prison and he's saying, "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now you've revived your concern for me." There's this happiness at the fact that he's sitting there in prison and he is unable to go do the things he was supposed to do. Why is he happy? Because he's learned the secret. We want to clarify the chaos here because he is being stifled. The Apostle Paul is being dramatically stifled in what he would normally be doing, but he clarifies the chaos that he's in. Here's what it is. For us, it's learn the secret that the Apostle Paul learned. Know that we can do all things through Christ and not through our own strength or our own perception.

Jonathan (00:17:54): It's easy to say, but it's hard to do. Saying it is a nice gesture, but doing it is life changing.

Rick (00:18:02): That's the point. The apostle showed us how to do it. "I can do all things. I can be stifled. It's okay because it's in God's hands and I will do the best I can within this small little opportunity versus the great opportunity of traveling over the continent." There was a great difference, but he didn't look at it as less of an opportunity. The chaos was clarified and therefore, handleable. You're right. It's not just enough to say it; we have to do it. Now look, chaos may arise on our part. When we find ourselves in circumstances of potential physical harm or circumstances of danger, this is "permitted chaos." Remember, God's "permitted chaos;" He allows sin and darkness and bad things to be mixed in for the ultimate good. This "permitted chaos" in and of itself creates havoc because it brings uncertainty. What happens next?

Jonathan (00:19:03): Internal chaos. This internal chaos provokes us to react, and that's usually means panic.

Rick (00:19:12): Look, we all go through that panic scenario, where it's like, "I just don't know what to do. I am in over my head. This is just too much." We're going to get into some examples of this kind of chaos in just a moment. We want to go back to "How Chaos Theory Unravels the Mysteries of Nature" by Seeker, because it's talking about, in this clip, it's talking about weather. Remember, it's talking about "deterministic chaos;" chaos that looks unruly, but has a pattern and has an actual predictability when you understand what the pattern is.

Seeker (00:19:50): Take the weather. Just think about all the things that go into making weather; temperature, humidity, wind strength and direction, rotation of the earth. I mean, the list is exhaustive. We do have models for how all these many variables behave. But a perfect weather prediction would require highly accurate measurements of all the many contributing variables over every square inch of the piece of atmosphere we're looking at. In a system like this, little measurement errors can result in huge fluctuations of our calculated result. Tiny changes of the input mean a large variation of the output. Now don't get me wrong, the system is still deterministic. The variables behave the way we expect them to based on their physical properties. So it's quite different from something that is random, but it's highly unpredictable and subject to vast variation. The system may look disorganized, but there is a set of rules that apply to the chaos; deterministic chaos.

Rick (00:20:48): "The system may look disorganized, but it's deterministic." That's what I want to take from that. When we look at the "permitted chaos" of God in His plan, the system may look disorganized, but it has rules. This is a big, big, big thing. Jonathan, they're talking about weather and numbers and this is why weather forecasts are never right.

Jonathan (00:21:15): That's true.

Rick (00:21:16): Because the variables are so incredibly massive, you can only predict out so far without it breaking down because you can't take every single little thing into perspective. Let's look at a "permitted chaos" example in God's plan for, in this case, for Jesus. In this chaos example, Jesus is with his disciples. This is after a normal day of preaching to the masses, a hard day's work for Jesus. Mark 4:33-36:

Jonathan (00:21:49): "With many such parables he was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and he did not speak to them without a parable; but he was explaining everything privately to his own disciples. On that day, when evening came, he said to them, Let us go over to the other side. Leaving the crowd, they took him along with them in the boat, just as he was; and other boats were with him."

Rick (00:22:14): So, hard day's work. "Let's go over to the other side of the water." They get into several boats and they're going across the water. Folks, if you know your Bible, you know what we're getting to, okay? They're going after a hard day's work. Here's the thing; chaos is most difficult when there's no warning. That's what happens in this particular event. Let's go to Mark 4:37-38:

Jonathan (00:22:42): "And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

Rick (00:22:59): Get the picture here. The waves are breaking over the sides of the boat and the boats are filling up with water. Jonathan, from a human standpoint, this is justifiable panic.

Jonathan (00:23:13): That's for sure.

Rick (00:23:14): Yeah, you're in the middle of the water. The waves are huge. They're bigger than the boat and your boat's filling up. You are afraid, justifiably so. Mere humans are no match for the elements. Here's what happens. Mark 4:39-41:

Jonathan (00:23:30): "And he got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And he said to them, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? They became very much afraid and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" Ooh, ooh, pick me, pick me! I know, I know! He's the son of God. Jesus' lesson is, "I'm with you, therefore you are safe."

Rick (00:24:07): "I'm with you, therefore you are safe." It's by the power of God's own spirit that he was able to perform this amazing natural miracle calming the sea and taking that fear instantly away. Looking at this, let's clarify this chaos. First of all, we are no match for the elements, but God's power through Jesus can and will protect us, as He sees fit. Let's not forget that part. To be no match for the elements is therefore of no consequence. But just be smart. Just stand in faith.

Jonathan (00:24:50): In other words, use the spirit of a sound mind. Don't go outside during a tornado and say, "I have Jesus," thinking you'll be safe. That's just foolish.

Rick (00:25:00): We don't want to do that. But Jonathan, just want to drop in a personal experience. We were visiting my son in Virginia just over the last few days. He's in Virginia on the shore and we were at the beach and the waves were unusually large because of tropical storms out in the Atlantic. They're like five-, six-foot waves, and they're huge. You're up near the beach and you're looking at them and they come in and they don't care what's in front of them. The power and the strength, it's just overwhelming. Now, it was easier for us because we're standing on solid ground and you can walk towards it, then you can walk away. They were in a boat and those massive waves were crashing inside of their boat. You can imagine the great fear they had. Just be smart. It would not have been smart for us to just walk out into that water and say, "Hey, we've got Jesus. No worry about the waves." No, you stay on solid ground and you don't go out too far because that's just foolishness. The chaos was handled by God's spirit in His way. Let's go a little further, another chaos example. That was a weather-related chaos example. Next chaos example; chaotic responses may arise on our part when we're faced with dramatic injustice or betrayal. This "permitted chaos" can easily bring high emotion and gut reactions of aggression that are not godly. The Garden of Gethsemane betrayal of Jesus is a really good example of this. Let's go back to Jesus and the apostles, this time in the Garden, when his time for betrayal arrives.

Jonathan (00:26:44): The following are the combined accounts of all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Some details we will sum up. "...and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them...Now he who was betraying him had given them a signal, saying, whomever I kiss, he is the one; seize him and lead him away under guard...and he approached Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss? Immediately, Judas went to Jesus and said, Hail rabbi! and kissed him. And Jesus said to him, Friend, do what you have come for..." Summing up John 18:4-9: Jesus approached the oncoming crowd and identified himself as the one they were seeking. The crowd fell back when Jesus spoke. Power forced them to the ground. Jesus proved they had no power over him.

Rick (00:27:44): He did. You have the physical tensions building, you have the tension, the chaos of Judas actually betraying him right in front of the other apostles. You've got this tension-building scenario as Jesus then reasoned with the crowd to let his disciples go. Jonathan, let's just drop back into that reading.

Jonathan (00:28:06): "When those who were around him (the apostles) saw what was going to happen, they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword?...Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave's name was Malchus. So Jesus said to Peter...Stop! No more of this...Put the sword into the sheath...for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then will the scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?...the cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?"

Rick (00:28:55): There's so much that happened in in that section. You have the crowd approaching Jesus and the disciples saying, should we strike? Peter doesn't wait for an answer, he just attacks, because that's Peter. You have chaos breaking out. You now have all-out violence beginning. That first stroke of the sword was the first stroke of a violent interchange. Jesus, just like he did with the sea, he said, "Stop. No more of this. This is something that I am here to actually accept and embrace because it's my Father's will. What looks like chaos to you is God's "permitted chaos" to me and I'm willing to walk through it and with it." Now look, the apostles had a very justifiable human reaction. "The man's innocent. You can't take him. There's no reason. We're not going to let you." Chaos had begun to erupt, but Jesus took control and Jesus diffused it. In the middle of that diffusing the chaos, what happened next? Few words that put it all in perspective.

Jonathan (00:30:06): Luke 22:51: "And Jesus touched his ear and healed him."

Rick (00:30:09): There you have the way Jesus looked at this "permitted chaos" in God's plan. Not only did he stop the violence, but he undid the results of the violence because they were unjustifiable and it was one of his own people hurting someone else. He just healed him. It's just an amazing, amazing sense of the depth of Jesus' character. When we clarify the chaos here, when we are faced with clear injustice, we need to remember what Jesus did. He saw God's direction, he saw what God's direction was, and he followed it without any hesitation.

Jonathan (00:30:51): But Jesus understood that injustice was a necessary "permitted chaos" to give glory to God.

Rick (00:30:59): Sometimes we need to remember that as well. Be like our Lord. Jonathan, let's wrap up the reading here.

Jonathan (00:31:06): "At that time Jesus said to the crowds, Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place to fulfill the scriptures of the prophets...but this hour and the power of darkness are yours...Then all the disciples left him and fled. Then the band and the captain and the officers and the Jews took Jesus, and bound him."

Rick (00:31:35): You have chaos continuing because now all of Jesus' disciples fled. Now they are in a chaotic state, but Jesus is calm in the midst of this "permitted chaos." Jonathan, Finding Clarity in the Midst of Chaos, where are we?

Jonathan (00:31:52): Whether we face the uncontrollable chaos of the elements or the temptation to create chaos because of injustice, we always need to find our center. In the example of Jesus, he was clear as to the will of God and his every step, word, and deed were in place to fulfill it. Am I searching for such clarity as I respond to the chaos that surrounds me?

Rick (00:32:19): Boy, that's a big question and that's an important question because we are not going to get away from chaos. Am I going to respond in a Jesus-like manner and submit to whatever God's "permitted chaos" is bringing to us? It's becoming everywhere obvious that there's no getting away from chaos. How we handle all that chaos is the real issue.

Jonathan (00:32:45): Repelling the temptation to react to chaos that comes from circumstances is one thing. How do we handle our own ability to create chaos?

Rick (00:32:55): Oh, creating chaos here. Our next examples will focus on how we as human beings can manufacture chaos based on our own imperfect thoughts and emotions. While those creating the chaos and the examples we're going to use were not Christians, we want to be sure and understand that they were humans just like we are. They were humans just like we are. Let's be guarded against our own humanity.

Jonathan (00:33:26): An example, Rick, I thought of were the Zealots in Israel in Jesus' day. They were trying to push the envelope to provoke a military rebellion against the Romans. Some believe Judas, with his false perceived ideas, may have tried to push Jesus into taking over as Messiah. Most of Israel was expecting Messiah to take control over Rome. When Judas realized Jesus didn't resist arrest, Judas hung himself. What about a modern day example?

Rick (00:34:00): Jonathan, there's lots of modern-day examples of these things and here's the key to it all; drama, gaining attention. That's the key. That's unfortunate because we take things into our own hands. I just saw an article not too long ago about, and I don't even remember what the "cause" was, but these folks decided that they were going to stop traffic and they're going to stop traffic in a way that it couldn't start. They glued their hands to the road so that nobody could get past. You think, "Okay, and what is your point?" Their point, they thought was, "We are making a dramatic statement and you must comply. You must see. You're going to stop and you're going to listen." I don't know, but I think most people looked at that and said, "Well, how foolish you are." What if somebody...we can get into all the what ifs. What if somebody was was sick or dying or an ambulance had to get somewhere, whatever. There's all kinds of things and yet you're trying to be dramatic. If we need to resort to drama and creating of chaos, maybe our point is not the point it should be. Here's the problem though, Jonathan. We as Christians can create chaos. You know what, here's a hint; not a good idea. Don't try this at home. Let's look at another chaos example. Chaos may result or may arise as a result of feelings of rivalry. Now, this is not a state of mind that can be easily diffused. Example, when Paul and Barnabas were in Iconium, they preached the gospel and performed miracles and drew many Jews and Greeks to them. However, some of a Jewish sect of that city of Iconium just stirred the non-believers against them and they sought to stone them. You had all this following, then all of a sudden you have people looking to to stone them to death. Paul and Barnabas then left the city. Let's clarify the chaos here a little bit. Paul and Barnabas understood that this circumstance was not going to bring glory to God, and they wisely moved on. Are we as wise and perceptive in our moments when we are facing chaos?

Jonathan (00:36:11): I like that. They diffused the situation and found a way out.

Rick (00:36:15): They did. It was important to do that because there's no great value here and if there's a way out, they took that way out. Let's continue now, because when Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra, Paul healed a lame man who had faith. This healing was done in a very public fashion. It caused exactly the opposite reaction from the previous Greek crowds. Remember the previous Greek crowds were looking to to stone him to death. Here's what happens in Acts 14:11-13:

Jonathan (00:36:51): "When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, The gods have become like men and have come down to us. And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds." Rick, which is worse, the chaos of people trying to stone you to death, or the chaos of people proclaiming you as false gods to worship?

Rick (00:37:27): I don't know which is worse, I just don't know. And you can't even imagine how much frustration that would've caused for Paul and Barnabas who are messengers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not what they're there for. Here's what happens, here's what happens next; Acts 14:14-15:

Jonathan (00:37:46): "But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God..."

Rick (00:38:05): You have chaos here breaking out in a very different way. This chaos is, "Hey, we want to laud you and call you a God," versus the chaos of, "Hey, we want to kill you." Both of these are crowd reaction, and crowd reaction is so much an element of chaos that can become very, very, very unpredictable. Paul and Barnabas looked at this and they explained how God was the Creator of all things and is bigger than their manmade idols. God is reflected in nature, and they emphatically said, "We are not gods." So they're starting to calm it down a little bit. Now here's what happened. Talk about chaos escalating - Acts 14:18-20:

Jonathan (00:38:53): "Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe." Rick, how is it possible that the crowd could be won over by the Jews from Antioch after Paul performed a miracle from the power of God?

Rick (00:39:30): I know, you look at that and say, "Wait there, there's missing pieces here." It's not written what actually happened. We can speculate. My personal speculation on this is these Jews from Antioch and Iconium--now they're Jews, mind you, okay? They don't like Paul. They're not idolaters themselves, but they come to this city, they followed Paul. They see what he's doing. They say to the crowd that wants to worship and say, "You realize what he's doing, don't you? He's taking your gods away." He's saying that "What you've worshiped for your whole life" (and this is my opinion of perhaps what stimulated this), he's saying that "What you've worshiped for your whole life, what your parents have worshiped and their parents have worshiped is just a piece of stone. Are you going to let him get away with that?" You see the insult that he's putting upon? They would've riled up the emotions of the crowd and created this chaos and they did stone him and they thought he was dead. Of course they left him for dead. Then the disciples gather around him, he stands up, shakes himself off, and he walks back into the city. That's our beloved Apostle Paul. But Jonathan, you see the chaos from the crowds, the rivalry that drove the individuals to such high levels of action that were just so pathetic. When we try to clarify the chaos, whether we perpetrate this chaotic rivalry or the victims of it, because we can perpetrate it, make no mistake. We need to understand that our human emotions easily block reason and kindness when we feel threatened.

Jonathan (00:41:05): When I hear the word rivalry, the first thing I think of is politics. It's so nasty in our world today.

Rick (00:41:13): It is, it is. With politics, you start out with your ideology and an ideology is a good thing because it defines the way life and society should be. You feel very strongly about that and that develops a very, very strong sense of right and wrong, and that sense of right and wrong then develops a sense of labeling those who see it differently. That labeling then becomes rivalry. That rivalry then can become chaotic because we take it out of context. Instead of saying, "These are human beings just like me. They have opinions that are thought out just like me." Oh no, no, no, we don't do that. We say "They're a bunch of idiots, they don't know what they're talking about. They don't understand." We create this massive, massive problem and we make chaos bigger. Folks, we have to be careful not to stimulate rivalry like this because it is so ungodly. Sometimes we can diffuse the chaos around us or we can't diffuse the chaos around us, but we can deflate the chaos within us.

Jonathan (00:42:20): How do we do this? Selah: stop, pause and consider. Count to three. Remember where we once stood and compare it to the solid ground of the cause of Christ upon which we now stand. We will look at several verses in the third chapter Philippians and break it into four different parts as we go through the rest of this episode. Let's begin with Philippians 3:7-8: "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in the view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ."

Rick (00:43:07): Remember where you stood versus where you stand. There is a difference. Make sure you continue to stand in the present, not in the past emotions that you once had. Jonathan, let's go to another chaos example. Chaos may arise when we're challenged beyond our capacity. In such cases the reaction generally is fear. We can easily resort to making up stories and exaggeration about those whom we perceive as threats. Steven's final experience and death were good examples of what can happen when people let their fears overwhelm them. Let's drop in on the final experiences of Stephen very quickly to look at the chaos that surrounded him and what drove it. Acts 6:8-15. We'll break it into pieces:

Jonathan (00:43:55): "And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen...rose up and argued with Stephen. But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking." Being overmatched did not result in humble consideration of the disagreement. Just the opposite.

Rick (00:44:19): It's too bad.

Jonathan (00:44:19): Continuing: "Then they secretly induced men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before the Council." Lies from men made Stephen look evil to others. That picked up fierce momentum.

Rick (00:44:44): It did. It's amazing how fast that kind of chaos picks up momentum. Folks, are we contributing to that? Be honest with ourselves. Are we contributing to that in any way, especially if you have very strong political feelings? Do we get a sense of, "Well, let me just bend the truth a little bit because they really don't know what they're talking about?" Have you talked to the people that you say they don't know what they're talking about to find out? I mean come on, we've got to put this in perspective. This kind of chaotic reaction is all too common. How many times do people just want to be rid of those who stifle their own beliefs and opinions? Let's continue in Acts 6:13-15:

Jonathan (00:45:21): "They put forward false witnesses who said, This man incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us. And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the Council saw his face like the face of an angel." Stephen showed godly peace as his response to their anger. He was backed into a corner and had nowhere to hide.

Rick (00:45:51): He was, and he responded with that godly peace. It was really a very very, very brilliant scenario here. Jonathan, when we look at this and being challenged beyond our capacity, social media is a great way for us to get great. I'm saying that very sarcastically. It's a great way for us to fall into the creation of chaos. We don't want to be doing that here. We don't want to be part of the social media that's the putting down others without even knowing who the heck they are.

Jonathan (00:46:24): Another way of describing social media at its worst is called "cancel culture," where they will destroy your reputation if you don't agree with their views.

Rick (00:46:34): Let's clarify this chaos. How easy is it for me to short-circuit the system for the sake of shielding my own beliefs from being challenged? That's what we just described. On the other side, how bold and yet humble am I when I'm being mistreated by others for the sake of the truth and of scripture? Where do I stand in all of this? How do I handle it?

Jonathan (00:46:56): We have two focuses. One, if I am causing chaos, why am I doing it? Two, if I'm receiving chaos from others, how am I handling it?

Rick (00:47:07): Sometimes we cannot diffuse the chaos around us, but we can deflate the chaos within us.

Jonathan (00:47:15): How do we do this? Selah: stop, pause and consider. Count to three. Compare whatever principles drove your past actions to the principles of Christ's righteousness driving your present actions. Back to Philippians 3:9-11: "...and may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Our battle is against how we feel. Our emotions can be fragile, but we must rise above our feelings and emotions for the sake of Christlikeness.

Rick (00:48:07): We need to do that. We need to put ourselves in that position and compare the principles that used to drive you versus the principles of Christ's righteousness presently driving you and leave the other behind. It's so important. We don't want to be contributing to the chaos around us because it's not godly contribution. Jonathan, Finding Clarity in the Midst of Chaos:

Jonathan (00:48:31): Whether it is rivalry or fear that provokes us towards creating chaos is not material. All that truly matters is that we attain and maintain levels of spiritual maturity to be able to respond with Christlike dignity to any and every experience. Rick, this Christlike dignity is our "chaos diffuser."

Rick (00:48:57): Absolutely. Christlike dignity, nothing less. Which is worse; chaos from within or chaos from the outside? Well, does it really matter? Let's just focus on putting it all in its place.

Jonathan (00:49:15): We have spent time on chaos from our circumstances and chaos from our own hearts. What is the lasting big picture of the destiny of chaos?

Rick (00:49:26): Okay, this is really the whole point of this discussion. If God is a God of order, and He is, then how does God once and for all put all chaos in its rightful place? Well remember Habakkuk? Before we go back to his prophecy, we want to briefly visit one example of how Jesus himself intentionally caused chaos. Yeah, Jesus intentionally caused chaos. Let's look at this chaos example. Chaos on some occasions can come for the purpose of making right that which is wrong. Jesus, after he triumphantly rode into Jerusalem, remember everybody hailing him as a Messiah? He created chaos to send such a message of righting that which is wrong. Matthew 21:12-13:

Jonathan (00:50:18): "And Jesus entered the temple and drove all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And he said to them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robber's den."

Rick (00:50:36): That's a pretty bold statement that he makes and a pretty bold action that he took. To clarify this chaos, Jesus knew that the people needed to see just how far they had fallen from God's ways. He also knew that the wrongs being done were not yet due to be corrected.

Jonathan (00:50:55): The question is, why did Jesus do it?

Rick (00:50:58): That's an important question. Perhaps he did it to show them that coming back to God for Israel and for the world would have to be through God's "permitted chaos." We know that Israel was being cast off. They would go through a long period of time of disfavor. We see that God's "permitted chaos" had to be put in place because sin required it to be so. Perhaps he's showing them "You've made it a den of thieves and now you're going to suffer the lengthy consequences of such things before you're able to come back to God." Jesus intentionally caused chaos to send a very spiritual, very eternal message of loyalty to God. Let's, Jonathan, take a quick moment and go back to "How Chaos Theory Unravels the Mysteries of Nature" from Seeker as they sort of wrap up this part of their conversation.

Seeker (00:51:49): So many natural systems are chaotic like the climate as a whole, the dynamics of clouds, population dynamics, the patterns of the stock market, the way your milk swirls into and combines with your coffee. That's chaos theory in fluid dynamics. These systems may be chaotic and have seemed impossibly daunting in the past, but the math of chaos theory is now relatively small potatoes to the huge supercomputers that we can use to calculate the progression of chaotic systems like the climate with more accuracy than ever before.

Rick (00:52:21): You hear the joy in her voice like "Hey, the supercomputers are cracking the case." I look at that and I appreciate that, appreciate the leaps and bounds with which humankind has come in terms of trying to figure all of these things out. But the point here is we are trying to crack the case of the "permitted chaos" that God has already put in place. He has made it all work and He's created all of these systems and we're just trying to figure it out. We're proud of ourselves when we figure out what's always been and I just get a charge out of that. Let's look at God's "permitted chaos" and what it's there for. God's "permitted chaos" brings God's perfect kingdom. "Permitted chaos," perfect kingdom. Let's look at examples. Chaos; Daniel 12:1:

Jonathan (00:53:09): "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book will be rescued." We know the great time of trouble will be scary and massive. We can't change the fact that it is coming, but we can change our heart and mind because of the good that comes after it.

Rick (00:53:41): That brings us to kingdom. We had chaos, time of trouble, kingdom; same book. Daniel 2:44:

Jonathan (00:53:51): "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever." We need to remember God had this all planned from before sin entered into the picture with Adam. Revelation 13:8 says Jesus was "the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world." No matter how difficult it may be, God's kingdom will be the silver lining.

Rick (00:54:25): We started out this podcast looking at the "deterministic chaos" of creation. Even before all of that, God had the solution. He had determined what would be able to happen and so the solution was already in place. I don't know about you, but that gives me great, great calm. Sometimes we can't diffuse the chaos around us, but we can deflate the chaos within us.

Jonathan (00:54:52): How do we do this? Selah: stop, pause and consider. Count to three. Press forward. What happens around us does not determine what happens within us unless we allow it to. Back to Philippians 3:12: "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus."

Rick (00:55:19): Press on. We can hold onto things that we know are future because God said them, even when the present looks very, very dark. Let's look at another example. God's "permitted chaos" brings God's perfect kingdom. How do we know? Let's look. Psalm 46, chaos first. Psalms 46:1-3:

Jonathan (00:55:43): "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains (which picture governments) slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam (picturing the restless masses of humanity), though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah."

Rick (00:56:03): Pause and consider, count to three, because that sounds pretty dramatic. All right, so you've got that "selah" moment, then go down a few verses in the same psalm, Psalm 46. Let's look at 9-11. This is the kingdom:

Jonathan (00:56:17): "He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah." I like how it said "cease striving."

Rick (00:56:40): Yeah, relax. God has got this in control. It's the "deterministic chaos," the "permitted chaos" that God understands and He allows all of the darkness and the sin and the evil to work for everyone's eventual benefit. Again, sometimes we cannot diffuse the chaos around us, but we can deflate the chaos within us.

Jonathan (00:57:07): How do we do this? Selah; stop, pause, and consider. Count to three. Have a single-minded focus. Chaos cannot compete with single-mindedness. Let's finish up the lesson with Philippians 3:13-14: "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." This reminds me of the prophecy in Isaiah 50:6-7 which describes Jesus's trial as a perfect man. It says: "I give my back to those who strike me and my cheeks to those who pluck out the beard and spit on me." But here is his response: "For the Lord God helps me...I have my face like flint. I will not be ashamed."

Rick (00:58:04): I have my face like a flint. What does that mean? It means he says "I have stone cold focus. I will not be moved. I have my objective and whatever the chaos is that surrounds me, I will follow the leadings of my Father." That's what we've got and that's why this kingdom can come because of Jesus' "stone cold focus." God's "permitted chaos" one more time brings God's perfect kingdom. Let's go to another chaos example. Remember Habakkuk? In chapter 3 of Habakkuk, remember we talked about that right at the beginning, he prayed about all that God had revealed about the coming trouble that God's chosen people were going to experience. Habakkuk had some fear, but ultimately showed great faith. Let's look at the fear part. Let's look at the chaos part first. Habakkuk 3:12-13,16:

Jonathan (00:59:05): "In indignation You marched through the earth; in anger You trampled the nations. You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your anointed...I heard and my inward parts trembled, at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us."

Rick (00:59:33): Habakkuk is saying, "I have no choice and I am trembling inside. And I'm quivering. My lips are quivering, decay is entering my bones. I just am stuck. I don't have a way out." You look at this and you think, "Boy, he's in rough shape." No, no, no, he's just showing us this is how he feels. But this is not who he is because he knows that this is "permitted chaos," that God has it in hand. Here is what happens in the very next verses of Habakkuk 3:17-19. You know first part was chaos. Now this is kingdom. But this is a kingdom attitude in chaos. Habakkuk 3:17-19:

Jonathan (01:00:21): "Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exalt in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places..." About the hinds' feet; this is like mountain goats and rams can scale a cliff with ease. That's the kind of walking that Habakkuk feels.

Rick (01:00:59): You see that he is afraid because of the chaos that is to come and his hands are tied. He can do nothing about it. In the midst of doing nothing about it, what does he do? He diffuses the chaos within and he says "even if the fig tree doesn't blossom, there's no fruit on the vines, if everything fails, I will rejoice in the Lord God because He knows, He is above all, the vision will come." Remember we said at the very beginning, "it will come; even though it tarries, wait for it." It is sure. It is sound.

Jonathan (01:01:32): This is a prayer of acceptance and maturity that he's showing here, isn't it Rick?

Rick (01:01:36): It is. That's such an important aspect here. Folks, we can't control what's without, but we can control what's within. Clarifying this chaos, God's hand is ultimately overall and in control. Chaos is a temporary tool that God uses to demonstrate our overwhelming need for Him. That was the kingdom attitude in chaos with Habakkuk. Let's go to Revelation now to see an actual picture of God's kingdom. Revelation 21:1-4:

Jonathan (01:02:09): "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea (a sea symbolically pictures the restless masses of humanity). And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Rick (01:02:48): Man! What a powerful assurance of what's going to happen after what's going to happen. You have the trouble that's going to happen. It's prophesied, it's sure, it is going to happen. We can be like Habakkuk and say, "Okay, I can't control it, but I can diffuse the chaos within me so that I can stand for that which is highest and that is God's will and God's way." Jonathan, finally Finding Clarity in the Midst of Chaos:

Jonathan (01:03:20): In God's hands, chaos is a tool that demonstrates the sinfulness of sin and the inherent need that all of humanity has for God and His righteousness. As we deepen our understanding of this foundational principle, let us also deepen our awareness of how we handle our chaotic world and experiences. Let us be sure we stand as examples of God's peace and love.

Rick (01:03:46): We can choose how we stand. We can choose for what we stand. We can make choices in the midst of the most chaotic circumstances that we can be a light shining for the glory of God, or we can be just like everybody else. Folks, it's a choice. Find yourself going deeper into the scriptures and find your strength to be able to be content with the chaos around knowing that it is God Almighty who controls it, ultimately. "Thy kingdom come." Think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode, "How Can I Doubt My Doubts?" Kind of fits very well with this. "How Can I Doubt My Doubts? (Part I)". Talk to you about that next week.

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