Yet Another Reason to Love the DNA!

(I know I record my spiritual journey on this blog, but God made genes, and I love genes, so I say this counts!)

I've had one of the most exciting weeks at university...not only because we extracted DNA from yeast, or discovered the marvellous intricacies of embryogenesis, but because I met Sonic Hedgehog! Yup, that's right...didn't know it was real either but apparently it's a big deal!

Note: Not the REAL thing!

Sonic Hedgehog is a gene, one of many in the hedgehog family of genes - its cousins include Desert Hedgehog, Indian Hedgehog and Tiggywinkle Hedgehog! Why the weird name? The protein product of this gene supposedly resembles the spiky little Sonic the Hedgehog! Stranger yet, I found that a verse in Isaiah talks about Hedgehogs: (Isa14:23) '...make it a possession of the hedgehog...' Totally out of context, but just thought it makes this post slightly spiritual! Just slightly?

This amused me so much that I decided to dedicate A LOT of time to research other funky genes - to my absolute delight, I found gazillions! While I wish I could share them all with you, time constraints have forced me to be satisfied with my 'top ten'...with one down, brace yourselves for the rest!

Swiss Cheese - A gene first discovered in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) These regulate how glial cells are wrapped around neurons; in mutants however, they strangle them to death, producing a characteristic holed pattern that is similar to (you guessed it!) SWISS CHEESE!

Superman and Kryptonite - These plant genes (found in Arabidopsis thaliana) control the formation of a boundary between the carpel and stamen. It gets better, like the fictional Superman, the real Superman is suppressed by Kryptonite! I know what you are thinking! Just admit it - Genetics is COOL!

Genghis Khan - This post is beginning to feel like a joke! This bad guy does not go around conquering lands but resorts to a humbler role of regulating actin polymerisation, by coding for a serine/threonine protein kinase. I have no idea as to why this fruit fly gene carries the name of a great Mongolian emperor...may be something to do with destruction and phosphorylation?

Bubble Bath - Another plant gene! Mutants fill their cells up with many small vesicles, hence the name! Isn't that cute!

Ken and Barbie - I promise I am not joking! These are found in male and female fruit flies respectively. These are alleles of a gene responsible for sexual development.

Tin Man - This is by far one of the wittiest gene names ever! It is a homeobox gene in fruit flies (YAY for fruit fly geneticists everywhere!), responsible for the differentiation and proliferation of cardiac progenitor cells. Genes are often named according to their mutants, hence the Tin Man mutants lack a heart! Clever stuff!

Biblical genes (I told you this post was spiritual!) - The Sarah gene is involved in oocyte meiosis, courtship and ovulation in female fruit flies. A logical parallel to Sarah's miraculous conception in the Bible. I have heard that there are some others like Lot and Methuselah, but I haven't had the opportunity to authenticate those!

Finally, my favourite! One-Eyed Pinhead - If you know me well, you are familiar with the term 'Fish Head'; an insult(mostly aimed at myself) I sparingly use with love! By sounding so similar, One-Eyed Pinhead has made its way into my heart...you see, I love challenging conventional insults with these rather imaginative ones! Anyway, this zygotic zebrafish (Danio rerio) gene results in endodermal defects and more, when mutated. It is responsible for cell adhesion and movement. The name...well, that's probably the mutant...a pointy head with a single eye?

Sadly, I'll have to end there folks to get on with some much needed sleep! I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed researching and typing away! Seriously though...you're probably wishing you studied the DNA now right?

Why I trust in Jesus

Having been a Christian for over four years, this feels like an overdue post! I have something that is too good not to share, so here goes my attempt in trying to convince or remind you of how awesome Jesus is!

Jesus is Unique

There are 12 major religions, and many minor religions - with so many to choose from, why Christ?

The answer to all of that is the fact that God is everything He ought to be and says He is. The God we worship is the God who created us and the moral and physical laws that govern us. So it makes sense that His nature radiates these laws. What I have found with many of the world's revered is that they are not always moral - when they give in to their lust, greed and anger, how can they expect us not to? God however is the epitome of purity, love, justice and righteousness - so it is fair that He demands us to reflect that. The reasons are numerous but I'll end with the one that caught my attention - you see, no one else speaks of a god who chose to come down to earth in order to die and set us free from the bondage of sin.

God is perfect. Habakkuk 1:13 reminds us of the fact that God is 'too pure' to 'approve evil' or tolerate wickedness. Hence heaven ought to be a place free of sin; 'nothing impure will ever enter [New Jerusalem]' (Revelation 21:27). We're all law breakers, it doesn't make sense for God to weigh up the good and bad...even if He does, the bad isn't going to vanish. Saying God will forgive us is theologically half baked - God is a righteous judge, your sin cannot be overlooked. That is why He came, in the body of Jesus, He lived a perfect life, died an unjust death and rose again beating death. He paid our ransom, so that on His account we can go free - so the saying goes, 'Religion says do, Jesus says done!'

Moreover, our faith and hope rest on one truth: Jesus rising from the dead. It is a truth that has never been, and can never be, disproven. It is the only thing (apart from the transforming work of the Holy Spirit of course) that validates all that we believe.
1 Corinthians 15:14 & 17 - And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith...and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
As Jesus rose from the dead, we know that everything else that He said must also be true.

Jesus Defies Logic

Read the following verses carefully...

Isaiah 29:14 - I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.
 
1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Corinthians 2:7 - ...God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

1 Corinthians 2:14 - The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Apart from exposing my love for Paul's letter to the Corinthians, these verses highlight something very important. The Gospel is inclusive yet exclusive - it is open to all, but it is elucidated by the Holy Spirit! That's the reason why the good news about Jesus being our Lord and Saviour doesn't make sense to everyone.

Friend, if it doesn't make sense to you, I urge you to sincerely ask the Holy Spirit (even if you do not believe in the 'unseen') to reveal this mystery to you as it concerns your eternal destiny.
I know it sounds like folklore, but how can our incompetent brains fathom the God who stretches far above and beyond the science and logic we treasure, (after all, science and logic are also part of His creation) until He intervenes?

I have deliberately failed to address scientific perspectives as this post will end up being too long for anyone's liking...I shall tackle that at a different time! Nevertheless, let me just say that science does not and cannot disprove God or anything pertaining to Him or His nature; God is not bound by the laws He has established.

Jesus is the Only Way

People believe in what they do, whether it be someone of a particular faith, no faith or multiple faiths, because they feel that they are right in believing it and rejecting all other possibilities.

Going back to the above points...no one has ever claimed to be 'THE way, THE truth and THE life' except Jesus. What an outrageous claim! If Jesus did rise from the dead validating all that He has said, then this too is a statement we cannot shy away from. If there was any other way through which we could be saved, Christ's sacrifice becomes unnecessary and meaningless! There cannot be many truths, when one of these 'truths' claims to be the ONLY TRUTH!

Albert Einstein (who is not a Christian) had this to say about Jesus, 'As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.' Although Einstein recognised the difference in this 'myth', I am not aware of whether he chose to do something about how he felt. Like Pilate during Jesus' trial, and Mr Einstein, many acknowledge Jesus' splendour and are filled with awe, but very few choose to unravel this captivating Jesus. 'You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart' (Jeremiah 29:13)

Let me conclude with C.S. Lewis' beautiful expansion on this point from his book, Mere Christianity: 'I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'

So friend, if you haven't already, why not check Jesus out for yourself?

Rent A Friend

It wasn't until recently that I heard about a paid service available for 'lonely folk', allowing them to 'Rent A Friend' to guide them in a foreign town, to watch a movie, to have dinner with...seriously, except the first reason, all others just saddened me.

Did you know that 800000 people in England experience loneliness? Majority falling prey to depression, which is the most common mental health disorder in the UK?
Did you know that it is mainly the over 50s, divorcees and widows who feel lonely? Women being more vulnerable than men?
Did you know that the number of people falling into this category is steeply increasing? That it is no longer a problem associated with a particular age-group or gender?
I didn't!

Loneliness is a neglected problem in our society - scientifically, socially and spiritually.

• 'Campaign to End Loneliness' equates the detriment in a lonely person's health to that of someone who smokes 15 cigarettes a day! Loneliness often leads to depression which, as we are reminded time and again by various celebrities, can lead to death - both suicidal and natural.
• We are social beings. Sadly we are made socially deficient by virtual reality. *GENERALISATION ALERT* People speak of times when neighbours sat in their gardens or front yards and spoke to each other...do we even know our neighbours, let alone anything about them? Even in my lifetime I enjoyed staying out till late to play badminton and tag with the kids in my neighbourhood...where have the kids gone? We're developing a future full of couch potatoes! Where isolation is conceived, loneliness is birthed. According to Darwin's theory of Natural Selection and evolutionary history, the human race was so successful because they were social and the development of languages allowed greater levels of interaction. By preventing ourselves and others from intimacy, aren't we devolving? This problem therefore weakens the infrastructure of our society, to our peril.
• I remember reading about the discovery of an elderly female Homo erectus skeleton - she is belived to have died of hypervitaminosis A. They say that the only reason she survived long enough was because she was cared for by those in that ancient civilization - I hope we in the West have not grown out of it! In the East I know for a fact that families actively care for their elderly, but I seldom see it here.
• Loneliness makes us spiritually vulnerable to sin. Loneliness often results in idleness, and we all know that 'an idle man's brain is the devil's workshop'. We escape accountability, hence it is so easy to slip into and be bound by secret sins like pornography - not only to keep you occupied but to give you the false sense of security and fulfilment as you crave some sort of intimacy. Loneliness is the path that leads to the bog of sinfulness.

While some are oblivious to this, others hesitate to care. Talk about monetary or one-off measures for the 'greater good' and you will have people flooding your door, but loneliness is one that very few want to tackle as it demands something of far greater worth - time - the thing we never seem to have enough of!
Why care? Jesus cared and still cares!

We, as Christians, are called to love like Jesus and care for the hurting - yes that means investing time and even money but think of all the time we literally waste! As I type away, I am reminded of how much I fall short of this calling! There are many who say that the world is falling apart; as salt and light however, we are to show people how to super-glue it back together.
There is a lot we can do. If you don't know where to start...

• Start with a smile or a simple 'Good morning!', especially to the elderly
• Get volunteering or campaigning for the government to better address this issue - you can check out 'Campaign to End Loneliness' for more information.

Like tiny drops of water joining to make a mighty ocean, let us challenge each other to make a conscious effort in our little corner of the world to be a friend to the lonely!

That Fear Though!

It is no secret that I strongly believe in the freedom of belief and expression of faith; religious persecution is an issue that breaks my heart, and reading reports on what is happening to Christians and other ethnic minorities in Iraq is distressing to say the least. Recently, I wanted to join many others to publically pray and petition the Prime Minister to help these fleeing, persecuted minorities. My family shares my view, and my parents were very supportive of my plans...until the day in question!

They feared extremists showing up at the rally, and requested me to stay behind as they cared for my safety. I am disappointed but not frustrated, after all their care is genuine and their worry understandable - but it did remind of something I recently heard, about 'fear' being the greatest hurdle in the life of a Christian. How true!

The only other thing I'd argue affects our progress is 'apathy', but fear does affect us all in one way or another at some point. Take evangelism - a saved soul is characterised by the desire to evangelise, but at times the fear of rejection or ill public perception nullifies us. Likewise, fighting for worthwhile causes - we fear being perceived as activists (I don't really know what's wrong with non-violent activism to be honest!) or being opposed or confronted in an unamicable manner.
The truth in all this, is that we ultimately fear MAN - that sounds terrible doesn't it? We ignore the root cause - our fellow man, his rejection, his disapproval, his reaction - and blame everything else to justify our fearfulness and continue wallowing in it. Wise King Solomon had something to say about this too, in Proverbs 29:25 he writes, 'Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.' #WORD

However, fear is not a bad guy...it is after all the 'fear of the LORD' that is the 'beginning of wisdom'. The focus of our fear is what defines how we will be affected. Fearing God or other forms of authority, pushes us towards our destiny because it stems from love and respect. The 'fear of man' however stems from our desire to be accepted, loved and gain the approval of society. BIG difference!

We are to be fearless, not foolish, in our calling! Sadly we are like pendulums - most often we are stuck in the middle, comfortable in our apathy but when we get that push, we fluctuate between over-readiness, and stubborn reluctance. If you stick to what you are called to do and seek the discernment of the Holy Spirit, what could possibly go wrong?

If and when you are called into those dark alleyways, remember that He who called you, will not leave you. What is the worst that can happen? Being killed. Do you think my breath will be allowed to leave my body without His permission...of course not! If His plan is to end my life in that manner on a particular day, tell me, who can change that? No matter where I hide, it will happen! Besides, death isn't a grim and fearful prospect for a Christian - I yearn for that glorious day, where I will see my Saviour face to face, where I will know all that I believed and hoped for. Yes death is painful, but for a Christian whose eternity is secure in Christ, it is not the end...there is something magnificent awaiting us across the Jordon. More reason to descend into the battlefield, fearless!

I believe 'fear' is something we can all relate to; during those times focus not on what is in front of you, but on the God who is sovereign over it all. '...in all things God works for the good of those who love Him...' 'The LORD is [your] helper, what can a mere man do to [you]?'

I hope I have encouraged you to 'go hard' for God, but if not I'm sure Chris Tomlin, Francesca Battistelli and Moriah Peters will drive the point home! We have the God of angel armies on our side - so why fear?

 

 

Church History - Montanists

I developed a recent interest in church history, no that's a lie - I've always been interested in it but this summer I decided to do something about it. I do agree with George Santayana that, 'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.' One of my church leaders lent me 'Church History - A Crash Course for the Curious' by Christopher Catherwood. I am only a couple of chapters in, but I have already learnt a lot - about evangelicalism, various denominations that have risen and died through the ages, and how the church has stood the test of time. It's a great book that I highly recommend to all you 'curious' folk! One of the early, and now extinct denominations that caught my attention was Montanism, so I decided to dig a little deeper.
There are not that many sources around that have documented the practices, doctrines and the demise of this community. Moreover, there seems to have been sects within the Montanist church confined to various localities, and these sects had varied doctrines, again details that are not well documented. I am going to share my findings - but if you would like to correct or add anything, you are most welcome.

The Montanist Church was founded by Montanus - a young Christian convert who is said to have been a priest of Apollo or Cybele - in 2nd century AD. It started in Phrygia, Asia Minor, hence it's followers were also referred to by the names, 'Cataphrygian' or 'Phrygian' which literally means 'out of Phrygia'. Montanus travelled with two female assistants, Prisca and Maximilla - they preached their doctrines and were known for their ecstatic prophecies. It was a sect that placed a lot of emphasis on the Trinity, fidelity during persecution and esteemed chastity, penance and spontaneous reliance on the Holy Spirit.

They were protestants of sorts, as they believed in salvation through Jesus Christ and consecutive repentance. Their doctrines focus primarily on John 14 and 16, chapters that document the power of the Holy Spirit and the gifts that we can obtain as a result.
John 14:12 - whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things
John 16:14 - He [Spirit of Truth] will glorify me [Jesus].
They preached that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are bestowed through grace and not 'deeds' of righteousness or spiritual superiority; and also that the Spirit provided prophecies to both men and women alike.
Moreover, they propagated a belief in 'The Four Ages'

1. NATURAL AGE - innate understanding of God, through personal revelation and nature. This was the period before the Law i.e. Noah, Adam .etc.
2. LEGAL AGE OF THE FATHER - This age is the age of the Law. From Moses until the period of Jesus, covering all the prophets.
3. GOSPEL AGE OF CHRIST - This is the New Testament period pertaining to the life and ministry of Jesus.
4. REVELATION AGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - They believed that this period, after Christ, was established by Montanists and that it supersedes the age of Christ - WHAT? Supersede? I thought the Spirit was meant to 'glorify Jesus' - moreover, their primary form of teaching is by revelation and NOT via Scripture...sounds a bit dodgy to me!

Montanist meetings are said to have a period of TERROR - I am not quite sure what that meant or constituted. This was followed by a period of QUIET and PASSIVITY IN MIND, where they empty their minds completely to be taken over by the 'spirit' - I am a bit weary about this, hence I have not capitalised it. The 'spirit-filled' state is known as the ECSTATIC STATE, where members of the congregation prophesy in first person, out of the control of one's own will. This varied from the prophecies in the Bible which are characterised by calmness and free will, but this difference was justified as a 'new, higher order' - but weirdly, this was exactly how Montanus is said to have prophesied as a priest of Apollo or Cybele!
In addition to all this, they were pre-millennial - they believed that Jesus' second coming would happen before 1000 AD. They were also quartodeciman - celebrated Easter according to the Hebrew calendar - who wore make-up (Note - make-up was a sign of harlotry) , paid preachers and believed to posses the authority and power to forgive sins.

According to my research, which involves mainly Catholic and Reformed sources, these were the beliefs of the majority, but like I said before the doctrines changed between localities. For example, the famous historian Tertullian, is said to have converted into Montanism, although he remained on records, a Catholic. He wrote that the Holy Spirit did not supersede Jesus but only 'affirmed ambiguities in the Bible', not introducing new doctrines. His teachings resulted in Tertullianism which spread to the West. No matter where it spread, all forms are known to have met their demise by 6th century AD. What caused this sudden decline in a movement that captivated many?

Looking at what they preached and practised, it is clear to see why many had a problem with them - it was not so much that they were exercising the gifts of the Spirit or prophesying, it was more so the manner in which they did it. Can the Spirit of God result in violent or 'ecstatic states'? I don't know, but I see no examples in Scripture! Just because they exercise these gifts, which some believe stopped with the Apostles (I am not here to debate that, although I do believe that they continued), they're wrongly linked to modern day Charismatics or Pentecostals! Just, no! There must surely be demonic spirits that counteract the Spirit of God - how do you discern the two, if you rely on spontaneous revelation, without affirming it with the Word of the Lord? Jesus Himself did not come to overthrow the words of the Father but to clarify them. The deal breaker for me however, was looking at the actual prophecies, as we are asked to 'test the Spirit' - and guess what, they had numerous that did not come to pass. Their prophecies were very 'end-time' oriented (e.g. One of their prophecies stated that Christ would return to New Jerusalem, which will be located in Pepuza or Tymion; they apparently also gave a date - this obviously never happened, and we see their followers declining from this point on) Jesus said He'd come like a thief! Never believe anyone who tells you otherwise, but be ever prepared!

I know that there is a wealth of knowledge out there on Montanism, that I am ignorant to, but with what I have at hand, I certainly see this as a heresy. What scares me though is how much truth it actually holds - much truth that totally loses it's value because of the odd lies and misconceptions that decorate it. These people appeared to be on fire for God, moved and used by the 'spirit', but that was all a lie - doesn't that scare you? The thought that a demonic spirit can imitate the Holy Spirit? There is a spiritual world out there, believe it or not! It reminds me of Matthew 7:15, where Jesus says that false prophets, referred to as wolves, come 'dressed in sheep's clothing' - the false doctrines always contain elements of truth to ease you into it. This calls for us to be vigilant, not only towards attacks of sin that can mar our walks with God but also towards what we're feeding ourselves with. A deluded mind is worse and often harder to correct than an unbelieving one.