The Answerer

Plenty, but it so was in Jesus’ time too. Lots of things were wrong (Roman occupation was only one of them), no hospitals or medicine as we know them today. Jesus began a new way called ‘Love’ and chose 12 disciples to carry His message after He was gone. Its theme was LOVE! Phew!! Read that again please.

Much is wrong. These are what some Year 7 kids wrote around 1999.

Pollution, people rude and angry, do not belong, garbage, litter, bottles, plastic, suffering, murders, rapes (and more rapes), slack police, war, poverty, sickness. BAD BAD BAD, war, garbage, criminals, children suffering, a lot don’t know Jesus so do silly things, not in harmony with nature, lies, money, greenhouse gas. Phew! Kids do know what’s wrong!! (‘theanswerer’ would add drugs and alcohol today as a source of real problems).

These wrong things are very clear to some people. Big business like supermarkets, fast food joints, car makers, giant oil companies, and the people who spend much time, effort and money to sway (to direct) public thinking and opinion. Mostly it is by the TV, radio and news are the cause of most of the problems. Greed and money is the basic cause. The commercial TV stations believe that disaster and trouble gets ratings. “IF IT BLEEDS IT LEADS” (the news) and viewers watch, moan and say “Oh!”, and the TV channels make money via the ads.

The bold bit above is very real! Much time and money is spent where you do not see it…to ‘bend’ public feeling so that wars can be started, stuff sold, and objectives gained (oil and land to name two). I see on the WWW that the latest aircraft carrier in the United States Navy cost $62,000,000, plus their navy and the air force. The USA have 30 aircraft carriers! Some people in America starve and cannot afford to buy, or keep, their houses so live in cars or on the street. “What do you think about that?”

BUT, there’s another side, a good side. A certain professor, Dr. Ian Clarke, dreamed up a device to help deaf children hear Mum’s voice. His Cochlear Ear Implant worked when 99% of his fellow doctors said: “You’re wasting your time – it can’t be done.” But 250,000 children who were born deaf can now hear their mum’s voice with many more to come. Also, two West Australian doctors discovered that stomach ulcers were not caused by stress but by a bug. Most doctors thought they were mad and ignored their theory: “We’ve always known it is stress!” To prove it, one of them swallowed a dose of the ‘bugs’ to infect himself, and then cured himself! And they got a Nobel Peace Prize ($1,000,000) for the many years work on that. Both still work on medical research; they love research.

Mr Ian Keirnan saw all the pollution in the ocean and founded CLEAN UP AUSTRALIA DAY, and tens of thousands do clean up Australia.

Jesus warned people against: “Storing up earthly treasures where moth and rust corrupt and thieves break in and steal.” (Matt.6:18-20). Too many people think that things (possessions) will make them happy. They are nice to have but often they satisfy for only a little while then we have to buy another one: and all the while millions starve and the ‘possessions’ create rubbish, millions of tonnes of it.

So “What’s wrong with the world?” is that mostly, the ‘First World’ (of very rich nations) are obsessed with possessions. Possessions cannot fill the “God space” in the human heart. Only the peace of heart and mind that comes with knowing Jesus personally (closely) makes people happy, and caring for others and the environment.

Lots of things good come together and you know God is around. Doors shut (not real doors) too so you can't go where He does not want you to go. It does take a while to understand and it can be confusing sometimes. Read the three questions in number 217 because they are similar to yours.

Also, find mature, serious Christians and talk to them (but especially missionaries and experienced Christian Youth leaders). Also be aware: “Be careful – watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for someone to tear apart. Stand firm when he attacks.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) If you are doing God’s work the devil will come after you, so the best way is to keep working, read your Bible and pray. Every prayer IS heard and you will know, but ‘running ahead’ has caused many to get confused.

There are people in my town, Perth, who run kids camps for everything…such a pre-exam camps for kids doing year 12, canoeing, bush walking, wind-surfing (I find wind surfing really amazing) and camps for kids whose dads are in jail, etc. Many of them are young, but in a way, ‘mature’ too, and they love helping kids. Ps. I love your question…maybe God is planning a job for you.

Oh boy...lots will read this one!

At about 12 years old Jesus upset his parents and caused considerable trouble for them, yes he did. Jesus had important things to do and said to them: “Didn’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business?” Big misunderstanding, but it was for Jesus an essential part of his growing up (Jesus was missing for five days! (see Luke 2:41-51)) Having ‘boundaries’ (how far you can go) is essential for children. Sometimes kids don’t like them, but sometimes they are secretly glad they that (the boundaries) are there and the decision is the parents’, not the child’s (you’ll recall all this when you are raising your own children).

It is fairly normal for kids to dispute on many things with their parents – it is part of growing up. I remember one of my children smiling a little after losing a dispute (that’s 50 years ago and she did not see that I saw her smile). I believe she was pleased to ‘lose’ that argument as it made her pleased, somehow.

God does help. “How?” Well Zig Zigler said that in an argument in their house mum would say: “It is not who’s right it’s what’s right.” The Bible can help a lot in finding examples of what is right. Zig claimed that his mum was the wisest person he ever knew.

But there are some parents who do not know how to raise children. Maybe drugs, alcohol and ‘having an affair’ (adultery) is their way of living. If yours do this see a Chaplain, Policeman or Policewoman and talk to them if it is a serious problem.

The Devil had pride and ambition, wanting to become Number One, and not number three. He was given a good position in heaven – but he wanted more. It still happens today with people. Some just want to rule: to be Number One.

Good question. It seems that Jesus did leave them alone for a while because the Bible records that they were all afraid and gathered together in an upstairs room after his death. Then – what a surprise – He came through the wall and said, “Hullo.” (John 20:19-30)

Only God knows tomorrow and knew that He would “...rise to life again on the third day,” (Easter Sunday) and that the 12 disciples would later understand that Jesus rising to life on the third day, as he had predicted, was the beginning of the Christian church. The 12 disciples were soon after given the Holy Spirit from God and could also ‘…heal the sick’ and do miracles as Jesus had done.

Those 12 disciples began the Christian church 2,000 years ago and today there are 2,000,000,000 Christians. Not bad for a handful of fishermen, tax collectors and sundry other ordinary men.