Jesus is not just our perfect example. Don't misread. He IS our perfect example. But he is not ONLY our perfect example.
I say this because there are those who deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ yet claim that it doesn't really matter if he didn't rise from the dead. They say that all that really matters is his sayings and his example. They say that we just need to follow those.
Wrong.
The resurrection is of the utmost importance. If the resurrection didn't happen then Jesus was either the biggest liar on the planet or a complete nut job because of the grandiose claims that he made! Claims to be the Son of God. Claims to be the savior of the world. Claims to be a ransom for sin. Claims that he would die and rise again.
You see, Jesus didn't come for the purpose of setting a good example. He came to provide a way for us to deal with our sin. God cannot overlook sin, yet he loved the world so much that he sent Jesus to pay the price for it. He is the atoning sacrifice to cover our sin. When we put our faith in Jesus, when we realize our spiritual bankruptcy and accept that he covered us, something happens. We become his, bought at the highest price that could be paid.
Without the resurrection, we have no verification that Jesus is in fact the savior of the world and the one we should follow. Without the resurrection, we are not assured of salvation. Yet we do know. We know the Bible is historically accurate. We know the resurrection lines up with the historical facts. Many have gone out to disprove the resurrection and in the process have come to Christ and have amazing testimonies to share regarding the proof of the resurrection. Sadly, there are many of us who just don't want to look into it or accept it because we love our sin and hate God.
Isn't that just a brilliant plan of God's to identify the savior? Take something common to all men, death, and make it so the savior conquers death and lives forevermore. Who has ever even claimed to conquer death, let alone actually conquered it? None, except Jesus. Therefore we know he is the way, the truth, and the life, and if we put our faith in him, we are assured of our salvation. No religion on the planet offers that certainty. Not Judaism. Not Islam. Not Buddhism. Not Hinduism. Not anything.
Praise God for the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Grace and Peace
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Meaning Of Life
Who are you going to listen to regarding what life is about?
How about the philosopher? The one that says there is no God and life is meaningless. If evolution were true, which it is not, life would be meaningless. The philosopher would be right. We would just be here because of random chance. We would have no absolute moral standard. We would have nothing to look forward to after death. All the things we do in this life would in the end amount to absolutely nothing. That would be very, very, depressing.
How about the entertainer? The one that says life is all about pleasure. This person could say there is no God (in which case I life would really have no purpose anyway) or there is a God, but he just wants us to have the most fun we can before we die. We would be like those cursed pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie who, no matter how much they have, they are never satisfied. I know that feeling well.
How about the the psychologist? The one that says life is all about self discovery? I don't even know what to say about this one. Self discovery, or finding oneself, just sounds dumb, doesn't it? When you're the lost sheep you can't find yourself; the shepherd comes and finds you.
None of these sound very appealing. Not one bit. No man made explanation regarding the purpose of life is satisfactory.
I'll listen to what the Bible says about what life is about. In a nutshell, glorifying God and enjoying him forever. We do that by fearing him and obeying him. By keeping focused on eternity and not our short time on this earth. By desiring to know deeply know him more and more and come to him in prayer. By following his purpose for our lives.
But first we need to get right with God, and that only comes through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Grace and Peace
How about the philosopher? The one that says there is no God and life is meaningless. If evolution were true, which it is not, life would be meaningless. The philosopher would be right. We would just be here because of random chance. We would have no absolute moral standard. We would have nothing to look forward to after death. All the things we do in this life would in the end amount to absolutely nothing. That would be very, very, depressing.
How about the entertainer? The one that says life is all about pleasure. This person could say there is no God (in which case I life would really have no purpose anyway) or there is a God, but he just wants us to have the most fun we can before we die. We would be like those cursed pirates in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie who, no matter how much they have, they are never satisfied. I know that feeling well.
How about the the psychologist? The one that says life is all about self discovery? I don't even know what to say about this one. Self discovery, or finding oneself, just sounds dumb, doesn't it? When you're the lost sheep you can't find yourself; the shepherd comes and finds you.
None of these sound very appealing. Not one bit. No man made explanation regarding the purpose of life is satisfactory.
I'll listen to what the Bible says about what life is about. In a nutshell, glorifying God and enjoying him forever. We do that by fearing him and obeying him. By keeping focused on eternity and not our short time on this earth. By desiring to know deeply know him more and more and come to him in prayer. By following his purpose for our lives.
But first we need to get right with God, and that only comes through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Grace and Peace
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Dwell In Safety
I was reading through the beginning of the book of Psalms this evening, and this made me think a bit:
"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." (Psalms 4:8)
How interesting to think about that in the context of modern American culture, where we have doors with a gazillion locks on them, alarm systems, gated communities, security guards, cameras, etc. Really the protection most people have on their homes isn't going to stop a whole heck of a lot of someone is determined to do something bad to you. Some people have a ton of security, or perceived security, but really those cheap little locks on just about every door in America isn't going to stop something with a bump key, a lock pick gun, or a heavy foot.
Whatever security we have, or think we have, or don't have, we do have a big gap in how safe and secure we feel -- for certain.
You can go to the richest, safest, most protected neighborhoods on the planet, and you're certain to still find some people who constantly live in fear. Scared someone will break in and take their stuff. Scared someone will come in and do them harm or hold them hostage. Heck, isn't that why these things called "panic rooms" exist in the first place? Probably.
Then you can go to the least protected neighborhoods on the planet where sometimes the cops are even afraid to go, and you're certain to still find some people who doing think twice about it. They walk out of their run down apartment to wherever, passing by a number of folks who would take their life in a heartbeat if there was good reason too.
What's the difference? I don't know in all cases. But in some what else can it besides knowing God and how big he is. One group doesn't know God and/or doesn't trust him to protect them even among their man-provided comfort and safety. The other group knows God very well and recognizes his sovereignty. They are the ones who said "Here am I LORD, send me. Send me to the bad neighborhood. Send me to the jungles. Send me to the remote villages. Send me straight into the lion's den LORD, because I'd rather run a rescue boat up to the gates of hell than stand in the shade of the church steeple."
You know, most of us are somewhere between the two. I know I'm not like the latter, yet that's how we all should feel.
Grace and Peace
"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." (Psalms 4:8)
How interesting to think about that in the context of modern American culture, where we have doors with a gazillion locks on them, alarm systems, gated communities, security guards, cameras, etc. Really the protection most people have on their homes isn't going to stop a whole heck of a lot of someone is determined to do something bad to you. Some people have a ton of security, or perceived security, but really those cheap little locks on just about every door in America isn't going to stop something with a bump key, a lock pick gun, or a heavy foot.
Whatever security we have, or think we have, or don't have, we do have a big gap in how safe and secure we feel -- for certain.
You can go to the richest, safest, most protected neighborhoods on the planet, and you're certain to still find some people who constantly live in fear. Scared someone will break in and take their stuff. Scared someone will come in and do them harm or hold them hostage. Heck, isn't that why these things called "panic rooms" exist in the first place? Probably.
Then you can go to the least protected neighborhoods on the planet where sometimes the cops are even afraid to go, and you're certain to still find some people who doing think twice about it. They walk out of their run down apartment to wherever, passing by a number of folks who would take their life in a heartbeat if there was good reason too.
What's the difference? I don't know in all cases. But in some what else can it besides knowing God and how big he is. One group doesn't know God and/or doesn't trust him to protect them even among their man-provided comfort and safety. The other group knows God very well and recognizes his sovereignty. They are the ones who said "Here am I LORD, send me. Send me to the bad neighborhood. Send me to the jungles. Send me to the remote villages. Send me straight into the lion's den LORD, because I'd rather run a rescue boat up to the gates of hell than stand in the shade of the church steeple."
You know, most of us are somewhere between the two. I know I'm not like the latter, yet that's how we all should feel.
Grace and Peace
Monday, September 14, 2009
Death Of Time
You know what the last "famous" deaths I remember are? Anna Nicole Smith. Heath Ledger. Michael Jackson. There was a big fuss over those. Now I hear that Patrick Swayze has died, over which more fuss will be made. Okay. So what? 100 people die every minute. Some of those people were made right with God through Jesus Christ and many were not. Whether you're name is Joe Famous or John Doe, it doesn't really matter.
But what makes these celebrity deaths so much more noteworthy than others that they should make the newspapers and the news programs?
I know the truthful answer: Nothing. Not one single thing. Yet the fact that it happens is a reflection of what our culture values, and that's sad if you really think about it.
Caring so much about *entertainers* reflects a culture where we've got way too much time and money on our hands, and we must be bored out of our minds. We need entertainment to relieve that boredom in a futile quest to find happiness in things that don't satisfy. I know this first hand. In my B.C. days I went through a number of obsessions that seemed to satisfy for a while, but in the end they always left me empty and hollow inside. There's nothing there. C.S. Lewis was right. We are far too easily pleased.
That's expected of the world, but Christians seem to get sucked into frivolous things too -- just as easily and obsessively in some cases! We need to pay very careful attention to what we let eat our time, otherwise we'll find we have a little less of it, then a little more, and more, and more. The phrase "if the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy" applies here for certain. In this culture, its far too easy to find ourselves busy doing absolutely nothing -- and there is plenty of evidence to prove it.
The Bible tells us we should be "making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Eph 5:16) I don't think we take that to heart enough. We should.
Grace and Peace
But what makes these celebrity deaths so much more noteworthy than others that they should make the newspapers and the news programs?
I know the truthful answer: Nothing. Not one single thing. Yet the fact that it happens is a reflection of what our culture values, and that's sad if you really think about it.
Caring so much about *entertainers* reflects a culture where we've got way too much time and money on our hands, and we must be bored out of our minds. We need entertainment to relieve that boredom in a futile quest to find happiness in things that don't satisfy. I know this first hand. In my B.C. days I went through a number of obsessions that seemed to satisfy for a while, but in the end they always left me empty and hollow inside. There's nothing there. C.S. Lewis was right. We are far too easily pleased.
That's expected of the world, but Christians seem to get sucked into frivolous things too -- just as easily and obsessively in some cases! We need to pay very careful attention to what we let eat our time, otherwise we'll find we have a little less of it, then a little more, and more, and more. The phrase "if the devil can't make you bad, he'll make you busy" applies here for certain. In this culture, its far too easy to find ourselves busy doing absolutely nothing -- and there is plenty of evidence to prove it.
The Bible tells us we should be "making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Eph 5:16) I don't think we take that to heart enough. We should.
Grace and Peace
Sunday, September 13, 2009
What's Your Focus?
What are some typical things we do during the day? And what do we focus on when doing those things?
We may drive to and from work, often through much traffic. We could get irritated and complain about the ever increasing time the drive takes. We could pass the time by listening to some inane political babble on talk radio. Or we could use that mindless driving time to connect with the Lord in prayer, listen to his word on CD, or listen to Bible teaching on the radio -- turning monotonous driving into a way to further immerse ourselves in things of the spirit.
We may work. We could see that as just a means to put bread on the table. We could see that as a necessary evil in life on this earth and just try to get the day done with. Or we could see that as another opportunity to serve the Lord and let the light of Christ shine as we do our jobs well, do them cheerfully, and do them with integrity -- turning serving men on the job into an opportunity to serve the Lord.
We may help our spouse with some task around the house that we don't really want to do. We could see that as doing a mundane chore that just needs to get done. We could see that as scoring points with them to get something out of it later. We could see that as a way to get them off our back about helping out more. Or we could see that as a way to show love to them by serving them -- turning an unpleasant job into a way to serve Christ by serving others.
We may go to the store to pick up some things. We could see it as mindlessly fetching items we may or may not really need. Or we could see it as another opportunity to reach the lost we meet along the way -- turning a boring task into an opportunity for evangelism.
There are a million more situations in which this logic could be applied. The question is always the same, though: Who's first? With the right focus, there is always one who is first. The drives are secondary; Christ is first. The job is secondary; Christ is first. The housework is secondary; Christ is first. The grocery list is secondary; Christ is first. And so on!
Everyone, myself included, needs less and less of the former and more and more of the latter. What's your focus?
Grace and Peace
We may drive to and from work, often through much traffic. We could get irritated and complain about the ever increasing time the drive takes. We could pass the time by listening to some inane political babble on talk radio. Or we could use that mindless driving time to connect with the Lord in prayer, listen to his word on CD, or listen to Bible teaching on the radio -- turning monotonous driving into a way to further immerse ourselves in things of the spirit.
We may work. We could see that as just a means to put bread on the table. We could see that as a necessary evil in life on this earth and just try to get the day done with. Or we could see that as another opportunity to serve the Lord and let the light of Christ shine as we do our jobs well, do them cheerfully, and do them with integrity -- turning serving men on the job into an opportunity to serve the Lord.
We may help our spouse with some task around the house that we don't really want to do. We could see that as doing a mundane chore that just needs to get done. We could see that as scoring points with them to get something out of it later. We could see that as a way to get them off our back about helping out more. Or we could see that as a way to show love to them by serving them -- turning an unpleasant job into a way to serve Christ by serving others.
We may go to the store to pick up some things. We could see it as mindlessly fetching items we may or may not really need. Or we could see it as another opportunity to reach the lost we meet along the way -- turning a boring task into an opportunity for evangelism.
There are a million more situations in which this logic could be applied. The question is always the same, though: Who's first? With the right focus, there is always one who is first. The drives are secondary; Christ is first. The job is secondary; Christ is first. The housework is secondary; Christ is first. The grocery list is secondary; Christ is first. And so on!
Everyone, myself included, needs less and less of the former and more and more of the latter. What's your focus?
Grace and Peace
Thursday, September 10, 2009
What If
Let's play a game called "What if...would we?" The first part is this: What if after our physical bodies died, that was it? I don't mean the atheist version of it, but rather where everything about Christianity remains true, except for any kind of life after death. So what if that was true -- would we still desire to know, love, and serve God? Would we still want to present our lives as a sacrifice to God? Would we still want to be set apart? Would we still desire the things of the Spirit over the things of this world?
That sounds like a tough question.
It has a problem in it at the get-go -- do we who know Christ really want all those things anyway, knowing the wonderful promise of eternal life? Though I would argue that if we don't want all those things now, then we don't really know Christ, or at the very least, we don't know him well. I would argue that if we don't want to give our lives in service to Christ now, then we, or the devil, are just telling us what we want to hear to make ourselves feel better. Maybe that makes us in-name-only Christians. Maybe that makes us lukewarm Christians. Neither is what we could, or should, be.
So we move forward with the assumption that we're genuinely in Christ for the purpose of answering the question.
I know the obvious answer is supposed to be "Yes, of course!" But after thinking about it for a short while the other day, I think my answer to that question at the time was "I don't know." Looking back I see that Satan was throwing a fair number of darts my way that day, because here's where my mind went: So what do you get out of it then? You spend a great deal more of your time focusing on other people and things of the Spirit, and then you're dead and gone. Why bother? Why not just live it up and have as much fun as you can before you're dead?
Then I put the question aside for a while until tonight.
What a stupid line of thinking going through my head. Thank God for the shield of faith.
Our creator gave us so much, including our lives. That alone makes him worthy of praise and worship. He loves us so much that sent his son to die on the cross to pay for our sins and free us from terrible bondage. Faith in his son allows us to live in the presence of God forever. There is nothing greater for us. But, really, even if this life was it, we still gain much through faith in Christ. I can testify to changes in my own heart and life that came through faith in Christ, but really I don't think anything sums it up better than these words of our Lord: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11)
So if we really think we would not bother with Jesus if there was no promise of eternal life, we need to ask the following about our relationship with God knowing that there IS a promise of eternal life: Is God really first in our lives now? Do we really love Christ, or do we love sin? Do we really want to serve our Lord more than we want to serve ourselves through fulfilling worldly and sinful desires?
It's just a "what if", but its still food for thought, I think. I had a bite either way.
Grace and Peace
That sounds like a tough question.
It has a problem in it at the get-go -- do we who know Christ really want all those things anyway, knowing the wonderful promise of eternal life? Though I would argue that if we don't want all those things now, then we don't really know Christ, or at the very least, we don't know him well. I would argue that if we don't want to give our lives in service to Christ now, then we, or the devil, are just telling us what we want to hear to make ourselves feel better. Maybe that makes us in-name-only Christians. Maybe that makes us lukewarm Christians. Neither is what we could, or should, be.
So we move forward with the assumption that we're genuinely in Christ for the purpose of answering the question.
I know the obvious answer is supposed to be "Yes, of course!" But after thinking about it for a short while the other day, I think my answer to that question at the time was "I don't know." Looking back I see that Satan was throwing a fair number of darts my way that day, because here's where my mind went: So what do you get out of it then? You spend a great deal more of your time focusing on other people and things of the Spirit, and then you're dead and gone. Why bother? Why not just live it up and have as much fun as you can before you're dead?
Then I put the question aside for a while until tonight.
What a stupid line of thinking going through my head. Thank God for the shield of faith.
Our creator gave us so much, including our lives. That alone makes him worthy of praise and worship. He loves us so much that sent his son to die on the cross to pay for our sins and free us from terrible bondage. Faith in his son allows us to live in the presence of God forever. There is nothing greater for us. But, really, even if this life was it, we still gain much through faith in Christ. I can testify to changes in my own heart and life that came through faith in Christ, but really I don't think anything sums it up better than these words of our Lord: "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11)
So if we really think we would not bother with Jesus if there was no promise of eternal life, we need to ask the following about our relationship with God knowing that there IS a promise of eternal life: Is God really first in our lives now? Do we really love Christ, or do we love sin? Do we really want to serve our Lord more than we want to serve ourselves through fulfilling worldly and sinful desires?
It's just a "what if", but its still food for thought, I think. I had a bite either way.
Grace and Peace
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Loving The Word
After Vietnam fell, a translator named Hien Pham was imprisoned in Vietnam, accused of helping the Americans. He was forced to read only communist propaganda which eventually wore him down. He started to think that maybe God really doesn't exist. He was determined not to pray any more or think about his faith.
The next morning Hien was assigned to clean the latrines. This was the nastiest job there was. As he was cleaning out a can overflowing with toilet paper, some English one on of the papers caught his eye. He grabbed it and washed it. Guess what it was? Romans chapter 8, which in it says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" and "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There was no more relevant passage of scripture than that Hien could have read in the situation he faced, and on the very day he was determined to stop praying and stop thinking about his faith.
Hien figured out there was someone in the camp using the Bible as toilet paper. So he asked to clean the latrines regularly so that he could clean off more pages of scripture and add them to his collection for nightly reading.
Now my question is this: Do we love the word of God enough to clean off one waste covered page at a time so we can have just one more little treasured bit of it? The obvious answer is yes, but I'm betting the majority of us don't. We should.
Grace and Peace
The next morning Hien was assigned to clean the latrines. This was the nastiest job there was. As he was cleaning out a can overflowing with toilet paper, some English one on of the papers caught his eye. He grabbed it and washed it. Guess what it was? Romans chapter 8, which in it says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" and "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There was no more relevant passage of scripture than that Hien could have read in the situation he faced, and on the very day he was determined to stop praying and stop thinking about his faith.
Hien figured out there was someone in the camp using the Bible as toilet paper. So he asked to clean the latrines regularly so that he could clean off more pages of scripture and add them to his collection for nightly reading.
Now my question is this: Do we love the word of God enough to clean off one waste covered page at a time so we can have just one more little treasured bit of it? The obvious answer is yes, but I'm betting the majority of us don't. We should.
Grace and Peace
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Selling Religion
I gave a dude a Bible today working the register at a local store. He said his friends were trying to get him into Jesus Christ and he took it. I told him well now he can read my story and now he can read all about Jesus Christ. Awesome, I'm glad he took it, and I'm glad for him that he has friends who care to tell him about our Lord.
Then I was walking away I heard the dude who was behind me say "I don't know if I can top that, I'm not selling religion." Ouch. That was a knife. I couldn't let it go. I came back and told him that it wasn't about religion, it was about a relationship. That it's not about ritual but getting right with God and that he can laugh all he wants, but its true whether he believes or not and that he needs to look into it. He was laughing the whole time. Then I left.
That ticks me off even though I know its expected.
I focused on the "religion" part of his comment at the time, but really the "selling" part is even more offensive. Its a stupid phrase. Christians aren't selling anything. Huxsters who use the label may be selling something but not Christians. We're trying to give something. The same truth that we have about our desperate need for a savior, who that savior is, what he did for us, and what we need to do. That's it. We preach Christ crucified because accepting God's free gift through the cross is the difference between eternal life and eternal punishment.
Denying the existence of God isn't going to save you.
Denying the existence of hell isn't going to save you.
Putting the issue of salvation on the back burner isn't going to save you.
Doing more good deeds than bad deeds isn't going to save you.
Claiming all paths lead to God and you just have a different one isn't going to save you.
There is only one name under heaven by which we are saved, and that name is Jesus Christ. Putting your faith in him will save you. Period. That's not a sale, that's a priceless gift, given free of charge by Almighty God. All you have to do is take it.
Grace and Peace
Then I was walking away I heard the dude who was behind me say "I don't know if I can top that, I'm not selling religion." Ouch. That was a knife. I couldn't let it go. I came back and told him that it wasn't about religion, it was about a relationship. That it's not about ritual but getting right with God and that he can laugh all he wants, but its true whether he believes or not and that he needs to look into it. He was laughing the whole time. Then I left.
That ticks me off even though I know its expected.
I focused on the "religion" part of his comment at the time, but really the "selling" part is even more offensive. Its a stupid phrase. Christians aren't selling anything. Huxsters who use the label may be selling something but not Christians. We're trying to give something. The same truth that we have about our desperate need for a savior, who that savior is, what he did for us, and what we need to do. That's it. We preach Christ crucified because accepting God's free gift through the cross is the difference between eternal life and eternal punishment.
Denying the existence of God isn't going to save you.
Denying the existence of hell isn't going to save you.
Putting the issue of salvation on the back burner isn't going to save you.
Doing more good deeds than bad deeds isn't going to save you.
Claiming all paths lead to God and you just have a different one isn't going to save you.
There is only one name under heaven by which we are saved, and that name is Jesus Christ. Putting your faith in him will save you. Period. That's not a sale, that's a priceless gift, given free of charge by Almighty God. All you have to do is take it.
Grace and Peace
Making What Alive?
There is a lot of bickering back and forth about John Piper's blog post here:
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1986_i_hope_my_daughter_hears_the_presidents_speech/
That bickering is largely unproductive. Reading it is also largely unproductive, so I am guilty there. Yet more evidence that we waste so much energy on things that just don't matter. But in the chaos I found a nugget I want to reiterate from a response by a guy named Matthew Brazell:
The primary source of outrage among Christians is they think he will promote Socialism in his speech. People need to understand social change is not going to come in the world from politics, whether conservative or liberal. Regeneration and sanctification produces righteousness not legislation. We Christians seem to think the more conservative legislation that we have, and the more we support Israel the more righteous the nation will be, therefore God will bless the nation. Let me tell you something, we can have as many conservative laws in the world, but if the people are wicked, God will not favor those people and will not favor that country. God cares about a lot less about capitalism, "*your* money, *your* guns and *your* freedom", your prosperity, your American identity, your American exceptionalism, then you think. God is much more in the business of making dead people alive then making dead systems such as politics alive.
Amen.
Grace and Peace
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1986_i_hope_my_daughter_hears_the_presidents_speech/
That bickering is largely unproductive. Reading it is also largely unproductive, so I am guilty there. Yet more evidence that we waste so much energy on things that just don't matter. But in the chaos I found a nugget I want to reiterate from a response by a guy named Matthew Brazell:
The primary source of outrage among Christians is they think he will promote Socialism in his speech. People need to understand social change is not going to come in the world from politics, whether conservative or liberal. Regeneration and sanctification produces righteousness not legislation. We Christians seem to think the more conservative legislation that we have, and the more we support Israel the more righteous the nation will be, therefore God will bless the nation. Let me tell you something, we can have as many conservative laws in the world, but if the people are wicked, God will not favor those people and will not favor that country. God cares about a lot less about capitalism, "*your* money, *your* guns and *your* freedom", your prosperity, your American identity, your American exceptionalism, then you think. God is much more in the business of making dead people alive then making dead systems such as politics alive.
Amen.
Grace and Peace
Who Will Say What Now?
I came across this tonight, which apparently is one of the things the Qur'an says about Jesus:
"And behold! God will say [i.e. on the Day of Judgment]: 'Oh Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God?' He will say: 'Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours. For You know in full all that is hidden. Never did I say to them anything except what You commanded me to say: 'Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I lived among them. When You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a witness to all things'" (5:116-117).
I assume this goes along with the line of thinking that Jesus was a prophet and never claimed to be God. While a read through the New Testament should clearly refute that claim, that's not the point of this post.
Look at what it says. It talks about worshiping Jesus AND Mary. Worshiping Mary is not found anywhere in the pages of the Bible. We are to worship God, and God alone, and Mary is not God. Worshiping Mary is something associated with the Catholic church, which has many practices and teachings that are not found in the pages of scripture.
Whoever wrote that bit in the Qur'an was off target, because it sounds like whoever wrote that bit was looking at the practices of the Catholic church in that area, at that time, and condemning those practices -- rather than looking at what Jesus' own followers from the 1st century wrote down about him and his teachings and what Jesus' own followers practiced!
So now I ask the question, why would God ask Jesus "Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother..."? I ask this, because the question in itself reveals a lack of understanding about what Jesus actually taught while he was on earth, and what disciples of Jesus actually believed and practiced. The only logical conclusion is that God would not ask such a question, which in turn means that text quoting it cannot be from God, but rather from man.
By the grace of God I already knew this, but I pray that God pour out his Spirit on those who do not so that they come to realize who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross.
Grace and Peace
"And behold! God will say [i.e. on the Day of Judgment]: 'Oh Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God?' He will say: 'Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours. For You know in full all that is hidden. Never did I say to them anything except what You commanded me to say: 'Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I lived among them. When You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a witness to all things'" (5:116-117).
I assume this goes along with the line of thinking that Jesus was a prophet and never claimed to be God. While a read through the New Testament should clearly refute that claim, that's not the point of this post.
Look at what it says. It talks about worshiping Jesus AND Mary. Worshiping Mary is not found anywhere in the pages of the Bible. We are to worship God, and God alone, and Mary is not God. Worshiping Mary is something associated with the Catholic church, which has many practices and teachings that are not found in the pages of scripture.
Whoever wrote that bit in the Qur'an was off target, because it sounds like whoever wrote that bit was looking at the practices of the Catholic church in that area, at that time, and condemning those practices -- rather than looking at what Jesus' own followers from the 1st century wrote down about him and his teachings and what Jesus' own followers practiced!
So now I ask the question, why would God ask Jesus "Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother..."? I ask this, because the question in itself reveals a lack of understanding about what Jesus actually taught while he was on earth, and what disciples of Jesus actually believed and practiced. The only logical conclusion is that God would not ask such a question, which in turn means that text quoting it cannot be from God, but rather from man.
By the grace of God I already knew this, but I pray that God pour out his Spirit on those who do not so that they come to realize who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross.
Grace and Peace
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Serve God In All Things
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free." (Eph 6:5-9)
You know I've never really thought about these verse as much as I have today after listening to a message on them. It kind of gave me a different perspective on work. You see in my B.C. days I had once made a bit of an idol out of work. Not as much as some, but enough to call it such. That's the kind of thing that happens when one trusts in money and work brings in the money. Praise God for opening my eyes!
But after I came to Christ I had this totally opposite opinion about work. It was this necessary thing I had to do for now to feed my family. Don't get me wrong, I was still very grateful for the very good job I have, but I didn't see the work itself as all that important. I mean, really, what am I doing for the Lord in it? I'm not preaching. I'm not teaching the word of God. I'm not helping the sick, the poor, the lonely, etc. How does what I do serve God?
Then along comes Ephesians and knocks me in the head. Ouch.
But before I go on, one thing must be understood about that word "slaves". Slaves in Biblical times, specifically when Paul penned this letter, were not the same as what we normally think of. When I hear "slave" I think of slavery in the U.S. less than 200 years ago, and some may think of similar slavery in the U.K. Not so back in the day. In fact today's employer-employee relationship is a closer comparison than anything like recent slavery.
So what's Paul saying to us? Quite simply, to do the jobs we've been given and do them well. To be thankful we have them. To respect those above us and below us. And so on. To do everything as if we're serving God, not men.
That comes out of the idea that gets forgotten sometimes -- that all of life is sacred. There is no such thing as this sacred/secular divide where there are the "godly, churchy, things" and the "worldly things". The reformers sought to bring this understanding back to the people. In fact, that is exactly where the work ethic in western culture (that used to exist and is falling off the earth) has its roots. I forgot that sort of thing, and I divided the two in my head. But, no, everything is sacred. Every task we could possibly do, we can do as a service to God.
So know this. You are serving God wherever he placed you. Serving in one capacity is not more important than the other. There are those who are called to serve mainly within the confines of a church building doing "church" things (Bible teaching, preaching, etc), but really most Christians are called to serve outside those walls, even though we don't always want to.
Maybe a lot of us would like to go and hang out at the church or go on missions trips and serve that way, but really can't, but we should realize that we're all still serving. Many are called to be out among unbelievers in an unbelieving world. That's the mission field. That's where the darkness is. That's where the light of the world needs to shine and the salt of the earth needs to preserve. That's the focus we should have and the attitude we should have. I didn't pay much attention to that until today. Shame on me for that and for neglecting my duty far too often.
Now maybe, even knowing this truth, we are discontent with our place. Well, the Lord really may be calling us to move in a different direction. But for those of us that, like me, compartmentalized the sacred and the secular, maybe that discontent feeling is not justified. We must consider prayerfully which is the case. If it is the latter, then we need get back out there with a renewed sense of purpose and the knowledge that the Lord has put us exactly where he wants us to serve him. And the we need to serve him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength!
Grace and Peace
You know I've never really thought about these verse as much as I have today after listening to a message on them. It kind of gave me a different perspective on work. You see in my B.C. days I had once made a bit of an idol out of work. Not as much as some, but enough to call it such. That's the kind of thing that happens when one trusts in money and work brings in the money. Praise God for opening my eyes!
But after I came to Christ I had this totally opposite opinion about work. It was this necessary thing I had to do for now to feed my family. Don't get me wrong, I was still very grateful for the very good job I have, but I didn't see the work itself as all that important. I mean, really, what am I doing for the Lord in it? I'm not preaching. I'm not teaching the word of God. I'm not helping the sick, the poor, the lonely, etc. How does what I do serve God?
Then along comes Ephesians and knocks me in the head. Ouch.
But before I go on, one thing must be understood about that word "slaves". Slaves in Biblical times, specifically when Paul penned this letter, were not the same as what we normally think of. When I hear "slave" I think of slavery in the U.S. less than 200 years ago, and some may think of similar slavery in the U.K. Not so back in the day. In fact today's employer-employee relationship is a closer comparison than anything like recent slavery.
So what's Paul saying to us? Quite simply, to do the jobs we've been given and do them well. To be thankful we have them. To respect those above us and below us. And so on. To do everything as if we're serving God, not men.
That comes out of the idea that gets forgotten sometimes -- that all of life is sacred. There is no such thing as this sacred/secular divide where there are the "godly, churchy, things" and the "worldly things". The reformers sought to bring this understanding back to the people. In fact, that is exactly where the work ethic in western culture (that used to exist and is falling off the earth) has its roots. I forgot that sort of thing, and I divided the two in my head. But, no, everything is sacred. Every task we could possibly do, we can do as a service to God.
So know this. You are serving God wherever he placed you. Serving in one capacity is not more important than the other. There are those who are called to serve mainly within the confines of a church building doing "church" things (Bible teaching, preaching, etc), but really most Christians are called to serve outside those walls, even though we don't always want to.
Maybe a lot of us would like to go and hang out at the church or go on missions trips and serve that way, but really can't, but we should realize that we're all still serving. Many are called to be out among unbelievers in an unbelieving world. That's the mission field. That's where the darkness is. That's where the light of the world needs to shine and the salt of the earth needs to preserve. That's the focus we should have and the attitude we should have. I didn't pay much attention to that until today. Shame on me for that and for neglecting my duty far too often.
Now maybe, even knowing this truth, we are discontent with our place. Well, the Lord really may be calling us to move in a different direction. But for those of us that, like me, compartmentalized the sacred and the secular, maybe that discontent feeling is not justified. We must consider prayerfully which is the case. If it is the latter, then we need get back out there with a renewed sense of purpose and the knowledge that the Lord has put us exactly where he wants us to serve him. And the we need to serve him with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul, and all our strength!
Grace and Peace
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Two Wrongs
This is dumb:
http://ricksanchez.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/28/threats-to-obama-up-400-and-a-pastor-hates-obama/
From two sides.
The first side is preaching hate from the pulpit and preaching politics from the pulpit. This was more hate than politics, but neither should ever be done. This pastor can hate Obama all he wants, but that is not what he is supposed to do. Yes, Obama is wrong regarding abortion. Very wrong. That's a no-brainer. A lot of other people are wrong too. But that doesn't mean we hate them. Having hate in our hearts is sinful just as murder is sinful. No, we are called to love others even if we hate what they do and what they promote. Our God loves everyone. He doesn't love them because of what they do or who they are, but because of who He is. If His love was contingent on our actions, he wouldn't love anybody.
This pastor tries to use the Bible to defend his hate, but he is wrong. God loved David. Adulterer. Murderer. God loved Matthew. Back-stabbing tax collector. God loved Saul. Christian-killer. Jesus died on the cross to save everyone and even asked for forgiveness for those who nailed him to it. Is that not love? The fact of the matter is that we are all sinners that God still loves. To be saved, we all need to come to repentance and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Obama included.
The second side is what the world does with stupid preaching like this. The media is all to eager to eat it up, blow it up, and make it into an example. We know this. They take anything that is a little off the wall, pump steroids into it, and make it into the entertainment for the day. It doesn't matter if we're talking about the antics of a puppy or the rampage of the latest serial killer. when either hits the news, its entertainment.
The problem here is that stupid news clips are what some unbelievers form their opinions of Christianity with. So when someone goes around shooting his mouth of under the label "Christian", it builds a wall up between the people that eat it up and the people trying to reach them, making this a double-travesty and making it harder to reach them.
So I say we should stand on the third side. The side that says pray for our nation's, and the world's, leaders so that they may come to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ and lead looking through that worldview. The side that says also to pray for preachers so that they may preach the love of God and Christ crucified, rather than hate and politics.
Grace and Peace
http://ricksanchez.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/28/threats-to-obama-up-400-and-a-pastor-hates-obama/
From two sides.
The first side is preaching hate from the pulpit and preaching politics from the pulpit. This was more hate than politics, but neither should ever be done. This pastor can hate Obama all he wants, but that is not what he is supposed to do. Yes, Obama is wrong regarding abortion. Very wrong. That's a no-brainer. A lot of other people are wrong too. But that doesn't mean we hate them. Having hate in our hearts is sinful just as murder is sinful. No, we are called to love others even if we hate what they do and what they promote. Our God loves everyone. He doesn't love them because of what they do or who they are, but because of who He is. If His love was contingent on our actions, he wouldn't love anybody.
This pastor tries to use the Bible to defend his hate, but he is wrong. God loved David. Adulterer. Murderer. God loved Matthew. Back-stabbing tax collector. God loved Saul. Christian-killer. Jesus died on the cross to save everyone and even asked for forgiveness for those who nailed him to it. Is that not love? The fact of the matter is that we are all sinners that God still loves. To be saved, we all need to come to repentance and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Obama included.
The second side is what the world does with stupid preaching like this. The media is all to eager to eat it up, blow it up, and make it into an example. We know this. They take anything that is a little off the wall, pump steroids into it, and make it into the entertainment for the day. It doesn't matter if we're talking about the antics of a puppy or the rampage of the latest serial killer. when either hits the news, its entertainment.
The problem here is that stupid news clips are what some unbelievers form their opinions of Christianity with. So when someone goes around shooting his mouth of under the label "Christian", it builds a wall up between the people that eat it up and the people trying to reach them, making this a double-travesty and making it harder to reach them.
So I say we should stand on the third side. The side that says pray for our nation's, and the world's, leaders so that they may come to know, love, and serve Jesus Christ and lead looking through that worldview. The side that says also to pray for preachers so that they may preach the love of God and Christ crucified, rather than hate and politics.
Grace and Peace
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Bored?
A wrong question: As a Christian can I do X, Y, and Z? Or how worldly can I be and still be saved?
A right question: How close to Christ can I get while I'm here on the earth?
Many Christians, myself included, seem to often ask the former instead of the latter. How many times do we get sucked into frivolous things that have nothing to do with the kingdom of God? And, even worse, how many times do we get sucked into these things because we're bored? Shame on us if the latter is the case!
Isn't that why the entire entertainment industry exists here in America? Because people with money get bored and have nothing better to do? I think sometimes we get spoiled and are like little children complaining "Mommy, I'm bored, entertain me, entertain me!" When we do that often enough, we start to get addicted to whatever our pleasure is. In my B.C. days I was a prime example of the person who gets addicted to nothing. Praise God for lifting me out of that pit! I pray that he keeps me from crawling back into it.
Now, such addictions are understandable for unbelievers, especially those that don't even believe in God at all. For those that think this life is it, its easy to see how addiction to movies, television shows, sports, music, video games, books, work, or whatever other hobby is out there, happens. The Bible tells us that in the last days people will be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Really, for those without God, pleasure becomes their god.
But those addictions do not satisfy. Never have. Never will. And for those in Christ, being driven by such worldly pleasures is not what we are to do. The Bible tells us that while "everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial" and that we should "live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God." Christ didn't die and rise again so we can spend the bulk of our time trying to enjoy life our way rather than God's way.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying never do anything that smells of the world. God gives us all that we have, including time to rest, and that time should bring us joy. The questions therefore become how we use that relaxation time and what it does for us. Do the things we do life us up and refresh us? Do the things we do glorify God? Do the things we do help build up our relationships with others? Or do the things we do just let us zone out, escape, and get another pleasure high? Sometimes the distinction is crystal clear, and sometimes not, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to it.
So, to reduce my point to a silly little one liner, if you're BORED, go do something for the LORD.
Grace and Peace
A right question: How close to Christ can I get while I'm here on the earth?
Many Christians, myself included, seem to often ask the former instead of the latter. How many times do we get sucked into frivolous things that have nothing to do with the kingdom of God? And, even worse, how many times do we get sucked into these things because we're bored? Shame on us if the latter is the case!
Isn't that why the entire entertainment industry exists here in America? Because people with money get bored and have nothing better to do? I think sometimes we get spoiled and are like little children complaining "Mommy, I'm bored, entertain me, entertain me!" When we do that often enough, we start to get addicted to whatever our pleasure is. In my B.C. days I was a prime example of the person who gets addicted to nothing. Praise God for lifting me out of that pit! I pray that he keeps me from crawling back into it.
Now, such addictions are understandable for unbelievers, especially those that don't even believe in God at all. For those that think this life is it, its easy to see how addiction to movies, television shows, sports, music, video games, books, work, or whatever other hobby is out there, happens. The Bible tells us that in the last days people will be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Really, for those without God, pleasure becomes their god.
But those addictions do not satisfy. Never have. Never will. And for those in Christ, being driven by such worldly pleasures is not what we are to do. The Bible tells us that while "everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial" and that we should "live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God." Christ didn't die and rise again so we can spend the bulk of our time trying to enjoy life our way rather than God's way.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying never do anything that smells of the world. God gives us all that we have, including time to rest, and that time should bring us joy. The questions therefore become how we use that relaxation time and what it does for us. Do the things we do life us up and refresh us? Do the things we do glorify God? Do the things we do help build up our relationships with others? Or do the things we do just let us zone out, escape, and get another pleasure high? Sometimes the distinction is crystal clear, and sometimes not, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to it.
So, to reduce my point to a silly little one liner, if you're BORED, go do something for the LORD.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
To Divide Or Not To Divide
I'm listening to Brian Broderson go through Ephesians now and thought I'd share these thoughts that were also in one of his talks. Its a good thing now and then to get a healthy reminder that Christ and the cross are central and of vital importance.
So here goes.
There's a lot of division among those who claim to be Christian today. There is a lot of it within the actual body of Christ and even more among all who claim the label of Christian. Division of the latter is completely appropriate, because there are some essentials that are, well, essential. Without them, the label will be just that -- a label. Division over the latter is rather pointless though. Too often folks part ways because of issues that are not key. And when we cannot agree to disagree amiably, it certainly doesn't do much to draw unbelievers in to church buildings.
I'd like to go through some of the essentials versus non-essentials.
The essentials:
1. There is one God.
2. That God exists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Jesus is God.
4. Jesus died for our sins.
5. Jesus was born of a virgin. If the savior was conceived with a human father and not the Holy Spirit, than Jesus is a sinful person just like us and not the Son of God. He would not be able to save us in that case.
6. Jesus led a sinless life. Same argument.
7. Jesus rose from the dead in bodily form. Without this we have no guarantee that anything Jesus said was true. We have no guarantee that the sacrifice he made to pay the price for our sins was acceptable.
8. We are saved by grace through faith. We can't do anything on our own to get right with God. If any human effort could make us right with God, than Jesus died for nothing.
Some non-essentials:
1. Modes of baptism. Immersion versus sprinkling. Adults versus infants.
2. Ministry models. Bishop rule versus elder rule versus congregational rule.
3. Eschatology (end-times). Amillennial versus post-millennial versus pre-millennial views. Pre-tribulation versus mid-tribulation versus post-tribulation views.
4. Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
5. Human freedom versus God's sovereignty.
6. Eternal security.
7. Creation of the Earth (6 literal days versus millions of years).
There are many more non-essentials. I'm sure if one thinks hard there are more essentials, but this is just an example of the kinds of things we should and should not split over. Really I haven't even given much thought to most of those non-essentials, other than the beginning and end of the world. I listed because they are just that, non-essential. Bickering over them distracts from the central message of the cross.
Grace and Peace
So here goes.
There's a lot of division among those who claim to be Christian today. There is a lot of it within the actual body of Christ and even more among all who claim the label of Christian. Division of the latter is completely appropriate, because there are some essentials that are, well, essential. Without them, the label will be just that -- a label. Division over the latter is rather pointless though. Too often folks part ways because of issues that are not key. And when we cannot agree to disagree amiably, it certainly doesn't do much to draw unbelievers in to church buildings.
I'd like to go through some of the essentials versus non-essentials.
The essentials:
1. There is one God.
2. That God exists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
3. Jesus is God.
4. Jesus died for our sins.
5. Jesus was born of a virgin. If the savior was conceived with a human father and not the Holy Spirit, than Jesus is a sinful person just like us and not the Son of God. He would not be able to save us in that case.
6. Jesus led a sinless life. Same argument.
7. Jesus rose from the dead in bodily form. Without this we have no guarantee that anything Jesus said was true. We have no guarantee that the sacrifice he made to pay the price for our sins was acceptable.
8. We are saved by grace through faith. We can't do anything on our own to get right with God. If any human effort could make us right with God, than Jesus died for nothing.
Some non-essentials:
1. Modes of baptism. Immersion versus sprinkling. Adults versus infants.
2. Ministry models. Bishop rule versus elder rule versus congregational rule.
3. Eschatology (end-times). Amillennial versus post-millennial versus pre-millennial views. Pre-tribulation versus mid-tribulation versus post-tribulation views.
4. Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
5. Human freedom versus God's sovereignty.
6. Eternal security.
7. Creation of the Earth (6 literal days versus millions of years).
There are many more non-essentials. I'm sure if one thinks hard there are more essentials, but this is just an example of the kinds of things we should and should not split over. Really I haven't even given much thought to most of those non-essentials, other than the beginning and end of the world. I listed because they are just that, non-essential. Bickering over them distracts from the central message of the cross.
Grace and Peace
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