Baggage

When we come to Christ, we get a lot of freedom. We are freed from the punishment of sin, eternal damnation. We are freed from the power of sin, have our hearts of stone replaced with hearts of flesh that desire to do what's right. When Christ comes back, we will be freed from the presence of sin when we dwell with God for the rest of eternity.

That sounds like a pretty good deal. So good in fact, that we don't quite believe it, especially since it's free.

Some folks in the Galatian church didn't buy into it. There were those who wanted to impose the old requirements on the new believers -- basically saying to become a Christian you had to first become a Jew and come under the law given through Moses. Paul clearly considered this a distorted, different, messages, and had this to say about it:

"but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed." (Gal 1:7-9)

In short, that pretty much means "if someone is going around saying you need anything other than the grace of God provided through the cross to be saved, that person can go to hell." Strong words. He said them twice. It's that important.

You can take the simple good news and distort it in two ways -- add to it or take away from it. When you add to it, you've got "the cross plus something" and when you take away from it you've got "the cross isn't needed". Both are a tragedy.

Let's talk about adding to it first. People who come to Christ from other religions and know the necessity of the cross sometimes find themselves struggling with this, because of the extra baggage they bring along with them, some of it attached to them since they were children. Think about what that means though -- it says that the death of GOD IN THE FLESH is NOT GOOD ENOUGH to pay the price for the sins of the world. I don't think so.

You don't need the cross plus the temple, the cross plus passover, the cross plus any other festival, the cross plus baptism, the cross plus confession to a priest and penance, the cross plus any other sacrament, the cross plus mass, the cross plus the rosary, the cross plus the laying on of hands, the cross plus Joseph Smith, the cross plus the Watchtower Society, the cross plus the five pillars, the cross plus ritual prayer 5 times a day, the cross plus a pilgrimage, the cross plus speaking in tongues, the cross plus shaking around on the floor, the cross plus anything. You just need the cross!

Before I move on -- I don't need a bunch of responses from people trapped in other religions telling me "we don't believe you need to be saved". I did my homework. I know some "official" doctrines don't say you need everything I listed. But guess what? Not everybody believes the same as you, and they put themselves in bondage. If you're in the "well that's not me" category, then I have a question for you -- what the heck are you doing tied to some system you don't really need anyway? Got the Jesus heart surgery and God's Spirit is now in you? Got God's Word? What more do you think you really need?

Now let's talk about subtracting from the good news. Where, like one of my friends has told me, "maybe there's another way." Sorry, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." And Paul writes "I do not nullify the grace of God -- for if righteousness could be gained through the law, then Christ died for nothing!" It's a terrible slap in the face to God to think there is another way -- if there was another way, GOD'S SON DID NOT NEED TO DIE ON THE CROSS. He solved the problem, he paid the price. Accept it.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Grace and peace to you friends.

Spend Your Life Wisely

I remember this TV show, or maybe call it a short film, I saw when I was a kid. I don't think it was a Twilight Zone episode, but it could have been one. It was 1 of 4 stories that were run all together on some special that would air now and again.

The gist is this -- it's a different world where the currency you spend is minutes of your actual life. The main characters were a brother and sister. The brother works and saves all his "life" (pun intended) and ends up with some insane amount of years. The sister is about to run out and is in the casino gambling her last little bit away to try and get more time, but failing.

The catch? You can't give your time away.

But there are these "elder" beings of some sort. The "in charge" dudes who run the show. You can make one special request of them. Usually the special requests are "give me more time!" Maybe sometimes they are "give someone else more time!" but I don't explicitly remember that. But the brother's one request, as his sister is about to die, is quite unique. He asks for all his time to be given to her. Wow.

It's funny how we're drawn into these stories of self-sacrifice for others. It's almost like that's wired in us by God or something.

That's where the story stops in my head. I don't remember the end, if there even was one. For me, it's irrelevant, especially for the point I want to make here.

Spend your life wisely. Or as John Piper wrote in a book (and as a title) -- don't waste your life. This message is not alone. Remember the story Jesus told about the guys who were given a bunch of money by their master? The first two guys multiplied it and the master was happy and wanted them to enter his joy. Do you remember what he said about the third dude? The one who did nothing with it and gave it back? "You wicked and slothful servant!"

Ouch. I don't want Jesus to call me wicked and slothful. I'd rather go for good and faithful.

And I must confess, God's convicted me on this lately in one area of my life. He didn't even convict me hard on it. He just kind of took away my desire for something I've obsessed about for quite a while now that ate a chunk of "free" time. Sow to righteousness, reap to righteousness. Sow to Halo, reap to Halo. Forget that. I mean really, with all that we can do in this world, that's what I'm going to choose to spend that much of my time on? Hardly edifying. All it did is feed my lust to win and fuel my foul mouth when I didn't. Nuts to that. I'd rather buy from Jesus "gold refined by fire" than work so hard at something so trivial.

Don't get me wrong. This is not about works salvation. I'm not saved because of any good work I do, but rather I do good works because I have been saved and have been given a new heart that desires to seek God and do what is right (despite failing to do so at times!). Yes, my works will be judged, by my standing before God will be based on the work Jesus already did on the cross.

Don't get me wrong. This is not about legalism or stifling our freedoms. I am free to do a lot of things -- but as Paul wrote "not all things are helpful". Rest and play are good things, but I am supposed to have self control, not be driven by desire. Some rest. Some play. Build myself up in knowledge and love. Use that to build others up. Stuff like that.

Don't get me wrong. This is not about forcing things that are by my own efforts and laboring really hard to get them done. If they are not of God, my labor is in vain. There is no point, and I should just use my time more wisely and sleep, or watch paint dry. If we're driving ourselves nuts and stressing out and making should-be-joyful things into burdens-of-the-LORD, then we're missing something and our efforts are for nothing.

Get me right. I'm talking about choice here. We have been given a finite span of life on this earth. It only lasts so long -- but there is an eternity, and what we do now in this life does affect the next one. How much are we going to spend of that life for our own comfort, convenience, and pleasure now, or in retirement? How much are we going to spend providing ourselves with "moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail"?

I know less of the former and more of the latter is right. I pray that I really get it and really live it, because I know that I have gotten complacent and lazy toward the kingdom, which is a tragedy. Praise God for his patience and love!

Answered Prayers?

Does God answer your prayers? Because if he doesn't you might want to consider a few things.

Number one -- are you praying in God's will? Jesus said "you may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." (John 14:14) That doesn't mean just slap "in Jesus name!" at the end of your greedy prayers, so asking for that Ferrari to get to church faster or that million dollars to "give generously" probably isn't going to cut it. Handing God your plan and asking him to bless it and roll with it probably isn't going to cut it, and neither is listing off all your problems and asking him to solve them for you. Though you know sometimes he does accommodate us weaker men to teach us something about his power and his love.

Instead of making it about you, why not make it about him? After all, he's the boss. God, show me how to love people better and myself less. God, give me the power to endure whatever storm you allow my way and use it to point other people to you when they see a supernatural strength holding me up. God, help me to not be tempted by the trappings of this world, but help me to spend my life wisely to build up your kingdom. God, help my to love my wife like you love your church, because I certainly can't do that in my own strength. God show me my sin and keep me from becoming arrogant and self-righteous. God help me to be bold to speak truth but still remain loving in doing it. And so on...

Number two -- is there sin your life? Isaiah wrote "Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2).

Sin just puts up a big wall between us and God. It makes us desire so much to stay away from him, rather than get closer to him. Whenever we find ourselves in this position, we need to repent and confess our sin(s) to God. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

Number three -- who are you praying to? Is your god that you're petitioning the God of the universe, the maker of all things? The one who loved people so much he sent his Son Jesus to die to pay a price for sins that we cannot pay? Is your Jesus the one who has always existed? The one through and for whom all things were created? The one who is in his very nature God? The one who made himself poor so we could become rich, through his death on the cross? The one who took all the sins of the world on himself to satisfy the perfect justice of God and show the perfect mercy of God?

If that's not your God or not your Jesus, your god has no power to answer prayer. The one true God is being patient with you and wanting you desperately to come to him. Seek him and find him. Having that close and personal connection with God through Jesus Christ is far greater than anything else found in any other religion or lack thereof.

I don't just spew this out willy nilly. I know this firsthand from the evidence in my life. God answered my prayer to save me from the pit of hell in such a big way there was no doubt it was from him. And as a baby Christian, God answered stupid more selfish prayers just to show me his power and his concern for me. But as I grow up in him, he's stopped with that nonsense and is removing the desire to pray such prayers from my heart and mind, teaching me to focus on him, and not myself. Every prayer I prayed that lines up with the will of God, he has answered, hands down. Prayers for greater faith in my wife so that he can use her to lift me up when I fall. Prayers for the love of God in my children's hearts. Prayers for additional resources so I can give more to those in need. Prayers to get rid of temptations that are right before me. Prayers to see my sin and not think too highly of myself. The list goes on. My God, my Jesus, is so faithful to answer prayer, it's crazy. If you don't have that, you need it.

Let me close by sharing something God put on my heart as I started this. Don't just pray short silly prayers before bedtime or at meals. Don't just cry out to God when you've got problems and you need him to swoop in and save the day. Don't just recite rote memorized prayers that mean nothing. Do what the Bible says, pray continually -- have that continuous awareness of the presence of God and a running conversation with him. Talk to him like you would your best friend who is always there with you and there for you. It's not about ritual or "religious devotion" or whatever you want to call it, but a real heart for a real, living, personal, God -- the God of the universe who cares deeply and intimately for you. He wants something real, not some lip service. And when you give that to him, just see what he gives back.

Don't Focus On The Family

First, if you listen to the show "Focus on the Family" don't get me wrong here. I've heard some really good stuff on that program, so I mean no slight whatsoever -- I like their title, so I stole it and changed it.

That said, if that's ALL we do, and JUST focus on the family, we've missed it. It is NOT all about the family, despite what we hear from all kinds of voices these days.

Don't get me wrong, families are a great part of God's design. The Word says that "children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him" (Psalm 127:3) and "a wife of noble character is her husband’s crown" (Proverbs 12:4). I'm not trying to say instead "screw over the family" here, not at all!

But even though families are really great here on earth, marriages will ultimately end (maybe good news for some, but I don't want to go there!). I believe this because when responding to a question about marriage, Jesus replied "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:29-30). But I also believe it because the Word teaches that earthly marriages are SUPPOSED to be a picture of Christ's relationship with his people. After his return, that picture will be obsolete.

With that said, if all we are consumed with is contained within the four walls of our little house on our little street in our little city on this little teeny tiny planet, we've missed something. If our focus is to make sure our children are "happy" and/or to make sure they have a "better life" than we had, we've missed something. If our end goal is to stockpile enough so they're setup and we can chill out and relax until we cross the finish line at the end of this life, we've missed something.

There's more, a whole lot more. After all, our earthly life is a vapor, and then we have all of eternity ahead of us. What are we doing now to prepare for then?

So we shouldn't focus on the family, we should focus on the kingdom. We should spend our lives wisely now so that we can stand before our maker and hear those words "well done, good and faithful servant". Those words are worth more than anything on this earth.

Oh, and a funny thing -- if family members live according to what the Word says, something interesting should happen. Husbands will love their wives very much. Wives will respect their husbands greatly. Children will also be instructed and disciplined properly, and they'll be taught, and shown how, to love God with all of their little hearts rather than put him in a box on Sunday. Oh my goodness. A loving, peaceful, joy-filled, and happy home that loves the LORD, all as a side effect of focusing on the kingdom.

That sounds like a pretty good win-win to me. Let's pursue that.

Remember "we've only one life, it soon will be past, and only what's done for Christ will last".

Natural Born Sinners

When people get into arguments, discussions, whatever you want to call them, about homosexuality, I've heard one side say "it's not natural" and the other side say "it's perfectly natural". I never thought about it much, I just agreed with the former and not the latter. God's design just lined up and made sense and I figured that was the end of the story.

Well I've changed my thinking on that a little bit.

I will argue now that it is definitely natural. And so is fornication. And adultery. And envy. And lust. And greed. And malice. And slander. And drunkenness. And theft. And murder. And whatever other list of sins you want to throw in here that could stretch around the globe.

All these sins are perfectly natural, because by nature we are sinners. We're not sinners because we sin -- for that implies it's possible to not sin, and only one dude in all of history managed that one, and he was God in the flesh. Instead, we sin because we are sinners, by nature.

Think of a dog and a cat. The act of barking doesn't cause one to be a dog, and the act of meowing doesn't cause the other to be a cat. The dog is a dog before it every barks, and the cat is a cat before it every meows. In the same way, we're sinners before we ever sin.

But it doesn't take long for that true nature to be revealed does it? Think of children. This whole idea that "it's all because of the child's environment" is a bunch of crap. Regardless of the environment, you don't have to teach a child how to be selfish, how to lie, how to hit out of anger, how to argue, how to complain, or any of that stuff. They just act on what's already inside of them.

That's why when they're young, you have to teach your children well. And not just teach them good character and good morals -- don't be selfish, don't hit, don't argue, don't complain, etc. You have to go bigger. Make sure they know that Jesus is the only way and why. Make sure they know we're natural born sinners with no hope of saving ourselves, and so we need Jesus. Make sure they know he took all the sins of the world upon himself when he was on that cross as a sacrifice to pay a price for us that we cannot pay.

Grace and Peace friends.

Get Selfish

Care about yourself first.

Stop settling so easily.

Put your eyebrow back down, un-squint the eye on the other side of your face from the raised brow, and let me explain.

I'm not talking about a little house with little stuff bought with little money from a little job working for some little company in this little state on this little planet called earth. I'm not talking about anything related to what we think you're entitled to or what we think we should shoot for in the Disneyland world we live in here in America.

It's not about comfort, convenience, security, retirement, or anything so petty and short-sighted. That's where people settle way too easily -- thinking about the here and now that is gone in an instant instead of thinking about eternity.

I'm talking about salvation, and I'm talking about joy.

If we want the most out of this world, we're have to realize that getting the most doesn't come from this world. It comes from something, someone, far greater and more amazing. So let's stop trying to fill a hole inside with something that only God can fill. Let's seek him first, seek his kingdom first, do what he says -- after all didn't Jesus say in John 15:10-11 "if you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Joy? Not mere fleeting happiness that we try to get from the world? But real, lasting, complete, joy? That's not settling, that's what we were created to have.

But we have to get selfish with our joy. Our joy has to come first.

What?!

I didn't say our own happiness has to come first. I said our own joy has to come first. And joy is different. Joy is deep and rich and wide. Joy is what makes other people want what we have. No joy is what makes people go "why should I care about your Jesus?" I don't care what great thing someone goes off and does "for Jesus" -- if there is no joy in the person's heart behind it, I question how effective that "great thing" is.

And if we seek our own joy first, we'll do what God wants, because true and lasting joy only comes from him. We'll love people madly and deeply. We'll give and give of ourselves. We'll desire to do, try to do, and actually do, those things Jesus said that makes us do a double take and say "Jesus you're nuts! That's impossible!" And people will see it, allowing us to make a bigger impact on a hurting and dying world.

Shaken

I could just as rightly title this "Shattering Complacency In Middle Class American Christianity" but, man, that title sounds so boring it nearly put me to sleep writing it.

I think God's shaking me up again.

Sure, I spew "you gotta be transformed, you gotta be transformed" but it's a continual thing too, not a one shot deal. I think I hit a plateau in my walk with the LORD, and while that makes for easy walking...it's not all about making things easy, is it?

Let's review though.

I'm a sinner. Through and through. All kinds of junk in my life, living for myself, selfish as can be, thinking I'm "good enough". Good enough for what I don't know, but not as bad as those drug dealers, murderers, and child molestors. Yeah, there's always someone worse you can compare yourself to when you want to think you're "good". Except for that one guy out of billions. Truth be told, there is all kinds of garbage in my past that I'm ashamed of, some of which I keep tucked away in the vaults of my memory, accessible to myself and God alone.

Thank God for grace.

He draws me in like a magnet. Flips my heart, my mind, my life around. I've got peace. I've got joy. I want to learn about him more and know about him more. Note that I said "about" him. We'll come back to that. I feed on the Word. I search solid sites on the net. I suck info out of my bro's brain. Thanks, David. Then I want more. Join a small group and study this. Go to the weekly Bible teaching and learn about that. Take some classes and get even more. All good stuff. All edifying. But I got lazy. No, I got complacent.

I had my checklist in order. Easy peasy plateau for me. What a leech. Time for a good shaking up.

Alright, I'll serve. I'll serve in this ministry and that one. And I'll do this other thing over here and maybe give over there and help out with this. Yes, that sounds good. I'm producing. I'm giving back from what I've been given. I'm doing my part to tell people big and small about Jesus. Again, all good stuff, but note again that I said "about". I'm still going to get to that.

Until this week I had my checklist in order again. Another easy peasy plateau. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I wanted to know about Jesus and tell about Jesus, but I have not wanted to be Jesus. I have not wanted, really, deep down, to give like Jesus, to serve like Jesus, to care like Jesus, to imitate Christ like his Word says to do. I don't know that I want to now. I'm more like the Pharisee giving out of his wealth than the old widow giving everything she had to live on and trusting recklessly in God. I don't make myself nothing for the sake of others so they may see Christ in me.

Like someone said in a book I read once upon a time -- it's not that we have a hard time understanding what God's Word says. We just have a hard time wanting to do what it says, so we complicate it to get around it. You know -- take up your cross, deny yourself, follow me, imitate Christ -- it's all pretty clear.

So I guess I'm getting sick of knowing about God and would rather know God. It's time to get away from falling in love with the idea of Jesus and just fall in love with Jesus, madly and deeply.

I don't know how to do that. But God's pretty big.

Thanks for reading. I pray you fall in love with Jesus. Selfishly even, so I can bug you about how that happened.

We're Idiots

We're idiots when we evaluate local churches by how much we like the music, the messages, the child care, the service times, the parking, the location, the whatever. How about how solidly the Word of God is taught?

We're idiots when we confine worship to three rehearsed songs on Sunday and prayer to mealtimes and bedtime. How about making our lives an act of worship and making prayer an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day?

We're idiots when we say "we can't" when the first believers got the good news out to the world and took care of the poor with no Internet, no cell phones, no cars, no polished process and programs, none of that. How about "Go!" and "Okay!".

We're idiots when we put God in a box and don't let him permeate every little corner of our lives.

We're idiots when we really stop and think if the tradeoff is worth it between attachment to our little things in our little houses on this little teeny tiny planet and being in the presence of Almighty God for all of eternity.

We're idiots when we think that the God who made the whole universe can't help us with our teeny tiny problems, I don't care what they are. We're even bigger idiots when we think that's all he's for is helping us, because it's not about us.

We're idiots when we get wishy washy with the gospel or think we're entitled to something or that we deserve something or that God shouldn't do something or doesn't have the right to do something, whatever! We're talking about the God who made us and everything. The God who is in charge. The God who can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, without consulting anybody.

We're idiots when we think either that God is not a God of love or a God of wrath. Sin must be dealt with, and God did it through the cross. One act satisfying his wrath and showing his love. Perfectly just and perfectly merciful, all in one. Accept it, receive it, believe it, and get right with him today if you're not. He deserves all our love and all our devotion. As the one who gives us every breath we breathe as a gift, it's his box, his rules, his board, his pieces, and his dice. End of story.

And if you've read this far and think "man, that guy's self-righteous", you're right. Quite often I am, among many other things I shouldn't be. But forget that failing right now, and just make me a crown with "King Idiot" written on it, because I'm in the same bloody boat.

All glory, honor, and praise to a great and awesome God we cannot possibly grasp in our tiny human brains.

Which Jesus Do You Follow?

If you claim to follow Jesus, which Jesus do you follow?

- Do you follow a Jesus who was just a good moral teacher and example to us?

- Do you follow a Jesus who was just a prophet?

- Do you follow a Jesus who was just in tune with some "divine consciousness"?

- Do you follow a Jesus who is an created angel or other spirit?

- Do you follow a Jesus who's death on the cross was not sufficient to pay the price for your sin?

- Do you follow a Jesus who is just one option out of many to get to heaven?

Or do you follow a Jesus who is God made flesh? A Jesus who died on a cross for the sins of the world? A Jesus who rose again? A Jesus who is coming back to judge the world? A Jesus who provided the only way to be right with God?

Why does this matter? Because sin is the problem, and the proper penalty needed to be paid for it. If Jesus is not God, then would his death been sufficient to pay the price for sin? No! You can't pay an infinite penalty as a finite being.

It's as simple as this -- Jesus had to be God to pay our debt, and Jesus had to be man to die. If your Jesus is not God, or if your Jesus didn't need to die for us to be saved, or if your Jesus' death was not enough for us to be saved, you've got the wrong Jesus. You need to get to know the Biblical Jesus, turn away from whatever religious system or set of beliefs is blocking you from him, and ask him to put a new heart in you.

It's not about religion, it's about a relationship with God.

Binary

Some things are just binary in nature. A person can't be kind of pregnant, and a person can't be sort of dead. Neither can a person be kind of saved. There is a path to life and a path to destruction, and to be on the path to life we all ultimately need a new heart, which comes from Christ.

Spirituality, religion, moral behavior, good deeds, and so on, will not do it. It's not about how much you pray, how regularly you attend church or read a holy book. It's not about how well you toe the line and follow the rules. It's not about how much money you give to charity or how much time you give to volunteer. It's about a complete transformation from the inside out.

I don't say this from some high horse. I say this as a sinful, rough, and broken person, who was on the path of destruction destined for hell -- despite thinking for years that I was "a good person" who worked hard, took care of my family, and avoided "really bad" things. God in his mercy drew me in, shook me up, and showed me both my sin and my inability to pay for it. It was only then that I cried out to Jesus to save me, at which point he completely changed my heart, my mind, and my life.

So when I say these things, it's not about my way is better than your way. It's not about selling religion or cramming the Bible down down someone's throat. It's about how dire my situation was, and how dire everyone's situation is without turning to the only one who can solve the problem.

Want life? Get Jesus!