The Sound Word

Who's To Blame? Is there an answer?

2011-10-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine and fellow pastor has had a very rough year. His wife has had health issues most of her life, and then last year was diagnosed with cancer. Treatments went well, and then infections set in after surgery. He was accused of untrue things by some of his church board members and went through a church split. He has had health problems of his own, and his wife had been hospitalized and required surgery for health complications in addition to her cancer. Then, just last week, his mother was diognosed with inoperable and terminal cancer as well.

How is it that these things happen? It seems that Christians are constantly answering or seeking to answer the seemingly eternal question of, "why do bad things happen to good people". While this can be a broad discussion of it's own, I want us to consider a narrow target thought on this issue.

In a recent discussion about these circumstances, I wrote a letter to a fellow pastor seeking some advise. When asking about this gentlman's circumstances, one fellow pastor wrote, "...clearly (he) has been under attack for a very long time". I wondered. Was this an attack by the enemy, or were these simply circumstances that were permitted to happen because we live in a fallen sinful world in constant (physical and moral) decay? More to the point, how do we tell the difference?

Here's what I wrote, and I ask you to ponder the same questions and reply:

Howcan you say with certainty that these events are attacks from the enemy? Andperhaps the unanswerable question: How do we draw the line/see the line betweencircumstantial events that come about because we live in a fallen world(illness, disease, ‘natural’ disasters etc), and a persecution that has itssource in Satan?

Buthow can I, you, or anyone be certain that what trials and tribulations we aregoing through are brought by Satan as an enemy attack? Can’t we overstepourselves by saying, “this is an attack by the enemy” the first time somethinghappens unexpectedly?

I once counseled a woman that was dead-set on the factthat Satan was manipulating the red lights to make her late for homegroup andchurch every week. She was convinced it was an attack by the enemy, and that ithad nothing to do with the fact that she has three children under 10, and thatshe simply did not give herself enough time to get ready.

Idon’t know if I’m hedging because of lack of understanding or lack of faith, Idon’t think so in either case…, but as a Christian I feel that we tend to takea narrow look at ‘when bad things happen to good people’. I feel like our faithcompass points to one of two poles: Action of God, or action of Satan. I guessmy question is this; is there something in between? Can things happen justbecause they happen in the process of this fallen world?

Earthquakes.What do we call them; acts of God, because it is nature “doing her thing’’, andman really has no full explanation for it. Tornados, floods, disease etc. Froma secular point of view, anything that man cannot fully explain or control wetend to call ‘acts of God’. From a Christian point of view, I think we are lesslikely to do that. Cases in point would be John Hagee and his blaming Katrinaon God’s retribution against a sinful New Orleans, Pat Robertson sourcing theearthquake in Haiti to God as an act of retribution for their sin, or even theRev. Jeremiah Wright and Jerry Falwell saying that the terrorist acts of 9/11/2001 were God taking action against asinful America. Evangelicals, most of us included, seemed to run as fast as wecould to distance ourselves from such a blanket statement on both accounts,that the wind created by all the evangelicals running as quickly as they couldto distance themselves from Hagee and Robertson et al may have created ahurricane of its own! In other words, we tend to, in cases such as this, getbehind these acts as being natural acts of a fallen world, decaying earth andsin simply having its way on nature and man. We simply describe them as beingacts of nature in a world that is no longer perfect, a world that is impactedby sin, falling apart, and that sometimes man simply gets in the path of thoseactions. After all, were not Christians killed in those acts as well?

Pleaseunderstand that I am not making this argument personal, this is just a youngman trying to align his theology with real world events and in all sincerity seekingwisdom from someone whom I greatly admire. But why in a case such as (a man whom we know), arewe willing to so quickly cry “Satan!” when the attacks are against a Godly man,and just as quick or more quickly to say in cases such as Katrina and theearthquake in Haiti “this is not God acting out against man, this is just theresult of sin being present in this fallen world” – when if anything it wouldseem highly more likely that Hagee and Robertson are more likely to be correct?Does it not make more sense that God would have retribution against thesesinful, lustful, hedonistic and pagan idolatrous people?

I’mnot saying Hagee, Robertson, Wright and Falwell are right. Not even close. I’m not saying everyone in particular is 100% wrong (well, maybe the Rev. Wright...). Maybe you are all right, and maybe you are all wrong. Are we sayingthen that it just comes down to the ‘gut’? is it simply a matter of spiritualdiscernment? Obviously we know (some) circumstances very well, and I’ll tellyou, my heart just aches when I read (some) stories. ...

Why are we so quick to run from thepossibility of 9/11, Katrina, the Haiti earthquake etc as being acts of Godpunishing sinful man, and equally quick to blame Satan for egregious acts in the lives of faithfulmen? I can see where being to quick to judge things in the manner of Hagee,Robertson, Wright and Falwell would quickly see you branded as, or even turnus into another Westboro Baptists Church! Never want to go there.

Is itwrong for me to ponder such things?

Do weas evangelicals get so focused on grace and explaining God’s love for peoplethat we do not warn them enough of the possibility of His wrath being pouredout on a sinful man?

Isthere an answer? Probably not. Just exercising my faith and understanding.

Considering Mormonism and Politics

2011-10-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

The post shared below was written by Albert Mohler who runs an absolutely excellent blog at www.albermohler.com. It is honest, distinct, intellectual and solid Christian theology applied to our Christian world view. I have written similar posts in the past, but could not have written this better myself.

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Predictably,Mormonism is in the news again. The presence of two members of The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints among contenders for the 2012 Republicanpresidential nomination ensured that it was only a matter of time beforeEvangelicals, along with other Americans, began to talk openly about what thismeans for the nation, the church, and the stewardship of politicalresponsibility in the voting booth.

There arenumerous ways to frame these questions wrongly. Our responsibility asevangelical Christians is to think seriously and biblically about these issues.The first temptation is to reduce all of these issues to one question. We mustaddress the question of Mormonism as a worldview and judge it by the Bible andhistoric Christian doctrine. But this does not automatically determine thesecond question — asking how Mormon identity should inform our politicaldecisions. Nevertheless, for evangelical Christians, our concern must startwith theology. Is Mormonism just a distinctive denomination of Christianity?

The answer tothat question is definitive. Mormonism does not claim to be just anotherdenomination of Christianity. To the contrary, the central claim of Mormonismis that Christianity was corrupt and incomplete until the restoration of thefaith with the advent of the Latter-Day Saints and their scripture, The Book of Mormon.Thus, it is just a matter of intellectual honesty to take Joseph Smith, thefounder of Mormonism, at his word when he claimed that true Christianity didnot exist from the time of the Apostles until the reestablishment of theAaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods on May 15, 1829.

From aChristian perspective, Mormonism is a new religion, complete with its ownscripture, its own priesthood, its own rituals, and its own teachings. Mostimportantly, those teachings are a repudiation of historic Christian orthodoxy— and were claimed to be so from the moment of Mormonism’s founding forward.Mormonism rejects orthodox Christianity as the very argument for its ownexistence, and it clearly identifies historic Christianity as a false faith.

Mormonismstarts with an understanding of God that rejects both monotheism and theChristian doctrine of the Trinity. The Mormon concept of God includes many gods,not one. Furthermore, Mormonism teaches that we are now what God once was andare becoming what He now is. This is in direct conflict with historicChristianity.

Mormonismrejects the Bible as the sole and sufficient authority for the faith, andinsists that The Book ofMormon and other authoritative Latter-Day Saints writingsconstitute God’s final revelation. Furthermore, the authority in Mormonism ismediated through a human priesthood, through whom God is claimed to speakdirectly and authoritatively to the church. Nothing makes the distinctionbetween Mormonism and historic Christianity more clear than the experience ofreading The Book of Mormon.The very subtitle of TheBook of Mormon — AnotherTestament of Jesus Christ — makes one of Mormonism’s central claimsdirectly and candidly: That we need another authority to provide what islacking in the New Testament.

The Mormondoctrine of sin is not that of biblical Christianity, nor is its teachingconcerning salvation. Rather than teaching that the death of Christ is alonesufficient for the forgiveness of sins, Mormonism presents a scheme ofsalvation that amounts to the progressive deification of the believer.According to Mormonism, sinners are not justified by faith alone, but also byworks of righteousness and obedience. Mormonism’s teachings concerning JesusChrist start with a radically different understanding of the Virgin Birth andproceed to a fundamentally different understanding of Christ’s work ofsalvation.

By its verynature, Mormonism borrows Christian themes, personalities, and narratives.Nevertheless, it rejects what orthodox Christianity affirms and it affirms whatorthodox Christianity rejects. It is not orthodox Christianity in a new form oranother branch of the Christian tradition. By its own teachings and claims, itrejects any claim of continuity with orthodox Christianity. Insofar as anindividual Mormon holds to the teachings of the Latter-Day Saints, he or sherepudiates biblical Christianity. There are, no doubt, many Mormons who are notfully aware of the teachings of their church. Nevertheless, the doctrines andteachings of the LDS church are there for all to see.

It is neitherslander nor condescension to state clearly that Mormonism is not Christianity.Taking Mormonism on its own terms, one finds a comprehensive set of teachingsand doctrines that are self-consciously set against historic Christianity. Thelarger world may be confused about this, but biblical Christians cannot makethis error, for we are certain that the consequences are eternal.

So, how do wemove from this knowledge to the question of our social and politicalresponsibility? Can a faithful Christian vote for a Mormon candidate?

It is on thisquestion that Evangelicals must think forcefully, faithfully . . . and fast. Weneed to recognize that we are asking this question from a privileged historicaland political context. For most of our nation’s history, voters have chosenamong presidential candidates who were identified, to one degree or another,with some form of Protestant Christianity. To date, for example, America hashad only one Roman Catholic president and one Jewish candidate for vicepresident as a major party nominee.

It can beargued that our contemporary political context puts greater emphasis on thereligious identity of candidates at all levels than has ever been experiencedin American history. Both major political parties have sought various elementsof the religious electorate and have developed strategies accordingly.

There isabsolutely nothing wrong with Evangelicals stating a desire to vote forcandidates for public office who most closely identify with our own beliefs andworldview. Given the importance of the issues at stake and the central role ofworldview in the framing of political positions and policies, this intuition isboth understandable and right. Likewise, we would naturally expect thatadherents of other worldviews would also gravitate in political support tocandidates who most fully share their own worldviews.

At the sametime, competence for public office is also an important Christian concern, asis made clear in Romans 13. Christians, along with the general public, are notwell served by political leaders who, though identifying as Christians, areincompetent. The Reformer Martin Luther is often quoted as saying that he wouldrather be ruled by a competent Turk (Muslim) than an incompetent Christian. Wecannot prove that Luther actually made the statement, but it well summarizes animportant Christian wisdom.

Furthermore,Christians in other lands and in other political contexts have had to thinkthrough these questions, sometimes under urgent and difficult circumstances.Christian citizens of Turkey, for example, must choose among Muslim candidatesand parties when voting. Voters in many western states in the United Statesoften have to choose among Mormon candidates. They vote for a Mormon or they donot vote at all.

Furthermore,we must be honest and acknowledge that there are non-Christians ornon-evangelicals who share far more of our worldview and policy concerns thansome others who identify as Christians. The stewardship of our vote demandsthat we support those candidates who most clearly and consistently share ourworldview and combine these commitments with the competence to serve bothfaithfully and well.

In a fallenworld, political questions are always contextual questions. With fear andtrembling, matched with faithful biblical commitments, Christians must supportand vote for candidates who will most faithfully and effectively meet theseexpectations. We must choose between real flesh-and-blood candidates, and nottheoretical constructs.

Given allthis, we would expect that, under normal circumstances, Mormon voters willsupport candidates who most fully represent their worldview and concerns. Giventhe distribution of Mormons in the United States, this means that many Mormons(who would probably prefer to vote for a Mormon candidate), often vote for anevangelical or a Roman Catholic candidate. The reverse is also true.Evangelicals in many parts of the United States vote eagerly for Roman Catholiccandidates with whom we share so many policy concerns, and this is true also inreverse. In an increasingly diverse America, we will be faced with verydifferent choices than we have faced in the past.

None of thissettles the question of whom Evangelicals should support in the 2012presidential race. Beyond this, those who support any one candidate for theRepublican nomination must, if truly committed to electing a president who mostshares their worldview and policy concerns, end up supporting the candidate inthe general election who fits that description.

We are facingwhat are, for America’s Evangelicals, new questions. These questions will callfor our most careful, biblical, and faithful thinking. We need to startthinking urgently — long before we enter the voting booth.

Thoughts on the Modern View of Christian Freedom

2011-08-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

My heart is one of seeing a radical devotion to Christ among Christians today. Unfortunately, there is a movement among the American Christian church today where the main focus seems to be on Christian freedom rather than a Christian lifestyle of holiness and reverence to Jesus.

I have stated before, both here in the blogosphere and in sermons that there is a very real danger in this current wave of teaching coming from youth oriented churches. Anytime we emphasize personal freedoms over responsibility to others (do not stumble a brother), and reverence to Jesus (be holy for I am Holy), we are on the wrong and very dangerous path.

Pastor John MacArthur

Despite the fact that I feel as though the bible does not support the Reformed Theology preached by most in the "reformed churches" and pastors of today, specifically the doctrine of predestination as they teach it, I find myself strangely drawn to the teachings of one such man; John MacArthur.

What the Christian world has in John MacArthur is a well known and well respected pastor who is taking an unpopular stand against what has been coined as the "YRR" (Young, Restless and Reformed) generation of current day Christians. While most are in what we might call the "youth" movement itself (to me that means 20-something or less), many are wildly popular 30-40 something pastors who find emphasizing freedoms does a great deal to fill seats and pews, and get the 'fan-base' excited!

Well, I strongly disagree, and to my liking (and of no great surprise to me), so does John MacArthur. He recently wrote a blog that I have shared below. Since this was posted on an open blog, I have copied and pasted it here. For a direct link to this article, click HERE. It is not only relevant to the discussion, but says things with an authority within the Reformed Church that few other can offer.

Before you read his blog post let me share with you this thought. Speaking from experience, the Seattle area is a tough area when trying to preach a biblical responsibility to holiness. We are the world capitol of the 'micro-brewery' and theological extremes in testing the Hipster Christianity marketplace. I have been openly critical of the reformed theology seemingly so abundant locally, and the ultimate pathway that when taken advantage of by the human psyche leads people to go: to Self fist.

What we face here is an attitude of, "I have freedom, and therefore if you cannot recognize that I have this freedom, than you are less of a Christian than I am, and therefore are to be looked don upon". Or, "I’m guaranteed a ticket to heaven, I’ll do as I please. All I have to do is 'redeem' these things that I do 'in the name of Jesus', and I can do whatever I want with my freedoms, and everything will be fine." This sort of Theological rhetoric, while perhaps not preached directly- in a word-for-word style from the pulpit, is intimated by so many of the Driscoll/Mars Hill/Acts29/YRR group, and the results are pervasive, self-evident and harmful.

The seriousness of the errors in this theology are, in the end, the results that we see in the youth movement of today. Most young people seem to be gravitating towards this theology. They see a rebellious freedom in it that allows them to identity with, and look no different then the world, a tactic they see as necessary in being able to reach the current generation. To them, being indistinguishable from the world has its benefits.

Additionally, adults who have been seasoned mature Christians are falling back into their old ways as a celebration of these newly re-recognized freedoms. Or, when faced with the challenges of an ongoing Christian life lived out for Jesus, they are choosing to slip back into old habits that they themselves once vilified as sin.

Regardless of which category one might fall into, those who do not share their views are then deemed theologically shallow or immature now. They shine an aura of 'enlightenment' in their faith, that the rest of us have not 'received' yet. In other words, who are we to judge their fruit anyway...

It’s so very strange. I do not find Driscoll’s teachings to be so, “Weeee!!!, go do whatever you want, you’re going to heaven no matter what” in style or content. For the most part these guys do tend to try and preach conservatively in all the right places socially; staunchly anti-abortion, pro-family, anti-gay marriage etc. HOWEVER (and this is the proof of the failure of the doctrine), the net result is not a conservative following. Rather, it is an almost cult-like trail of people reveling in their freedoms that past generations looked upon as debauchery, flagrantly ignoring the possibility of stumbling a brother, and raising their pastors and teachers to pedestals they should not be on. The proof is in the pudding as they say, and the pudding smells of beer and the world.

That’s the quandary and the proof at the same time. No matter what you preach, conservative or not, if the theology is a guaranteed ticket to heaven no matter what (as is the root to reformed theology and their predestination stance), than the result is the very attitude and lifestyle we see MacArthur speaking out against. Trouble is, MacArthur does not see it that way. He instead finds himself in the unenviable position of criticizing those most popular pastors and teachers in his own Reformed theological movement, all the while being blinded to the fact that it is the theology itself that has caused the problem.

A good friend and mentor of mine, Mr. Justin Alfred, once took me to a verse to prove a point in understanding original language texts. I will never forget his teaching. In Genesis 6:5, only six chapters into the story of God's Creation, God came to report upon the condition of man, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" In other words, before the thought even forms in the mind of the man, before that formulated thought can be transferred to the heart of the man, that thought, or the beginnings of that thought, are ALREADY EVIL!

Given the chance, without the restraint of the Holy Spirit and the heart of a man who's will is set on the love of Jesus Christ and serving Him, he will chose evil every time! It's literally a no-brainer. If we allow people even the thought that there is no free-will, a thought that there is no eternal personal accountability, that by being 'chosen' or predestined by God means anything less than just the fact that He is all knowing and outside of time able to see what your future holds, then you can preach all the conservative thought and doctrine you like, but the masses will chose evil every time.

To all you YRR'ers out there; Youth will not always be with you. And reformed and restless is no way to go through life.

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Beer, Bohemianism, and True Christian Liberty

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

by John MacArthur
If everything you know about Christian living came from blogs and websites in the young-and-restless district of the Reformed community, you might have the impression that beer is the principal symbol of Christian liberty.
For some who self-identify as "Young, Restless, and Reformed," it seems beer is a more popular topic for study and discussion than the doctrine of predestination. They devote whole websites to the celebration of brewed beverages. They earnestly assure one another "that most good theological discussion has historically been done in pubs and drinking places." They therefore love to meet for "open dialog on faith and culture" wherever beer is served—or better yet, right at the brewery. The connoisseurs among them serve their own brands and even offer lessons in how to make home brew.

It's clear that beer-loving passion is a prominent badge of identity for many in the YRR movement. Apparently beer is also an essential element in the missional strategy. Mixing booze with ministry is often touted as a necessary means of penetrating western youth culture, and conversely, abstinence is deemed a "sin" to be repented of. After all, in a culture where cool is everything, what could be a better lubricant for one's testimony than a frosty pint?

Of course, beer is by no means the only token of cultural savvy frequently associated with young-and-restless religion. All kinds of activities deemed vices by mothers everywhere have been adopted as badges of Calvinist identity and thus "redeemed": tobacco, tattoos, gambling, mixed martial arts, profane language, and lots of explicit talk about sex.

Cast a disapproving eye at any of those activities, and you are likely to be swarmed by restless reformers denouncing legalism and wanting to debate whether it’s a “sin” to drink wine or smoke a cigar. But without even raising the question of whether this or that specific activity is acceptable, indifferent, or out-and-out evil, we surely ought to be able to say that controlled substances and other symbols of secular society's seamy side are not what the church of Jesus Christ ought to wish to be known for. In fact, until fairly recently, no credible believer in the entire church age would ever have suggested that so many features evoking the ambiance of a pool hall or a casino could also be suitable insignia for the people of God.

It is puerile and irresponsible for any pastor to encourage the recreational use of intoxicants—especially in church-sponsored activities. The ravages of alcoholism and drug abuse in our culture are too well known, and no symbol of sin’s bondage is more seductive or more oppressive than booze. I have ministered to hundreds of people over the years who have been delivered from alcohol addiction. Many of them wage a daily battle with fleshly desires made a thousand times more potent because of that addiction. The last thing I would ever want to do is be the cause of stumbling for one of them.

Besides, deliberately cultivating an appetite for beer or a reputation for loving liquor is not merely bad missional strategy and a bad testimony; it is fraught with deadly spiritual dangers. The damage is clearly evident in places where the strategy has been touted. Darrin Patrick, who helped pioneer “Theology at the Bottleworks,” acknowledges the gravity of the problem:

As I coach and mentor church planters and pastors, I am shocked at the number of them who are either addicted or headed toward addiction to alcohol. Increasingly, the same is true with prescription drugs. One pastor I know could not relax without several beers after work and could not sleep without the aid of a sleeping pill. [Church Planter (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), 51]

In biblical times, wine was necessary for health reasons. The risk of amoebae and parasites in drinking water could be significantly reduced or eliminated by mixing the water with a little wine (1 Timothy 5:23). The result was a greatly diluted wine that had virtually no potential for making anyone drunk. Purified tap water and refrigeration make even that use of wine unnecessary today.

Contrary to the current mythology, abstinence is no sin—least of all for someone devoted to ministry (Leviticus 10:9; Proverbs 31:4; Luke 1:15). It is, of course, a sin to give one’s mind over to the influence of alcohol or to bedeck one’s reputation with deliberate symbols of debauchery. As a matter of fact, drunkenness and debauchery are the very antithesis of Spirit-filled sanctification (Ephesians 5:18)—and men who indulge in them are not qualified to be spiritual leaders.
Yes, I realize Jesus Himself was referred to by His enemies as "a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 11:19). But He was none of the things that expression implied—nor did He seek such a reputation.
He was indeed "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" in the sense that He specialized in lifting them up out of the miry clay and setting their feet on a rock. But He did not adopt or encourage their lifestyle. He did not embrace their values or employ expletives borrowed from their vocabulary in order to win their admiration or gain membership in their fraternity. He confronted their wickedness and rebuked their sins as boldly as He preached against the errors of the Pharisees (Matthew 18:7-9).
Note, too, that He ate and drank with Pharisees (Luke 7:36) as readily as He ate and drank with publicans. The only significant difference was that the typical tax collector was more inclined to confess his own desperate need for divine forgiveness than the average self-righteous Pharisee (Mark 2:16-17; Luke 18:1-14).
But there is no suggestion in Scripture that Jesus purposely assumed the look and lifestyle of a publican in order to gain acceptance in a godless subculture. He didn't.
This tendency to emblazon oneself with symbols of carnal indulgence as if they were valid badges of spiritual identity is one of the more troubling aspects of the YRR movement's trademark restlessness. It is wrong-headed, carnal, and immature to imagine that bad-boy behavior makes good missional strategy. The image of beer-drinking Bohemianism does nothing to advance the cause of Christ's kingdom.
Slapping the label “incarnational” on strategies such as this doesn’t alter their true nature. They have more in common with Lot, who pitched his tent toward Sodom, than with Jesus, who is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).
Real Christian liberty is not about flouting taboos and offending conventional notions of propriety. The liberty in which we stand begins with full indemnity from the law's threats and condemnation—meaning we are at peace with God (Romans 5:1; 8:1). Christian liberty also removes the restrictions of the law's ceremonial commandments (Colossians 2:16-17)—freeing us from asceticism, superstition, sensuality, and "human precepts and teachings" (vv. 18-23).

But sober-minded self-control and maturity are virtues commanded and commended by Scripture; these are not manmade rules or legalistic standards. As a matter of fact, one of the main qualifications for both deacons and elders in the church is that they cannot be given to much wine. In other words, they are to be known for their sobriety, not for their consumption of beer.

It should not take a doctor of divinity to notice that Scripture consistently celebrates virtues such as self-control, sober-mindedness, purity of heart, the restraint of our fleshly lusts, and similar fruits of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in our lives. Surely these are what we ought hold in highest esteem, model in our daily lives, and honor on our websites, rather than trying so hard to impress the world with unfettered indulgence in the very things that hold so many unbelievers in bondage.

The Ignorance of the Educated: Why Learning Does Not Equal Growing

2011-06-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 4:11-16

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Hopefully, today’s devotional will truly challenge you. These words are not any easier to right then I know they will be to read. But my intent is honorable and Godly, and hopefully will be received in the manner in which they are intended to be given: the truth in love, just as Paul has instructed me, and all Christians to do.

We are given a divine guide in the New Testament. It is a guide to Christ. It is a guide to salvation, and a guide full of examples from Christ Himself on not only how to become a Christian, but perhaps even more importantly, a guide on how to live as a Christian.

With the preponderance of the doctrine of most of the fastest growing churches and church ‘movements’ in America today, the theology that is being emphasized is one of FREEDOM. Freedom to live and act and do most anything you like, as long as in your heart you ‘feel’ as though you are going this “for Jesus”, or “in the name of Jesus”. This freedom includes all sorts of ‘evangel’ events and activities that look and feel just like the world because their might be a chance that they can reach someone for Jesus while they are there blending in with the crowd.

This emphasis on freedom preached by many tells us that you are ‘chosen’, ‘predestined’ to go to heaven. Like it or not, act like it or not, you are going to heaven. (Others, well, too bad for them, they are not so lucky.) Even though the majority of those preaching the message will deny that their intent is to let their flocks understand that they can do anything they want in life, including a continual sinful lifestyle, and still get to heaven. But their message ends up being one of confusion. More importantly, they forget that they are preaching to SINNERS, sinners with hearts that will deceive them. Sinners will take whatever advantage they can to promote their flesh, especially when they are told they can do all these things ‘for Jesus’ and all will be well. However, our biblical instructions bear out just the opposite.

We are instead told that we must be continually growing in our spirit. We are to desire the truth, the milk of the word, and graduate into meat-eating carnivorous Christians, desiring to devour all of God’s Word, chewing on it, meditating on it ferociously. Well I’m sorry to say most Christians do not ever really graduate to this level. Most will remain emaciated milk-drinkers starving for a real diet of Christian healthy and enriching teaching. Others will become spiritual bulimics, binging and purging their way through a stagnated Christian life of consuming whatever sounds good, and purging it the moment it is not longer fits their lifestyle, or makes them feel uncomfortable. Heaven help us that we might actually have to change…

Another group might become spiritual gluttons. They take in all they can get, eat and eat and eat becoming fat on the word, only to find out that without a nutritious diet of spiritual foods that have a nourishing effect, that their theological diet, while fattening them, has no value and is in fact killing them.

Herein lays the crux of the issue. You can have uber knowledge of things theological. You might be the brightest, most intelligent man on the planet. You may have ever every theological work that has ever been written, and be able to recite the scriptures from Genesis 1:1 to the Revelation ‘Amen’ word for word. You might have as Paul said in I Corinthians 13:2 “all knowledge”, but if you do not translate that knowledge to wisdom, you are just as equally doomed as the man down the street that cannot read a lick.

If we put our emphasis on knowledge instead of wisdom, this is where we will end up. We’d be theological fat-cats, Pharisaical Christians that recite doctrine, and do nothing in their lives to live it out. We’d be the walking dead. Still.

Knowledge is having the information you need to make right choices. Wisdom is applying that knowledge properly. Knowledge without wisdom is useless. None of us are better off with knowledge if we cannot convert by practical application, that knowledge into wisdom in our lives. In the same way that simply having knowledge does not make one wise, knowing about God and the gospel does not make one a Christian.

Applying wisdom into the practical expression of your life allows those around you to see that you have knowledge. You don’t have to tell them, they just know. Applying what you know about Jesus and the gospel to your everyday life with wisdom allows people to see that you have not only knowledge of God, but that you believe what you have read, that you love God, that you are a rock-solid Christian! You won’t have to tell them, they’ll just know it!

We must have constant growth. The fact that you have been learning the bible, learning about God and His word means nothing if that knowledge does not produce growth in your spiritual life. We must constantly be growing. In the words of fellow Calvary Pastor Damian Kyle, you need to constantly be “closing the gap” between your sinful life, and the perfection of Christ. If you are reading the Word, if you are going to church, if you are attending bible studies if you are reading quality Christian books and you are not growing, then there is a disconnect somewhere between your knowledge and your wisdom. There is a disconnect between your Spirit and your flesh, and your flesh is winning out.

Think back to when you first became a believer. Look how much your life has changed since then. At least I hope it has. But then look back just one or two years. Do you still see dramatic growth? Do you see a mind and thought process becoming more and more Christ-like? Do you see things in a light now, looking through a more Godly shaded set of lenses, than you did a year or two ago? If you don’t – check yourself. There should always be growth, unless you have achieved perfection that is.

In that is my summation. Unless you are perfect, there is always room for growth. Failure to cause growth to happen is failure to see that it is necessary, which is in itself a sign of pride and selfishness. Neither of which are compatible with Christianity.

So there you have it. Knowledge does not equal wisdom. Learning does not equal growth. Failure to grow equals pride which is sin. You do the math from there.

The Value of Truth: The Devastating Consequences of No Absolutes

2011-06-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Any relationship of any type at all is of no value whatsoever if it in fact it is not based on truth.

Think about this for just a second. You ask someone, “will you feed my dog for me while I’m on vacation?” and they say yes. But they never feed your dog and your dog dies. Someone who is color blind asks you, “is that red or green? You respond, “it is red”, when you know it is green. Think of the implications at Stop Light intersections alone. A judge asks a witness in a capital murder case, “is this the man you saw shooting the victim?” and you lie.

Or this: “Do you love me?”, and you answer (or are answered…) untruthfully.

Without truth, EVERYTHING fails. Every legal, moral and ethical standard is gone. Correction and punishment have no value, and even become unreasonable brutality. Every social norm, every acceptable moral standard – gone. Consider the thoughts of people making it a habit to lie while giving testimony in court, to lie in contracts, to lie about their qualifications when applying for a job, and the consequences that these actions would have. When lies become the accepted commonplace over truth, everything that is good ceases to function. Nothing can be trusted. Nothing has value unless there is absolute truth.

In today’s world of post-modern thinking, or when dealing with atheists, evolutionists, and proponents of situational ethics or provisional morality where right and wrong are dependent on circumstances or opinions that are in a constant flux, this argument becomes very apropos. It is a simple argument to show that unless one is a proponent of anarchy, than there must be absolute truth. Without it, we are left to our own devices, our own ‘feelings’ to determine what is right or wrong. A position that is ultimately untenable. As an example, an evolutionist relies on absolutisms; absolute truths are what determine evolution. This evolutionary trait is absolutely better than the previous one, which is why this trait continues, and others fall away and are lost in the evolutionary cycle. To the atheist, if he denies absolute truth, than why is it not OK for the person who disagrees with the atheist to just reach out and kill the atheist? I mean after all, there is no moral standard, no absolute truth in atheism as there is no deity to determine right from wrong, and we all decide on our own. So, the non-atheist kills the atheist, and this must be OK in the mind of the (now dead) atheist. Right? Geeseh….

As you can see, truth is everything. Without truth there is no foundation, and no future. That being the case it begs the inevitable question once asked by Pontius Pilate, what is truth? Scripture gives us the answer. Jesus. Jesus is the Truth.

God’s Word is the truth. It is the absolute standard by which we all must live. It is the moral, social, ethical, spiritual truth. We do not get to determine right from wrong, God has already determined that for us. If we ever have a question as to what might appear to be a gray area, err on the side of Grace and on the standard that we are to esteem all others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

The value of truth cannot be understated, because the value of truth is the value of Christ. Without Christ, there is no truth, there is no right path to salvation. In the same sentence where Jesus declares Himself the Truth, He also declares that He is The Way, and the Life. There are all symbiotically tied together. Without truth we are without hope. With truth, our future is secure in Christ. Let us rely solely on Him and that truth. Its value is priceless.

So, is your relationship with Jesus based on Truth? Not truth as you see it, but truth as He sees it. If not, there is no value in that relationship. For your relationship to be based on truth, you must not only say that you love Jesus, but you must live your entire life like you do, allowing your actions to prove your love for Him. If your life does not say to everyone who watches that you love Jesus, is your relationship really based on truth? Without the proof of your love for Jesus in your every day living, is there any proof at all? Don't tell someone who lived and died for you because of the love that He has for you, that you do love Him, and live your life like you don't.

There is everlasting value in truth. There is nothing of value in a lie.

Focus: Preparing For Your Own Spirtual Yard Sale

2011-06-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

Matthew 7:5

"Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

As we look at this verse, we always seem to look at it as one man looking at another man, And why not, it is the proper context of course. Jesus at this moment speaking to the masses, and talking about improper judging of another. So let's address the judging issue first, as we all know this is going to come up in conversation.

The word used here In the verses prior), most properly translated "do not judge" is a word that means not to judge right from wrong. In the application of today's post-modern view of mankind, this is most important. Jesus is saying fairly clearly that there is no such thing as 'situational ethics', where something is right (or wrong) for you, but not for me or someone else. He is saying that there is one right, and one right only. This is upheld all throughout scripture in no uncertain terms as God clearly defines His Word as absolute truth. HE (no one else) is THE Way, TRUTH, and Life. His word is the final Word. So in the end, it is not that we are not to judge people's actions (as even later on in this book Jesus addresses the fact that we are to look at people's 'fruit' as a sign of their salvation) but rather two things must be considered:

That if we are to judge people's actions, that it is to be judged against GOD'S Word, not personally developed standards.
That before we judge others actions, we must first look at our own and see that we are not approaching this fruit inspection from a hypocritical point of view - considering strongly that we are just as equally sinners saved by the grace of God. We must never go before God as a hypocrite.

With that said, I want us to consider something else now. What if this is a conversation directly between you and God? What if it were God Himself saying to you, "judge not", or that He tells you to "remove the plank from your eye"? This changes the situation, and makes it not only a lot more intimate, but a lot more critical a situation. It becomes a condition demanding immediate corrective action on your part, and a serious period of self reflection. The alternatives of not doing so are serious and eternal.

We spend so much time in this world literally just spinning our wheels. Like so many people, I spend time on Facebook®, I have hobbies, I have pass-times, and down-times. I'm not here to tell you that those things in and of themselves are bad. Not at all. But in them, where is your focus? What is the focal point of your hobby? What are your goals when you share your status on Facebook®? What is your focus in your down time, or when you are involved in your pass-time? If it is not Christ, and closing the gap between His perfection and your sinfulness, it is time to reevaluate.

I spent part of my evening the other night in what some would call "intense fellowship" with my children and the condition of the basement. It's a mess. We seem to agree that we all play a role in its condition, and constructive action has been taken make amends. But in the mean time, one son (who for the most part would rather see things thrown away) began to point out things of mine in the basement. "When is the next time we are going to use this? When's the last time you used that? What are you keeping this for? We do we need this for..." and the list went on and on.

The picture that was physically painted was one of "stuff". Too much stuff, and time to get rid of some of it. After the night to sleep on it, the picture that was exposed to me from a spiritual standpoint, was one of focus. In other words, it was not the fact that I have stuff, but rather WHY do I have this stuff?

I'm a former professional musician. I have two guitars that I never play. I have two drum kits that I very rarely play. I have a couple of boxes of old vinyl record albums and 45's. I have sound equipment. I have some DJ equipment. I have tools I rarely use. I am a decorated combat Infantry veteran and have retained a lot of my old gear and 'stuff' of which I basically never use. I am a firearms lover and hunter, and I have a lot of guns and associated 'stuff'. I collect, restore and resell old smoking pipes as a hobby with my sons. Again, it is not that I have this stuff, it is the role that it plays ion my life.

If I found any of this stuff in your basement, or the basement of my Senior Pastor Chuck Lind, or the basement of Billy Graham, John Wesley, Martin Luther or Paul the Apostle it would not send up even the slightest hint of a red flag. It is not the stuff - it is the focus I have on this stuff, and the fact that my focus on this stuff, as slight as some of it is, takes my focus of Jesus. And if I take my focus off Jesus for just one minute, that's one minute too much. When my focus is in the world, I am at risk of deception.

For me, it is time for a spiritual Yard Sale. I need to seriously reevaluate this stuff, and determine how much focus I have on it. I need to determine whether that focus is one that can be used to improve my job as a husband, father or pastor, and whether or not it brings me closer to Jesus, or distracts me from Him. If it is the former, it stays. If it is the latter, it has got to go.

I'll spare you the list of things that are going and things that are staying. You might be surprised what has to go. I might be surprised at what has to go. More keenly, I need to be willing to let it go.

The issue is this; if we truly love Jesus, if we truly believe that we are living in the last days (which I certainly do), if our eternity with Jesus is as important to us as it should be, we should be using the example of the 12 year old Jesus when He was found in the temple, and be about the Father's business! Time is FAR too short to be caught up distracted by the things of the world. And folks, the great deception is upon us. We must be constantly aware that Satan is lurking to steal us away.

Naturally, a great deal must go into the decision making process as to what to do with your 'things' as you consider your own spiritual yard sale. John the Baptizer said, "I must decrease so that He can increase", and truer words have not been spoken. Perhaps ultimately, if you cannot not manage to somehow make Jesus increase while you are enjoying life, in your pastimes and hobbies then there is a bigger heart issue to consider.

I do not have all the answers. I don't profess to, never have, and never will. The day I do, you all need to stop reading anything that I write and tell all your friends to do the same because I've gone off my rocker. What I can tell you is what God has done in my life, and how He has allowed me to see things a little differently. God opened the eyes of my heart to see my relationship with Him, verses my relationship I have with my life in this worlds, and my stuff. We must be 100% sold out to Jesus. Nothing must be allowed to get between us.

My life in this temporal world, as much as I want to make it so, is not mine. It is His. I have been bought with price, a very high price. My life is no longer my own. My eternity is owned by the One who paid the price. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit helps us all remember that is true. The freedom we have as believers is the freedom to love and serve Jesus without any reservation.

Examine your life. Examine what stuff steals your time from serving Jesus. Take it to the Father in humble prayer and simply ask Him what must go into your spiritual yard sale.

Simplicity, Separation, Peace

2011-05-16T08:07:00.001-07:00

Simplicity, Separation, Peace

Crying Out for the 'Good Old Days'

2 Corinthians 6:7

"Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

Back in the Old Days.

The way it used to be.

The "New Testament" Church.

When things were simple.

There is much to be said for our current wave of technological advances. There is simply no arguing its intrinsic benefits. Areas such as health care, communication, emergency response and so much more have benefited in such a way that mankind is far better off. But at the same time technology can be a curse.

What technology has a tendency to do is detach us from our focus on Jesus - and everything else for that matter.

When I was a young boy, Star Trek (reruns that is, I'm not that old...) was a popular TV show, and I remember having to watch it before my Dad got home from work, because I knew he's have been made for 'wasting my time' watching such fantasy. Yet today, we carry more technology in our pockets than most of the original drew of Star Trek carried among the whole landing party. Cell phones have surpassed what communicators did. Medical teams have testing kits and health evaluator systems that do all that the Star Trek^® Tricorder did. Granted we have not perfected the hand-held plasma-beam phaser yet, but we do have concealable hand held weapons systems that will do the same damage or more. Technology. Wow.

Technology however, like anything else can be a time-sucker. It pulls us in, feeds our intellect, seeks favor from our flesh, boosts our pride, and becomes the 'go-to' thing for us in life, rather than Christ.

I'm as guilty as the next guy. I'm somewhat 'gadget sensitive'. I'm iPhone and iPad literate, and use them to my advantage, and there are many advantages. But I find myself fighting the time I spend on such things. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with being up to date with the latest technology. What is wrong is when it sidelines us from our purpose in life - to love Jesus, worship Him, and pass on that good news to others.

I spent a short (and wet) holiday at the Washington coast a while back. While I find gambling for entertainment or profit generally distasteful (and typically not a proper use of our money or being a good steward with what God has given us), going to a Washington State beach in March or April is much the same. It's like shooting Craps. Well, on the weather front, we 'Crapped out'. The weather stunk pretty much the entire time we were there; and yet it was a most beautiful time.

I snuggled closely to my bride of nearly 20 years in the cool wintery air under the cover of a 'zipped-together' sleeping bag. I had great conversation with my children, played some games, cruised the beach, ate some hotdogs, conversed over some great meals and thoroughly enjoyed every minute while frolicking in the mostly pouring rain. Why? - because I separated myself from the things of the world that tie me to the distractions of my day to day life. In turn, allowed myself to view every minute through the eyes of my relationship with Jesus.

When we arrived at the State Park, the weather was cloudy and foggy, but still not a solid rain. Once we had unloaded and settled in for the 3 night stay, I walked to a small bench on the tops of the dunes to overlook the beach and Pacific. As I walked to the bench I was praying. I was praying for the weather to stay nice, for safety in our family play, for a general covering of the Holy Spirit while we spent our time away from home, and one more thing; that the Lord would speak to me, giving me direction in leading the church body in our next mid-week bible study.

Walking to that bench, and in the midst of prayer God did speak to me. He did answer me. But the answer left me asking more. God spoke one word to me, and that word was 'separate'.

Separate, what did that mean? I began to ponder and mediate just on that one word. To separate; to not be a part of something "bigger", to not be part of the normal trend, to not be part of what was standard. Well, in those thoughts I understood the connection to mean being separate from the things of the world.

But as I continued my thoughts on that word I realized that the biblical term for separate is sanctified. Sanctified means to be separate, set apart.

In the biblical sense to be separated from the world, the flesh and the things of the world that lead us away from God and point us towards sin, we must make a conscious and constant effort to make Jesus first and foremost in all things. If we are to be identified as followers of Christ Jesus, we must not be seen as just another bleating sheep of the world, but a bleeding sheep of Christ, set apart from the world, and joyfully joining in His sufferings. A thought that will sadly not get taught on many 'Christian" churches today.

This same thought is translated through the letter of I Peter. The fiery trials will come, but we must find joy. It is our duty to find joy. We must find joy in daily struggles to find time to be with your wife and children, because there is our peace. We must separate from the world to find the time to spend with God, and there we will find joy. We must separate ourselves from the ways of the flesh and the world if we are to make a difference for the kingdom of God, and there, and only there, will we find the peace that surpasses all understanding, and the living hope that is our eternity in Heaven. To God be the Glory!

Submitting,

Proof-Texting

2011-05-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Proof-Texting

(This has nothing to do with your cell phone...)

Acts 20:25-32

"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

The reformation of the Christian church, more rightly titled the reformation of the Catholic Church taking place in the mid-1500's was a time of great turmoil, and yet a time of great triumph. What arose from the ashes of a scorched European landscape was so much more than a church (church being the 'people', not the buildings or denominations) that positively thumbed its corporate noses at the Roman Catholic establishment, but a faith whose core had changed; and changed for the better.

We Christians take so much for granted today. The simple fact that we have bibles to read, that we have churches that run in opposition to Roman Catholicism, that we meet together in our own privately owned or rented buildings or even homes are all things that just a short time ago in the course of meandering time, were not possible, and in some cases punishable by death. As an example, you had your hands on a copy of the Holy Scriptures it was illegal in some places if to even read them as only the 'Priesthood' could rightly interpret them, even if you could read that language (a rarity in itself in most cases). Today I think I have probably 20 or more copies of various translations and languages of the bible sitting about the house, and just as many in eBook or electronic format on my home PC's, iPad or even my phone. Not only that, but I probably have ten times that amount in reference books and materials to help me study them. Our resources today are virtually endless sin comparison to what was available even 500 years ago.

With the printing of the bible in common languages of the day, came with it the advent of what one book calls "Christianity's Dangerous Idea", and that is putting the scriptures into the hands of the people, and letting see and interpret for themselves the very Words of God. A dangerous idea it is indeed.

As with anything, when left to be interpreted by everyone, each on their own, a variety of results will be obtained. This was the fear of the Roman Catholic leadership. If the writings get to the people, the people will misinterpret it and:

1. (Along the party line): will not understand the true means to salvation, and will form heresies that will keep them from eternity in heaven. -OR-

2. (along the line of reality): The people will find out that the form of Christianity that we have been perpetrating on them for the mere purposes of subjugating the people and keeping them under the control and rule of our authority, would be lost.

Still, by the hands of Martin Luther and others who made mainstream, or nearly so, the Bible in common language, Christianity changed around the world, and almost overnight.

But in adjusting to the new idea of the scriptures being in the hands of the laypeople, so too the churches adjusted, even those churches who opposed tradition. There become Lutherans. And Calvinists and all sorts of new traditions in what was now monikered as the 'Reformed Church'. Things were different back then. The church and the civil government were very much intertwined. Not necessarily that the church ruled the civil government, as that was in part what the reformation was about. But rather, that the church and the civil government were in a lock-step alignment in acceptable civil practices and mainstream morality. In other words, a true democracy where the people both in the church and in civil government decided by majorital opinion what was going to be right and acceptable as honorable behavior in their society. While there are obvious pros and cons to this method of civil theocratic rule, suffice it to say that making civil adjustments to the new understanding of scripture too time and patience on the part of everyone.

One thing that had to first be addressed was through what lens was the bible to be interpreted? Prior to the reformation it was only interpreted through the lens of the Roman Catholic Church, or more properly, the Pope. The trouble with that is, the Popes were corrupt as any other man, and some more so. Papal posts were purchased with money, sex and promise of graft. Popes were permitted secret rooms for their mistresses, and fathered children out of wedlock at a pace that rivals teens in America today. Kingdoms were crushed and genocide was a common practice to maintain a 'civil rule' of the church over the world. Obviously looking through that lens to determine biblical right and wrong was not going to work. Reformation ensued, and now scriptures were looked at independently for what seemed like the first time.

As the reformation ran rampant across the European country side, and then over the world, the view of scriptures was then seem through the eyes of the commoner. But the pious commoner knew too well that they lacked the education to make a true interpretation from time to time. Let's face it, even a high school level education was not the norm until just a couple of hundred years ago. This left it to the wrangling factions of reformation to make determinations on scripture.

Long story short, Lutherans saw things differently from Calvinists, and they saw it different from Zwingly and others. In their time scripture was then judged through the lenses of individual Confessions, or letters of understanding or what we might call Statements of Faith set out by each sect of the Reformed Church. Nothing could have been better for the Catholic Church. Seeing infighting among the protesters was their glory.

The problem within that idea - making bible interpretations based on the lenses of independent church confessions is that it allows for "proof texting". Proof texting is a practice still used today where individual verses are pulled part and parcel, all out of context, as "proof" for their point of view. First of all Paul warned us in scripture, using himself as a witness not to shun the teaching of the entire counsel of God. We must take all of scripture into consideration when looking at a verse and its application to any given situation. Secondly, to go into your research of a subject with a preconceived conclusion or a presupposition of any type is not to look at something independently, but with a bias towards the answer you want it to be. This is not education, but indoctrination. Any biblical scholar will tell you that you need to begin looking at any topic with an open mind and heart allowing God to show you what truth really is, all the while preparing yourself for the very real possibility that you are wrong.

Knowing that our human nature is such that is loves to be right, having the bible scriptures in common language and leaving interpretation up to the individual can in fact be a dangerous thing. Much false doctrine has come from it. But equally as important is that fact that by having the bible in our common language, we have the ability, using intuitively the very scripture itself, through a process called inductive bible study, we can refute false doctrine and stand firmly on the truth knowing that the bible's message supports that truth.

While leaving biblical interpretation up to the laypeople of Christianity is in fact a dangerous thing. Much err can come from it. But it is also the most freeing and genuinely loving thing that can be done. Luther nearly killed himself bringing the New Testament into the common German language, but he later said he could not have lived not having done so. Since then, more Germanic translations were made, later the King James Version (with some admitted bias from the King) and now literally thousands of bible translation exists in hundreds of languages.

In the end, what we must learn is not to live our life as a follower of Christ, viewing God's word by proof texting based on how we want to live our lives. Sadly, this action is predominant not only in the lives of Christians, but in the doctrines of churches. We cannot choose to live life a certain way, and then later seek to justify that lifestyle by proof-texting our way into a comfortable feeling of justifying our own sinful choices.

By proof-texting, different denominations over the years have set themselves firmly based on tradition rather than scripture. Individuals so the same thing. Each new generation faces what they see as 'new challenges'. In doing so, society, culture, and 'relevance' play an attractive role on shaping our view on things, when our sole view, as Christians, is to look at each challenge in life, none of which are unique to any generation, through the lenses of biblical truth, not through the lens of our 'generation'. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that a Christian way of life, or the function and doctrine of the church must adjust to society. It is society that must be affected by Christianity of we are to have a real difference, or become truly 'relevant' to any generation.

Submitting,

A No Profit Jesus

2011-02-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5:2-6

2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

Coming from a legalistic church upbringing, I can smell a legalist a mile away. But my approach to a legalist is changing. I don’t want to change their mind by arguing scriptural text as much as I desire to affect their heart.

It is so easy to get caught up in the do’s and do not’s of ‘the law’. It’s easy for us to think this way as it is the way of human nature. Do the right thing, get rewarded. Do the wrong thing, and get punished. And let’s face it, God has his hand in furthering this belief. His had in the Old Testament dealings with the nation of Israel point this out. Israel transgresses against God, and the next thing you know they are taken captive and enslaved for 40 years. While this may be true we must if course remember the special relationship that God had with the nation of Israel. God made a deal with the Israelites assuring them that this is the way things would happen. In a moment of spiritual weakness thinking that their will power and intestinal fortitude might be enough to carry the day… every day continually, they agreed to God’s terms.

As believers today, God has offered us a new deal. A new Covenant if you will. This deal is not one of legalism based on rights and wrongs, but one of, ‘Love and be loved’, in spite of any baggage or sin that you show up with, and rest in Him. Or, you may choose to do things exactly the way you want do, with a guaranteed no interference clause from God. In the end, contrary to the Calvinistic point of view, you make the decision, not God. Scripture refers to salvation, redemption and our eternity with God (in whole or in part) as a gift (Luke 11:13, John 4:10, Acts 2:38, Romans 1:11, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 9:15, Ephesians 2:8, Hebrews 6:4, and more). A gift is not a gift if it is forced upon someone or if an individual is not given the choice to take it or not. In that case it is a mandate, and neither is it something that we have to work for. Freely it has been given (I Corinthians 2;12).

To me, not only understanding, but accepting and living in that gift that God has given us through His Son, that gift that is salvation, is easy to wrap my brain around. Again, our human nature sometimes fights against this because it understands the good rewards for good behavior. However, I find hope and rest in taking God’s gift for what it is – a gift. Once I progressed spiritually, and began to understand this, to make the mental transition from legalism to grace, I know that not only is this where God meant me, and all of us to be, but it is where I want to be! I revel in the fact that I, in an incomplete state of sanctification, and still in this fleshly body that at times overcomes my spirit, He still accepts me, knowing my failures, and beckons me to His side. What could be better than that!?

Paul however, knows that we are weak. That a simple understanding based on reward and punishment is appealing to some, and the only way of life for others. Paul also knows that this appeal is universal, and will attract even those who have already committed their lives to Jesus. In his heart of hearts, Paul knows this is not only a problem, but that it can be ruinous to our faith and to our future. He knows that many will still be attracted by legalism, and also knows that many others will be attracted to pointing out the failure of others in judgmental fashion. This is perhaps even a bigger concern and what Paul truly addresses here.

Here Paul rightly points out something that I had not understood prior until this devotional study. We know we can wrongly judge people who still choose or seem to choose to live under the ‘law’. Living in such a way that their good deeds, or their ability to follow a set of rules and regulations are what makes them acceptable and appealing to God is a dead end. It cannot be done. Our works are like filthy rags to God. But when we judge people for this theology in their life we join them in their legalism.

Being a judge over someone is to be part of a legalistic system. Judges are part of the legal system. There is but one righteous judge, and it is not you or me, or any other person living today. It is Christ in Heaven waiting to have us join Him by invitation delivered to us as a free gift. In the same manner, the person who chooses to live worrying about their good deeds outweighing their bad deeds, regardless of what they want to call it, is in a legalistic system of faith. Funny thing is, legalism requires no faith at all, just a cerebral understanding of something humanistic and temporal, which is why it is rejected by God.

It is wrong to get caught up as Paul describes in legalism. When you do so, be you the willing participant or the judge, you are estranged from Christ! This is a warning that cannot be given enough credence. We have fallen away from grace, and even a legalist understands the need for grace – as a legalist is ultra aware of his failures.

Grace be to God for He is Good.

Reminder: Reconciled

2011-01-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Colossians 1:21-22

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

I was reading for my devotional time this morning, and I’m not really sure how, but I ended up in Colossians when I thought I was reading I Peter again. Sometimes electronic books can trick us. But there I was reading such a great passage of scripture, I knew it was something the Lord wanted me to share with you all today.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Sometimes a simple reminder is just what we need. Jesus is God. We need not argue about it, we simply need to know it, and love Him.

There was a time in most of our lives when we were not in a position to go the Father covered by the sacrifice of Christ. Now there is. By God’s good grace we have access to salvation, and man, that just ought to be enough sometimes. He is our Lord, He is our leader, He is our Head. In Him is all of God that there is. There is nothing of god that is not in Him, and it has all been there from the beginning, whether eternal or incarnate. The Father was pleased to do this in Him, for us. Praise God! We are reconciled.

Spirit Changed Change

2011-01-05T14:22:00.000-08:00

Galatians 5:5

For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.

I’ve been doing some research on a project I’m working on and it has been quite rewarding, yet tragically revealing at the same time. In the process I have been reading quite a few testimonies and stories of people’s lives as they have become Christians. Nothing is more powerful than a personal testimony of the life changing event in one’s being as the Holy Spirit takes control.

A fundamental understanding of Christianity is ‘conversion’. The conversion is seen and understood in a great many different ways by individuals and denominations. What exactly constitutes a conversion? What should it look like? What are the (if in fact there are any at all) tell-tale signs that manifest themselves at the time of conversion? There is much discussion in this area, but the one thing that all can agree on is this: conversion requires change.

I know that my confession of Christ and my submission to Him did bring change in my life. Habits change, desires change, needs change and perspective changes. But to think that at the time of confession and submission to Jesus that all the changes that will manifest themselves in your life as a saved sinner will happen instantly will bring disappointment. What happens instantly at that moment is eternal salvation, not temporal perfection.

A process called sanctification begins to occur in your life. Sanctification simply means 'to make holy'. Christians are not holy, they are forgiven. That’s the instant change. Forgiveness. It will take God as long as He sees fit to bring you through your sanctification process in each area of your life. It will go on, growing more and more like Christ all the time, for your entire life.

But, sanctification can be a frustrating process. Many people think (or at least hope) that Christian life will be easy. That the change to be at least the Christian you want to be, will be easy because well, God is doing the work. Well, you have a part in this as well, and our part is to die to ourselves. Something we all find difficult. Getting right down to it, wouldn’t we all like to see instant and powerful change in our life from the power of God? I know I would.

I want a change to happen in my life that is so huge, so big, and so miraculous that people look at it and know that it cannot be of me or my strength, but that the change had to have come from God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Francis Chan, in his recent book, “The Forgotten God” had this to say, “I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit”. What a great testimony that would be. That would be an awesome epitaph to be carved on my head stone, “Changed By the Holy Spirit”. Wow.

The work of the Holy Spirit is real. Few as Christians would deny that (although some denominations say that the work of the Holy Spirit was only for the apostolic age – I’ve got one word for them: phooey). It has been real since the beginning of time. Moses, Elijah, Samuel, Daniel and so many other biblical characters saw the Holy Spirit working through them and in their lives.

Francis Chan uses Elijah for his example. After the events on Mt. Carmel where the god Baal was shown to be a fraud and the priests of Baal were destroyed right there on the mountain, he reminds us what the reaction f the people was. “The Lord, He is God!’ (I Kings 18:39). They did not say, ‘Elijah is a great speaker’ or “Elijah sure knows how to connect with God”… The power that was manifested at that moment was so powerful, so awesome, so great , so authoritative that they knew that it had to have come from God, not from Elijah.

C.S. Lewis, author of the wildly famous Narnia series, and books like Mere Christianity, was not always Christian. He converted from agnosticism. William J. Murray, author and son of atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hare who was pivotal in the SCOTUS ruling striking down school prayer converted from atheism. Jeffrey Dahmer was not only a cannibalistic serial killing homosexual pedophile, but a Satanist as well, and he converted to Christianity under the tutelage of Watergate convicted felon and now Christian speaker and author Chuck Colson. God works miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit all the time. While some conversions may not seem as dramatic or unbelievable as some of the ones I just listed, all of our salvation is just as miraculous.

I long for a testimony that shouts that the Holy Spirit is at work in my life. I desire such a life that people look at it and say that change can only have come from God. Not for profit or recognition, but for the Glory of God!

I think my wife sees this work in me. I cleaned the ‘stuff’ pile that lingers eternal by the side of my bed. But more than anything, I pray that God the Father and Christ Himself see the work happening in me and say, “Thank you Holy Spirit, we know that change is from you”. I want all the glory to be theirs. Change has to start somewhere. Growth has to start somewhere. I am simply praying that it starts with me.

The Burn Ban Revelation

2011-01-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

Romans 13-:1-2
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

As Peter wrote his first epistle to the diaspora, those believers who had been living in exile (as by that time Christian persecution was already rampant in may areas of the then known world), he wrote it to give instruction and encouragement to so many who were living lives of servitude or under social or political pressures that severely limited their freedom. That context is critical to the passages that follow.

Yesterday was a cold day, relatively speaking for the Seattle Tacoma area. Here, anything under freezing is not too common, and temperatures in the low twenties or teens are very cold for this area. I've lived in colder climates, so I am not squeamish when it comes to cold winter weather, but at 24 degrees, these lightly insulated northwestern homes are not equipped for long term cold. The furnaces run 24-7 trying to keep up. That being the case, I do my best to keep the house warmed by burning a nice fire in the fireplace.

I was reminded however, as I went to start the fire, that where we live was under a 'burn ban'. Weather conditions were such that the entire county was banned from burning anything that makes smoke. I became indignant, and began to list a litany of reasons as to why I could justify making a fire to keep my home warm. The government is unjust, and intruding into my life. I'm doing this to save money and be a good steward. I'm just doing my best to keep my family warm... I could go on and on.

In the end, conviction and the fact that both my wife and children reminded of the ban (my wife because she wants me to do the right thing and be an example to our kids, and my kids because they did not want to have to go outside on the cold to get more firewood!) kept me from starting the fire. But I was troubled and it just did not sit well with me. I felt like I was 'giving in'. Well, I was.

I was giving over to the Spirit, and not giving in to my flesh. That's why I felt so bad. My flesh was losing a battle to my Spirit, and so my human nature was riled. It wanted to tell someone on the County government that they can just pay my heating bills if they are not willing to allow me to supplement the heating of my home with wood. I wanted to shake my finger at civil authority and shout, "hands off my home".

The bottom line is that I do still, after all this, see these rules as not only ridiculous in their very nature, but an intrusion into my personal rights and freedoms as guaranteed me by the Constitution. Our governments create burn bans because of 'public safety' and 'health' concerns when we have no real credible statistics (that I have found) that show the burning of firewood for the heating of a home is harmful to the general health of a community at large. Why just last week I saw a horrible TV advertisement showing a cute little girl talking about the dangers of smoke. It showed her breathing in a room full of smoke that just all trailed into her mouth and lungs like they were the great black-hole of smoke sucking in everything around it. The commercial went on to ask what the leading cause of lung damage is in America now - all of us expecting this to be an anti-smoking campaign ad, were shocked to hear this cute little girl say, "Wood smoke". Suddenly campfires and wood burning stoves are baby killers. Next thing you know they'll be protesting us at airports with picket signs sitting on those who smell like campfires. That's how America works.

Meanwhile, we continue to coddle second, third, fourth and fifth time offenders of drunk driving, shell out fines so minuscule in their amounts to the serving bars and taverns that they could care less if they over-serve or not, we allow for medical marijuana use without provisions preventing these people from owning firearms, and promote Dr. assisted suicides and legalized abortions. Something tells me some priorities are a little bit askew, and that 'public health' really has little to do with the law, and that it has much more to do with the social agendas at play, and the government's continued attempt to strip its citizenry from their own freedoms - freedoms for which we fought a war with Britain guaranty. But in the end, while my thoughts and feelings may in some ways be justified and in other ways clearly face violations of my rights as a citizen of this nation, we must always consider our citizenship to heaven as our first and true priority.

In reading for my devotional time the other morning I was reading through I Peter. There we find of course, oodles of encouragement for those entering into or traveling through trials. Peter talks about being born-again, how we are called to be living a Holy life, reminding us that we are in fact a Holy Priesthood for Him (God). But there is another encouragement in there as well. One that I know I need to be careful of, and spend more time considering.

I teach Romans 13 often when it comes to where we need to draw the line with regards to our citizenry and obedience to civil government. That chapter written by Paul to the Roman believers is the hallmark location when it comes to having such doctrinal discussions. However, one must never use a single verse or text upon which to build a doctrine, and this issue of course is certainly no different.

Peter, born a Jew, raised a fishermen (blur-colar man) in the Galilee region certainly knew Roman oppression. Unlike so many other towns of Israel that are tucked far out of the way of general Roman traffic patterns, Galilee is central to all that is Israel, Jew or Roman. Why? That's where the water is. Peter and his family living in and around Capernaum which was a major port city on the Sea. Towns such as this would have been frequented by people from all walks of life. Roman tax collection was made there as this was a major intersection of trade routes, north, south, west and those continueing north and east around to Syria. The weight of Roman rule would have been heavy, if for no other reason than to quell the thirst for independence held by the Jews and muli-nationals there.

With this life testimony as part of Peter's witness to the people he was ministering to, he went to them with these words, "13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God."

Those words would surely be enough to get the point across to the people living under Roman oppression that for the honor of the God they serve, and for conscience sake, that they need to respectfully be subject to their governmental leaders. As if that were not enough Peter then he goes on to say, "17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."

The Jews were very limited in what rights they had. Some were given them by the Romans including their right to maintain synagogues and temples (in part because they too generated funds for Rome), and a right to maintain a level of self-governing autonomy. The Jews were permitted to maintain their own court system and methods for judging, but when it came to capitol crimes, or crimes against Rome itself, Roman Judges would intercede (as in the trial of Jesus). When it can to crime against Rome, unless you were a Roman citizen as Paul was, you had no means for redress. You were brought before the judge, perhaps permitted to offer a defense on your own behalf, perhaps not, and then sentencing was passed.

No matter the circumstance, God said, be peaceable. Do Good. Honor those who rule over you. Peter tells us, honor everyone, honor the Emperor. He leaves nothing to chance. I can hear it now, "but this is an unjust government". I understand. Peter did too, and surely with more seriousness than you or I might.
In the face of this, making what has become a long devotional mercifully shorter, it hardly seemed worth the fuss to start a fire in civil disobedience. What witness am I giving my children? What do I tell the police officer who stops by to ask why I'm burning a fire and then says, "Hey, aren't you the pastor from Calvary Chapel?" What precedence am I setting before man and God to disobey? A bad one.

My flesh warred against my spirit, but I did not start the fire. Instead, we continued to burn heating oil (lots of heating oil) through a 40 year old furnace. In the end, the burn ban looks like it will be lifting in our area tomorrow. One day too late. We ran out of heating oil today, and a truck cannot make delivery until tomorrow.

Got any extra blankets??

Fighting Materialism and Distraction with Humility

2010-12-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

Daniel 10:12
...“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

I recently listened to a fellow pastor share an encouraging word to his congregation via the internet. Speaking right before Christmas, and encouraging his church to stay focused on Jesus this season, he reminded them to remember the 'joy' of the season, but to not take it too far. This is itself is a great reminder.
As true Christians committed to Jesus and His ways, we should be able to find joy in all things. This however is only possible if we are focused on Jesus and not self.

The trouble in today’s modern Christianity is that pastors and teachers are all too often afraid to give people the truth in love, because the truth is sometimes hard, and often offensive. Let’s face it, if we are told that we are being selfish, that we are not focused on Christ, and that there are ways to draw closer to Jesus and really commit to Him in a more personal way, we can take this two ways: either we will look at these words with reflection and see that yes, there is room for improvement and humble ourselves before God – OR, we will take those words into our ears (ears that are so used to being ‘tickled’), and get angry, be offended. Man is not currently wired to be indifferent, we’ll choose one way or the other until our Spirit nature replaces that of the flesh.

But the pastor went on in his encouragement to enjoy Christmas. Don’t feel like you have to suffer (was his intended thought), don’t feel bad for having nice things he went on to say. And he’s right, we should not. God has blessed us all with much in this nation. But he did not stop there. He continued by saying, (direct quote) “You can’t not have (those) nice things!” Well, actually, yes, yes you can ‘not have nice things’.

Americans (generalizing) do not understand suffering. We know suffering. My comments are certainly not being made to belittle those who truly are suffering in this country, and yes there are many who are. But my point is that many who ‘think’ they are suffering, really need to reevaluate their lives. Yes, we can not have nice things. Sometimes a simple life is the one with the most blessing.

To me it is unfathomable that a pastor would tell his congregation, ‘you can’t not have nice things”. Think about it. It’s quite literally feeding materialism and greed, and taking away the possibility that God might have a plan in one’s socioeconomic home. God is in control after all isn’t He? Does this mean that those people who don’t have nice things are not God’s people? What is a ‘nice thing’, and who defines what a ‘nice thing’ is?

There are a lot of nice things in life than many of us would be better off without. The life that is filled with electronic brain stealers and time-wasters is one that up until one generation ago we all did without. Children watch more TV than ever, and spend more time gaming than ever before. The average male teen spends between 12-31 hours a week just playing video games. This is not counting other computer time or phone usage. One of the fastest growing trends these days in teen fellowship is ‘after hours’ teen gaming facilities! No more ‘clubbin’, now it’s gamin’. Don’t think that teenage girls are better because they spend less time gaming. They make all that time up, and more, on chatting on cell phones, texting (or worse), and social networking (Facebook, Twitter, Blogging etc.). Society, it can be argued, suffers for these ‘nice things’.

Do we need $45,000 cars or can we do with a $10,000 or $1,500.00 car and spend the difference supporting Christian faith organizations that help the needy in the name of Jesus? That’s the rub.

We need to humble ourselves, and spend some time trying to receive God’s good word. Even if we do not understand it all, or have trouble really getting things to come together in the application of what you read into your daily life, God hears. God recognizes, and if we truly seek Him as Daniel did, He will reward us with understanding. He will come in response to us. How can a loving Father do anything other?

The key point here is to recognize that we do not need to live lavishly to be a proper representation of Christ. We simply do not need to live lavishly. We do not need to have all the ‘nice things’, and that we can do without some ‘nice things’ in spite of what our hearts or minds tell us.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that video games, Facebook® or cell phones are ‘of the devil’. But each of these things, like just about any other thing that we are attracted to, can become at the very least a distraction of our attention, and at worst our own little gods.

Satan’s two most effective tools today, in my opinion, are these: distracting your eyes from Jesus (getting you to waste your time), and materialism. How are these things affecting your Christian walk?

Perspective...

2010-12-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

What more do we really need to say. This time of year is seen as one full of blessings. Focused on the birth of Jesus, our Savior, the one and only way. I know that blessings flow through my life and my home. Sadly, many blessings are missed by people who either do not look for them, or, when a blessing is given is not recognized because it is not how they wanted to be blessed, or is not significant enoough in their eyes to be called a blessing.

Since recommitting my life to jesus back in 2000, I have been able to do some short term missonary work. I have traveled to Israel twice, and plan to go back again in the next couple of years. Prior to being called into the ministry I served in the US Army as an Infantry Soldier. In both of these capacities I have seen immense suffering, and people in real need. We need to be open in our lives to recognize what blessings are. In many cases, this is only made possible through suffering.

In America, suffering is seen through the eyes of a .standard'. when our standards and expectations are not met, we view this as suffering. Our cable TV goes out and we call this suffering. We get a flat tire on our airconditioned SUV, and this is suffering. Or worse yet, the power goes out for a couple of days after a storm, and this is really suffering. In the eyes of some of the people of this world, wether in the USA or not, when there is not food on the table, no shelter, and death is knocking at our malnutritioned door, suffering takes ona whole new meaning.

We must always remember prespective. Without perspective assistance and even love can seem petty and insignificant. Without perspective suffering cannot be seen as it ought.

Perspective is the window through which all things are made clear. our position in Christ is only significant is viewed by God's perspective. If we do not understand our grand insignificance in the grand scheme of things because of our sin and seperation from God without Christ, while at the same time recognizing that werare love so much by God that He sent His son for us, then human nature takes over and we see ourselves as 'successful', 'important' or 'significant' to the point where God no longer has a place in our lives. Why, if I'm 'successful', 'important' or 'significant', why do I need a savior? I've got it all under control. See what I mean?

Without perspective what many see as a suffering, only getting two meals today instead of three, having to fix a flat tire, having to go a night without TV, many people in this world would view as a divine blessing.

I'm not saying that unless you see starvation first hand, that you cannot know suffering. I'm not saying that unless you yourself were sent to a Russian Gulag or a Nazi Concentration Camp that you cannot understand or relate to real life suffering. You certainly can. But if you forget to put your life in perspective, holding your 'sufferings' up against the back-drop of real human suffering, or real tragedy, your view will be skewed by pride, selfishness and standards that you have come accustomed to - which is our human nature.

In the end, considering our place in Christ is what is going to give us the best perspective on reality. Christmas sometimes makes us take inventory of ourselves, spiritually speaking. What do I have that really is good? What 'good works' does my life show? And of course, realizing that without Jesus we are lost in our sin and left to wallow in a life that regardless of it's quality or affluence, will end in eternal death.

Christ is everything. He is the only thing. He needs to be our center in all that we do, and everything in our life needs to revolve around Him. If this is our focus, the suffering of others comes into focus, and our selfishness fades into the background where it belongs. The perspective of missing Monday Night Football pales in comparison to someone who has not had water in two days, or clean water all their life, or the homeless man frozen on the steps of the store down the street.

Without perspective we cannot truly see through Christ's eyes.

Pride & Conflict

2010-12-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 13:10

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

How much does your anger have to do with your pride? Probably more than you might think.
Scripture warns us about pride all over the place. Proverbs tells us much about pride; none of it good. Pride comes before the fall, A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them, Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor, and Ecclesiastes says, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride” just to name a few.

It is one thing to be proud of something; it is another to be prideful of something. I am proud of my children, they are God’s gift to me. I am proud of my wife for all she does for the benefit of our family. I am proud of the spiritual growth I see n people no matter where that growth may find its source. I am also proud of the accomplishments I have made in my life, but the pride is based on an understanding that all that I have was provided for me by God. If I were to be prideful of any of those things, I’d be crossing the line into ungodliness. Or, if I allow pride in something to be misdirected believing that I was the source of that accomplishment through my own strength, not only would I be sinning, but I’d be opening the door for anger and bitterness as well.

Pride is like a disease or infection that has a long incubation period, or lies dormant until the right conditions present themselves. And unfortunately, those conditions present themselves frequently. The more prideful you are, the more frequently they will pop up.

Let’s say for example that you are prideful of your clothes. A person criticizes your dress, and the next thing you know, you punch them in the nose! Well, that may be extreme, but you get the picture. If you are prideful about something, whether it is your clothes or hair, or your car, your singing voice, your accomplishments in life, your wealth… whatever it might be, and someone criticizes that thing pride will cause anger and frustration.

Humility, a Godly trait, will cause introspection, and a desire to meet the standards that God has set before us; in every area of our lives. You need to seek God in all things and see if there is merit in any criticism you might receive. If there is, you need to be able to humbly receive that criticism and work to improve that issue in whatever way God might lead. But if you are prideful of that thing and criticism comes, it will cause you to be bitter, angry, hold a grudge against that person, or you’ll immediately begin to look for things to criticize in that other personas life, or use the failings of others you might know to justify your current state of pride.

Pride is at the root of every sin. In the end, your sin is just you deciding you know better for your life than god does. You choose your way over His. But where there is strife in your life, look for pride to be at the root. If it is there, the only way to remove pride it through humility in the Spirit. Look to God and remember that without him you are dead where you stand, but that through Him, all things are possible. Sometimes it is a good thing to be reminded of our place.

2010-12-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Have you ever had a bad day? A day when not only things go wrong, but as they go wrong people are yelling at you, calling you names, and if they are not yelling at you and calling you names, you know they WANT yelling at you and calling you names. I’ve had days like that before myself. God knows we have days like this too, and Jesus had a few of them Himself. No matter what you do, even if it is the proper thing to do and righteous before the Lord, someone’s angry. Well, rejoice and be glad!

Becoming a Christian is an awesome thing. With it comes forgiveness for all your sins, trespasses and wrings that you have committed, and a knowledge of peace in your salvation is part of the fruit of the joy of knowing you and the Lord are back on track. With this understanding of salvation comes another gift. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, showing us the Light of Jesus and leading our way.

But the leader of this world is not Jesus. It is His enemy the evil one, the devil, Satan himself. Because of him and sin entering into this world through him when mankind fell in the garden, our flesh is sinful and fights against our Spirit. We, as people, in our human nature are at enmity with God. Satan tells us we can do whatever we want, our Spirit reminds us that we have a responsibility to our Christianity, and a responsibility to live a life worthy of Jesus because of the price He paid to redeem our spirits. This battle can be a hard one. Nah, let’s just tell the truth here; that battle IS the HARDEST battle you’ll face your entire life.

The moment you are born again in Jesus, the tables are turned. You are now right with God and enemies of Satan. Satan knows he has lost the battle, but he is going to do everything within his power to make your life as miserable as possible. This, after all, is his job. And he’s good at it. Thankfully, we have Jesus, and we have the Father in heaven. Hearing our cries, and having watched His own Son live through the pain and suffering He did, God the Father can feel our pain like no one else. Because of this He has filled scripture with verses of encouragement like the one we read today.

If ever you feel like you are in a predicament alone, and without any comfort, know that you have the Father in heaven. Reach out to Him in prayer, and through His word. When we feel that low, God reaches out to us with His word and tells us, “You are my little children”, “You are children of God!” Allow Him to comfort you in your suffering, and know that in spite of the fact that He allows you to suffer in this world right now, seek to grow in your suffering and start by praising Him. Follow that with the realization that you are saved, and that your afflictions on this earth are simply dust in the wind in the grand scheme of things. You may be suffering real pain, but it can’t do you any eternal harm! You are covered, you are forgiven, you are saved, and Jesus awaits you with your reward in heaven that will make all this seem so trivial.

In the mean time, praise God for what He has done in all our lives. Rejoice and be glad. We are being richly blessed and rewarded.

TRADITION: (or not tradition, thatis the question)

2010-12-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

Mark 7:8,12-13

For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men…then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.”

Yesterday I began a sermon series on the understanding of Christmas. The idea is to focus for the next three weeks, with an Advent sort of feel, on two things: The true Spirit of Christmas and secondly, the true story of Christmas and its impact on the world. In the end, no matter how you paint it, the story of Christmas is the awesome and predetermined expression of God’s love for His people. This was accomplished by the Son leaving His perfect heaven and Father behind to become a man, in every way, just like you and me. I don’t want to spoil the rest of the messages, but you get the idea.

But my point today is that, to the best of my memory, this is only the second time in my nearly 6 years now as the pastor of Calvary Chapel Bonney Lake where I have left the comfort and regularity of teaching exegetically verse by verse through a book of the bible. That’s what we have always done. It’s a routine for me, for our church, it’s what the congregation is used to and longs for, and it is a staple of Calvary Chapels in general.

In the late 1960’s this style of teaching word for word, and precept upon precept was popularized by Pastor Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CA, and as the church grew, and others were planted, this successful and spirit lead method became what Calvary’s were best known for. And for good reason. It is an effective way to simply teach the bible simply, and to allow God to set the agenda and man to get out of the way of the teaching of God’s Word.

While Chuck was certainly not the first person to use this style of teaching, his charisma and knowledge of the Word, as well as His intimate relationship with Jesus Christ caused this method of teaching not just to grow, but to really bring a light into the church community at large about the importance of everyone, laypeople especially, to know their bibles well. It refocused a generation of people and a generation of churches on the bible as the focal-point for all things related to their spiritual lives. The focus was to be put back on the bible and Jesus Christ, and taken off of things like liturgical homilies, church tradition, the priesthood itself, the hierarchy of the church, and vainly repetitious prayers.

Calvary Chapel would generally call itself a ‘Protestant’ church. What I mean by that is that its doctrine and theology come out of a tradition drawn from what is commonly called the Protestant Reformation. This was an historic period of the early to mid 1500’s where the Christian church in general began to rebel against the Catholic church in defiance of its maintained authority over man and apparently, the bible as well. The church had to this point deeming itself and its priesthood as being the only men capable of properly interpreting the bible, in spite of the fact that one of their main goals was to keep scripture from ever being printed or made available to the general public in the common language.

Martin Luther, the much lauded (and rightfully so) Augustinian Monk who was a professor at the University in Wittenberg, Germany is most famously assigned as the leader of this movement. What Luther had planned was truly a reformation of the Catholic Church, its doctrine and practices, and not a defection from the Catholic Church. Rather than having his way, the reformation did became a defection, something that not only broke his heart, but much, much more.

While Luther is given such credit for the ‘Reformation’ movement, it should be noted that Luther’s ideas were not nearly as ‘reforming’ as many would have liked. The idea of church reformation was ripe and it filled the air in many places throughout Europe in that era coming out of the dark ages. While he has become the best known reformer, and certainly earned his stripes in a courageous battle against the Catholic Church with his life literally in the balance (the Catholic Church put a price on his head – naughty Pope!), clearly Luther was not the only church reformer. Today I want to bring up the little known Huldrych Zwingli.

Zwingli was a contemporary of Luther, but the two never had contact or correspondance, and it is fairly understood that Zwingli had never even heard of Luther let alone had been influenced by him. What causes me to bring Zwingli’s name to our devotional is that he was the Chuck Smith of his age. Zwingli, like Luther felt there was a clear need for reformation in the church. But Zwingli, fresh off a personal revitalization as a Benedictine Monk in his home country of Switzerland, had an idea for reformation that paralleled Luther’s in many ways, but went even farther.

Zwingli, again like Luther, felt that the bible NEEDED to be available to all people, and in the common language. This was critical. But more than that Zwingli put special emphasis on the Grace and Mercy of God found in the New Testament knowing that for a lost generation of people, God’s love needed not only to be told to them, but that they needed to read it for themselves. So, in part to bring the word to the people, and in part to encourage the people to seek out and demand that the bible be made available to every man, woman and child that wanted one, Zwingli did something awesome, and literally unheard of in its day.

While the exact date has been lost to history, Zwingli showed up to his church in Zurich one Sunday morning in 1519 and made a startling announcement to his congregation: He was prepared to deliver a continuous course of sermons on the gospel according to Matthew. ALL of Matthew! Not only that, but instead of relying on commentaries and tradition to lead his way and guide his doctrine, he would base his sermons solely and directly on the scriptural passage itself. Zwingli may well have been the first exegetical teacher of his age. His success was such the people themselves demanded reform, as they cried out for more of the bible, and less of religion.

The Christian church worldwide could use a great deal more bible and a lot less religion. This season as we look forward to Christmas day, let us all put a focus on the bible and on the real Christmas story and less on religion and religious tradition. Let us seek to know the true baby Jesus, and not only worship Him, but to recognize Him as a man spent a short lifetime breaking church traditions and the traditions of man, to show us that they need to be replaced with a relationship with Him, and a true knowledge of the Father. Let’s make this Christmas more about Christ and our relationship with his than ever. Let us refocus on His word, the bible, and He will reveal Himself to us. Let our reformation begin within.

In an Upside-Down Economy...The More Things Stay the Same

2010-11-30T15:01:00.000-08:00

Galatians 3:3

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

I find it hard sometimes to explain how God is working in my life. At many points I have to share that I'm afraid to share. I think there is a stigma, or some basic understanding that comes with the phrase, "God is really working in my life" that leads most people to believe, especially new believers, that GOOD things are happening! That spiritually, exciting growth is occurring in your life, or that some sort of wonderful, powerful revelation has been provided to you that perhaps many others are long to have. Sadly, that is most often not the case. Suffice it to say, and many of you seasoned believers will support me in this axiom, that when one says, "God working in your life", it does not always mean that wonderful, powerful things are going on. They are all good. But it might take a while for that good to make it's way through your thick skull before the 'Ah-hah!' moment reveals itself.

I have been trying to re-train myself to spend more time in reading. Not just in the Word, but theological works, church history, commentaries etc. I just know I have not been spending enough time with the Lord in these endeavors as of late, and I need to make that change. In this process, I have been reading a great many works or excerpts from classic Christian writers. While not looking for a particular book or theme, it is always amazing to see how God orchestrates the materials that I sift through randomly (from my point of view) in providing supporting or encouraging documents that really do follow a theme.

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was an amazingly prolific Christian author. He lived and ministered as both a pastor and a writer from the towns and villages of South Africa. All of his publications were originally written in Dutch and then translated into English. As his popularity grew, Murray's books found their way into more than twelve foreign languages during his lifetime alone.

Andrew Murray's early writings were primarily written for the edification of the believer-building them up in faith, love, and prayer. Later writings leaned more heavily upon the sanctification and responsibilities of the believer. In his latter days Murray emphasized the need for a constant and vital relationship with Jesus Christ and for consistent, fervent prayer - leading backwards to his addressing the responsibilities of the believer. He also addressed the issue of the Church (corporate) and its lack of power on the earth.

In his book Absolute Surrender, Brother Murray offered this bit of encouragement:

As we look around at the Church, we see so many indications of feebleness, failure, sin, and shortcoming. They compel us to ask: Why is it? Is there any necessity for the Church of Christ to be living in such a low state? Or is it actually possible that God's people should be living always in the joy and strength of their God? Every believing heart must answer: It is possible. Then comes the great question: Why is it, how is it to be accounted for, that God's Church as a whole is so feeble, and that the great majority of Christians are not living up to their privileges? There must be a reason for it. Has God not given Christ His Almighty Son to be the Keeper of every believer, to make Christ an ever-present reality, and to impart and communicate to us all that we have in Christ? God has given His Son, and God has given His Spirit. How is it that believers do not live up to their privileges?

In the context of Brother Andrew's paragraph above, the word privilege means, a special right, immunity, or exemption granted to persons in authority or office to free them from certain obligations or liabilities. In his mind all Christians have a responsibility to live in the Spirit as a result of their 'privledge' of salvation. This is not to understand privilege as we do in today's modern vernacular, but a privilege in that we need to be honoring the one who privileged us be removing the liability of the penalty of our sin! A death sentence! We need to be honoring God, the one who so privileged us (and made the same offer for privilege to all mankind we might add) by providing for us the Holy Spirit, and a means to walk in the Spirit rather than the world.

Brother Andrew and I see this similarly. The apparent lack of power of the Church to affect the world for Christ is a lethargy or apathy of the individual first, and the Church second. Using privilege as you and I understand it, it IS a privilege to be saved, but all too quickly, and all too often we forget the responsibilities that come with the privilege.

In a secular world the famous quote, "with great privilege comes great responsibility" seems to be familiar to most people. While it is most often misattributed to William Falkner is based on the old French proverb of, "Noblesse Oblique" which translates literally 'Nobility Obliqates/Obliges' - certainly applies in this instance. By the act of salvation granted upon us, we are made prices! Heirs to the Kingdom of God, equal inheritors with Christ Jesus our God and Savior as well as brother. With that price being paid, and with these privileges granted, we must live a life that expresses our nobility by mimicking the nobility we serve: A life as a servant. Living for the benefit of others, putting self last and others first in all instances. Walking two miles in the shoes of a brother, not just one, and giving our shirts as well when asked for our coat.

The privileges of nobility, as you can see, are upside down in God's economy. Christ being the King that we serve, proved His nobility by willingly giving His life for us. Yes, we are princes and will bear crowns. But the King we have subjected ourselves to is a King of servitude who washes feet, touches leapers, councils prostitutes, and the jewels of His crown were thorns not diamonds.

We need to be living a life in the Spirit, lead by the Spirit, RULED by the Spirit. The responsibility of the privilege granted is to do just that. Yes, it is difficult to 'kill the old man'. Yes it is difficult to die to self and live to serve others in an 'others-centered' life. But it is not only possible, it is our duty. If we lived like this, as we are supposed to, the church would look different, because we would BE different! The church would not be confused on issues like abortion and gay marriage, it would be united in a biblical standard of righteousness and truth that is indisputable. The church is feeble, because we are feeble.

Help us god, through the privilege of the Holy Spirit that we take our lives and walks seriously. Strengthen us Father that we may represent You and Your Light as we walk from place to place in our lives. Give us Peace oh, God that when we face trials that we might exude confidence that You are in charge, and that my sufferings are but dust in the wind for this short time.

Reformed Thinking - Avoid Apathy

2010-11-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

Philippians 4:12-16

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

I recently began reading a book about the Protestant Reformation period. The reading of this book caused me to consider what I thought was a more serious question. It made me look past the understanding of the ‘hows’ or ‘whys’ of the Reformation of the early 1500’s most identified with Martin Luther. While this is certainly interesting ground to cover that we would all do well to know, I instead began to ponder an even bigger and definitely more important question. How was it that Christianity got to the point where it needed a Reformation at all!

In the late 1400’s and early 1500’s there was a great deal of spiritual unrest. The Dark Ages earned that name for a reason. While religion was alive and well, most visibly in the Catholic Church, the laity was languishing at heart much like the enslaved Jews under Pharaoh. By this time the Catholic Church proper (Roman Catholic Denomination), had long since fallen prey to world. No longer headed by men of true spiritual greatness (if ever questionably), leadership in the RCC was now up for grabs to the highest bidder or most powerful ‘Lord’ or landowner. The feudal system caused well, lots of feuds, and out these feuds the winners often became church leaders as this was where the real power was. Not in government, but in the church.

So while religion was alive and well, relationship had long since died. The people, again comparing them to the enslaved Hebrews, were looking for a deliverer. Religion was just not cutting it for them, and personal faith, due mainly to illiteracy and the lack of bibles or biblical texts in the common language was essentially dead. Since no deliverer was apparent, or even very likely to come in such a divided world where the only centralized power was the church, the people began to get weary, and unruly. As this feeling spread it’s was from the laity in the church to some of the more obscure church leaders in smaller towns or areas far from the immediate reach of Rome, change was coming.

Martin Luther arose from this fray as a focal point of the need to bring faith back into the church. Fitting the description mentioned above to the “T”, Martin Luther was in fact a disgruntled priest himself. Handed a professorship in an unknown and new University in a comparatively small and unknown town of Wittenberg Germany, Luther put his thoughts to pen (or quill as the case may be), and nailed them to them to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, on October 31, 1517. Thus, with his 95 Theses nailed to that door, in the mind of most of the Christian faith began what is commonly referred to as the Protestant Reformation.

Last year about this time, God had really placed on my heart the history of Martin Luther, and the strength it required, spiritually and physically to stand firm in his defense of God’s word. He did so, virtually alone (at least in the public eye), and stood on the principals of sound biblical doctrine, placing the supremacy of scripture above all else. Sola Scriptura (in the Latin meaning “By Scripture Alone”) became the calling card of the Reformation.

All of this is good. Reformation was badly needed in the church at large. Luther and those supporting him, the feudal Lords, Princes, Regents and others in Theological Academia should be praised and remembered for what they have done. But back to my original question. How in the world do we as Christians, followers of Christ, allow ourselves and/or our churches to get to the point where scripture, God’s Holy Word is not the ultimate and only source of truth and doctrine? The answer is simple: Apathy.

Many would disagree with my assessment, placing large blame on the lack of common language bibles during the period prior to the Reformation. True enough. But scripture has been printed in the common language of the people for thousands of years! The Jews had the Pentateuch and more written in their language of Hebrew. New Testament scriptures had previously been made available in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. Take your pick. Later as the aristocrats and self proclaimed Theologians began debating scripture in Latin, the language of the educated elite, that the joy of reading God’s word and allowing Him to speak to you through it began to be taken away from the laity, and placed in the hands of the elite. Why did this happen? Apathy. The church leadership began to care more about the position, and entitlement, than they did about making sure the laity had access to God’s word. What’s worse yet, because of this apathy, the people could not have cared less.

In the process apathy working its slow strangulation on the laity of the church, the peace, joy, grace and love received from God’s word directly into the spirit of the reader. Clarity was gone. The ability to stand firm on truth was gone. Closeness faded and comfort was nowhere to be found. It is at this point, struggling to make sense of their lives, and languishing in pain and suffering, that the people begin to ask the question, “Why has God abandoned me?”, when just the opposite is true.

The Reformation did not happen because God had abandoned His people, and it did not occur because God had abandoned the Church. It occurred because the people had abandoned God and His word, and the daily need to seek Him first in all things. The Church became corrupt not overnight, but over a matter of decades and centuries of apathy. The church became corrupt, not because God had abandoned it, but because the Church had abandoned God.

I think of it this way. How bad does our apathy towards God have to be that we could not care less if we did not have had bibles to read? How apathetic are we as Christians if we got so used to day to day life, even going to church without our bibles? Sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? Well, that’s how it happened then, and for many of us, that’s where we are headed today.

How many people do you know that call themselves Christians, and yet do not take a bible to church, let alone read it during the week? Worse yet, how many churches or denominations do you know whose attendees do not take nor ever need a bible at church? For that matter, we actually have churches that discourage the bringing of bibles to church because it is only the ‘church’ and its priesthood that can ‘truly interpret’ scripture anyway?

Asking the question of how the church got to the point where a reformation was needed, the logical progression of this train of thought does not allow us to stop there. Because this happened before, we must therefore also ask the question: Do we need a reformation today? Are we so apathetic as Christians that we are allowing the ‘church’ to be sole in interpreter of scripture and not being like the Bereans and checking all things against scripture ourselves? Have we lost our desire to be in the Word that knowing God, knowing truth no longer matters?

We must examine ourselves, and we must examine our churches. Do not become apathetic ourselves, and do not allow your churches to become that way either. If you are not in a bible teaching church – get in one. If you go to church and do not need a bible, ask yourself, ‘why is that’, and ‘what am I learning/being taught here?’

Apathy is defined as absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement. Also it can be described as a lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting. As you can see it is not enough as a Christian just to be excited about Jesus. We have to be so excited about Jesus that we want to get others excited too! I find Jesus, my salvation, and my relationship to God exciting! If you are not so excited about Jesus and your relationship with God, and reading His Word daily, being in devotionals and prayer and desiring to know God more and more all the time, that YOU are apathetic as well.

Don’t allow yourself to get that way. Apathy creeps in slowly so that your prayer life suffers just a little, or that your devotional time becomes a little less and less each month. But in the end, apathy unchecked becomes an individual Christian, and eventually a church that could not care less that they no longer even need a bible.

Do we need a reformation today? Not just yes, but double yes.

We need a reformation of heart and commitment to God, so that God’s Holy Word and our relationship with Him become first and foremost in our lives. Secondly, we need a reformation of the Church corporate so that the Bible, the inerrant Word of God, becomes the one and only standard on which we all stand united. Unfortunately, and sadly, both seem to be true to Christians and the Christian church today. Without change, we are headed towards another ‘Dark Age’.

Reformation starts within.

A Harvest of Souls & A Harvest of Blessings

2010-11-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

What a weekend we have just had. As most of you know, two weekends ago Greg Laurie, along with guest speaker Lorenzo Romar and Nick Vujicic came to Seattle to share the gospel and messages of hope. Seattle Harvest 2010 also included bands such as The Katinas, Crystal Lewis, Jeremy Camp, Revive, Hawk Nelson, Kutless, Jars of Clay and Mercy Me spread out over the three day Crusade. While the purpose of this Harvest Crusade was to bring lost and hurting people to Christ, and it was a great success at that with over 3,000 people in attendance coming to Christ, the effects on those who went there to serve may have been just as profound. I have been sock for most of the last week, so this is my first opportunity to share on that weekend.

The message of the gospel is AWESOME! It is emotional – it is powerful, and as scripture says the word of God is power unto salvation. Even for born-again believers it is nice to have the reminder of the simplicity of the gospel once in a while. We need to be mindful of that. But we are also called to make the gospel known through our lives, and testimony as we serve God in our families, churches and communities. This portion of the weekend was so very important for us as believers; to be there to serve the body of Christ in the reaching of those new believers, and being there for them from now on.

Being there on the floor as the Key Arena praying with and for those people who had just committed their lives to Christ (and in such volume!), was an experience that will not be forgotten by those who served. Not only that, but it should be something that is strongly desired by those who didn’t.

After Sunday night’s event it was determined that well over 3,000 people had given their lives to Jesus at that event. What that means is that for me, and all the others that attended all three nights, is that we were able to witness as many people get saved in three days as Peter did in one on the Day of Pentecost! What an awesome thought. Then I began to think of why these things happened. What was it that on both of these occasions many people were brought to a saving faith in Jesus Christ?

First of all, the message of the gospel was preached clearly proudly and without reservation. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation. We heard that said over and over at the Crusade. Secondly, there was an expectation that God’s Word was going to have an effect on the people to whom it was being preached. Thirdly, the people who had the faith stood up and made themselves heard! They worked hard in a concerted effort. The Christians responded to the need for service to reach the unbelievers.

Evangelism and making disciples requires active labor on all our parts. We have to know God’s Word first. We have to have not only a firm foundation in the understanding of the gospel, but we have to have enough faith in it to shout it from the tree tops knowing that it is real! We must have no doubts, no hesitations. As James says in chapter one of the book of James, “…you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” What James says here plays into the second factor of expectation. If we believe it, and live it, than we will expect big things from God! I’m not talking big things like finding a million dollars, or fancy cars, excellent paying jobs or fame, I’m talking about spiritual things. We should expect great spiritual things from God.

And lastly, we must be willing to take on the job! Evangelism does not get done by itself. When the call is made, we cannot stand still in our places of comfort and security in our salvation and be satisfied that getting saved ourselves is enough. If we love the Lord, we must take on the calling that He has given us all – to make disciples! That includes everyone.

Many will say, “but I’m not called to be an evangelist”. Well, wrong. You are. Everyone who answers the call to salvation is called to take the gospel to the people. EVERYONE. To say, “I’m not called to do that”, or worse yet, “I don’t ‘feel’ called to do that”, is to have a less than complete understanding of your Christianity.

Remember, there is a difference between a gift, and a calling. If you are gifted by God in one form or another, you know you are called to use that gift. However, you will be called to do things every day of your life that you are not “gifted in”, and/or do not “feel” like doing. Get over it – and get to work giving God the glory and honor He deserves for saving your sad sinful behind in spite of the fact that you deserved nothing of the sort. No one said being a Christian would be easy. No one said that being a follower of Jesus Christ was going to be a life warm siestas, full bellies, and all the bills getting paid on time. His burden is only light, if you accept the load. Never getting off the couch and into the action of evangelism and the making of disciples is not an option God gave us.

This putting of our faith to work is something sadly lacking in so many believers these days. To me it is most sad because the ones who don’t feel lead to serve, are the real people missing out.

Serving three days in a row at an event like the Harvest Crusade, getting there an hour and a half early and stay an hour or longer after requires some sacrifice… and I would do it again in a hear beat.

Why? Because we, the workers, the servants, are the ones that are truly blessed! We got to see lives change before our eyes. We got to see families restored. We got to see hearts understanding forgiveness for the first time. We got to see the Holy Spirit ministering to people in ways you just don’t see every day. I got to see my son’s faith become his own as he shared his heart with others and prayed with them as they came to the Lord. I was blessed to see my other children, a son and daughter sing and dance with the joy of the Lord really getting into their own heartfelt worship – alongside 16,000 others!

It was amazing. God gifted us workers with a blessing of such joy and privilege that only His grace can afford to provide. I wish all of you could have been there. Our lives were truly blessed, and to Gods goes all the glory.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road...

2010-11-05T11:13:00.000-07:00

Taken from Lide Magazine

James 1:22-25
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

The rubber meets the road today. The Christian churches in the area were asked several months ago to team up with Greg Laurie Sr. Pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship, a Calvary chapel affiliate from Riverside California, and support an evangelic outreach event called Seattle Harvest. The event is tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at the Key Arena in downtown Seattle. The event is free, and there will be musical concerts, an awesome array of speakers and guests, and the message of Hope and Salvation to be shared with tens of thousands of people by Pastor Greg.

We look at events like this, sort of a modernized Billy Graham Crusade for those struggling to put a face on the event, and we see this event is geared towards reaching those unreached people for Christ, and it certainly is. But it is so much more. And we’ll get to that in a minute.

This world is an evil and dark place. We have been called to do our part in taking God’s word and making disciples of people from all over the world. While great emphasis and ‘legitimacy’ has been assigned to Christian missionary work over-seas, and around the globe, for the most part domestic evangelism has ceased to be thought of as worthy, legitimate or even serious in comparison. ‘The United States is a Christian nation, why do we need to do domestic evangelism?’ Well excuse me if I hurt your little feelings here, but Christian brothers and sisters, have you looked around you lately? America looks to be far from Christian from here on the ground.

While American Christians have been funding 80% of world missions, we have spend little precious little time and effort or money here in this country. As a result, we are losing America. Not just because of the ride of unbelievers, and the accelerated growth of Islam and the popular cults, but because Christians here are no longer holding to biblical truths as the foundations to their faith. Christianity in America is now setting their faith standards on societal norms or the majorital opinions of their congregation, rather than the inerrant word of God. The bible is no longer truth; it’s just a ‘resource’ of a set of recommended guidelines. Oh, how far we have fallen.

This Harvest event may be designed to reach those for Christ that to this point in their lives have not had the opportunity to do so, to preach the gospel message of hope to a generation that needs it so badly, and it is. But like I said earlier, it is so much more. Seattle Harvest is designed from the ground-up to be an event to reach people for Jesus. That’s the result of that will be found by those who attend the rally as visitors, as those invited by friends and family, by those called and appointed by God to be there to hear the message of Jesus. But what is the effect on the others?

Almost a year ago, Greg asked the churched in this area and it’s members to help him in pulling off this Harvest event to reach the unreached. But what Greg was really asking of us the ‘church’ in this one of the most un-churched areas in the United States, was to put our faith and calling into action; to not be just hearers of the Word but doers of the Word. Greg has asked us to take our life in Christ seriously enough to be there when there is work to be done, to pick up God’s hammer of Grace, to pull the plows of peace, to share the hope that is in us, and to make war – not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Greg has asked those of us who call ourselves Christians to prove it.

Talk is CHEAP. Grace is not.

Will you join me?

Sacrifice & Brokeness: Signs of Life

2010-11-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 10:1-4

1 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

I don’t think anyone takes great joy in being reminded of their sins. I know I don’t. But yet, this element of our Christian walk is important too.

If we look at biblical history the law in its entirety is designed to show us our sin, and to point us to Christ, who is our salvation from the penalty of that sin. This is just a simple gospel message, and it is not hard for us to grasp. While trying to understand why God would do such a thing (make a way for blatant sinners to find their way into heaven), and the mysterious and miraculous incarnation of Jesus and his atoning sacrifice - may be a bit more difficult But the fact remains, it has happened. What we need to concentrate on is not the why of God’s plan, but rather to simply be grateful for it.

Up to the point of Christ’s work on the cross, all things that happened in God’s plan for His people happened with a foreshadowing of things to come; not just ‘things’, but ‘good things’. We now live in the time of ‘good things”! It is good that the work of salvation is done. It is good that we live with the hope of things to come, knowing that all will be glorified by God. It is good that while we still live in a fallen world, the things of glory and eternal await our arrival in the presence of Jesus. But I also feel that it is good that we get the occasional reminder of our depravity before God.

James was good enough to provide us with the biblical truth that temptation in and of itself is not a sin. My good friend Justin Alfred is always kind enough to remind me that it is not the sin that defines the man, it’s the brokenness, or lack thereof, that will define a man ( or woman) of God. Getting back to James he knew that a life without sacrifice, sacrifice of self and the flesh for the work of the kingdom is a life devoid of the fruit of your salvation and appreciation to Christ for His work. A lazy spiritual life removed from being in action for the kingdom, is a life removed from the Spirit of God, a place none of us would choose to be. Getting back to Justin, his reminder is one of grace, practicality and truth. As long as we live, in spite of the Spirit being alive in us, we will have failures. But what do we do with that failure? Do we brush it under the rug without a word spoken, moving on to the next inevitable failure, or do we confess and repent? It is our brokenness in our sin before god that defines us as a Christian who recognizes his place before a pure and prefect righteousness in God.

While it may not be a great idea to seek out reminders of our sinful nature so that we are mindful of our place before a Holy God, it is good that we have them from time to time just the same. Just as the sacrifices in ancient Israel were reminders to the people of the sin before God, it was a regular reminder that we must have a saving relationship with our Creator.

In short, our sin should remind us of our separation from God, and our brokenness should bring us to a place of humble submission and reverence for a God that has done so much for us – when we never deserved it.

Most Important...Most Neglected?

2010-10-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

As I was reviewing for an upcoming bible study, I found myself spending more time than usual on word definitions, meanings, colloquialisms, idioms and figures of speech. And then, much to the danger of us all - I got to thinking.

The fact that we have the bible to read is such a blessing. God is well aware of our shortcomings, and in spite of being made in the image of God, we are god’s ourselves. We don’t know everything; He does. For this reason, knowing that man would fall, and would need to be given a path to find our way back to Him, He provided through divine inspiration the bible – His Word – to have, to read, to gain direction and to grow by. Scripture tells us in several places in the New Testament that what was hidden has been revealed through Christ. That what we need to know we will find in Him and through His example.

What a gift we have been given in the bible. I used to always say that the greatest gift that man have been given through Christ was prayer, in that we have an immediate way to communicate with the Father with Jesus as our personal intercessor anytime we like. I also thought that this was perhaps the most accessible, and yet most untapped resource we as Christians have. I mean, who does not wish they had a better prayer life? Who does not wish that their communication with their Creator was more open, fresh, revealing and intimate? Even those with the most excellent prayer life are aware that it can be better.

But after today, I wonder that point. Is prayer life the best gift we have been given in furthering our relationship with God? Is prayer life the most accessible gift we have that helps us strengthens our relationship with God and gain a better closeness with Jesus, and yet the most neglected? Because, I’m beginning to think that perhaps it’s not. I’m beginning wonder if the greatest, most powerful and important and yet most neglected gift given to us is the bible itself.

Outside of the general statements erroneously accredited to the bible like, “God helps those who help themselves”, and “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”, neither of which are found in scripture, there is much declared as having been spoken in the bible which in fact is not. Equally, there is much in scripture that is summarily dismissed or sections disregarded in one form or another so that the bible better suits our culture, personal emotive standards or our self designed Christian ‘faith’.

The disciples asked how to pray. They had no idea. Their religion had built a wall between them and God. Their Priests had placed themselves as intermediaries between the Jews and God. Their traditions had become a hindrance to their growth. Communicating with God in this intimate and personal manner was new to them so they asked. But they knew how to study. And while they needed some explanation to make proper interpretations, Jesus became the ‘secret decoder ring’ to the Old Testament scriptures explaining, exposing and fulfilling them all at the same time. The disciples ate this up. They would sit for hours upon hours listening to Jesus, God incarnate, the Living Word, speaking to them the heart of the gospel, and the heart of the Father. Based upon this, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we have those thoughts, notes and experiences to read for ourselves – explained through the Words, actions and character of Christ.

I’m baffled sometimes by how little Christians know their bible, and even more surprised when I find out how little desire there is in some to be in their bible, and reading! Someone recently asked Pastor Chuck Smith how long he had studied for the sermon that he had just shared, and his answer was 60 years! If by God’s will Chuck is with us in another 10 years his answer will surely be, “70 years!”

We are encouraged to pray always, but we are also encouraged to study to show ourselves approved, to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17), searching the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), washing our wives in the Word (Ephesians 5:26), and to always be ready to offer an explanation for the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15). We cannot do those things without being in the Word of God.

Why do we find it incredibly easy to neglect it so?

The only truth relative to our growth as Christians is found in the Bible. Encouragement is found there. Glory is found there. Salvation is found there. It is our foundation, our spiritual food, our direction for life. It is the source for all absolute, and the resting place of the foundation of eternal life. Yet how many of them collect dust all week long, and are lucky to come off of the shelf for Sunday, let alone to be found resting in our laps –exactly where the Lord desires you and I to be?

We need to rethink our commitment to God’s Word in scripture. We need to be settled on scripture being the inerrant Word of God, believe it, and LIVE it.

Let us all recommit ourselves to our bible reading, study and memorization. More importantly, we need to make the bible the centerpiece of our home, in conversation, and practice. Place one on the coffee table, or in every conspicuous place where it can be seen y those who enter your home. Let the bible be where your heart is.

Vigilance: It Cannnot Be Done While Sitting

2010-10-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

I Peter 5:8-9

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

So much is said throughout scripture. Some of it is heavy on theology defining Christianity, its beliefs, standards and God’s character. The gospel message of The Savior Jesus Christ permeates the bible from beginning to end. But the overwhelming majority of scripture is simply stories, parables and other telling that either directly show us, or intimate to us a practical, Godly way to live.

In the passage that I was taken to today in I Peter, Peter is speaking specifically to church elders or leaders. Peter however, was a man who had experienced much with regards to the joy of walking with Jesus, to the utter failure of falling away at the moment that Jesus needed him most going so far as to deny Jesus with anathema. Yet, despite the prototypical roller-coaster life Peter lived – after finding his real faith at the sea-side breakfast prepared by Jesus Himself, he stayed faithful to the bitter end. And remember, the end was bitter for Peter, as church history credits Peter dying a martyr’s death, crucified upside down on an “X” shaped cross. Peter, knew love, he knew the wiles of the enemy, and more than any man that walked in those days, Peter knew Grace.

Knowing Grace, Peter applied it will liberality, and skill. But he also knew that after knowing your salvation is assured, that there was still much work to be done, and that resting on one’s laurels was simply not possible, if for no other reason than for self preservation.

Leadership is critical in any organization. Perhaps more so in an organization that deals with the solving of conflicts and problems, or one that is responsible for the proper dispersal of benefits. Take government, any government as an example. Poor leadership leads to corruption, and corruption eventually leads to collapse. Look at the CEO’s of major corporations. They must have solid control if their profits are to continue to grow, or the business collapses. Peter knew that because of the Grace gifted to us by God, that leadership was critical. He also knew that while Grace is an indispensible element of the Christian walk, applying it so liberally that sin is overlooked, or that poor leadership is allowed to continue, not only endangers the individual, but the church as a whole. If there’s an infection in the brain, the whole body suffers.

Peter understood that self control, in conjunction with an ever vigilant attitude and posture against the injection of sin, corruption, and apathy was a necessary posture for all believers. He warns us that in spite of our ‘warm fuzzy’ feeling associated with our salvation, that we cannot allow that peace that surpasses all understanding to hypnotize us into a position of lethargy that opens us up to an enemy that is constantly seeking to stumble or steal you.

Peter tells his readers that self control and vigilance are staples to a Christian character. If we are celebrating our Christianity in such as way that we are not practicing self control from the sin that seeks us, and being vigilant to always be looking for the enemy trying to find his way into our lives and walks, that we could be in trouble.

His continued encouragement in verse 9 tells us, like James did as well, that faith without works is dead, that faith requires work, and that we will be required to not simply stand, but resist! As Paul tells us in I Timothy 6, we must not just flee the things of sin, but seek righteousness! Sometimes fleeing is not enough, and we need to seek God in the midst of our resistance in order to replace what the enemy is trying to corrupt, with the incorruptible God.

And here’s where a little Peter style Grace comes into play. He gives us a reminder of something that Peter himself could have used in his time of trouble. None of us are alone in our struggle. None of us.

I Corinthians 10:13 is the key:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

We are not alone – at any time. Firstly we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, rely on Him. Secondly, we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses that the author of Hebrews tells us enables us to lay aside even the heaviest weight – bearing each other’s burdens of course.

As a combat veteran of the United States Infantry, we used to have a saying (well we had many, but this one I can share): “Peace – Through Superior Firepower”. As Christians we have peace, through superior Faith Power, through superior Prayer Power, through Superior Fellowship Power, and because of Superior Grace. In our freedom, joy and peace, let us never rest on our hind-quarters. We do not battle against man, but against powers that seek to devour and destroy us. Like Nehemiah, let us be watchmen on the wall, standing guard in faith. Faith that we have peace in Christ, and faith that when we do hit those fiery trials, that Jesus is always there to put out the fires.

Hope Reigns Eternal

2010-10-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:24

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

I received an email yesterday morning. Well, actually, between the more than half-dozen email accounts I have to use in order to keep up with many assets of my daily responsibilities I received 238 in total, but one stood out.

This email happened to come from my sister. She had sent me an email regarding former Chief Justice of the Alabama State Supreme Court Roy Moore. Justice Moore’s career seems to have been one of exemplary service. Having graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, Moore first served in several posts as a military police officer, including Fort Benning, Georgia, and Illesheim, Germany before being sent to South Vietnam. Moore left the United States Army as a captain in 1974, and was admitted to the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa that same year. He graduated in 1977 with a Juris Doctor degree.

Moore spent the majority of his life in public service of one form or another. However, what justice Moore is best known for is his firm refusal to remove a plaque that contained the Ten Commandments from his courtroom walls. After receiving some initial complaints, Justice Moore decided to take action. Rather than remove the plaque from his courtroom, he commissioned a 5,280 lb monument carved in black granite to be placed in the rotunda of the Alabama State Supreme Court. During the unveiling ceremony Justice Moore said, “Today a cry has gone out across our land for the acknowledgment of that God upon whom this nation and our laws were founded....May this day mark the restoration of the moral foundation of law to our people and the return to the knowledge of God in our land."

For his efforts, on October 30, 2001, the ACLU of Alabama, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Southern Poverty Law Center were among groups which filed suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, asking that the monument be removed because it "sends a message to all who enter the State Judicial Building that the government encourages and endorses the practice of religion in general and Judeo-Christianity in particular."

In outright defiance of [authors note: unlawful] rulings from Federal Courts and Judges, Justice Moore refused to remove the monument. Moore argued that he would not remove the monument, as doing so would violate his oath of office. He stated:

“[The monument] serves to remind the Appellate Courts and judges of the Circuit and District Court of this State and members of the bar who appear before them, as well as the people of Alabama who visit the Alabama Judicial Building, of the truth stated in the Preamble to the Alabama Constitution that in order to establish justice we must invoke 'the favor and guidance of almighty God.”

Justice Moore was right in what he said, and right in taking his stand for truth and Christianity. We are living in a time when Romans chapter 1:18-20 has come to pass; “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

While I look about at the world we live in, my heart has no doubt that we live in the last days. For mankind to live in such a state of depravity and to not just call it good, but to flaunt it in the faces of Christians calling us “fundamentalists” or “radicals” because of our conservative biblical Christian values is all the proof we need.

So how do we live in the face of this turning tide of hedonism? With hope eternal.

In my exchange with my sister she responded to me with just one simple sentence. “Hope reigns eternal.” How right she is Hope does reign eternal. We have seen hopes become reality in the lives of people we felt had little chance at all to come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. I sit here at this desk typing this message today as a prime example of that. I may not be able to call myself the Chief of all Sinners like the Apostle Paul did, but I sure was a decorated Lieutenant rising in the ranks of those opposed to God.

We do not know what the future holds for this nation, or for your neighbor or loved one. But life without hope is a life already lost. Justice Moore lives with a hope that he cannot see. We should be doing the same. Living a peaceful life having all your hopes and dreams fulfilled is a wonderful thing. But as a Christian, is that reality ever capable of being met? I ask that question because as a Christian we are required to live an others centered life. If others are suffering, we should be sharing in that burden. If our neighbors are poor, we should be seeking to lift those people out of poverty, supply jobs, skills and opportunity for growth. If our friends and family are lost, eternally dead in their human tents, separated from God, we should not rest until we have given our last full measure in an attempt to show them Jesus. Hope can we do this? By living in hope of things we cannot yet see, but yearn for with all of our sacred being.

Hope truly does reign eternal. Thanks Deb for the reminder.

All Creation Waits

2010-10-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Colossians 1:15-20

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Inspirations for my devotionals come from a variety of places. It may be from a reading that I have been going through. It may be from a thought that comes to mind that causes me to research a topic or theme. Sometimes it is just a feeling that I have or a mood that I am in that will drive me to be comforted by the Word, or to be lead by it.

As I have mentioned before, I was born and raised on a small farm. Dad’s farm adjoined large tracts of unmolested lands that were free for hiking, biking, hunting, horseback riding and all sort of leisure recreation. I spent my formative years, not behind a desk or on a sports team, but rather in the deciduous woods of western, PA. If I wasn’t hunting or trapping, I was tracking and scouting and learning that terrain like it was the back of may hand. While I knew my Dad owned just a small tract in comparison to the vast forests I roamed, but it sure felt like it was all mine.

I’d see some of the same deer over and over to the point where I’d give them nick-names. I’d visit the same creek crossings and field divides and just sit and watch for hours. I’d stand there in wonder of the wonder. How could such an awesome place exist, and what’s my role in it? I pursued that wonder for a long time. I started college to be a biologist, and then to be a teacher of biology. Then, who knows what happened. I grew. I changed. But I’ve never lost that wonder.

My thoughts that I put to paper today are not meant to draw us into a heart of conservation, or ecology, or to debate the value of recycling or, validity of global warming, or even as our God-given responsibility of stewardship over our natural resources. I write today simply because I cannot look or even consider nature, this world – and not give thanks to God.

It’s called natural revelation. It’s a theological term for God revealing Himself through creation itself. That wonderment that stifled me in the awe of the great outdoors in my youth, was an inner yearning to know God. My God shaped hole was filled by creation. Not just the outdoors and all that it has to offer, but in my children. The birth of our three children drove me to a place of contemplation that I knew I would never be released from until I could reconcile the fact my children were no accident, and that the button noses and toothless smiles were descendant of some Neanderthal-like creature, or worse yet an accident of nature itself when some random strike of lightning impacted a mud-puddle.

When I look over the hills and trees and canyons of this country, I know that nature is not an accident. When I look into the eyes of my children, I know that they are not a result of some cataclysmic storm, but that they were designed, and made in the image of God.

I’m humbled by God, in some small way, nearly every day of my life, and I’m a better man for it. The idea that my intellect can define who God is and how He does things is crazy. The thoughts of His mind, and the reasons that cause things to be done or not done, is so far beyond me that it is almost embarrassing to think that I can even conceive of those thoughts. But, I am made in His image, and all that is made, we are told is for us to care for, enjoy, and use to bring glory to Him.

After all, His work has been done to reconcile us to Him. And not just us, but all creation. All that has been created has been made sinful and dark and spoiled, and placed into an ever-ongoing state of decay, physically and spiritually. Let us be reminded daily to make peace with Him as we are washed by the blood of His sacrifice.

Thank you God for your creation, as it is your creation that has driven me home.

Understanding God Means Understanding Suffering

2010-09-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

I Peter 4:1-6

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

I’m so looking forward to going through this book with our church in the not too distant future, if the Lord continues to lead in this direction. In the mean time, going through the books of Peter and James, repeatedly, to prepare myself for this past has been, and continues to be an awesome experience. Additionally, God is using it in my life to open spiritual doors revealing passages I should have traveled long ago.

The first thing that any congregant must know about their pastor is his humanness. Pastors are fallen sinful people just as the rest of those in the body of Christ. What makes them different is their calling, not their righteousness. Look back at the choosing of the nation of Israel by God to be His focal point all throughout history. Many fell along the way. More importantly, many learned from those who fell, and committed to a more serious life to Jesus. Any pastor or church leader who sets themselves up above their congregants in quality of person or Christian, as opposed to simply doing their best to be a Godly leader according to his calling, is setting himself up for a terrible fall.

In my walk and sanctification, God has revealed to me many things. Accordingly, I have done my best to adapt to those revelations accordingly by choosing to let the Spirit lead me more and more each day, and giving each area God desires of me, over to Him. This process, while necessary, and slow to come, is one that I must embrace as a Christian – painful as it might be. To not do so, to not go with the leading of our sanctification as the Lord calls is to deny that Jesus is our Lord (and not just savior), and worse yet, to deny the Holy Spirit in our obligation as confessed Christians to deny ourselves and pick up the cross that God has said before us with obedience – as painful as it might be. I am no different. God is calling me to change. If I deny the call to change, I’m denying God’s leadership in my life.

Peter was an amazing man. For many reasons. To rise to the level of the man he became, required that he lower himself into the servant of God he thought he was. See what I mean?

Remember what John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease”. For three years, Peter saw himself as increasing. He was with Jesus with a select group of 12 men. Of those 12, he was part of a select group of three. He was spoken to directly by the Holy Spirit to reveal to Peter that Jesus was in fact the Son of God, savior to all (Mark 8, Luke 4). Peter was special. He is the only disciple to defend Jesus’ physical life, and did so by wielding his sword in the true manner of someone whose career is that of a fisherman: by nearly missing altogether and only cutting of an ear. Peter was a well respected and honorable disciple that was truly looked up to as a Sr. leader on that group of twelve; at least in his mind. Perhaps in the minds of the other disciples too. However, God had bigger plans for him than just peer popularity. To rise to that level at which God had intended for him to be used, Peter had to endure, and find out that maturing really means becoming less, decreasing, so that he might be increase in a Godly way.

Suffering was something Peter had to endure. He was chastised by Christ, he ran away from the scene in the garden after raising his sword, and denied Jesus three times, the third time with anathema. The rest of the disciples knew this and it took Jesus Himself in His resurrected body to go to Peter, one on one, and get things worked out. To bring Peter back into the fold of a Christ follower, Peter had to realize that the suffering he had gone through already was just slight in comparison to what was coming. More so, that all these sufferings were nothing in the grand scheme of things when compared to the Glory that would be bestowed upon him, and all believers, in the heavens for eternity.

Peter understood, intimately, that to be used by Christ to his fullest potential, the potential that was divinely enumerated to him that he must die to himself. He knew that the things of his old life, his old ways, and the ways of the gentiles would have to be put behind him. I’m sure that a litany of old fishing buddies and their fish stories and their lifestyle and behavior so commonly attributed to men of the sea, would have to be left behind, in favor of the new man created in him, and renewed daily by his faith.

We too must do the same. Things we value, if not equally valued by God, must decrease, so that what God has for us can increase. Old friends and old ways, MUST be left behind, so that the new man can grow and blossom in the service of God. If you categorize yourself as Christian, you MUST do the same. To think you can live a life unchanged by the Holy Spirit alive in you as a mark sealing you to Jesus, is akin to believing that there is more than one way to heaven, and that perhaps Jesus really isn’t the Way, Truth and Life. There are some things about Christianity and it’s doctrine that we can debate, and there are some things for which the bible leaves us no room for error. Living like the old man, is not compatible with living a life for Christ, or a life save by God. Scripture is clear, the old man must die.

In truth, we realize this. In reality, we find it hard to crucify what was once our way of life. But we must. Living for Jesus means not living for the last, but to satisfy the calling for our future. Pray daily that we are given the strength to do this through the Holy Spirit. We must give all to Him. Think of this as our way of decreasing. Receive what God offers to us, no matter how small or insignificant it seems, and deem it to be increase, for we know it is good. To God be all the glory.

New Vision

2010-09-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

I Corinthians 4:7

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

I’m not sure why, at least yet, but God really has me going through some changes. It is not that I do not want to change, because quite frankly any change away from what I was or have been, can only be good as long as the leading is of God. But I see things differently. Compassion is more real. As funny as it may seem, reality is more real. Simple decisions are not just being brought to God, but being weighed to determine if they are really even legitimate questions I should be asking, or directions I should be going. In other words, if you should not be going in that direction, why do you have to worry about a decision that takes you that way?

I know that some get to this point and really hit a cross roads in their faith. I guess in the end you have to. What happens is that something awakens in you by the hands of God working in your Spirit. In the process, He places glasses on you that cause you to see things a little more through His heart, which is of course a desirable thing – unless of course you do not want to change.

Funny thing is, can we really be sure that God has not tried to put these glasses over our eyes earlier? I mean, think about that. If He had, would we really know it anyway? Or would that attempt have been forgotten by us, buried deeply in a subconscious fallen, human, sinful mind? Would our own fleshly agendas and desires buried God’s attempt at sanctification and increased righteous thinking in our hearts and minds simply because we had already decided to take the path of our choice anyway? If one does not desire to change, any simply reason becomes a worthy enough excuse to deny the calling of the Holy Spirit into a righteous lifestyle, simply because we want to keep our fleshly lifestyle all the more.

God is changing my heart. Things that used to anger me, now simply make me weep with the thought of the lost soul, the fallen societal morals that are behind it, or the simple thought of how this situation/incident/decision might look if “God” were infused into it. I ache for a more simple life, as God is not complicated, but desires us to be like children so that He can minister to us in more useful ways. Important things become less important. Other things, things that were things of God all along anyway - but were overlooked by the business of life, or the indifference of our flesh-driven world, are coming more into a Christly focus. More clear to His vision, and more convicting to mine.

There are things in my life that, after having put years of labor and focus into, not to mention a level of importance in my life that maybe they should not have been, I’m perfectly willing to walk away from now, if in fact that is what god calls me to do. Knowing that God could call us to go anywhere, do anything or say any word at any time has always been a no brainer to me. Seeing Christians who refuse to consider that God might use them outside of their own little comfortable box refuse to act, or even pray about a calling that God might have for them used in a way they did not want to be used, used to infuriate me. How can you call yourself a Christian at all, and sit there in your chair, all snug as a bug in the rug, and throw your hands up at the very idea that god might call you to do something uncomfortable to you, is beyond my comprehension, and just made me want to grab people by the shoulders and exclaim, “Do you understand you’re telling God NO!?” Now I just want to cry for them, and pray for them, and thanks God that He has given ME the grace and strength to change. Something about horses being lead to water comes to mind…

More than anything, this work in me has shown me more clearly than ever that everything belongs to Him. All that IS, is His. All that I desire is His to give or keep. All that I need is His to provide. Any change in my life that is for the better, begins with Him, and ends with me. All things that are good are His to give, and He desires to do so.

But this is the biggest change of all: I have understanding that everything He chooses to give me IS good, or He would not give it to me.

Be it victory, or trial. If it’s from God, it is good for me. Be it a new path to travel, or a new burden to bear, it’s good for me. If it is a new direction in life, a new job, or a new hair-style – if it is a call from God, shame on me for not believing that it is good.

To get to this point one thing must happen in our relationship with God. We simply get to the point where we say, “God, I give up. EVERYTHING is about you now”, and then release our flesh so that the Spirit leads. So that all we see is the look of our lives, and our witness through the lenses of God’s righteousness. It is easy to confess that as we do things we must do them all for the Glory of God. We can all agree on that I’m fairly certain.

But first, we have to do them.

Memories...

2010-09-24T13:08:00.000-07:00

Do We Really Grow Up To Become Our Parents?

Matthew 10:42

"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

Last night my family and I attended the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup. What a great time we had, but boy, it can be an expensive trip.

By all standards of reference, attendance was down in all areas near as I can tell from reports. But hey, let's face it; the economy isn't the greatest right now. People are in dire straits. Ends are hard to meet or are not meeting at all. At any rate, discretionary income is at its lowest level in years, and so everyone is cutting back. The one good thing about that is this - it's less crowded, and the lines for everything are shorter.

As we walked around I noticed quickly that there were fewer vendors. Trade show type exhibits were smaller, and some of the people that we have seen there for years are just simply not there. As our populace relies more and more on our government to bail them out, or to give them some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, the reality is that things are getting worse for the majority of Americans.

As I pondered this thought, I really did begin to pray for our country and the people here. Our leadership in this nation lacks so much in so many areas. Foreign policy, if we have one, is an utter failure. Domestic policies have us on the fast-track to total socialism. Our Congress continually passes legislation that 65-70% of Americans oppose. The elite are ruling what is quickly becoming a subjugated middle-class who are seen as only servants to those in power. All I could think was, "Come Lord Jesus!"

Throughout my childhood, I knew inside my parents loved me. I do not remember my Dad telling me that in words until I was 24 years old and married, but I know the love was there. Growing up on a farm, life was hard, but while we may have had a lot of hand-me-downs, and lacked the latest styles in tennis shoes or didn't have the biggest birthday parties, I had enough. Thinking back, I see how hard we did have it, and also how hard mom & Dad had to work to provide for us 5 children. While I may not have had the Converse All-Star hi-tops that everyone else had and that I always wanted, what I was given was an appreciation for what we did have, and one thing that can never be taken away: Memories.

Walking through the animal barns last night holding hands with my kids, and an arm around my wife I was suddenly 10 years old again myself. In my mind I was the little one holding my Dad's hand, and looking up into his eyes. I remembered the hard life on the farm, and was so appreciative of the lessons that it taught me. I was once again skipping through the barns of the Butler County Fair back in western PA. I was reminded of the importance of the agrarian lifestyle, and how the hard work of so few feed this nation, and for a large part the world.

I remembered admiring not just the farm animals, but the men that owned and worked their farms and how proud I was that some of the best known farmers in the area knew my name and who my Dad was. Names like Knauff, Drueschel, Beahm, Knox and Scheibel may mean little or nothing to you, but they were legendary in the western PA farming community - and they knew my Dad! Wow! I remember the excitement knowing that I was going to get paid 50 cents a day for my work plowing the fields, putting in hay or working in the grain silos. Money I saved to put together $15.00 to become the first Spithaler in history to take a ride in an airplane; rides they sold at the annual Farm Show event for the $15.00 I worked all summer to save. I remembered the satisfaction I felt knowing the dirt that was rubbing off onto the towel even after my shower, was because I had put in a hard day's work.

Perhaps more than anything, I remembered the joy I felt being at the Fair with my family. I knew that this break from the labors of farm life was a well earned reward, and that my Mom and Dad had earned it as well. Days at the Fair or Farm Show were memories that could not be taken away - fond memories of my youth, family life, and the relationship I had with my Mom and Dad.

Then it happened. I was then struck by God with a firm reminder that my children are a gift from Him, and I wondered to myself: Am I making the same memories for my kids today that my parents made for me 35 years ago? Tears welled up, and all I could do was mutter a few prayers under my breath, knowing that the Lord would here, and hoping that my wife would not (grown men should not be caught crying at the fair after all). Well, she caught me anyway- but I did not know how to fully explain how i felt. At least in such a way that I would not totally break down in tears for everyone to see.

The family is God's design, and the most foundational element of society that He has created. We owe it to Him, and to our spouses and children to do all we can to make sure that family is loved and nurtured, supported, and cared for, and given our best attention and strongest most sincere love. Christ died for all of us as sinners so that we might be reconciled to God, and our sins fully forgiven. But He lived a perfect life to be an example of the love that we are to have for His children, and our families that He has gifted us with.

I cannot imagine being blessed with a more wonderful family. God is perfect, yet I am not, and so I pray today that the Lord bless me personally, and all of us corporately, that our Father gives us Wisdom, peace, kindness, caring, love and peace as we do our best in our failed, weak human bodies to live up to the example that Jesus gave us. Without fail, we must be certain to give God the thanks and glory for all that He has done to mold and shape these leaky vessels thus far.

Obama Sells Out US Sovereignty to the UN Over AZ Imigration

2010-09-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

Because Barak Obama knows that without the vote of the Hispanics in the next election that he has no chance whatsoever of getting reelected, he is hard at work. Not only is he doing all he can to legalize (and thereby give the right to vote) to the estimated 13-15 Million illegal aliens in the US from Mexico (along with who knows how many Muslim and Al Quida members and supporters), he has now filed suit with the United Nations claiming human rights abuses against his own State of Arizona!

In any previous generation, this would have been viewed as TREASON, and it should today. I cannot fathom in my mind a sitting President of this nation SUING a State within this Nation that he has sworn to protect and serve, in a Federal Court via the United Nations! it's simply incomprehensible and the word needs to get out.

This monster we have for a President, must go. I pray for him and this nation continuually. I honor and respect his office, but I dispise tha man and his obvious agenda to destroy this nation. If anything is worthy of imnpeachment, this is it.

What follows is copied in large part from Topix.com.
_____________________________________________

The battle over immigration and the challenge to Arizona's sound and reasonable immigration law has reached a new low. That low is President Obama's character.

President Obama's State Department has filed an unprecedented report with the United Nations Human Rights Council citing Arizona's immigration law as a human rights problem in this country. That's right - the Obama Administration, which is challenging the AZ law in federal court, is now appealing to the United Nations - and to some of the most repressive countries in the world - actually citing the Arizona law as an example of human rights abuses in this country.

It is a comparison that is deeply troubling. How can the President compare AZ's law - which protects the state's borders and residents - to a human rights abuse? There's no shortage of legitimate human rights abuses that need to be investigated - including the murder and torture of Christians around the world because of their religious beliefs. To compare AZ's immigration law to a human rights problem is simply absurd.

This is just another example of President Obama's disturbing philosophy of placing the United States under international review. Despite past presidential administrations repeated refusal to legitimize the U.N. Human Rights Council, the Obama Administration was quick to subject the U.S. to review under the Council. This position has met heavy criticism. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is quoted as saying,“‘Without meaningful membership standards, that body will remain nothing more than a rogues’ gallery, and our participation will have the net result of legitimizing its biased actions.’”

The Human Rights Council devotes a majority of its efforts to condemning Israel, while ignoring some of the world’s worst human rights abusers. The current Council is made up of 47 countries, with less than half of its members considered to be “free” countries according to credible human rights organizations. The Council harbors some of the worst human rights offenders in the world.

The Obama Administration must not be permitted to get away with this tactic. As you know, we're engaged in the legal fight to defend AZ's immigration law and have filed amicus briefs with the federal district court and now the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on behalf of 66 members of Congress urging the appeals court to uphold the constitutionality of AZ's measure.

By including the AZ immigration law in this U.N. report, the Obama Administration sidesteps the judicial process accorded by the U.S. Constitution and places the duly enacted law before an international body for review. This move undercuts American sovereignty, the well-established principle of federalism, and the popular will of the people.

Most Americans don't support the President's position on this issue and according to a recent Rasmussen poll, 61% of Americans support a law similar to the Arizona measure in their own state.

Lost Without You

2010-09-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Psalm 39:5

"Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah."

I am always inspired by the writings of Thomas a Kempis. The Lord so leads and guides when we seek Him, I just had to share my morning devotional with you today.

The following is chapter 40 of book 3 of his book, Imitatio Christi - The Imitation of Christ . I have edited it just to update some of the language as it was originally written in Latin in around 1418. Keep in mind that this is wriotten in the first. To better understand, put yourself as the person writing this note. I Hope you are as blessed as I was.

LORD, what is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that You visit him?

What has man deserved that You should give him Your grace? What cause have I, Lord, to complain if You were to desert me, or what objection can we have if You do not do what we ask? This I may think and say in all truth: "Lord, I am nothing, of myself I have nothing that is good; I am lacking in all things, and I am ever leaning toward nothing. And unless I have Your help and am inwardly strengthened by You, I become quite lukewarm and lax."

But You, Lord, are always the same. You remain forever, always good, just, and holy; doing all things rightly, justly, and in holiness, disposing them wisely. I, however, who am more ready to go backward than forward, do not remain always in one state, for I change with the seasons. Yet my condition quickly improves when it pleases You and when You reach forth Your helping hand. For You alone, without human aid, can help me and strengthen me so greatly that my heart shall no more change but be converted and rest solely in You. Hence, if I knew well how to cast aside all earthly consolation, either to attain devotion or because of the necessity which, in the absence of human solace, compels me to seek You alone, then I could deservedly hope for Your grace and rejoice in the gift of new consolation.

Thanks be to You from Whom all things come, whenever it is well with me. In Your sight I am vanity and nothingness, a weak, unstable man. In what, therefore, can I glory, and how can I wish to be highly regarded? Is it because I am nothing? This, too, is utterly vain. Indeed, the greatest vanity is the evil plague of empty self-glory, because it draws one away from true glory and robs one of heavenly grace. For when a man is pleased with himself he displeases You, when he pants after human praise he is deprived of true virtue. But it is true glory and holy exultation to glory in You and not in self, to rejoice in Your name rather than in one's own virtue, and not to delight in any creature except for Your sake.

Let Your name, not mine, be praised. Let Your work, not mine, be magnified. Let Your holy name be blessed, but let no human praise be given to me. You are my glory. You are the joy of my heart. In You I will glory and rejoice all the day, and for myself I will glory in nothing but my infirmities. Let the Jews seek the glory that comes from another.

I will seek that which comes from God alone. All human glory, all temporal honor, all worldly position is truly vanity and foolishness compared to Your everlasting glory. O my Truth, my Mercy, my God, O Blessed Trinity, to You alone be praise and honor, power and glory, throughout all the endless ages of ages.

Here I Stand, I can do no other.
*"Hier stehe ich, ich kann machen kein ander," Martin Luther

Speaking of Materialsim...

2010-09-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

This idea of materialism is tied in with apathy in faith, not working out their faith with fear and trembling. We are going to study through James next (in our church), and we will see how people react to ‘faith without works is dead’ because there are a lot of dead people in the church today.

I was reading a book called The Divine Commodity by Skye Jethani (Zondervan 2009). I was a bit leery of it because it is endorsed in part by Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle (both leaders in the Emergent Church movement), but he had some great things to say about consumer Christianity. He stated that, “We have abandoned the vision that Christianity is an alternative way’, and ‘the emergence of a Christian sub-culture that parallels the secular culture in every way reveals the captivity of our imaginations”. Now the Emergent Church movement has ironically taken this truth so far that they are redesigning Christianity in their own manner of consumerism and in the process leaving the inerrancy of scripture behind – a tragic mistake indeed.

But Jethani is right about at least one thing, we (the church) in an aim to reach those in secular/alternative lifestyles have abandoned the truth, forgotten the fact, that Christianity IS supposed to be an alternative lifestyle! We have made it look so much like the world in effort to reach the world that those who are to be sanctified, set apart, different, are indistinguishable from that which Gods is calling us out of.

Oh well. God’s work is not a burden, but getting people to accept what they say they have already accepted is mine. If I’m getting tired of people who call themselves Christians, show up to church on Sunday and yet you cannot get them to volunteer to host a potluck or put their name in a sign-up sheet to take responsibility in just one little area of church set-up or break-down, how do you think GOD feels about that?! If it breaks my heart to see the attraction of materialism and consumerism invading the lives of my little circle of Christian friends, how do we think it makes God feel when He sees it so rampant worldwide?

I don’t know about you, but when I grieve the Holy Spirit… and finally realize it, I am heartbroken. But when I understand the grieving of the Holy Spirit as He looks at the apathy in our little church, I’m grieved that their apathy may have something to do with my leading – and it is almost crippling. It hurts. I wonder, I ask, and I pray. That's all I can do.

The simple answer is that we do not live for Jesus because to live for Jesus means we must die to ourselves, and we are just far too important to ourselves to do that...

Tatoo, or not to Tatoo - That is the Question

2010-09-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

It's not that this is a huge topic that needs to be covered because of a particular personal issue or burning desire to speak up on the subject. But it has cropped up from time to time, and I wanted to share an extensive paper that was done on this topic by a friend of mine.

Allow me to introduce Claude Stauffer, Sr. Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Hope, in Amittyville, NY. Being a pastor in the Calvary Chapel fellowship of churches, claude and I, along with a group of as many as 300 other pastors have bentered thoughts and idea back and forth for a couple of years now. It's always a blessing to see Claude weight in in topics, and his offering related to a recent discussion on tattoos not only mirrored ny thoughts and concerns on tatooing, but more then anything else, his heart for honoring God in all that we do, putting Him first, and seriously considering the effects of our actions on others, really made me stand up and take notice. He and I are kindred.

This little treatise may be longer than most of the posts here, but well worth the time to read it. You will be blessed. I give you, pator Claude:

Considering a Tattoo?

By: Claude T. Stauffer

The popularity of tattoos and body piercing is on the rise. There are television programs dedicated to “body art.” News media are always interested in a celebrities’ tattoos or body piercing. College and Professional athletes, fraternity and sorority members and gang members use tattoos and body piercing as signs of membership. Tattoos are popular in the contemporary music scene (both secular and Christian). What about all of this, what should the Christian do in response to the issue of tattoos and body piercing? What should our standard be for involvement in the things of the world?

The Bible says whatever a Christian does should be done to bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31). That should be understood in two ways. First, we should understand that what a Christian does reflects on the Lord. People formulate their opinions of God to a large extent based on the words and actions of His people. What we do can reflect poorly on the Lord (2 Samuel 12:14) or it can bring glory to God (Luke 5:26; 7:15; Acts 11:18; Galatians 1:24). Second, if what we do reflects on the Lord, then what we do should bring glory to Him. We bring glory to Him by winning others to Him and not doing anything that would hinder people from coming to Him (1 Corinthians 9:20, 21; 10:33b; Romans 14:1 – 15:2). The principle is to restrict and limit our liberties if it would hinder another in their pursuit of God (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). Our behavior as Christians should always be aimed at giving the greatest amount of glory to God. Our freedom is great in Christ, but it should never be used to cater to our flesh (self) (1 Corinthians 6:12; Galatians 5:13).

The Bible also says that all that we do should be done in the name of Jesus (Colossians 3:17). That means whatever we do should be done in a Christlike way. What we do should be done the way Jesus would do it. That means we should not act in selfishness but rather in sacrificial ways. We should always be mindful of how our behavior will affect others (Philippians 2:1-4). We should ask, “Do my words and actions bring people closer to Jesus or drive them away from Him?” We should ask, “Are my words and actions in line with the sacrificial servant character of Jesus?” (Philippians 2:5-11).

Glorifying God and doing what you do in the name of Jesus are the two primary considerations for the Christian to measure their words and actions in life. In light of these two considerations, how should we view tattooing and body piercing? Can they be done to the glory of God and in the name of Jesus? There are arguments in support of both sides of this issue. To reach a satisfactory biblical response requires we not only consider what we do, but also address why we do it. We need to consider not only end actions but also our motivational means to that end action. With God it’s never enough to say the ends justify the means. Tattooing and body piercing are things done on the surface, a style. But what is the substance behind them? Are there deeper underlying issues involved with this topic? That is what we need to discover.

There can be little doubt that historically, in the world, tattooing and body piercing are rooted in non-Christian people groups. Tattooing and body piercing is not something God ordained, it was something pagan people’s did (Isaiah 15:2; Jeremiah 16:16; 41:5). God views His people as “holy,” separate and distinct from unbelievers in the world. He therefore forbids His people from copying the practices of the pagan peoples around them. Holiness, being separate and distinct, was one of the main themes of God’s Law (Leviticus 11:44-45). Therefore, tattooing and body piercing, a worldly practice, was one of His prohibitions (Leviticus 19:28).

Leviticus 19:28 states, “”You shall make no cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.” Some say that this verse only refers to tattoos used in pagan burial customs. Others say this only prohibits the use of tattoos of foreign gods or idols. But one article that comments on this verse states:

For clarity it’s sometimes beneficial to discover what those, to whom the passage was written, understand it to mean. From Moses to today tattoos have been unacceptable in Jewish culture as explained by Rabbi Joshua Cypess: “For many years, a tattoo was a sign of religious rebellion, of going against the Torah and denying the existence of God.” [1]

The book of Deuteronomy contains God’s words of instruction to His people before they were to go into the Promised Land. Those instructions emphasize over and over the principle that God’s people were not to follow or copy the ways of the worldly pagans around them (Deuteronomy 7-12). This principle does not just apply to those under the Old Covenant Law but carries over to those under the New Testament. Indulging in and loving the things of the world puts us at odds with the Lord (1 John 2:15-17).

Those who argue that it’s okay to get a tattoo argue that under the New Testament we can pretty much disregard the Old Testament Laws. But under the New Testament we do not murder, blaspheme God or commit adultery. There are principles established by God in the Old Testament Law that still apply under the New Testament. The Law was given to direct God’s people to a way of life. We aren’t saved from our sin by keeping the Law of God. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ (Galatians 2-4). The Holy Spirit pours love out into our hearts when we are saved (Romans 5:5). And that love poured back out into life enables us to fulfill God’s Law (Romans 13:10; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

In more recent history tattooing and body piercing are closely associated with being signs of a rebellious spirit. Tattoos and body piercing have traditionally been associated with outcasts, criminals and those who break the law. It’s only recently that tattoos and body piercing have been seen in a favorable light in society. This was not the case in past generations. Today a person seeking tattoos or body piercing may deny a rebellious spirit, but society sees these things as breaking with convention and going against established mores and practices. Society is becoming more and more receptive to tattoos and body piercing. These practices are becoming more “conventional.” Is this a sign that the world is better, more “tolerant,” or is it a sign of decline?

When we look at the recent history of the world we see a steady flow of pushing the boundaries of convention further and further. Secular society is constantly seeking to shake off what they see as the shackles of morality in order to indulge their sin. All true morality originates with God and His word. Therefore we see society moving further and further away from God. In the 1920s people began moving away from their traditional Christian upbringing and began to live with greater moral laxity. There were a lot of changes in what was and was not acceptable in society. Hence the title, “The roaring twenties.” In the 1930s and 40s the world was engulfed in World War II and with it came a host of changes. People began to question their faith because of the carnage of the war. Coupled with the liberalization of the church and moving away from trust in God’s word godly influence in society waned. This eventually led to initiating the removal of God and things associated with God from the public square. A landmark event to this end was the removal of the Bible and prayer from schools (in the 50s and 60s). There was an acceptable rebellion against God that began. With less of God’s influence the decline of society’s morals sped up.

In the 1950s slicked back hair, young ladies dressing in pants rather than skirts and young men discarding their suits and ties for T-shirts and jeans were seen as signs of rebellion. In the 1960s and 70s long hair, wearing bright colored clothing and worn bell-bottom jeans were the signs of rebellion of the day. In the 1980s people just lived to exalt themselves and “dance the night away.” Thus far in contemporary history the signs of rebellion were easily reversible. When we look back these signs of rebellion seem benign and laughable. But back then this was really big stuff, a major issue of each era.

From the 1990s to the present the signs of rebellion became more extreme and permanent. People were and are rebelling against the rebels of the past (their parents). It seems today’s generation of rebels are trying to show that their rebellion is deeper and more real. It’s as though this generation of rebels is saying, “I’ll show you, and I’ll rebel in a way that is more shocking and extreme than before.” They want to show that their rebelling is not just a passing fad, but is permanent. This is where tattoos and body piercing come in.

In an effort to shock and awe society, people have begun to express themselves with “body art.” Those who see themselves as victims of society are rebelling against it by expressing their pain in painful looking body piercing. For instance people don’t just pierce their ears for a “normal” size earring but through a series of procedures stretch the skin of their ear lobes until a very large thick ring can be inserted. Stretching the skin out of shape in this way used to be associated with people who did it to dissuade slave traders from capturing them and taking them far away from their families. Now it is a style to scare away the establishment. Body piercing has gone far beyond mere earrings or nose rings and now includes belly rings, eyebrow rings, tongue piercing and a host of other multiple piercing applications. There are those who go so far as to literally hang themselves up by hooks anchored in their physical flesh. Others cut themselves in a frenzy of bloodletting. Studies have shown how tattooing, body piercing and other associated practices have an addictive aspect to them. Some of these addictive practices end in suicide. A masochistic and sadistic mindset seems to permeate the world. We see it in the proliferation of violence and sex on television and in the movies. There seems to be no end in sight for what people will do to express their rebellion against what they perceive to be the injustices and inequalities of society and indeed, God.

Where does the Christian stand with all of this? Certainly these practices of the world represent a dark philosophical development. Christians should consider these things through the scriptural warning that states, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

The Christian should be concerned with what God and His word say about tattooing and body piercing. The Christian who neglects to consider what God says in His word is already on their way to becoming a prodigal. The Christian who does not care to consider God and His word is a prodigal. The prodigal sought out his inheritance from his father and then went out into the world to spend it (Luke 15:11-32). The same occurs when Christians use the inheritance of God’s gracious liberty in Christ to go off and selfishly spend it on indulging the things of this world. Hopefully those who indulge the world will come to the same conclusions as the prodigal of the Bible and run back to their Father. You can do a simple test to see where you are at by how you respond to this article. Do you care enough to look up the scripture references included herein, or is your mind made up and you really don’t care what God’s word says? If you look up the scriptures you are on the right track. If you don’t care to look them up, you need to check to see if there is a spiritual pulse in you.

There are some revealing questions that should be addressed by those considering or seeking tattoos and or body piercing. Before you run out to your local tattoo shop or get that piercing I encourage you to consider the questions that follow before you make that decision.

Have you prayed about this? (Psalm 44:21; Proverbs 12:23).
Have you asked the Lord to search your heart and reveal your motives (Psalm 139:23-24)?
Have you found scriptural support for what you want to do? (Proverbs 21:2; 24:12).
Will it glorify God? (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Are you trying to resort to a worldly way to accomplish a heavenly purpose? That is not the way God works. With God the ends do not justify the means. Uzzah found this out the hard way when David attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant in a way not prescribed by God (2 Samuel 6). God uses Biblical ways to accomplish His plans (Psalm 1). .
Is your motive to get a tattoo to be like the world? Is it to gain the world’s love and acceptance? Jesus said His disciples were not of the world and that the world would hate them as it hated Him (John 15:19; 17:14-17). What’s your relationship with the world?
Are you interpreting God’s word in a way that allows you to go beyond empathy with the world in order to indulge your desire to fit into the world? (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)
Is your desire for a tattoo or body piercing something birthed in the world or in God‘s word? Be honest. Did you get your desire for tattoos and or body piercing from reading God’s word or looking at the world? (1 John 2:15-16).
God looks at the heart. Why do you seek to express yourself to God by marking your body when God is satisfied to look at your heart? (Psalm 44:21; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Romans 8:26-27; 2 Corinthians 3:3; 1 Peter 3:3-4).
Jesus said to clean the inside of the cup and that those who adorn the outside only, are nothing more than hypocritical Pharisees (Matthew 23:25-28).
If you want a tattoo, is your heart attitude, “I want a tattoo (or to pierce my body) and I’m going to get one no matter what anyone says. I’m going to do what I want to do”? That is rebellion. Rebellion is a sin (Job 34:37; Isaiah 65:2; 63:10).
Have you sought the counsel of those around you who are godly? (Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27). If God wanted you to get a tattoo He would move the hearts of those in authority around you (e.g. parents) to affirm His will for you?
Would you defy those in authority over you? Would you disobey those you say you love in order to get a tattoo or body piercing? Is your getting a tattoo a submission to authority or rebellion against it? (John 14:21).
You may just like the way a tattoo looks but do you have the right to mark up that which does not belong to you? (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Where in scripture is a godly man or woman told by God to get a tattoo? Where in scripture does anyone but God (who owns us) or His particular representative mark us for anything other than a particular purpose of God? (Ezekiel 9; Revelation 14:1).
Would you do something that would be easily misinterpreted as approving of a worldly way? Would you do something for cosmetic reasons that would cause others to stumble? (Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8).

There’s something more to consider for those interested in getting a tattoo(s) and or body piercing. When we look at the Bible we see that cutting or damaging the body was something done by those under the influence of demonic activity (Mark 5:5). Marking the body is also something connected with the Antichrist who is the puppet of Satan (Revelation 13:16-17; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). Could the rise in acceptability of body marking in society be a strategy of Satan to get people more and more prepared and open to accepting the mark of the beast? Just a thought.

When we look at the Bible we find evidence that literally and in principle forbids marking the body (e.g. Leviticus 19:28). For those that insist we are free to do what we want under the New Testament consider this. In the Old Testament God marked His people with circumcision of the flesh. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. The New Testament is the best commentary on the Old Testament. In Romans 2:28-29 we are told that circumcision that is acceptable to God is not merely circumcision of our physical flesh, but a circumcision or cutting away of the fleshly nature (i.e. self-centered sinful nature) of our hearts. The new mark of God for those who are in Christ is the seal of the Spirit, which is a transformed cleansed-from-sin heart (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; John 6:27; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 2 Timothy 2:19). The more rudimentary and fundamental issue in all of this is, “What is the condition of your heart?”

Christian proponents of tattoos frequently refer to Revelation 19:16 which states, “And He [Jesus] has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Their argument in support of tattoos is that this passage indicates that Jesus will have a tattoo, “written . . . on His thigh.” This may be the case but I would point out a few things to consider. There is no evidence that Jesus had a tattoo in the gospel or during His earthly ministry. The Greek preposition epi that is translated “on” in this verse cannot be definitively stated to mean indelibly marked on the skin of Jesus. There is a Greek preposition en which means “in” that the Spirit could have inspired John to use when writing this verse. This would have been a clearer statement in support of a tattoo. The use of epi leaves the door open to alternatives to a tattoo. There is no indication that any of those who return with Jesus have tattoos. Only Jesus can be said to possibly have a tattoo. If “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” is tattooed on Jesus thigh to set Him apart and mark Him particularly it does not follow that those who follow Him necessarily have license to or should even seek to be tattooed in a way that would make common that which is a holy expression on Jesus.

Finally, a wise godly man once said to me, “Everything has a price; sometimes we don’t realize how high it is.” Consider the following:

“Here’s an interesting fact. It’s said that over 90% of the people who get a tattoo regret having done so within five years. The excitement of the moment wears off but tattoos don’t. The motto of a local tattoo parlor says it all, “Permanent proof of temporary insanity.””
“Consider the health risks of tattooing. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, even in modern facilities, tattooing is not without risks. The two most significant ones are allergic responses to the pigments and exposure to blood-borne pathogens. The compounds used as pigments range from metal oxides to synthetic organic dyes. Cases of hypersensitivity to a pigment resulting in allergic responses have been reported but the incidence of such reactions is low. Since tattooing involves injections under the skin, poor infection control practices before, during and after the procedure by the tattooist and the consumer can lead to risk of bacterial and/or viral infection. There have been cases of hepatitis B transmission through tattooing. Transmission of hepatitis C and HIV are also possible with lack of proper sanitation - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/faq/tattoo.htm.”
“Tattoos may be addictive. Once you get one, one never seems to be enough. http://www.mala.bc.ca/~soules/media112/zine99/tasha/news.htm” [2]

The Bible says just because something is lawful doesn’t mean we should indulge it. We should not do something that will prove addicting (1 Corinthians 6:12). We should focus on doing things which edify or build others and us up spiritually (1 Corinthians 10:23).

In light of this we should ask, “Is it really worth it?” Is getting a tattoo or having my body pierced worth risking my walk with the Lord in any way? Nothing is worth risking a single drop of closeness to the Lord. Greg Laurie once shared some questions we can ask to help us make good sound spiritual decisions. When you come to something that is questionable or really in any situation you should ask yourself five evaluative questions:

Will it build me up spiritually? - 1 Corinthians 10:23; Hebrews 12:1-2
Will it bring me under its power? - 1 Corinthians 6:12; Romans 6:14
Do I have an uneasy feeling about it? - Romans 14:23
Will it cause someone else to stumble? - Romans 14:15
Will it bring glory to God? - 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17, 23

We need to be very cautious in our decision about tattoos and body piercing. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). There is an enemy who hates God and his name is Satan. He hates God and everything associated with God, especially anything made in God’s image. Satan is a rebel and is an instigator of rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Job 2:4-5). Satan is judged, but he defies the judgment of God. He is all for the desecration of the image of God in any and every way (e.g. abortion; partial birth abortion). If he can’t destroy God’s image, he may settle for covering it up or cutting it. Gangs mark their territory with graffiti. Does Satan seek to steal or presumptuously mark people as his by getting them to mark their bodies? Does he even seek to manipulate unwitting Christians into taking his mark? Just a thought.

Considering a tattoo or body piercing? Before you get a tattoo or pierce your body in some way, you ought to seriously prayerfully seek God’s will and submit to it in obedience. Otherwise you just may prove to regret it.

Greed, Materialsim... and Yet We Don't Ask.

2010-09-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

James 4:2
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

James was my devotional reading for the last couple of weeks. I kinda figured I’d be through it in a couple of days but the Lord thought otherwise. I found myself reading with greater depth, and going back through verse after verse for more of what God was trying to say to me.

One of the biggest struggles I see in the church today is materialism. Not just the individual, but for the churches themselves too. On the side of the church, greed for ‘stuff’ is taking hold in the way we evangelize. So much to that we will spend God’s money – even going into debt, so that we can be more relevant to the crowd, or present a better experience, or God help us, so that we can provide a better ‘experience’ for our visitors in hopes that we can attract more visitors that the church down the road. Individually, our greed drives some of us to unrecoverable debt, divorce, even crime and ultimately separation from God.

What does God tell us about this? It’s not surprising that greed is listed as one of the traditional ‘seven deadly sins’, a list by the way, that you will not find itemized in scripture. The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of the most objectionable vices that has been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning (immoral) fallen humanity's tendency to sin.

The final version of the list consists of wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. The Catholic Church divided sin into two principal categories, something that the bible does not do. "Venial sins", are categorized as relatively minor and could be forgiven through any sacramentals or sacraments of the church, and the more severe "capital" or mortal sins. Mortal sins are believed to destroy the life of grace and create the threat of eternal damnation unless either absolved through the sacrament of Penance or forgiven through ‘perfect contrition’ on the part of the penitent.

While all of these sins are harmful to our lives, our spirits, and grieve the Holy Spirit, greed seems to be all around us and all the time. Lust is used to feed our greed [ads and commercials with inappropriately dressed models or suggestive language to manipulate you to buy something]. Pride is used to feed our greed [You deserve this!]. Envy is used to feed our greed [He has something really cool, you should have one of those too!]. I heard an ad on the radio today for a ‘caviar facial’. I started thinking, why would anyone wants to spend that kind of time and money to sit with a bed of rotting fish eggs on their face? But hey, apparently, it is the ‘in’ thing to do for those that concerned about their complexion.

But yet greed is such that it will drive us to do just about anything. Forgetting about our relationship with God seems to be one of the first things that are left behind as personal greed and materialism takes a hold of us. Not only do we WANT things, we will do almost anything to get them, in the process feeding our own greed, when we think we are simply fulfilling a desire that we deserve to fill.

James spoke about this in chapter 4 of his Epistle. When you read this verse (James 4:2), you get a better idea of what greed can do to us. How hard we will WORK, how dramatically we will change our lives, all so that we might have, that which we do not really need. We covet, we murder, and worse. While we might relate to coveting something, for the most part we feel like this is as far as it goes. But often, we end up working in our flesh, fight hard for even using less than honorable means. Manipulation, deceit, by lying, hiding things, doing harm to another person or bring doubt into their mind or heart.

We will do all of these things, and yet God tells us this:

All we must do is ask.

Why do we feel like we have to work so hard to get what we need in life? I think it is mostly because we work for what we want, when what we want is not what we really need, and God knows it. So rather than stabilize and sanctify our lives by making our requests known to God daily, being prayerful in all that we do and consider, we ask in greed, ignorance and in the flesh for what we want, rather than what we need.

Here James says we are warring, not wanting. Our flesh is overcoming our Spirit, and our wants overshadow our needs.

Materialism is killing the American Christian. We need to balance our lives on the Word, not on our pile of stuff. Hey, I’m with you in that I find the latest electronic gadgetry cool, and very often helpful. I’d love to ‘have’ a bigger TV, or a better camera. But I ‘need’ neither. What I need is a stringer prayer life. What I need is more fellowship with God’s people, leaders, and my wife and kids. What I need is to forget about the latest trend in ‘the church’ and get on my knees before God and ask Him what I must do to serve Him better and to grow our church. THAT’S what I need.

I see Christian brothers and sisters bust their backs to get a boat, or a certain type of coat or brands of jeans or t-shirt – and yet they examine their lives and cannot understand why people do not look to them as support as Christians, and why God is not blessing them spiritually.

I’m so looking forward to what God is planning to do with our church body ion Wednesday nights. Every day He gives me something more to ponder and pray about. I can see God opening a big old can of Holy Spirit on us, and I pray that I can do my job to see that this is exactly what happens.

Personal Theology: Make the right choices. You know better.

2010-09-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

James 4:17

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

Devotionals are awesome at times. You take a moment to get away from the distractions of life and the world, and spend a few moments in the word with the Lord, Alone. I love my wife and children, but time alone with the Lord is a necessity that all to often is forgotten.

The reason you have not seen any devotionals for the last week and a half or so is that our family was on a short and semi-local vacation. We spent 5 days east of the mountains in and around the Wenatchee area spending time with each other, God, and the locals at several Starbucks® locations along the way. In the process of relaxation, several long games of hearts, and reading books and scripture, I really felt like the Lord was giving me some great looks into His character, and mine. Awesome and fearful at the same time. Like we saw in last Sunday's message at CCBL, 'it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God [Hebrews 10:31].'

One of the things that God placed on my heart, one of many I plan to share with you over the next few devotionals, is this: You know better.

Think of times back when we were all kids. As we grew, whether it was our parents, relatives or someone else, we always had an authority over us. There was always someone there to teach you things like, don't put your hand in the fire', or don't play with that knife, or to tell us not to run with pencils or scissors - and then following that word with a short story about the horrors of some little kid they once knew who stuck a pencil in his eye, or scissors in their heart. True or not, they had effect, and we did our best to learn from those lessons.

In out younger days, we had a tendency to quickly forget those lessons, and replace them with the joys of a restless heart and active metabolism. Full of energy and a will of investigation, we plowed forward with total disregard for our own safety, often the safety of others, and certainly, on occasion, the rules and advice that had been set before us. Most often not seeing the immediate consequences of our wrong actions or disregard for authorities' advice, we ran like bulls in china shops at life, full bore. All this before the eventual invention of such things as Energy Drinks! (Can you imagine! Makes me shiver.)

Then there were the times when we got caught. Our parents could never understand why we would disobey in such a fashion. To us, we were simply having fun, enjoying life. And then came the inevitable question, "what were you thinking?" followed by, "You know better!" Right they were. We did know better. And that was the point Peter was making when he penned the verse we look at today.

For our own good, for our safety, and for the betterment of society, God has made laws. Commandments if you will on how to behave and act as individuals and as a society. Follow them, and we benefit independently and collectively. But perhaps more importantly, He has given us instructions on how to live as Christians, with a divine purpose, and with an eternal perspective, so that all we do might have an effect on God's Kingdom, here and ever-after.

The point that James is making here is the same point our parents or instructors were trying to make in our lives so many years ago. As you grow, you should be growing not just in experience, but in knowledge and wisdom. Remember, the dictionary definition of wisdom "the ability to make sensible decisions and judgments based on personal knowledge and experience". Paraphrasing, right acting on accumulated learning.

Faced with two choices, the world's knowledge, and God's knowledge, we can understand where the world's knowledge might lead us astray. Wanting to grow in our spiritual walk, it makes us wonder why we do not apply the lessons in our own adult lives as we have learned on our path forward in sanctification. This is that sinking feeling we get from the Holy Spirit when we have chosen the world over God. He is saying, "You knew better."

Anytime we are faced with a decision, we have a foreknowledge of accumulated learning from which to draw. Not only do we decide where that learning comes from (scripture or the world's psychology), we also have a choice of which to follow. As we grow in our Christian walk, our collective learning must be applied in a Godly manner or, by definition, it is not wisdom, rather foolishness. More specifically, ff we have grown in an area, and learned from our life lessons, and we decide against that wisdom, we have sinned. If you know better, and choose poorly, sin has taken hold of that event, and the eventual results are inevitable.

I want to caution you all not to think that this means we are all destined for hell for making a single wrong choice. God's grace is so much more powerful than that. The cross has bore the burden of that penalty. But to continue in a lifestyle of choices that reject Christ, God's design for our life, and the accumulated learning and growth that we have made as Christians, growing each day more like Christ, simply put James says, is sin.

In more practical terms if God has brought you out of a life of social drinking, even if it was not excessive, don't go back there, you now know better. If He has trained you that certain activities, music, movies or TV shows bring you backwards emotionally or spiritually, don't go there, you now know better. In spite of the fact that a certain act, song, movie or drink may not be a universal sin, it may full well be one to you, and you need to stop pretending about it. You know better.

Concentrate on pleasing God, and not man and you will make giant strides towards a Christ like life. Living a life centered on others is where you need to be. Living a life sacrificing self for the benefit of others is exactly what we should be doing, and we all know it. Playing Christian, when we know we need to be living Christian is where we need to be. The time for us to say, "but I didn't know better" is over. Reject society's norm of blaming everything on someone else or circumstances, or upbringing or environment, and take responsibility for yourself. BE a Christian.

Devotional September 16, 2010 via #constantcontact

2010-09-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Devotional September 16, 2010 via #constantcontact

Who IS Jesus?

2010-09-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Seems like silly question for a pastor to ask, but I find it more abundantly important today more than ever.

When we get into conversations with non-believers, one of the first things that draws them to learn more is the conviction of their sin. This is a work of the Holy Spirit not us. Understanding that they have sinned, and understanding that they have sinned against God that has authority over them makes sense to a lot of people. Once they come to that understanding, they next step is to understand a need for forgiveness of that sin- what we call salvation.

“Salvation” is a funny thing. Because in spite of the fact that its Christian meaning is virtually universal in its definition, how we come to receive salvation is where people get tripped up.

To the evangelical Christian, Salvation can only be had one way. Through the biblical Jesus, and belief in Him as your openly means to salvation by faith, through the grace of God. Why do we believe this? Because this is what scripture clearly teaches. Today we are seeing a wide variety of ways to salvation being perpetrated against the Christians in America by an equally wide variety of media faces.

John Travolta and Tom Cruise have their scientological views on salvation. Oprah and Eckhart Tolle have their views on the subject. The Dali Lama has been all over TV as of late. Now, we are dealing with the Mormon theology being shoved in the faces of Americans and being sold as orthodox Christianity. This is a real danger to Christians in America. Why? Because our foundation on the truth of biblical Christianity has been eroded to the point where not only has the foundation been exposed, it has been washed away.

In a recent discussion of this topic with some friends and fellow pastors, one man had this wisdom to offer:

“It occurred to me… that very few people today are familiar with Walter Martin’s ministry. Walter in his book “Kingdom of the Cults” and his radio programs, inculcated into a lot of us who were around at that time a framework with which to judge what is a cult and what is not, what is orthodox Christianity and what heresy.”

One of the things that he taught so clearly by Dr. Martin was that every one of those groups that we should consider heretical and a cult, had a misconception about the nature of God. Heresy follows a misconception about the nature of God. Here we are today having a debate about who Jesus is. I wonder why?

The Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus is “Michael the arc angle” (and thus he could not have paid the price for mankind’s sins not being our kinsman redeemer), the Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is a created being and the spirit brother of Lucifer (and thus he could not have paid for our sins either because he is not our kinsman redeemer), etc., etc. Walter for a very long time refused to consider Roman Catholicism a cult because it held a proper view of the nature of God, although it is steeped in works salvation, but he reconsidered this later on including them in the discussion, but without the brand of “Cult”.

Who you believe Jesus Christ is determines his ability to save; in other words, the source of your salvation. Believing in another Jesus is to believe in another gospel, and the first chapter of Galatians tells us that if anyone comes to us delivering us another gospel than the one Paul and the disciples had taught, and that they (the Galatians) and we have received, that we are to consider him “anathema” (headed for hell).

Because Walter Martin and his ministry have faded so far to the background, I think that a lot of people today are not concerned if someone believes in any old Jesus (however you want to define him) for salvation. Our current media darlings are often perpetrating a hoax on us; sometimes deliberately, and sometimes from the behind the blinded eyes of one fooled by the enemy. We must show grace, and we must have compassion, but we must not be blind ourselves to the results of those misleadings either way - in the lives of those precious children of God we call our friends and family.

Otherwise, Scientologists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and whoever else comes along teaching or believing in a different Jesus, is going to get a foothold in people’s lives. In our commission of making disciples, we are tasked with pointing out heresy. Unfortunately, those who fight to defend truth are often branded as evil because to point to heresy, we must also point fingers at those teaching it. Funny thing is, Jesus did exactly that. Ask the Pharisees.

Purpose Part #2: Corporate/Chuech Purpose

2010-08-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

What is often called the Great Commission is an excellent place to start when dealing with the purpose of the church. It is just the beginning of defining the purpose of the church, but this verse, accompanied by a couple others really help to take what is a very large and seemingly insurmountable task, and putting it in simple terms that should call us all into action.

When Jesus spoke these words He was speaking to the foundation of the New Testament church; His disciples. At this point just eleven of them, and these same men would soon be ‘elevated’ to the position of Apostles. These were the men, along with Saul of Tarsus who would become our beloved Apostle Paul, would take the message of the gospel to all the corners of the known world. By their retelling of the gospel story as firsthand observers, by their confessing to its truth, by their expounding of the words of Jesus - the world would be changed forever as the foundations of the Christian church, the Body of Christ, would be laid by their hands, and their blood. Yes, Jesus died so that we might be saved, but these Apostles (with the exception of John) also gave their blood, and their lives so that the church might live and that you and I would have the opportunity to become part of it.

How did these men do this? By making disciples. By baptizing. By teaching. Solid leadership makes disciples, but solid leadership without a continued zeal towards seeing that those who are discipled are nurtured pointless.

How many of you remember Pathagrium’s Theory? Can you tell me why the name Pavlov is famous? If Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is so important to mankind, how is it that so few of us can define and explain it? I don’t ask these questions to make us feel in adequate, or to show that these things are so important to world events that we should be shamed for not knowing the answers. I ask it just to prove the point that if any of us felt as though our lives, our futures, our eternity relied on knowing the answers to those questions, don’t you think that we’d have kept studying them? And more to the point, if we felt the lives of our friends, family and children was totally dependent on them getting the right answers when asked about those questions, don’t you think that we’d have been teaching it to them over and over and over?

The life of every single man woman and child is dependent on God. If we took our work in fulfilling the Great Commission as seriously as it really is, we’d not only know our purpose as a church, we’d be living it. Yes, our purpose as a church is to work together as a body to make disciples, but it is more. It is to continue to teach them, to help them grow. If you look at today’s verse it is not just to make disciples, but we have been commanded to teach them.

Paul does an excellent job in defining what is going on here in his letter to the Ephesian church in chapter 5

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Each being different parts of the body, we are all called to do something. None of us are called to sit on the sideline as cheerleaders. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard, “Oh I’m not an evangelist (or a missionary [or insert Christian work here…]), but I support those who are.” Really? How? Giving money to help fund church activities and missionaries and the spreading of the gospel is vitally important, don’t get me wrong, even the smallest local congregation has bills that must be paid, but God has called us to be ‘busy at His work’, to ‘not be slothful’, and to make disciples. We do this as a TEAM, as the BODY OF CHRIST. We must all be at this work together. We work to knit ourselves together, to equip each other, edify each other, all for the work for the ministry. THIS is our purpose as a church, as the Body.

Be strong. Be strong in the word. Be bold in declaring not only your faith but that others need Jesus as well. Arm yourself with knowledge so you can defend yourself against the world. Be equipped. Teach those who God has put in your sphere of influence. Be the body.

2010-08-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

Much has been said and written about your purpose in life. In summary, there are two groups of people searching for their purpose in life. There are Christians whose purpose is defined by their relationship with Jesus, and there are those people in the secular world that will spend their lifetime trying to find what that purpose is.

Since our focus for this devotional is on the Christian purpose of life, we will not spend a great deal of time looking into their search for purpose for those who believe they have evolved from primordial goo, or “star stuff” because as the facts show, if evolution is true you have no purpose for living except to stay alive as long as you can. While staying alive is a worthy goal for anyone, it hardly has defines “purpose” when speaking about the meaning of life.

For some Christians the search in itself is what defines them. I submit that the search cannot be what defines you. Never giving up or never quitting is not what defines you. Sure these characters can bring a focus to the look of one’s character, but what defines a person must be far more than that. I’m ‘trying’. I’m ‘working on it’. I’m ‘looking’ are not characteristics I want to be known for. And do not settle any questions.

Some of you have taken a forty-day journey to figure out what that purpose really is. Others have been pushed by ‘prophets’ / ‘seers’ , church leaders and friends in the faith on making sure you know what your ‘gift’ is so that you can then figure out what God’s purpose is for you.

Bunk.

While most the traveling ‘prophets’ are charlatans that the Apostles warned us about, and your church leaders and friends probably have the best of intension for you, you do not need to know your ‘gift’, you do not need to spend forty-days trying to figure out your purpose, because God has already told us what it is.

Live to glorify God.

That’s it. That’s your purpose. You may choose or be called to do so in a plethora of different ways, but no matter what you do, you must do so to glorify God, for this IS your purpose in life.

As a believer we ultimately answer to God for all things. That being the case, why not use scriptures’ urging to live a holy and righteous life in service of God? We have been bought with a price. Our life is no longer our own. We have been called to glorify God – why not apply this biblical purpose for our lives to everything we do!?

We are encouraged to glorify God in unity, and with our words.
Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Romans 15:5-6]

We are told that there are people who have rejected God and/or are fallen away, and we have been told why:
“…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” [Romans 1:21]

There are many other references and verses that support the same idea. And why should this be strange to us. God is simply encouraging us to do something that should be a natural reaction to a full understanding of our place in Christ. We are not our own, and we owe Him everything! To glorify Him for His work, and for the gifts that He has given us (freedom, peace, joy, salvation, equal inheritance, a heavenly homer and eternal existence with Him just to name a few) seems to be the least we can do, and more importantly, it should be something we desire to do!

Understanding how much we owe God, having a grasp of the depth of our depravity without Him, and getting just a nugget of truth of the penalty for our sin we that has been removed from us should blow us away, stop us in our tracks and have us fall to our knees in constant homage and thanks to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who have made this possible.

Glorifying God should come to us as a natural extension of our salvation and relationship in Him. It should be our individual purpose, and it should be our purpose to cause this glorification of our savior to grow and accelerate in our lives. It should always come first, it should always be foremost in our minds, and active in our talk and walk.

May all the glory be His.

Diaspora: Bringing Home the Spiritual Pilgrims

2010-08-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

I Peter 1:1-2

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

I was reading in 1 Peter last night at dinner time, and was just sort of captivated by the opening verses. In the text Peter introduces himself and then addresses the letter to, “…the pilgrims of the Dispersion”.

Intrigued, I asked my daughter Kayden to tell me what that meant. We bantered the words pilgrim and dispersion around a bit and she got it all figured out. She’s a bright one. But in the process of doing such, it just made for me a realization of the heart or condition of some of God’s creation. It is of this that I wish to speak today.

Pilgrims are pilgrims for different reasons. The Pilgrims we first think of here in the US were puritan Christians who were ready to try anything, go anywhere to be able to be free to celebrate their faith and love God as they saw fit; unencumbered by any King or government. Other pilgrims return to their places of worship or Holy sites to pay homage and give their respects not only to those who had come before them, but to the God that created and sent them.

The Dispersion of which Peter is speaking of are Romans and Greeks alike that were forced out of most of the major cities of the area because of their belief in “The Way”. The Way was the early mocking designation for Christianity while it was still considered a red-headed step child of the Jews; it was a “sect”, not a religion of its own. No matter how you look at it, it is a people of faith returning to their root. Jews immigrating back to Israel to this day are referred to as the Diaspora. What was true in Peter’s day is still on-going today.

How many people do you know that are spiritual Diaspora; people who were born into a family of faith that have been ‘forced out’ by the world? How many people do you know of personally whom you’d like to see make a pilgrimage to faith? To make a decision to return to a life of faith, and committing one’s self to Jesus is the most important decision anyone can make. But it requires a pilgrimage of heart.

Peter knew this. He writes this letter to those people who have been forced to leave the comfort of their fellowships to encourage them. He goes on to tell them in verses 3-9:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

What wonderful words. These are the words that we too can use for the Diaspora in our lives. For those whom we know that are pondering making that pilgrimage of faith, remind them the power of salvation is with the God that they have left. That because of Jesus death and resurrection that they too inherit what is incorruptible. And perhaps more than anything remind them that they are not alone in their trials, that they are sure to come, and that they are made perfect through them because it gives them opportunity to express the genuineness of their faith.

I’d be remiss at this moment if I did not remind you that to take God’s word to the spiritual Diaspora in your life is to not shine the genuineness of your faith. Show them the love that they have not seen, and that you have. Remind them that in spite of the fact that you may not have seen Jesus, that you have seen Him work in your life, and that He wants to work in theirs. Help bring the Diaspora home.

Discipleship Part 3: Lead in Truth

2010-08-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 16:13

Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

Our call to make disciples is not just for the benefit of bringing others to a salvational relationship with Jesus. While this is the great commission, to make disciples of all the earth, the rewards are double (for those who are sharing as much as those who are receiving). We are blessed as much to put forth the effort to make disciples as much as they are blessed by hearing God’s good news for them, and the doctrine that God has put forward in His Word. But therein lies the focal point doesn’t it? If what we are sharing is not God’s Word – is not Truth, than what are we doing?

In this third installment on the making of disciples I bring up the point of truth. We might be the best at leading by example. We may also be fantastic communicators or orators of unrivaled skill. But if we are not teaching the truth of what God has said through His Holy Word, and if we are not leading by example in a way that communicates that truth, than our work worse than nothing; it is a profit to the enemy.

For the post-modern thinker, truth is a relative term. In other words, what’s right for you is not what’s right for me. Something that is wrong in my culture or society may be perfectly acceptable in a society somewhere else. In doing so what we have done is removed the truth of God’s word being perfect, absolute, and the same yesterday today and forever, and allow man to become our own god, deciding in our own hearts what is right and wrong.

I know I have stated before that while there may not be a line item answer for ever every question you have in life as to whether that action is right or wrong; no biblical passage for example that says, “Thou shall not spend too much time on the Wi”, there is, in the balance of scripture- the whole council of God, enough information there to give you God’s character on every situation possible. Remembering love, grace and an affront towards legalism, we can answer every situation in life that comes up with a Godly response that pleases and glorifies Him. However, if our foundation is not in truth gained from the uncompromised Word of scripture, than our foundation is on sand, and whatever we build will fall. Including the lives of those we are hoping to disciple to Christ.

Truth is truth. That’s why they call it “truth”. It is absolute, it is unchangeable, and it is spoken to us in scripture. We must remember that God’s word is good for reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). Use truth to the glory of God, never to the detriment of grace, and never in any way other than in love (Ephesians 4:15). A teacher is of no value to a disciple if what he is being taught is not true. We all need to place so much value on the truth that we are afraid to speak if we think we might be sharing something that might lead one astray. Remember, it’s OK to say, “I don’t know”, as long as it is followed by, “but I’ll find out!”

A spirit of truth is a spirit that desires to know more. A spirit of truth is a spirit that desires to learn more. A spirit of truth is a spirit that is not satisfied with a knowledge that is less than assuring, less than confident, or a heart whose fire burning within can only be quenched by knowing God more closely and more intimately than ever before thought possible.

Standing firm in the truth should not be intimidating, it should be empowering. You have the truth. The truth has set you free. Go free others by using these principles to be better mentors and leaders. Free them by teaching, leading by example, and being firm on the truth of God.

Not Drinking the Glenn Beck Kool-Aid®

2010-08-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

I received several copies of a letter yesterday. I’m still struggling with this is many ways. It was authored by a fellow that I have a great deal of respect for as a man, and as a Christian leader in America. The letter covered this man's thoughts on the faith of radio talk show host and Fox News favorite, Glenn Beck. This discussion has come up often, and seems to be all the buzz in the Christian realm right now. I have consternating over this for some time, and having formed an opinion, feel it necessary today to weigh in on my thoughts.

I’m not drinking the Glenn Beck Christian Kool-Aid.

Don't get me wrong, I love Glenn Beck, he's a heck of a nice guy. But there is much confusion here that needs to be addressed with regards to his Mormon faith.

What if any other known Mormon walked up to your door and started telling you about their love for Jesus?
What if any other self-confessed Mormon told you about their ‘conversion’ to Jesus?
What if any other Mormon started professing their love for family, conservative points of view and their “Christian” world-view?

At the very least you’d be suspect. And the first thing you’d have to ask is this: Which Jesus do you love, the Mormon Jesus or the Jesus that is the Son of the Living God, and not the brother of Satin? Glenn Beck has not revealed this that I know of. I have watched several interviews and dozens of programs and videos. The definition of Jesus is conspicuously missing from all of them.

I am as conservative as they come; most of you know that by now. Politically, socially, Glenn Beck speaks my language. I LOVE what Glenn Beck is doing for this country politically. Religiously, I am afraid.

Glenn Beck is a Mormon. In case we have forgotten, Mormonism is a heretical cult that leads people away from the true God by awful deceit. The main goal of the Mormon Church is to get people to believe that they are in fact a Christian church when in fact they are not, and what’s worse is that they know it and design their proselytizing specifically to combat that truth! Are we going to stop preaching that Mormonism is a cult because Glenn Beck speaks Christian-ese?

Have we forgotten that Mormonism exists because God told Joseph Smith the founder of the Mormon religion that, “…all their creeds were an abomination in His sight: that those professors were all corrupt..." (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, vol. 1, p. 5-6). Mormonism exists because it proclaims itself that orthodox Christianity is false. The initial goal of Joseph Smith and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was to purposely set itself apart from accepted orthodox Christianity. In other words, Mormonism purposely separated itself from orthodox Christianity, not the other way around. Now however, because the world has been made wise to their doctrine, the Mormon church is doing all it can to make everyone believe that they ARE a Christian church in direct opposition to their own tenets and founding beliefs. I wish they’d make up their minds, because it is confusing a lot of people, including apparently Glenn Beck.

Fruit? What real fruit does Glenn Beck have? If any, it is all questionable by having been tainted by the root of a false religion. There are a lot of trees out there that produce some really beautifully looking and wonderfully smelling fruit that is absolutely poisonous and will kill you when you eat it. Jim Jones loved families and Jesus too. Joseph Smith claimed to have a real conversion and love Jesus as well…

Until Glenn Beck comes out and says, “I love the Jesus of the bible, and do not believe the Mormon doctrine that Jesus is a created being and the brother of Satin”, he is doing nothing but spitting lies and deceit, and spreading false information about our Savior. Period. Of course if he does that than he will no longer be a Mormon. I will give you the possibility that perhaps Glenn Beck is doing this out of shear ignorance of true Christianity, but the chance is very slim. More on that later.

But here me out first. I love Glenn Beck. I hope that Glenn Beck’s love for Jesus is REAL, TRUE and sincere, and not rooted in Mormonism to the point where he is worshipping a false God. His confessions and conversions mean nothing if this is not the TRUE Jesus, the Second person of the Triune Godhead, not created, but Eternal Son of God. Belief in any other Jesus is a false belief in a false deity that can do nothing more for him with regards to his salvation than the microphone that he speaks into every day.

So his bosom burns, so what. Take a Tums® – but don’t call yourself a Mormon and go on TV and radio trying to convince the Christian population in America that Mormonism is the same as historical orthodox Christianity. Because it is not! It is wrong to do so, and it is deceiving people towards Hell – The REAL Hell. As far as I know, Mr. Beck has yet to explain or define Jesus, and I’m not ready to assume that he’s on the right track. Would you assume that from any other Cult member? If he really is, why does he continue to promote his Mormonism over a belief in Orthodox Christianity?

More simply, do you honestly think he’s never investigated this?? The differences between orthodox Christian churches and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints? To do so would conclude that he does not know that there are differences, and clearly this cannot be true. Thinking that Glenn Beck is not aware that his church’s doctrinal teaching is that 'Jesus' is a created being and the brother to Satan - after more than 10 years of regular attendance at a Mormon Church, is the same as saying Barak Obama was unaware that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright was a Marxist bigot and hater of America!

Listen, Glenn is no dummy. Either he is a Mormon, or he is a Christian. You can be a born-again Christian and go to a Mormon church if you so choose, just the same as you can be a born-again Christian and go to a Catholic church as well. But IF you are a Christian and go to a Mormon church, you are not a Mormon by their own definition; not just our definition, but theirs as well! Remember, this is about Jesus. Is Glenn Beck a Mormon or a Christian? – You can’t be both. You can be a Christian that goes to a Mormon church, but you can’t be an Orthodox Christian and an ‘orthodox’ Mormon at the same time.

And here’s the real kicker for me: – If you are a true believer in the true Jesus, then sooner or later, you have to come out against EVERYTHING that teaches against Jesus or teaches a false Jesus or flies in the face of biblical dogmatic, orthodox Christianity… including the Mormon Church.

If you are a true born-again believer in the real Jesus Christ with a Salvational understanding of Jesus and the gospel, why would continue to attend a Cult? PLEASE - do not tell me it is for the reason of proselytizing. Paul did not become a member of a polytheistic cult in order to reach the people he was preaching to. Jesus did not have to become a prostitute to teach a prostitute that it was wrong and to bring her to true repentance and conversion. This logic is exposed as false in the case with Glenn Beck. He has no need to stay within the Mormon Church to covert those people to true Christianity, because he already believes that they are true Christians! That’s the point he tries to make every day on his radio and TV shows. This message seems to be elf defeating and should be seen as such by all those real Christians who believe that Glenn Beck he is a born-again believer.

Only God knows his heart. I do not. In the mean time, what we have is one man with the power of the media behind him, thrust before our American Christian community rallying to the cry of a Mormon who’s beliefs (if he truly is Mormon) are HERETICAL, in the name of Christianity. We are allowing this man to blur the line between the real Jesus and the Jesus of the Mormons. It is a very real danger.

In the end, this discussion is not about Glenn Beck, it's about what Glenn Beck is doing to Christian America. I had a question for God not too long ago. It had to deal with a decision that a good brother had to make. This man is a man of God, and lover of Jesus. He was at a cross-roads in his life and was confused as to what he should do, and asked that I pray for him. I did, and this is what the Lord gave me:

1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

This discussion is approaching everywhere. Many people are talking about it. The Mormons love it. Conservative Christians cringe at the thought. Those in the middle, and those who are seeking a new or renewed relationship with Jesus are confused. Christianity is not confusing. It is lovingly simple.

Glenn I love you, but you are causing a nation full of confusion. And before we can be brothers, just answer one question for me:

Who is Jesus?

Discipleship: Part 1- Communicating With God

2010-08-11T15:11:00.001-07:00

Philippians 4:6-7
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

How well do we really do this? How well do we really communicate with God?

My wife and I had a discussion with our children at the dinner table the other night that revolved around discipleship. Funny that Sonja brought it up, as this was something that was very heavy on my mind. We just flat out asked out kids; how do you make disciples? WE began to look at the character of Jesus and His examples alone to give us some ideas as to how to make disciples ourselves.

We broke it down to a few excellent examples, and so for the next few devotionals, that's what I wish to cover. Discipleship.

The first thing that we identified, is that to make disciples, you have to be able to teach those you are discipling. Does this mean that we all need to be gifted teachers, orators, speech-givers or highly educated college folk to be able to effectively teach those who are seeking out God? Absolutely not. What you need is a quality relationship with Jesus, and a willingness to let others into your life to see how to accomplish that. If you are unwilling to let people into your life and into your heart, how are you going to show them how to get Jesus into their lives and into their hearts? Jesus wants a close relationship with us all, and if we are not willing to allow that to happen with other believers in our local fellowships, shame on us, and expect to stagnate as a believer.

Teaching is communicating. We watched a show recently called "Top Snipers". It is a documentary about some of the world's best sniper teams going through a grueling competition together under some high stress situations. The teams that consistently performed the best are the ones that communicated the best. Students best learn when their teachers are able to communicate their thoughts, ideals and platforms to their students. Some do this by words. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with having said, "witness always, and if necessary use words". Profound as it shows us that the best way to witness and show Christ's character is to live those attributes out in your own life. That does not require a polished delivery or Master's Degree vocabulary. All it requires is dedication on your part to walk what you talk. That is communicating God, but what about communicating with God?

I'll put it to you the same way I asked my daughter Kayden. When you talk to your best friend, how do you talk to her? Do you use big fancy words? Do you address your friend as if they were royalty? Do you call them Mr, or Sir, or Maam? No. You call them by their name, and you just simply share your heart. That's what God wants too.

Now I'm certainly not advocating disrespecting God. But in dealing with communicating with God He just wants to be your best friend. Treat Him like such. Cry to him the way you'd dry to a friend when things hurt. Talk to Him and express your frustrations; He understands your anger and your feelings. God simply wants you to get close to Him. When you want to get to know people better, what do you do? You talk to them. You walk with them, you hang out with them. And if you are a disciple of that person, you emulate them.

Take the simplest most mundane things to God. You are not troubling Him, your showing Him how much you love Him. Chat with Him often. Formal prayers are nice. All set down in a comfy chair with your blanket on your lap, or kneeling beside the bed. Some people prefer head coverings or music. Praying with others is something that we are called to do. Fellowshipping with each other and bearing each other's burdens is best done through payer. But forget the ide that you need to be formal and set in your ways, hands held in a certain way, formal in your delivery, appearance set just so. Get beyond form –and get to friend. God is your BEST friend. He can do for you and through you like no other. Trust every thought, emotion, action or question to Him. Communicate with Him like He's standing right beside you, because guess what…..

Distracted Living

2010-08-03T15:00:00.001-07:00

Galatians 5:22-26

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Wow. Where to start? How about this: Been distracted lately?

Perhaps the greatest marketing campaign of all time was the one done by the Dairy Council that we all know of as "Got Milk?" Shortsightedness on the part of the Dairy Council saw that they never did patent that them or trademark the font used in that original ad, so it has been copied thousands of times over now using the same font to say, "Got this?" of "Got That?" Well, I ask you this: Got Distraction? Sure you do. Children, bills, work, neighbors, health, economy, souse? Whatever that distraction might be, we have a responsibility to stay focused. And an even greater responsibility to have our focus on the right place.

Focus is really important. Our focus determines not only our direction, but our commitment to that direction. Our focus becomes the centerpiece to our day, and the compass to our lives. We are constantly reminded in scripture, especially by Jesus Himself that we need to keep our eyes open to see the Lord's workings, and that we must keep our eyes on Him. Perhaps the best example is what happened to Peter when he took his eyes off of Jesus as he was walking on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, he began to sink.

Metaphorically, we all begin to sink when we take our eyes off of Jesus. As a former competitive rifle marksman and as a US Army Expert Rifleman, 300 yard shots were required just to qualify. Expert meant no misses at 300 yards, and as a squad Designated Marksman 600 yard shots were not only routine, but expected of you. If you take your eyes off the target for just a millisecond, it's a miss. Your bullet might land somewhere near the target, but lacking that perfect hit, your job was not accomplished. The word 'sin' means literally 'to miss the mark'. Interesting how that correlates. I'm also sure it is no accident that Jesus was crucified in the center, between the two thieves…

I was praying the other day after having missed the mark, "Lord, why did I miss the mark? Why did I not heed the spirit and chose my flesh?" God's immediate answer, "You were not looking at me"… Seriously, it is really HARD to not follow God when you think of Him watching you at all time. It is hard not to live to please Him when we are focused on the fact that He is walking with us. It is hard to allow thoughts to come into our minds that should not be there when you are reading God's word. I distinctly remember asking God one at time how to create a better walk and die to my flesh, how not to act a certain way. He replied loud and clearly, "If you had been reading your bible instead, that would not have happened." He knows we need to be totally focused on Him all the time, if we are to hit the mark with every shot. Remember, even the easy shots are hard to make with our eyes closed.

At this summer's pastor's conference, I was just worshipping and exalting God. I was having a mountaintop moment that we all seek to hold on to and treasure. I speaking to my heart the Holy Spirit just moved me into love. I wrote down in my journal that day, "Walk in my love, Walk in my joy, Walk in my Peace: The Holy Spirit". I'm remembering that today, and the refreshing that comes with that. If we desire to talk in the love, joy and peace, we need to be hitting the mark by focusing on Him.

The Politics of Christianity

2010-08-03T09:01:00.001-07:00

I could offer you a long discourse and present a solid defense for the argument that Jesus was a very politically active individual. He confronted politics in nearly every aspect of his religious life as He carried His message of salvation throughout all of Israel. But this devotional is not meant to be a lesson in apologetics about Jesus the politician. Rather, it is meant to be the foundational platform from which the rest of this devotional rests.

Much has been said about the building of the Cordoba House Mosque. For those who do not recognize this title, you will surely recognize this one: Ground Zero. Why? Because that is where the Cordoba House Mosque, a Muslim mosque and community center is planned to be built, right across the street from where the World Trade Center's Twin Towers once stood before being toppled by Muslim pilots of two hi-jacked American airliners on 9/11/2001. Most Americans, to say the least, are at the very least at odds with this proposed construction project. If put into words, most Americans are really angry that New York City politicians, New York State politicians, private land and business owners, and the overwhelming will of the people seem to be unable to stop the already rolling wheels of progress when it comes to the seemingly inevitable construction of this mosque.

As with most Americans, when I had initially heard of this mosque being built on the site of the 9/11 attacks I was outraged. How could it be that a religion that claims harmony and peace be so callous as to not consider the thoughts and emotions of Americans that have suffered so badly because of this callous act of terror against innocent Americans? AMERICANS. Wow, that suddenly rang into my head. I sat here at my desk at work and stared at my desktop, a graphic representation of the Declaration of Independence. I started thinking about the politics of dealing with faith and religion in America. As I pondered that thought, the freedom to worship freely the God that we love. While I certainly disagree with those who will tell you that the God of Islam is the God of the Bible (a statement that the Roman Catholic Church agrees with coincidentally: See the recently reiterated state of Dominus DOMINUS IESUS by John Paul II and Benedict XVI - and the 1965 declaration of NOSTRA AETATE), I began to be convicted, really convicted by the thought of the Constitutional Rights of Americans to the freedom of religion, and my personal desire to deny a religious organization the right to build a place of worship, and worship as they see fit. After great consternation, I had to confess, that to deny this religious organization the opportunity to build a house of worship, in spite of my disagreement with that faith, and despite the absolute injustice of it, I found myself having to side with the Muslims in that to dent them to opportunity to build there, even on that site, was to deny my Citizenship and to spit on the Constitution that I swore an oath, and fought a war to defend.

Confident that I had made the right decision I moved forward with my life, with the constant nagging in me that this decision did not sit right. Sure it did not sit right with me (my flesh), but at the same time, as much as it hurt, I knew that I need to apply our constitutional rights equally to all. THAT is what America stands for. That is why I stand for. So why did I find myself not feeling right? Why do I not find myself at peace with this? I decided to keep an open mind and investigate this further, and really pray about this. The old WWJD bracelets came to mind, and I found myself really wondering that question; what WOULD Jesus do? Using Jesus as my example in the world of faith and things of the spirit, as well as a man - dealing in a world of hateful international politics, I plugged on. In limbo.

This morning a good friend of mine from Bemidji, MN forwarded me an email. In that email was the answer to my prayers and anxiety. Suffice it to say that I can no longer answer the question of the Cordoba House in the same manner.

Our Constitution is a wonderful thing. It is an eternal document that provides line-item freedoms and rights to the citizens of this nation – enumerating them as God-given and unalienable. Provided the laws of the land do not cross a biblical mandate, I have sworn to defend these freedoms: with my life if necessary. For some, I understand that this is a ridiculous statement. For others I know you fully understand. But the bottom line is this: these freedoms only apply to citizens of the US. Not to foreign powers and governments, and not to foreign individuals residing here in the States be they legal or illegal.

True to the rule of most criminal activity, if you want to get to the bottom of something, you need to get to the 'top' of the organization. To do that we only have to do one thing: Follow the money. The money trail for the construction of this mosque goes out of this country. It would be one thing is, in spite of the fact that this religion flies in the fact of Christianity and expresses a written desire to wipe us and the Jews from the face of the earth, I'd still be in favor of letting those people worship her, if the freedom was reciprocal. Something about the whole do unto others thing that sticks in my craw.

Proselytizing in Arab nations, including the relatively 'civil' one of Saudi Arabia is more than just un-encouraged, it is illegal. The conversion to Christianity from Islam is a capital offense. The proof of true intolerance is not that we disagree with another viewpoint, or that it may even angers us. True intolerance is when that opposing viewpoint is not permitted, and deemed illegal by those in power. What really caused me to reconsider my position was the email I received this AM. Let me explain.

Last weekend the citizens of New York and of this nation for that matter, held a protest at the sight of this proposed mosque. Did you see it on the news? No. No major broadcast new agency covered the event. It was not on ABC, CBS or NBC. Fox News covered it, and that was the only place to see it on TV as it happened. The reason you did not see the protest on TV is because it is considered intolerant by the press who are ruled and directed by our federal administration. We no longer have a free news network in this nation, we now have a coral of cows and sheep baying in praise at the very word of the shepherd who, while appearing to have a countenance of peace and equality, in actuality (as proven by his legislative agenda) has a heart of socialism, and a 'faith' anything but Christian or tolerant. What we see is a veneered façade of a leader pushing this nation in a direction we do not wish to go, all in the name of tolerance.

This protest was not covered because it was peaceful. Thousands of people stood quietly. Some with signs in hand. Others, perhaps thousands of others stood not with signs, but with pictures. Framed pictures of their loved ones. All who were killed on that site during the 9/11 Terrorist attacks at that site. One sign read this: "Sensitivity works both ways. If you care, build it elsewhere." But the one that caused me enough pause to reconsider my opinion said this: "You can build a Mosque at Ground Zero when we can build a Synagogue in Mecca!" How true, how true. IF, and it's a big IF that we all already know the answer to, Islam was truly a religion of peace, and if truly Islam was a religion that sought tolerance and understanding for its faith, wouldn't they allow such a concession? We need not ask the question. We already know the answer. This fact is seen daily on the temple mount; a place built by biblical King Solomon, made the most grandeur place on earth by King Herod all in the name of Christianity and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and a place that still lacks any monument that that faith and only a monument to Islam who's control of that piece of ground was won by military religious conquest at the cost of the blood of thousands of Jews.

I am bound by my faith to obey the laws of the government under which God in His sovereignty has destined me to live. I will do just that. However, if there is in the course in human events, and opportunity to fight a character or value system contrary to peace, and that seeks to eliminate Christianity, and that means is legally provided by our government, to not do so is to be derelict of our responsibility to our nation and to our faith. No, we do not need to be offensive, overbearing, rude or hateful. We need to show what true Christianity is. Love towards our fellow man even when that man is opposed to God. But what we have forgotten in the argument is this: America is at WAR. In war, you give no quarter to the enemy in your home state. If the Imams that will be teaching at Cordoba House Mosque will swear to teach peace and denounce Islamic terrorism, swear allegiance to the US (if in fact they are citizens), if the money funding this comes from states, peoples and nations outside the US that are friendly to Christianity and truly tolerant of other religions, hey, now it's worth discussing. But alas, we all know this will never happen because the reality is that Islam is NOT a religion of peace. It is religion on conquest and suppression, and forced conversion at the penalty of death.

If this mosque is built, it will stand as a monument to hate, and as a trophy to those who hate America, freedom, and any religious faith other than Islam. Sure, the builders can say it is a community center, but the world will see it as a victory for Islam, and the Muslims will see it as another slap in the face to America.

If Islam is a religion of peace, and its followers believe that, why do we not see thousands of Muslims protesting this mosque being built on the site where the terrorists murdered 3,000 innocent Americans? If these terrorists, ALL OF THE Muslim, really do not properly represent the true tenants of Islam, why do we not see thousands of Muslims standing side-by-side with those Americans carrying pictures of their murdered family members and loved ones, crying along with them to protest the construction of this mosque? The is a reason, and the reason is self explanatory, but since it is not politically correct we do not report it on the national network news, or even talk about it in public for fear we might 'offend'.

I'll close with this. Let me remind you so that you might remind others. The fight against Islamic terrorism is not new. The fight against terrorism has been going on since Thomas Jefferson was President of this nation, and it has not stopped since. Most Americans and every Marine past and present knows these words to the Marine Corp song, "From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli…" Where do you all suppose Tripoli is, and what were they fighting there? Islamic terrorism through the piracy of international shipping (just like they are still doing today off the coast of the Sudan). The War against Islamic terrorism did not begin in 2001, it began in 1801 when Yusuf Karamanli, the Pasha (or Bashaw) of Tripoli, declared war against the United States for failing to pay a "tribute" (read: BRIBE) of $225,000.00 guaranteeing safe passage of American vessels through the Mediterranean Sea. This war will continue as long as Islam lives.

Scripture reminds us that we do not war against men, but against principalities and powers. These powers come from Satan, and embolden the enemies of Christianity to continue their hatred and war not against us, but against a loving God who wishes that none should perish but that all should have everlasting life. We need to wake up. We need to call on God for His protection, wisdom and strength in defending this nation that He so boldly created through His divine guidance. May God once again, bless America.

Sold Out? I’m sure you are…

2010-07-28T13:09:00.001-07:00

Romans 12:1-2

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

"Creation", a large Christian gathering of bands, speakers and those who come to see them invaded our nearby town of Enumclaw this past week. Among the performers were names that we all know and love, names that have written modern-day hymns that we all occasionally sing in church on Sundays, and groups or bands that, while they call themselves "Christian", and make you wonder why. Knowing that there were 12,000 plus Christians in the area for the event, and that the night before that many of them had gathered at the local Starbucks until they got booted out at 1:00 AM, my family and I decided to go and see what we might be able to do with regards to ministering to some of the young people as they wound down for the night. With my intent for this sharing not being a judgment of which bands fall into what categories, and what really represents Christianity and what does not, I'll let you all draw your own lines and get comfortable in them before I move on…

Sold out. That's the title. Sold out. Are you? Well, when it comes to Christianity, we are ALL sold out. Isn't that exciting?! We are ALL sold out for Jesus! Well, I said we are all sold out, but not all sold out for in the same way. Some are sold out for Jesus, on fire for his Word and love and our relationship to Him. Others, well, they just plain sold out. Sold out as in, we have sold out our morality, sense of responsibility to our faith, and decided that while we definitely need a savior in Jesus to get to heaven, that in the mean time my freedoms will be more important to me than living a Romans 12 life sold out to God.

That night we arrived at the local Starbucks at about 10:30 PM, ordered our drinks…and waited. By 11:00 while we watched the occasional customer come and go, there was only Creation attendee there at the shop. We did not have to reach out to him, he was FIRED UP! He just left the concert, was having loads of fun, was abuzz with energy (this before his coffee mind you) and his mouth was running a mile a minute! How cool to see one of our youth so excited about Jesus and his faith to take the time out of his life to come to a 4 day event to celebrate that faith with other believers and to begin to grow an even closer relationship with Jesus. He was fired up all right… but not for Jesus, just for the music.

(We'll call him Mark) The conversation went something like this:

Mark: WOW! I'm so pumped!
Tom: Is the concert over?
Mark: Nope they are STILL playing – WOO-whooo!!
Tom: So how's the show?
Mark: GREAT! YEAH!!!!
Tom: So why'd you leave?
Mark: The crowd was too rowdy. It's a 'heavy' band tonight. I had to leave. People are just getting out of hand.
Tom: Why do you suppose that is?
Mark: Well, the music is just that way, and it kinda makes you want to do that sort of thing.
Tom: Why do you suppose that is Mark? Do you think they are glorifying God when they do that?
Mark: Well, it's because they want to get rowdy. That's why a lot of people come to these events, just for the concerts and to have a chance to cut loose with their friends
Tom: Do you think they are glorifying God when they do that?
Mark: No.
Tom: Mark, is you being here glorifying God?
Mark: Well I guess not.

Granted, this is a paraphrase of a conversation that took an hour for a geeked-up, wired-out concert goer who likes to call himself a Christian, only then to find himself acting in a way that ruins contrary to his own definitions of Christianity. He's following the desires of his flesh, and not following a path that expresses the glory of God in his life and witness. For a moment (upon self reflection) Mark, who had not been able to close his mouth for an hour… suddenly had nothing to say.

Oh, don't worry, he bounced right back. But in the mean time we had a conversation that that really caused Mark some pause. He finally had some clarity to see that his behavior was limiting if not his relationship to Jesus, at bare minimum his ability to be effective for Jesus. He could now see why he was no longer in youth ministry in his church (he was asked to not participate by the pastors). He was beginning to see why relationships in his life crumbled, and why some of the things he loved began to not satisfy him anymore. He was beginning to understand his loneliness. He was beginning to understand that when Chris Tomlin took the stage and graced the presence of this concert with his gift of music, praise and worship (a gift that God had given him, and that he returns to God in the form not just music - but modern days hymns and anthems of Christianity)… that all he could do was weep.

This devotional is not about finger pointing, being the 'barking dog' police officer of Christianity, or the judge of your walk and relationship with Jesus. Rather, it is about asking, humbly, that you take a deep look at your life, your walk, and whether you are Sold Out to Jesus, or just plain sold out to the world.

Trust me; we all need improvement in our walks. I allow things to affect my countenance that in turn affect my relationship with my wife and children. I allow things to come between myself and God because my flesh wins out from time to time. But, I do not set up my life to feed my flesh over my spirit, and that I think is the key. What I mean by that is we need to examine what drives us. Is it time with the Lord in quiet reading or meditation, or is it time on our boat, or on the mountain skiing, or hiking or whatever. Ask yourself this right now: if you could be anywhere other than where you are right now, where would that be? If that place is a place that feeds your flesh over your spirit, you have some tweaking to do in your life.

Self examination is what I'm talking about. Romans 12 is what I'm talking about. Are you conforming to the world, or are you being renewed by Christ? Ask that question of yourself to the Lord today. I'll let Him decide. Sold Out for Jesus, or just plain sold out…

Doom & Gloom / Ripe For Revival

2010-07-22T14:26:00.001-07:00

We all love the characters made famous by author A. A. Milne in his book revolving around the 100 Acre wood and the leader of the pack, Winnie the Pooh. While Winnie can make a great metaphoric parallel to the average American Christian; one who is hungry for spiritual food, but often gets into trouble trying to get it, and makes plenty of mistake along the way as he matures, we must take notice. Eeyore is always close by.

While the A. A. Milne/Winnie the Pooh character of Eeyore is certainly a loveable individual, if his attitude were the prevailing one in the 100 Acre Wood, there'd be a lot more trouble there than they already seem to have.

When faced with hard times, we have a choice. We can look back through history to those before us who have suffered similarly, or even more so than us, and say, "hey, they made it through this, we are going to get through this as well" and work our hardest to make that happen. Or, we can do nothing, sit on our laurels, expecting someone else to foot the bill for our personal financial recovery, languish in self pity and wait for relief or Armageddon. Whichever comes first. In short, there is no time for Eeyore mentality when we need to be working towards, and praying for revival.

If we do take the time to look at history, when the world has been faced with crisis, their natural tendency is to turn to God. Some of the hardest and most troubled times in the past have produced great outpourings of the Holy Spirit and the working of God in the form of revival. We recently saw that here in America following the 9/11 terrorist attacks supplanted on an innocent public by Muslims. In the face of such violence and loss, as well as the very real scare of not knowing what might next come from up the sleeves of these terrorists, church attendance rose dramatically all across America. The trouble is, this revival only lasted about as long as the attention span of a kindergartener whose water based paint ran out and the Play-Doh® got hard (a child whom apparently shares a spiritual IQ with the average American).

Names like Luther, Whitfield, John and Charles Wesley, Wilberforce and Newton, and later on Finney, Spurgeon and Moody - all became household names. Why? Not because they recovered the national or local economy, but because they revived the heart of nations!

There are a lot of choices out there for people of 'faith'. But Christianity beings with it hope. And not only hope, but a historical pattern of revived hearts and nations because of it, and puts forth into the souls of men a reason to live and an undying hope in the awesome future that lies ahead. History shows that Christian revival brings with it prosperity and a blessing from God. This nation has reveled in that prosperity for more than 200 years. As we look around us, we now see a nation where 75% of its people claim Christianity as their faith, but yet we still struggle with whether abortion right or wrong, whether or not it should be funded with public tax money and a divorce rate as high in the church as out. Surprisingly, we wonder why it seems like that time of blessing is over.

Jesus said in John 4:35, "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" Such a time is now.

When the woes that encompass our country, or even our own 100 Acre Wood seem to be closing in more tightly than ever – with all due respect, it's time to tell Eeyore to get with the program because the fields are white for harvest. There is no time for doom and gloom, we must be found at the Lord's work. We must work as hard at home and on the job to do our part to turn this economy around that has caused so much pain for so many people, while at the same time PRAYING like never before for God to bring revival to the hearts of the people of Bonney Lake, Sumner and all the world. With the populations of our towns, there is no reason why each church in our towns should not be packed to standing room only each and every week.

God tells us that if we turn our eyes to Him and lift up our prayers, He WILL hear us. Forgive us Lord. May God richly bless America once again.

#3: Renewing/Transforming

2010-07-13T09:54:00.001-07:00

Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

`Having seen (by the Grace of God) a pattern in a biblical method of becoming more in-focus or in-tune with Jesus in our relationship with Him, we have been looking at a step-by-step process to do just that. First we looked at a refreshing. How not to allow the world to lead you by its inherent distractions on your flesh, but to stop and get the spiritual rest you need to have a functionally appropriate look at things to come. Secondly, we realize that a refreshing is not refreshing for long if we delve right back into that pattern and lifestyle that we had been following, and that saw us getting of His track and running full-bore on our own. If we do not refocus on Jesus, and I mean everything on Jesus, than we stand firmly set in a pattern that comes with a 100% failure rate.

So what comes next? Our over-doing it physically and spiritually finds us in need of refreshing. In our moment of refreshing we are able to see (through prayer and meditation) and actually listening to that still small voice - that in fact we really do need to refocus our lives on Jesus, then what? Prepare for a total renewing.

Scripture speaks of a renewing at least 6 times by name in the NT. I used this verse in a sermon this past Sunday. The Focus on the Family series called The Truth Project mentioned it as well; and that is the fact that we cannot be renewed, truly renewed except by our minds. If we have achieved Christian burn-out and turned ourselves to the Lord in a time of refreshing, this refreshing will be at best physical and emotional, and will not last unless the renewal comes by the Spirit in our mind.

We are told that through the mouth speaks the heart, and this is true. Our inmost self is revealed by the actions of our hearts. James makes a special point of this to say in his book that our faith proves itself by our works. We are also told that our heart will deceive us. The book of Deuteronomy, the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, and the brother of Jesus warns us that we can easily be deceived by our hearts – through pride or outright rejection of righteousness in favor of self. But we are also shown great examples that through (most often) times of prayer and a close refreshing of Spirit by God through meditation and His Word that we can control and overcome the desire of our hearts, as is our acceptable service.

We must be renewed! If our focus on Jesus is to be consistent, and life changing , it must be a renewing that begins in our minds so that it truly effects our hearts, and allows us to use a Spirit driven intellect to make a conscious AND sub-conscious decision to die to self, and destroy every effect of the world and our flesh that still permeates our lives.

2 Corinthians 4:16
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

Ephesians 4:20-23
²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:8-11
⁸ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, ¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, ¹¹ where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

Renewing cannot be accomplished without a total refocusing on Jesus, and allowing our minds, our intellect to be ruled by Him and His ways. We must stop reasoning by our own thought, and reason by His. This cannot be accomplished however if we do not know what they are, therefore making our time in scripture studying God's word paramount in our lives.

Look at what some of these verses tell us: If we truly have put off the old man, we SHOULD be leaving these things of the world behind us. Things that remind us of our old man and old worldly ways need to be lost to our history to become part of our testimony of conversion. That even though we fear sickness, illnesses and getting old, that despite the fact that my right should is a wreck, and that my left knee no longer functions like a knee join but more like a swivel, that inside we can gain on God daily! Becoming more like him all the time because we are being renewed inside.

But all of this is done through the work of the Holy Spirit in our minds; by Godly knowledge. This must be our refocus: That our new focus is Jesus and Jesus only, and that we allow our thoughts and minds to be totally controlled and ruled by Christ and His understanding and will. As a man, even Jesus had to pray to realign His will with that of the Father. What makes us think that we can do well in our lives without doing the same?

My prayer is that we all seek this total renewing; a total transformation into what GOD wants us to be. In so doing, we are surly to go through a painful process of dying to self, and killing our old man – willfully. It may not be easy, but it is promised to be REWARDING.

#2: Refocusing

2010-07-06T14:28:00.001-07:00

Yes, sometimes we need to be refreshed. Of this there is no doubt. Not only is it desirable, it is biblical. But for it to remain biblical, our refreshing must come from God, and nowhere else. Once we seek, and have received our refreshing from the Lord, yes, there is still more to do.

"There is more to do" is a line that threatens people. The first thing some will think is, "legalism!", "works-based faith and redemption!" And while these phrases should rightly so make our spiritual spider-sense tingle, it is a sure sign of an under-fed, immature Christian to stop there and look (or listen) no further. When I say there is more to do, what I am meaning in this is simply that once we have become a Christian and have begun growing in the spirit, a sure sign of a maturing Christian is an unfettered desire to grow all the more. As we are made new creatures in Christ, these new creatures will have habits and desires that the old creature, now supposedly dead, never had: to become more and more like Christ with each day. Not wanting growth, not seeking growth, is a sure sign that spiritual maturity is lacking.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's refocus on 'refocusing'.

We have just come out of our period of refreshing. We are filled to overflowing with the joys of the Lord and our faith. What next? First thing: we must make sure that our focus remains on Christ and on our growth in Him of we ever hope to continue on in our refreshing. How do we do that? WE MUST make a firm decision in our life to take control of our will, and die to the flesh. We must seek to leave behind permanently, those things that caused us to seek after the things of the flesh. We must refocus everything on Christ and nothing on self. This is the 'more to do' that I talked about. You may call this work, and it may be, but it is also our only hope to keeping our refreshing.

The world wants you to have more focus on 'self'. How do I look, how do I smell, do I have the right jewelry or accessory with me today. Does my body have the right shape or color? Do I have enough 'credentials' to be taken seriously? As if a college degree makes one more spiritual. The world (ruled by the enemy) will be well satisfied to see you focused on anything other than Jesus, but the BEST way for Satan to derail you, rob you of your peace and newfound refreshing, is to have you focused on 'self'.

We must examine everything in our lives, and make sure that each 'thing' is focused on Jesus. Our pride, joy, love, energy, time…everything is His, why do we keep it to serve ourselves? He created it, He owns it, why not give everything back. In doing this, our refreshing comes full circle through our refocusing to become… RENEWING.

Step #1: Refreshing

2010-06-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

God really spoke to me earlier this month at the Calvary Chapel annual Sr. Pastor's Conference. Since then, His word and Holy Spirit have been working in really cools ways, and changing people's lives and faith. I really look forward to more of the same as we move forward in our growth as individual believers, and as God grows our church. This devotional is the first in a series of three that are designed to offer a God ordained path towards getting yourself and your walk with God back where you want it, and where it ought to be. This three-step process is something the Lord clearly placed on my heart that I want to share with you as a means to look anew at our relationship with our loving Father and Savior. _______________________________________________

There are times when we all must stop. Too much in our lives happens too quickly, and we just don't give ourselves time to react in a Godly way; a way that has been balanced and checked against scripture, and that has been prayed over and through. Decisions are made without devoting due effort in prayer and in time of waiting on the Lord, and then we are surprised, often devastated when the results are not what we had hoped. "Life" happens at such a quickened pace that ultimately drives us to 'self' and away from 'God'.

When we allow life to control us, instead of allowing Jesus to guide us and control us, we have not only lost our focus, but we have lost our ability to witness for Christ, and our relationship with Jesus is in serious jeopardy.

When we are not spending the quality time we need in the Spirit, getting away from the pull of the world's ways and desires on our lives, we become driven to do so much: for ourselves, for our family, for others, for the church, even for God, that when we finally slow down to catch our breath the first thing out of our minds and mouths is, something like, "WHEW! – I need some ME time!" we begin to think, that we need more time for ourselves, more time for our hobbies, more time for our likes, and our wants. Vacations, man or woman toys, boats, or technology are the things that come to mind. When this happens we have to train ourselves to STOP. And STOP IMMEDIATELY.

When we allow ourselves to get so exhausted from the things we allow to dominate our lives, we are standing on the precipice of serving God, or serving our flesh. We are just so caught up in the moment of our exhaustion and stress that we do not recognize the seriousness of our position.

Yes, it is no surprise that we need time for refreshing. As a matter of fact, it was during a time of great refreshing that God has given me this word to share. But our refreshing must come from God. Not from a vacation or a toy, or a boat or the latest piece of cool technology. It needs to come from God and God alone.

If when you think of refreshing the first thing it means to you is a weekend in Las Vegas with "the girls" or without the spouse, or if it means an evening at the pub with 'the guys' or feeding your mind with electronic gadgetry, if refreshing is designed to feed your flesh before it is designed to feed your Spirit, than we have lost our first love (Revelation 2:4-5). From here we must remember from where we have fallen. Where did our burning desire to know more of, and get closer to Jesus fall away? At this moment, and especially if you find yourself their right now, you must repent, or see your lampstand removed.

A.W. Tozer said it this way: "Christian churches have come to the dangerous time predicted long ago. It is a time when we can pat one another on the back, congratulate ourselves and join in the glad refrain, "We are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing!" It certainly is true that hardly anything is missing from our churches these days--except the most important thing. We are
missing the genuine and sacred offering of ourselves and our worship to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...."

If you seek more strongly, and arrange your doctrine to defend and feed your flesh and the things of the world in the name of 'freedom in Christ', before you defend the perfect righteous of Jesus that we have been called to emulate, and before you feed your soul with the rich Words of God, than a refreshing will not help you.

You need a refocusing…

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