What Do You See?

William Wilberforce,1759-1833, lived in London, England his whole life. He grew up in a culture that was much like ours (except worse.) Twenty-five percent of women in London were prostitutes. The average age was sixteen. Alcoholism was an accepted norm. Children, as young as six-years-old were forced to work ten or twelve hours in horrible and sometimes dangerous conditions. Public hangings and displays of animal cruelty were forms of entertainment for drunken crowds.  The slave trade was a very lucrative business in Wilberforce's culture.

But accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and God changed in his life. The most obvious change was Wilberforce's way he looked at everything. Suddenly he saw what he had been blind to before. He now saw things from God's viewpoint. He saw:

• God was real and that God loved everyone.
• The slave trade was not an economic necessity, it was horribly wicked.
• The idea of children working long hours, in awful was no longer acceptable.

For the first time in his life, Wilberforce was through God's eyes. But he was living in a culture where almost no one saw things this way. How you see things affects every area of your life! Do you see the prostitute as a wicked, immoral person or some one that God loves? Do you see the gang member as someone for whom Christ died? Do you see the poor a public nuisance  or someone who needs God's love expressed in a tanglabe way? 

Today, ask God to open your eyes to see the way He sees.

God's Math

Many, many years ago when I was in elementary school,  I was introduced to the subject of math. I soon discovered that math and I were not to become friends. Teachers first taught us how to add. Later we were taught subtraction. Granted teachers did their best but for some reason I could not grasp the concept. I remember them teaching subtraction. The idea was simple. If I had four apples and someone "took away" (subtracted) two apples, how many did I now have? Simple, right?

People today are still confused about math, God's math to be exact. With God's math, subtraction always comes before addition. People think they can just add Jesus to their lives without subtracting anything. Jesus becomes an "add-on" to their lives. Similar to when you order a new car. The salesman asks what options you want to "add-on" to the basic model.

Jesus did not come to earth to add an option to our lives. Jesus came to take away (subtract) our sins. John 1:29, Romans 11:27 , 1 John 3:5 So, before you accept (add) into your life, you must first ask Him to take away your sins. He takes away our sins when we confess and ask for forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9

Has Jesus taken away your sins? Have you asked Him to come into your life?

Your Enemy - Part Two

A couple of days ago, I blogged than we have an enemy (Satan) who hates us and wants to destroy us. 1Peter 5:8 We looked briefly that Satan has plans for our destruction. 2 Cor 2:11 Eph. 6:11 And last we saw that to defeat our enemy we must know him. Do not think I am glorifying Satan but he is an powerful adversary. 

Allow me to give you some brief facts about Satan and next blog we will begin to learn some of his tacticts:

• Satan is powerful but not ALL-Powerful. His power is limited. Each time Satan wanted to test Job, He had to go to God and get permission. And God, being the Supreme Power, gave permission but also limited him how far he could go.
• Satan is NOT everywhere. Only God is Omni-present. Satan is a created being and as such he is limited in where he can go. Though he does have demons everywhere.
• Satan is real. He is not an influence or a force. He is evil personified.
• Though Satan is powerful and we cannot face him in our own strength, we do not have to fear him. 1 John 4:4 tells "...the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."
• Satan cannot read your mind and know your thoughts. However, he does know human nature and has had thousands of year to study us. He knows which "buttons" to push in your life but he doesn't know what you are thinking.

Your Enemy

Most of us would like to think that most people like us. Some of us will go to extremes to make sure people like us. But we all know it is impossible to be liked by everyone. We often forget that we are citizens of two worlds. Phil. 3:20 We must not forget that "We are not human beings on a spiritual journey but we spiritual beings on a human journey." {Steve Covey} As spiritual beings, we must we aware that there is an enemy that not only dislikes you but is committed to your destruction.  1 Peter 5:8 Of course, I am referring to Satan.

One of my favorite television shows is Criminal Minds. Each week a team of FBI profilers tries to solve crimes by "profiling" the perpetrator. The dictionary defines a profilers as  "someone with psychologial training who assists police investigations by identifying likely characteristis of the the perpetrator of a particulare crime."

By now, you are probably asking yourself "Where is he going with line of thought?" [Glad you asked!] Two thousand years ago a Chinese military expert wrote The Art of War. "Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster." Good advice.

The Apostle Paul wrote "So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes" 2 Cor. 2:11 In the next few blogs, I want us to be 'familar' whith his evil schemes. 

The New Mega-church

In our culture there has always been contrasts: Republicans vs Democrats. Conservative vs Liberal. Vegetarians - Non Vegetarians. Even in the church there are those who are more traditional and some that are contemporary in their worship.

But the latest phenomenon in contrasts is the rising new mega-church. The Atheist Church. You heard me right. A church for atheists. I know that sounds like an oxymoron.  "So-called "atheist churches" are popping up all over the country and attracting a growing number of people who have left their faith but miss the camaraderie of a congregation. The gatherings are now gaining steam in the U.S. after finding success in Great Britain earlier this year, according to The Associated Press. And the movement fueled by social media and spearheaded by two prominent British comedians is no joke." Source: NewsMax 

I guess it was bound to happen; a church without God; a church without the Bible; a church where they do not sing hymns. Pew researchers stressed, however, that the category also encompassed majorities of people who said they believed in God but had no ties with organized religion and people who consider themselves "spiritual" but not "religious." They call their gatherings "Sunday Assemblies." Sunday Assembly — whose motto is Live Better, Help Often, Wonder More — taps into that universe of people who left their faith but now miss the community church provided. 

Hundreds packed in for more than an hour of rousing music, an inspirational sermon, a reading and some quiet reflection. The only thing missing is God.  "The idea that you're building an entire organization based on what you don't believe, to me, sounds like an offense against sensibility," said Michael Luciano, a self-described atheist who was raised Roman Catholic but left when he became disillusioned. "There's something not OK with appropriating all of this religious language, imagery and ritual for atheism." Source

The Performance Trap

In Luke 18:9 we read about a man who thought all his accomplishments merited him favor in the sight of God. That attitude is still prevalent today. When people try to convince you of their standing before God, they will usually list all the things they do. They will even remind God how 'holy' they are by their activities done in the name of God.

But God judges us differently. Before Jesus began His earthly ministry, before He performed His first miracle, we hear the Father say, " “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17. The Father was pleased with His Son not based on performance but by His position to the Father. 

Before you fall into the "performance" trap, remember it is only through our personal relationship with Jesus Christ that we find acceptance with the Father. In the hymn, Rock of Ages, of the phrases says it best: " In my hand no price [performance] in bring, simply to thy cross I cling.

God will not ask us what we did on earth to merit entrance into heaven. If He does asks us any question, it will be "What did you do with my Son?"

 

There is not question that King David was a brilliant warrior. Repeatedly he overcame great odds but in 1 Chronicles 21 he did something that was a big mistake. He decided that he would take a census of how many fighting men there were at his disposal. Taking a census of his potential  army at first sounds like a sound decision but you have to consider the whole picture.

1. The idea to number the people was not originally David's but Satan. "Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel." 1 Chronicles 21:1 Sometimes when we make decisions, we need to check our motives and if the decision is in God's will. 1 John 5:14-15
2. He refused the counsel of his military advisors. 1Chronicles 21:3 God has placed people in our lives that we might seek their counsel.
3. If we analyze this passage, it becomes clear that David was proud or at least ambitiously curious. David was relying on his strength and not God's. When we try to govern our lives in our own strength and wisdom; we are heading for trouble.

Years later, David's son, Solomon, penned some of the best advise we can use to direct the course of our lives: "Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track." Proverbs 3:5-6 [The Message}

What Ever Happened to Sin?

This morning I was reading over tomorrow's Sunday School lesson and the topic was sin. Particularly,  When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Later on I was working in my yard trying to remove some persistent weeds/vines [?] that keep coming back every year.

But I was determined that they had to go, so I proceeded to dig them up. I was totally shocked when I saw the root system on this small plant. I had to use an ax to remove them. It was then I remembered the Sunday School lesson I had read earlier this morning. Eve had no idea where her decision to disobey (sin) God would take her and that it would affect the entire human race thousands of years later.

Millions of people today still believe that they can disobey God and it will not affect them or others. They think they have a better plan for their life than God has for them. Jeremiah 29:11 They do not realize that sin is progressive, that is it continues to become larger and larger until it has control of their life. What started out as excitement ends in destruction. James 1:14-16

Allow me to give you these words of warning:

• Sin will take you where you never planned to go.
• Sin will cost you more than you planned to pay.
• Sin will keep you longer than you planned to stay.

 



What Is in Your Hand?

There is no question that we live in a consumer-driven culture and nowhere is that seen better than attending church. Many people choose which church to attend by seeing who has the most to offer – music, preaching, children’s programs, etc. The motivation is “how will attending this church benefit me?”

God on the other hand has a different viewpoint on worship. I once read an interesting verse in the Bible that made be stop and think. “No one is to appear before me [God] empty-handed.” Exodus 23:15 , Exodus 34:20 , Deut. 16:16 God made it clear that worship is about Him, not us.

When we worship, God intends for us to bring something to offer Him. "...When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up."  I Cor. 14:26 When you last attended a worship, what did you bring to offer God? Or did you come empty-handed?

 

Giving God the Best

I have a question that has been on my mind for some time. Maybe you can have me solve this puzzle. If you have been in a leadership position in the church, you probably have faced this issue.

When a church wishes to purchases something; i.e. carpet, a church van, appliances for the kitchen, etc. why is it that we always (?) we almost always look for something cheap. Something that we ourselves would not buy and put in our home? It makes me wonder if we think God would be pleased with something inferior. Yet, under the Old Testament sacrificial system, your sacrifice had to be the best of your flow. Leviticus 22:19-25

I am a firm believer in good stewardship and I am not calling for extravagance  but should not we, who are no longer under the law, also give our best?

I would appreciate any thoughts you might have on the subject.

Chosen

One of the things that I dreaded during grade school was recess. I know that may sound strange, so let me explain. Our school was looked in the country and we had plenty of space to play during recess. We would often play softball and that was the one activity that I hated.

Two of the most athletic students where chosen as captains (logical) and they would choose their team from the other students. This is what I dreaded. Being that I was not they athletic, I was always one of the last chosen. To me that meant that I was not worthy to be on their team.

How much different in the Kingdom of God! When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, He did not chose them because of their talent or ability. By today's standards, they would not have been selected for the most likely to succeed. Jesus chose them because He saw their potential they had to become.

In our family devotions, my wife read John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." Jesus choose me not based on my talent or worth. He chose me because He loved me and THAT is what gives me worth.

Accountable

It seems too often that we hear news of another moral failure in the church. Just recently it was brought to my attention that a former pastor was arrested for taking money from people in a bogus investment scam. Another mark against the church. Is it any wonder that people are losing confidence in the church.

But what does not get told is that there are thousands of people who serve God faithfully. In 2 Kings 12, we read that money was given to the priests to rebuild the Temple. While Scriptures does not say they were dishonest, it does say that they did not use the money wisely. King Josiah took the money from the priests and gave it directly to the workers.

Here is the verse that caught my attention; "it was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple. ¹⁵ They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty." [verses 14-15] THAT is a great testimony!

May God grant us more of these faithful men!

Who Are You Following?

When I read the Bible I cannot help but see the difference between New Testament Christianity and today’s version. This morning I was reading Luke 5 which tells of Jesus calling of the twelve disciples. The contrast of Jesus’ call then and the call of today is so contradictory.

Luke 5:11 says, “When they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.” The Greek word translated ‘forsook” literally means ‘to drop what is in your hands,’ walk away and leave it behind. Doesn’t sound much like today does it?

The message we hear today is if you come to Christ, he will bless you with prosperity.  The emphasis is on receiving not forsaking. People are told all that they will receive if they follow Jesus. The idea of forsaking is not appealing to our culture today. We are into gratification not denying one’s self.

What has Jesus asked you to ‘forsake’ in order to follow Him?

World Hunger

All of us have been touched by the pictures on TV of children that are dying from starvation. We would all like to do something about it but after all, what can ONE person do? There is no denying we have a serious problem and many relief organizations are striving to meet the need but literally thousands die each day.

I don’t believe that this problem will be solved by airing ads pleading for financial help from individuals. As noble as these efforts are, I think the answer is much broader. Our churches have enough resources that we could eliminate hunger in a very short time. But we cannot get past our difference. We do not trust one another. We ignore multitudes of Scriptures that command us to care for the poor.  Matthew 25:35 ; Mark 8:2 It is time that the churches become the true church and respond to the cries of the needy. After all is that not what Jesus would do?

Another factor to the problem of world hunger is some countries have the wrong theology. In India, hundreds of thousands of people believe in incarnation. They believe that depending on the life you now live, after death each living creature returns to earth in some different form. A person who has led a despicable life may die and return as a rat. Therefore, they will not kill a rat because it maybe some relative!

It is a fact that rats in India eats tons of grain each year, grain that could be used to feed the starving masses.  But because they have a wrong belief system, thousands die each year! Someone has said that India has the potential and resources to feed the entire world! (A fact that I cannot verify.) But the truth is India could at least solve their country’s hunger problem.

Overpopulated?

We hear a lot from the liberal media about the world’s expanding problems. We have been told since World War II that the world is overpopulated. But has that ever been verified? Is the media correct?

It is interesting that someone took the time and effort to calculate that the world is not overcrowded. That is not to say that many areas do have a population problem but it is not a world problem. Let me explain. If we took the world’s population (6 billion] and place them in the city limits of Jacksonville, Florida [885 square miles or 22 billion square feet] which works out to just under 4 square feet per person. (Standing room only)

I am sure no one could live in such a condition but add the fact North America actually has more wilderness than Africa. While almost 40% of North America is wilderness, only about 30% of Africa is. Over 82% of Canadian land is mostly untouched by humans.

So, it is not an overpopulation problem but rather a logistics problem.

{Now you know!}

Insignificant

I would imagine most of us have read or heard the story of Christmas hundreds of times. We probably just skim over the verses, telling ourselves we already know the facts. But for those who were present, the event probably did not have the significance as it does to us. Many of things than made up this story were “insignificant” to the people of that day.

From the human standpoint, there was nothing special about Jesus’ birth. Mary and Joseph were poor, ordinary people having a baby, yet this event was the most significant incident in human history. I did a Google search of the most significant incidents in human history and the birth of Jesus Christ was not even mentioned. The greatest event of all history, God becoming man did not make the list! Neither the Jerusalem Gazette nor the Nazareth News covered the story. To them it seemed insignificant.

Yet what appeared to be insignificant; had eternal importance. I wonder how much “insignificant” events fill our lives. I do not believe in coincide for the Christ follower. The Word of God teaches that God “orders the steps” of His children. This Christmas season, look for the “insignificant” they might just be God working in your life!

Home For Christmas

It was during WWII that singer Bing Crosby released a song, as if written from a “G.I.” far away from home at Christmas, it shot up the music charts and has remained a Christmas classic ever since. Part of the song says,

“Christmas Eve will find me

Where the love light gleams

I’ll be home for Christmas

If only in my dreams

 

How well I remember Christmas 1968 as I was flying over the Central Highlands of Viet Nam. Armed Services Radio broadcasted Christmas music to try and alleviate our homesickness. It is hard being away from home during the holidays. One of the great ironies of the bible is that almost everyone in the first Christmas wasn’t home for the holidays. The angel Gabriel left heaven to announce to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus. Joseph and Mary left their home in Nazareth and traveled to Bethlehem to give birth to their Baby. And of course, the Magi were a long way from home to see the newborn King.

Most important, the baby Jesus Himself was far from His heavenly home at the first Christmas. But there was a reason that all these were far from home – it was so we could find  our way back to our true home with God. As wonderful as it is to be home at Christmas there is still something in us that tells us we are not home yet. The Bible says we are strangers and pilgrims of earth.

 
As we celebrate  the first coming of Jesus don’t forget the fact that we’re not yet in our true and eternal home. So, keep focused on His Second Coming and your eternal, heavenly home.

I Love Mankind

In the comic Peanuts Linus once explained, “I love mankind; it’s the people I can’t stand.”  Somerset Maugham said it this way “I’ve always been interested in people, but I’ve never liked them.”

Maybe you can identify with those sentiments. People can be rude, selfish, foolish, trying and vicious. Some might even fall into the “enemies” category. When people mistreat or take advantage of us, it is just human nature to feel resentment, anger and even hatred.

The religious teachers of Jesus’ day taught you were to hate your enemies [Roman occupation]. Jesus comes with a radical new teaching, “Love you enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you…”

Our generation has a difficult time understanding this teaching because we look at love as an emotion. When Jesus gave the command to love our enemies He was not talking about our emotions but our actions. You cannot command your emotions to feel a certain way. “Bless those…do good…pray for those…” are all words of action. So, it does not matter how you feel about someone, to love is to do what is in the best interest of that person.

The Theology of Happiness

If you were to ask the average person on the street, "What do you want out of time for you and your children?" Most people answer, "I just want to be happy!" Even our Bill of Rights declare that man has an "unalienable right" to be happy. We are all familiar with the phrase "...and the pursuit of happiness." And it appears that most people are spending an enormous amount to time and energy in their pursuit of happiness.

This pursuit of happiness even carries over to the spiritual realm. We would never say it but we think God's major role in our lives is to see that be are happy. But unfortunately, that is not true. I know it sounds almost heretical that God's goal for us in not happiness. God is more interested in our holiness than our happiness. God's intent for us is to be Christ like. Romans 8:29

We treat God like a cosmic vending machine. We put in our spiritual quarter [prayer] into the vending machine [God] and wait for our prayer to be dispensed [answered]. And if God does not answer our prayer or at least like we think He should, we begin to complain that God has failed us.

Happiness is based on our circumstances. If our circumstances are "good" we are happy. If our circumstance are "bad" we are upset. But God offers something better, it is called joy. 1 John 1:4

God's joy does not depend on circumstances because joy is found in a personal relationship with Christ.

Truth

The story is told of Billy and Ruth Graham strolling through an old cemetery when they came across a tombstone that read, "Here lies a honest man and a politician." Bill remarked, "Look Ruth, they have buried two men in the same grave!"

I am sure many of you have watched the Presidential debates and I for one am glad they are over. Throughout the debate, the two "debaters" challenged each other by saying their statements were not true. Truth is a very rare commodity today, especially in politics. Americans have become accustomed to lies told by our officials, but being accustomed to lies does not make it right.

God places a high premium on truth: "The Lord detests lying lips but He delight in men who are truthful." Proverbs 12:22  (See also: Proverbs 29:2) In the end, truth will always win out!