Quick Update

I apologize for the missed posts.  I've been busy and dealing with the Holidays like everyone so I haven't had much time.  I'll be back after the new year so I'll see you then!

-In Christ
Jonathan

To Hang or to be Carried.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

     Life is scary. The afterlife can be worse.

     We can't be certain what will happen in the very next moment, let alone in eternity. We humans are small and weak and scared. We know full well that we have no control at all and so we do everything we can to gain and keep control. We are comforted by any semblance of it and we are very uncomfortable when without it. We like control.

     We don't want to rely on others. We don't want to have any part of the plan be dependent on the actions of another and for a very simple reason. We don't trust anyone but ourselves. If we let anything depend on someone else, that person may fail us. That person may choose to not fulfill their responsibilities and we may find ourselves in trouble. For many of us that is simply too great a risk to take.

     How scary it is then that God asks us to trust Him. We are asked to trust Him in something far bigger than our evening plans or even our marital life; we are told to trust Him with our eternity. It can be scary. This is the reason so many people have a hard time understanding grace. Surely there is something we have to do, surely there is something I have to prove, or some ritual I can perform. Surely I can earn my place in Heaven because if I can earn it, if it is mine by right, then I can demand it. If I can demand it then it is due me and if it is due me than it is mine by right, but God's plan is different.

“The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him.”

(Nahum 1:7)

     He doesn't provide us a ladder that we can climb to Heaven. God doesn't allow us the luxury of merit or even exchange. God requires trust. We must trust Him. The one thing that is required of us is the one thing that so many of us are so terrified to give, trust. We are asked to sit in the palm of His hand and simply accept that we will not fall off. He carries us and He cares for us and He has us firmly and securely in His safe embrace and the best part of it is that He can be trusted.

     Unlike so many others who have come and gone in our lives, He can be trusted. Unlike the parent who wasn't there when you needed them, He can be trusted. Unlike the the wife who left you, He can be trusted. Unlike the friends who abandoned you, or the boyfriend who hurt you, or the boss who mistreats you, or the doctor who failed you, or your own traitor heart, or the cold impersonal world that rejected you, He can be trusted!

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”

(Proverbs 30:5)

     In His hands you are safe. In His heart you are home. We need not fear betrayal from the one whose very name is love. He who died that we may live is worthy of all of our trust.

Before us lies the choice. Do we tire our arms in the ceaseless need to hang on to the cliff edge, too weak to pull ourselves up and too scared to look down? Or do we listen to Father and let go, trusting that He will catch us? Must we hang on or are we willing to be carried? Our fear of trusting Him keeps us from a simple truth, to trust and to have that trust repaid is a glorious thing. Ask anyone in a faithful committed marriage and they will tell you that having just that one person who is always there changes your whole life.

     Do you think you're strong enough? How badly do you need control? Are you honest enough to admit that you've never really had any? The God of all that is will never betray you, never let you down, never turn out to be less than you had hoped. He is and forever will be everything you've ever wanted, needed, and more.

Will you trust Him?

I know not where the path may lead,

How dark the way that I must tread;

My feet may walk on fragrant mead,

Or midst deep bogs that ’round them spread.

But this I know, whate’er betide,

I need not fear nor walk alone;

I still may have One at my side,

And feel my hand within His own.

I may not have strength of my own,

To do the task before me laid;

Heart shrink to make the fight alone

Against the foe I see arrayed.

But this I know, whate’er the task,

Or foe that seeks my soul’s alarm,

I need not fear; I need but ask

The helpful strength of His strong arm.

I may not know what waits the day,

Nor part the veil that hangs between;

I may not glimpse one golden ray

Upon the further distant scene.

But this I know, if with my best

I played the part I had to play,

’Tis safe to leave to Him the rest,

For His own time, in His own way.

“The Lord is Our Trust”

Words by. Will M. Maupin, 1921

A Proverbial Request

     An honest plea. Truly honest. A request not born of lust or desire, not fed by greed or covetousness; a question that looks inward as well as outward with clarity. Have you ever heard such a request? Have you ever asked such a question?

     We want many things: new cars, new houses, new toys, a better job, a better life! We want and we want and we desperately shove an endless stream of objects and accolades into the gaping hole in our heart in our mad need to fill the void. And yet we are empty still. Even we who should be seeking the face of God find ourselves caught up in the hunt for more.

     But what do we need?

     What is truly best for us in this life? What is a good life? I think the answer is found in the Bible -of course- and in the book of Proverbs specifically.

“Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

(Proverbs 30:7-9)

     Here we read the words of a man named Agur the son of Jakeh, who he was and from what tribe he came we do not know but just read those few verses again! Two things and two things only does he ask: to be free from evil and to have what is needed; simple things. He does not ask for fine clothing or a comfortable home. He does not ask for wealth or fame or prominence. This man simply wants to be righteous and to be content.

     How close do we get to evil? The word translated vanity is “shawv” and has a range of meanings from destructive evil to simple uselessness. Agur wants to be far from this, removed entirely and beyond sight. I think we tend to dance close to the line. If we are to be righteous then we must love that which is good and we love love! However we forget that hatred has it's place. If we truly love good we must hate -hate- evil. We, like Agur, shouldn't want it within us, in front of us, in back of us, within a hundred miles of us! Lord remove from us evil and the love of it!

Neither poverty nor riches he asks. He goes on to explain himself saying that to be rich and fat is to forget our need for God and to be poor and starving can lead to sin for the sake of survival which dishonors God as well. May I have enough, he says; enough and no more, enough and no less.

     Are we okay with enough? How much of our endless march up the corporate ladder stems from a true desire to provide for our families and how much of is simple greed and desire? Do you need that promotion, do you need that bonus? Are they worth skipping church, skipping recitals, skipping dinner? Are you trying to do your best or are you simply unwilling to trust in God to provide?

     Do your work, do it as well as you can and if He blesses you with more be grateful. If He does not then be thankful still for you have what you need.

     Lord may I be a righteous man. Lord may I lay my trust on you for myself and for my family. Lord I ask not for riches or for glory, nor for fame or ease, but may my life be one that honors you. May my life be a song of praise and an image of faith in motion.   Amen.

Caught in the Grey

     So given the tone that's been set for this election season it's easy to point out that people love to polarize things. We don't like topics to be ...fuzzy. Everything makes so much more sense and becomes so much simpler when we lay it all out in obvious black and white terms. Unfortunately life simply isn't that cut and dry and more often than we'd like we find ourselves dealing with topics that seem devoid of clear absolutes. Luckily we have a tried and true tactic for dealing with these situations, pretend!

     Yes, when things get difficult or complicated many of us find that the best thing to do is just take the fuzzy edges and curved lines and force them into straight, organized, neat little categories. Instead of acknowledging the complex nature of the issue we simply cover our ears and sing la la la until the problem goes away. Of course the problems never really go away but if we keep singing that tune long enough and loud enough we'll gather a whole choir together and we can all sing together making it that much harder to hear anyone else.

     Unfortunately we Christians are just as guilty of this as anyone. Frankly it's easy to understand why, complex topics are difficult to deal with. There are many things that God has laid out neatly and obviously in the Bible. Murder, theft, lying, disobedience, selfishness, homosexuality, etc. The list goes on and on. However, there are a great many things that are either not as clear cut or simply not covered at all.

     So instead of taking the time to know and understand what the Bible actually says on these topics and stopping there, we take our own opinions and cultural norms and enforce them as law. We allow for no wiggle room, no fuzzy edges, and no grace. We can see this clearly by looking back at past standard of appearance. I'm sure you've all heard stories from back in the day when men were constantly checked for hair length and women who wore anything but dresses and skirts were covered in disapproving stares.

     The problem with that kind of thing is of course, who gets to set the standard? The law to ancient Israel does say a thing or two about women not wearing men's clothing and vice versa (Deuteronomy 22:5) but this was in a culture where everyone wore what we might consider a dress by modern reckoning. The point isn't that a girl can't wear pants or that kilts are an abomination, ultimately pants are not considered men's only anymore so a woman wearing them is just wearing women's pants.

     Now I'm not going to run down a list of fuzzy topics but I'm sure you can think of a few. What we need to remember is that truth -real truth- begins and ends with the Word of God. If the Bible doesn't clearly lay it out in no uncertain terms than be willing to give a little. If it isn't illegal, immoral, indecent, or clearly sinful, then give people the benefit of the doubt and maybe talk to them about before running them down.

     The Black and the White are comfortable categories because we don't have to think. We are not called to mindlessness though, we are called to be wise and loving. We are called to be child like not child-ish. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) and humility kills a million arguments. We are none of us perfect so give the people around you a little latitude and get comfortable with the fuzzy, with the unclear, and with the imprecise. There are many things to stand firmly on to be sure, but lets be sure we're defending God's standard and not our own.

That One Where He Got Political

     Now before all your collective heads explode, keep in mind this blog will not be endorsing a particular candidate. I honestly don't know enough at this point to point anyone in the “right” direction if such a thing even exists. What this post is primarily about is perspective.

     The founding fathers weren't saints and at least one of them wasn't even “Christian” by any means we can judge this long after his death, that being said the concept of this country is decidedly Biblical. The very idea of inalienable rights is one that assumes a higher authority, justice and the rule of law assume objective right and wrong that is the same for citizen and ruler, the breakdown of our government is there to help guard against the inherent sinfulness of humanity, etc., etc.

     Our basis and starting point however do not make this a “Christian Nation.” We must remember that there will be no Christian nation until the return of Christ Himself. Until that day we are just doing the best we can with what and with whom we have.

     We must pray and we must act of course but we are not fighting against those who would destroy a heavenly prescribed theocracy, we are simply supporting what God's Word says is truth. We can and should be outspoken members of our society. By God's grace and providence we have been placed in a country that enjoys great freedoms and where the populace can be deeply involved in their country. That is a great responsibility. Yet we must not let ourselves get lost in the politics and caught up in the perceived drama of the situation. Many of the issues of the day don't even have a black and white Biblical answer, so people are going to disagree and that's okay. It may be hard to fathom but you may just be wrong!

     Regardless of who wins the upcoming election God remains in control. If the candidate you cannot stand wins the seat, God put them there. If the candidate your neighbor loathes but you love wins the seat, God put them there. Either for good or for ill God will give the presidency to whomever He wishes. So be involved and do your part for we are blessed with the responsibility of being a part of how this process and His plan work out but remember that God is ultimately running the show.

     Finally, don't forget that the atheist on the other side of the aisle who's voting for everything you want to see thrown down, needs Jesus. The politician you can't stand? They need the Savior. The whole left/right red/blue machine that seemingly wishes to destroy all you hold dear? It's made up of sinners just like you who need to meet God. Our job in this world is not to make sure that Christian ideals win the day, our job is reflect the light of God into a world that we know is dark and broken.

     We can't keep wasting time running around trying to keep candles from going out. They aren't real to begin with, the only light we have is the flame given to us by God. We aren't stronger together when we're both apart from God and we can't make America Great until it lifts up the name of Jesus in praise. Vote, be involved, be aware; but love and remember where your citizenship truly lies.

“I charge (you) before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords..”

(1 Timothy 6:13-15)

A Broken Flask

“...And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?" Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. "You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

(Luke 7:36-50)

“...as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? "For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. "She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

(Mark 14:3-9)

     I remember listening to a sermon given by Paul Washer (if you don't know the name I suggest you look him up but be prepared to be convicted). It was a good sermon but what I really remember is the prayer afterword. I couldn't tell you what he said or what it was about but I remember the passion with which he prayed. Even more than that I remember my reaction and the thoughts that came from that experience. My initial reaction to this man whose voice was cracking as he began to weep and cry out to God was to pull away, to distance myself as from an embarrassing friend while in public. Why was he crying?

     Why wasn't I?

     That second thought came almost immediately. Why wasn't I crying and why did I find it so immediately distasteful? Here was a man not afraid to look the fool and there was I, a man apparently unwilling to do the same. Here was a man cracked and shattered under the weight of the knowledge of God and his position to Him. Here was honesty.

     Looking back I've realized that we are often so unwilling to look foolish or weak, even to ourselves. We hold back tears and we pretend that everything is okay just so we can maintain some pride or self-respect. When Mary came to the feet of Jesus she didn't wait until He was alone. She didn't tip-toe to His side and whisper her need for Him in His ear. She didn't even carefully pour the oil, she broke the flask! That broken bottle meant she could no longer hold any of it for herself. There was no way for Mary to hold on to what was so valuable, she poured it all out for Christ. There was no taking it back.

     We can't hold back, there's no room for pride and no room for self-respect. We know what lurks inside of us and how desperately we need the Savior. We need to be like Mary. We need to be willing to pay the heavy cost. Cry when it's time to cry and weep when it's time to weep, scuff the knees of your pants and look foolish in front of the crowd. I don't want to pull away from the truth, I am someone who needs salvation and so are you.

     This doesn't come easily, or perhaps not readily. I think Mary was able to do what she did because she knew who she was. We can't be willing to pay the price unless we know the cost. Too often we minimize sin and we play down evil but I guarantee you that you are worse than you think. Sin isn't just the odd mistake or poor choice it is the opposite of all that should exist in reality. Think about it, sin and evil were such heavy issues that it took the death of God Himself in human flesh to pay for it! Do you really think there's any way you can cover that cost yourself?

     We need to be more than truth-seekers and students, we need to do more than agree with the general state of mankind, we need to be broken. Take the time to look inward at the dark corners of your soul until you realize that apart from God the darkness doesn't hide in the corners only. Be like a man who cries and prays, be like the woman who falls and weeps; let go of your pride. Break the bottle.

Wake Up, Rise Up, Stand Up

I think it's safe to say that we all love sleep.  Maybe it's the brief escape from reality, maybe it's how it feels just so darn comfy, maybe it's the temporary respite from our troubles and cares, whatever the reason sleep holds a special place in the hearts of most people.

I like it too, although I tend to go to bed late and wake up earlier than necessary.  The problem with sleep though is that we get nothing done and we are apart from reality for a time and anything that ultimately matters.  Sleep is nice but it is not substantive, it is pleasant but not productive.

Why do I bring this up?  Because the world is slipping between the warm cozy blankets of willful ignorance and "tolerance", and it's bringing the church with it.  It's nice to banish the difficult and uncomfortable affairs of life for a few hours each night but disastrous when we refuse to take on the hard challenges during our waking hours.

I'm reminded of a particular scripture passage, Romans 13:11-14, where Paul warns the Roman church that the time for comfortable slumber is past and now is the time to stand and go to war.

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."
(Romans 13:11-14)

Look at the words above!  The day is coming, the night is spent!  Walk now as one who is awake, not letting your mind and your will dissipate like a drunkard or one lost in their lusts!  We must "put on" Jesus Christ and forsake sin not allow for it.  We have to shed our old moldy robes and put on the armor of light.

We've gotten comfortable, with sin, with dissent, with lies, with misinformation.  We've gotten comfy and lazy and, well, cowardly.  The Bible calls us to stand firm.  It calls us to stand against armies, against ideas, against enemies; nowhere does it call us to lounge comfortably.

We are running out of time, there are precious few moments left to sit on the sidelines or worry about hurting someones feelings.  Now this doesn't mean that we don't act in love, it doesn't mean that we don't care for others it just means that their opinions don't really matter, their feelings don't ultimately matter.  What matters is the truth and nothing more.

We see people everywhere who call themselves Christians accepting sin and teaching things that just aren't true.  The Bible is compromised and God's truth is doubted or at worst ignored.  We as a people are more willing to accept sin than we are to stand for God!

There comes a time when understanding has really understand and when love has to be harsh.  There comes a time when to be right means to be decisive and to stand for truth means telling someone else that they are wrong!

So wake up, rise up, stand up and let the truth be your armor, let God be your general and get ready to march.  It's going to be uncomfortable, it will probably hurt, but nothing really ever comes by playing it safe.  Throw off the blankets and get dressed, the world is waiting along with everything that matters.

Sinner Saved

We can't let go, for even a moment.  Temptation and weakness wait for us in the moments.  We have strength yes, given by God to be used against the darkness but a weapon is only of use if it wielded.  Think back to the times when you failed, was it part of an elaborate plan or did it steal upon you quietly?

Sin can't come barging in the door of your mind because we're prepared for that.  We've barred the doors and shut the windows and are looking for a dragon to come flying down with teeth bared and flame roaring.  We don't think about the basement.  We forget that the dragon is often little more than a distraction while the nature still attached to us raises the knife.

The wound cuts deep and hurts more when we see the blade -covered in our blood- being held by our own hand.  We rail against it, we mourn and weep and forget that we don't have to.  We don't have to.  We are free if we would only realize it.  Sin shouts so loud and so much that it seems imposing but it's not, it's not.  We can say no.

It seems so easy and trust me I know that it's harder in the moment but believe me when I say that you can just say no.  When temptation comes in the dark times, the alone times, the weak times, you can refuse; but we must be prepared.  We have to soak our lives in prayer, we have to know the Word, we must prepare.

This isn't a fight about bravado or glory, it's survival.  We must be brave but in very real sense we must be cowards.  We have to cower behind the shield of faith because to walk blithely into battle as if we have any strength of our own is a sure recipe for death.  It's not about proving you can drink the poison and survive; better to not drink it at all.

I don't know about you but I've never understood sin.  From our perspective now it makes absolutely no sense.  Why do we, why do I keep doing these things?  I know better, we all do, and yet we all find our way back to guilt back to shame and back to regret.  Paul said it best:

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

(Romans 7:14-25)

Sin is a cancer and an assassin.  In the life of a believer it is not often the firestorm that threatens the home, more often it's the cracking foundation or the dripping pipe or the leaking gas; a slower quieter death.  I hate sin.  More than I used to less than I should.  When I look up and see that I've screwed up AGAIN I am both despondent and enraged.  I cannot undo no matter how much I might wish it and there is more failure there than in any physical thing that can be retried or tackled again.

God is good.  He is so good.  I am a wretch, living in a body of death and clinging to His robe for mercy.  And He loves me.

I'm not sure you heard that.

He doesn't just -understand- me, He doesn't only -pity- me, He more than just -comforts- me.  He LOVES me!  He loves us all, the whole smelly rotten putrid lot of us!  He loves us and He paid the price so high knowing full well that we would falter and fail and rebel and turn our backs to Him again and again and again before the end.  He knew every horrid thing you would do after He saved you before He saved you.  He loves us.

He loves us.

He loves me.

amen.

Truth and Love

Love wins.  It's an oft repeated phrase that signifies love and brotherhood overcoming hatred and bigotry.  We see it all the time from bloggers and journalists to your average Facebook post and often it labels a truly good thing.  Love however, is not the only ethic worth supporting or championing.

We in the church have been guilty of many things over the years usually as a result of our tendency to overreact to the events around us.  We blame people instead of conditions, we hate where we should love, and lately we support what we ought to condemn.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."
(1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV)

Sexuality, Gender, and their related issues have become hot topics these days.  The cultural marketplace is thick with discussion as to their meaning and role and how we understand them in our daily lives.  The Bible is very clear on these issues and yet those who call themselves Christians are waffling and even refusing to make definitive statements regarding these issues.  The passage I just listed is only one but the point remains clear, and we can make it clearer.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
(1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJV)

The word translated "effeminate" is the Greek word "malakos" and does indeed mean effeminate and "of uncertain affinity" but beyond its literal meaning I've read that the term was used to denote the -well- receiving side of a homosexual relationship.  Even more specific is the next phrase after that "abusers of themselves with mankind."  That word is the Greek "arsenokoites" which means a sodomite, taken from the words "arrhen/arsen" male, and "koite" cohabitation, chambering, conceive.

"'You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination."
(Leviticus 18:22 NKJV)

From the Old Testament we have a very clear statement and before anyone starts bringing up that we are not under the old covenant, remember that these laws represent God because they reflect Him.  He did not give the law out on a whim but as an extension of Himself.  Not to mention we're talking about something of slightly more import than dietary or clothing restrictions here!  This is only a brief run through of course, but the point of this post is not to argue this topic.  The point is this, although we must show love to the unsaved and not judge them for their sin we have a duty and responsibility to call out those who claim the name of Christ but refuse to repent of clear Biblical sin.

When the sinner sins, we should not be surprised as that is their nature and apart from the work of God humanity has no reason nor ability to do otherwise.  When we condemn them and lambaste them for their sin we are clearly in the wrong.  Our calling is not to bludgeon people with their guilt or to bury them in shame and leave them rot, or job is to lovingly show them that their actions and nature are killing them; that they are indeed already dead and in desperate need of a savior to bring them to real life! We are to be wise yet gentle as the verse says.  We must not inhibit the work of the Gospel by spreading it through hatred and anger.  Remember the words that come after the earlier quote from Corinthians "and such were some of you."

We are all born sinners so we have no right to look down on those who have not yet been redeemed.  When we look inward however, the game changes.  We are still called to love but hatred is to be found, hatred of sin.  It is partly because of God's love for us that He hates sin, it's destroying His people!  Similarly we cannot claim to love God and His truth and not point out sin in our midst.

So many people are coming out these days as "Christian" homosexuals.  These men and women are claiming the salvation of God but living and espousing lives of sin and rebellion.  In my eyes that makes them false teachers and the Bible is very clear on them.

"O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge; by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen."
(1 Timothy 6:20-21 NKJV)

"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 NKJV)

"Shall I not punish them for these things?' says the LORD. 'Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?' "An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land: The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?"
(Jeremiah 5:29-31)

And finally,

"I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person." 
(1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

We do not judge the world, that is God's job, but we are called to discern the behavior of those who claim to be Christians -those "named a brother."  When we see someone who drops the name of Christ and who claims to be redeemed but is living in sin we must not sit idly by and be quiet and we certainly can't lift that person up as an example!  They are saying that God was wrong when He told us something, that what He called evil is really good.  How then are they different from Satan when he asked "did God really say?"  We must call out their sin for what it is, sin!  If we fail to do this then we corrupt our own body and confuse the message sent to the world.

Love won when Jesus was brutally killed on the crude cross outside Jerusalem.  Love won when the Son of God was whipped to shreds, when He was spat upon, when He was hung up like a criminal and slowly suffocated on public display.  Love won when God the Father poured out His wrath upon His perfect sinless Son so that we could be free of the sin that is destroying reality!  I for one cannot stand by and watch people trivialize His sacrifice for the sake of good feelings, getting along, and a false peace that only ushers millions to their eternal damnation!

Lately I've been feeling tired.  I'm too tired to sit on the stands, too tired of world that hates the God who loves them, too tired of a church too self-serving and pathetic to stand up for truth, too tired of intellectual holier-than-thous who think they know better than centuries of Godly men and even God Himself.  I'm too tired now to be quiet.

Love doesn't win when we refuse to point out sin.  So they might hate you, so you may look foolish; so they call you a bigot, closed minded, homophobic, regressive.  So what?  Love doesn't win when are so selfish that we can't love someone by showing them how to have life everlasting.  Love fails when we use it an excuse to be quiet.  It fails when we use it to justify a life more comfortable than true.  I want love to win, but only real love -the love of God- stands a chance.

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
(2 Timothy 4:1-5 NKJV)

In the Light of Failure

It is easy to get discouraged.  We are all keenly aware (or should be) of how often and easily we fail, and it can be difficult to bounce back.  When we sin, often for the 'nth' time, we tend toward despondency, towards listless regret; we lose our focus on God because we feel so far away from Him.  It can be easy to wallow in our failure.

Failure is part of our experience.  We are not glorified yet and we still carry around the corpse of the "old man", our sin nature still hangs around for the rest of our earthly years.  Part of being a Christian is God chipping away at the power that nature has over us and making us more and more righteous but the process takes time and there's a lot of stuff to chip off.

In the midst of our failure though, there is hope.  When we feel lost in our own darkness, when we feel that we cannot look into our Father's eyes because of the mud on our hands, we have to go back to the beginning.  Jesus didn't come to die for good people, God didn't save perfect men, we are all sinners saved by grace and His love comes to us not in the light but in the darkness.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:1-8)

We cannot lessen God's love for us by our actions, He loved us when we were at our very worst.  Now as sons and daughters who have failed Him in the moment we are in a far greater position then we were before.  His love has been shed abroad in our hearts and His Spirit resides in us to bring remorse yes, chastisement yes, but hope and love and mercy as well.

It may be hard, to go to Him again and repent, but repent we must.  We must use that shame to strengthen our resolve, to sure up the defenses for the future.  Prayer and study and faith and determination will work together to forge a far better tomorrow, and every day God is chipping away at the stone; there will be a beautiful sculpture there one day.

There is a temptation to run from God when we have failed but if we turn from God to what  do we turn?  We already know that there is no salvation apart from Him so it is to Him we must turn for forgiveness and renewal.

"...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ..."
(Philippians 1:6)

God will complete His work in us, we will find ourselves in glory one day.  At the end of the age we will stand perfect, the finished work of God.  In that day we will be free from the sin and temptation that has plagued our lives and we will rejoice and sing praise to God for His work.  Until that day we must return to Him again and again for the renewing grace and inexhaustible mercy that only He has.

We must not give up, to mourn overly for sin is to give it greater power than it deserves.  Christ's death defeated all our sin: past, present, and future.  We must not let our failure loom over and above the consummate work of Christ.  We fail and we will all fail again in the future, but He has never failed.  God is always there, waiting to forgive, eager to reconcile, waiting for His sons and daughters to return home.

The Point of Debate

We spend quite a lot of time arguing these days.  We may call it debate but really it's arguing and I'm not even saying that is necessarily a bad thing but if we're going to spend so much time doing something shouldn't we be doing it properly?

The first thing we need to remember is that our primary motivation is not to win the argument, nor is it to be right and recognized as such, nor is it to convince anyone of anything.  The point of every Biblical discussion is to accurately inform others about the Word of God.

When you discuss things with people, do you feel that passion rise?  Do you feel your blood stir as the debate intensifies and do you get real involved in the back and forth?  Now ask yourself, why?  Why in this instance is very important because one is reason can be proof of faith and evidence of a firmly held belief, another reason is just pride.  When you get frustrated with someone who doesn't agree with you (which, honestly, we all do) is it because that poor soul doesn't or can't grasp the truths of scripture or is because you want them to acknowledge that you are right?  That's a terrible reason to argue.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing."
(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."
(Matthew 10:16)

We need to remember that in the heat of debate we cannot let go of love.  Again, since our purpose is not to be right nor to convince, we have failed if we argue without love.  If your 'opponent' leaves the debate surly and upset it better be because his supporting arguments were subverted and because he has been forced to rethink his assumptions and not because you cruelly whipped him with the truth.  Let the truth speak for itself and take your ego out of the equation.  Let your care for the other person show through the discussion, often that will have a far greater impact than any well constructed argument.

Another important point is more WHAT we are debating rather than HOW.  As Christians we see the world for what it is, a broken sin-filled place.  As such we see the evils around us, we see how reality and culture contradict the Word and will of God.  Surrounded by this mass of sin we strike out at the things we see: homosexuality and its acceptance by the world, abortion, adultery, immorality, the breakdown of the family, the rejection of God, etc.  I'm not saying that these are not things to stand against but when discussing with someone -one on one- how much good does that do once you've expressed what you believe on that topic?

Hear me out.  Nobody believes anything in a vacuum, every belief that we have is based off of other beliefs.  When you take all the underlying assumptions about reality and collect them together you get what is called a "worldview."  This is important because the worldview is what we need to be discussing, not the particular issues.  People hold their beliefs in the particulars because of their worldview, that is the point of contention.

Let me explain it another way.  Everything that anyone believes about all these particular issues (homosexuality, abortion, etc.) are really conclusions not starting points.  They have come to various conclusions on various topics because what they already believed consciously and subconsciously lead them to that conclusion.  We do the same thing, it's how thought works.  I believe in the Bible, I trust what God has said and understand His description of reality to be correct.  Because of that worldview I come to various conclusions, ie. that homosexuality is wrong, that abortion is murder, that gender and sex are the same thing and assigned to us at birth etc.  Now these conclusions make perfect logical sense to me, of course they do that's why I believe them; but person A doesn't share my worldview!  Person A doesn't hold to a Biblical standard in fact they likely hold to a pseudo-humanist post-modern evolutionary worldview which is going to lead them to wholly different conclusions!

Here is where this gets important.  Because I look at person A's conclusions from my worldview I judge his conclusions to be wrong but he is doing the exact same thing!  We will never agree until the worldviews match!  From their perspective, from their worldview it is me who is in the wrong and plainly so!  Here is where real meaningful debate can take place, when we move past the conclusions and discuss the beliefs that make up our individual worldviews and when we challenge why someone believes something.

We don't have to challenge gay marriage, we don't have to challenge abortion, we don't have to challenge any particular -any conclusion- when we challenge the worldview.  Once the worldview changes the conclusions necessarily change along with it.  It's like men of God have said for years and years now, if we lead men to God and let Him change their hearts than society's ills will mend right along with the souls of the people who make up society.

So think about why you argue, think about how you debate, think about how loving you are when you discuss these important topics.  Don't be distracted by the particulars, you will never convince somebody that your conclusions are correct as long as they are judging them based on their differing worldview.  Love others, show them what God has to say, and let Him change their hearts and minds.

To Be Better.

I want to be better.  A common thought, wouldn't you say?  As a Christian I am acutely aware of my need for improvement and of my current failings.  I look into the box that is me and see a lot of things, most of them old and broken, many of them dirty, some of them dangerous.  Again and again I revisit the old familiar sins and my hands and my mind move to the rhythm of music I wish I didn't know.  Again and again I wake up later with my newly purchased regret and wonder why I didn't just...not.  I want to be better.

Actually...I don't.

I'm tired of trying to be better.  I'm tired of trying to improve, to renovate, to renew.  Worst of all I cannot help but deny the single obvious truth that better isn't good enough.  Better just means I've pumped some air into the same punctured tires, oiled the kinked chain, and tightened the broken pedals as if that will do anything to really improve the machine.  I don't want to be better.

I want to be new.

Better is a fresh coat of paint, new is a whole other house.  Better is a set of replacement tires, new is an entirely different car.  Better is a patch-job, new is new.  When Adam tasted sin and cursed us all we started to break, getting more and more run down, moving farther and farther from what we were; I don't want to be a better broken thing.  I want to be a new creation.  I don't want to be a zombie, an old carcass propped up so it can shamble around, I want to be remade.  And thank God that's exactly what He promises.

I read my Bible and I see that we aren't promised better, we're promised new.  We're promised a new robe that swallows up and absorbs the old tattered clothing and leaves us decked out as kings.

"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him"
(2 Corinthians 5:1-9)

This house we now inhabit -this body- is that run down crack-house at the end of the block, the one with the peeling paint and shutters that hang on by one nail each.  Yes it functions as a house but only just.  One day that house is going to collapse but I don't worry about death so much because I'll just be moving out, moving up (cue The Jefferson's Theme).  God has a whole new house waiting for me, waiting for us, and it's greater than we can imagine.

Even now I know that I don't have to suffer the way I have before, I don't have to live the way I used to.  I may have to live in this old house for a bit longer but I don't have to live like this house.  You see I've got a new landlord.  He bought the property and in exchange for my new lease on life He expects me to mow the lawn and paint the walls and fix the roof, but He also pays for it.

My strength isn't enough to do new, it's not even enough for better.  God saves us yes, but He also empowers us.  We are free, free to follow Him, free to turn our backs on the sin we  always followed, free to face the evil that kept us down, free to grab the whip from the enemies hand and stand in defiance because our Father is standing beside us!  Free, I want free.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
(2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

So I don't want to be better.  I don't want to settle for better.  I want new.

I have fallen, fallen so many times I sometimes forget what it's like to stand.  Yet I press on.  I have not, am not, will not ever give up!  I will walk this narrow road through the power of God in me because I know what lies in the ditch that runs on either side.  I know the man I am apart from God, and there is no way that man could ever drum up enough better to even be worth the attention it would require for God to damn me.

Forget better.

I'm going to be new.