I have been in a meeting in London, KY all week. I have fallen a little behind on my writing. But I will be back next week. Keep checking.
- JC3
10.16.2009
9.27.2009
Preaching Today...
"Micah, His Mother, and Misplaced Faith"
Judges 17 and 18 contains an account of mother and son that seems lifted from a modern newspaper. What lessons can we learn about faith and worship?
"Qualities of Elders"
Contiuing our series on the eldership we will examine some of the qualities required of God's Bishop's
-JC3
9.16.2009
What Would You Do?
Can you imagine going to jail because your neighbors found out you were a Christian? Some wonder if this really happens today…well, it does. In fact, there are many Christians behind bars this very moment for no other reason than their faith.
What would you do in such a climate? If secret police ransacked your home and dragged you to your basement as they beat your wife and children, would you reveal the names of the other Christians in your church? It’s a question we need to ask because we need to know the answer. If we wait till we are faced with decisions of this sort, even much less dramatic ones, our devotion will surely come up lacking.
Paul told the Philippians (ch.1) that word of his imprisonment had scattered far and wide. Indeed, we already know that Paul went to prison. The man who had dragged men and woman to prison for their faith in Christ now sat imprisoned for serving the same Master. Paul must have thought of those people as he lived his life in chains, especially the faithful ones – the ones who would not break. Christians who would rather live or even die in prison than to betray their King and His disciples would have given Paul great comfort. Paul’s willingness to do the same gave the church the motivation it needed. In Philippians 1:12-14 he says; “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Had we lived at the time we would be faced with two options when hearing of Paul’s suffering. We could have learned to be quieter. After all, some would say that Paul brought this on his self by going to the synagogue every weekend and antagonizing the Jews. Or we could take courage from men like Paul and determine to be more faithful ourselves. We could finally get up one morning and go tell our neighbors that Jesus died for their sins and that there is hope in His righteousness. It might have cost us our lives, but Jesus said whoever lost their life for His sake would find it.
So what would you do? You may think it’s difficult to answer when you’re not faced with the same situations, but that’s not true.
Examine your level of devotion right now. If it were suddenly illegal to teach the gospel in public would you be in danger of the law? If you were banned from talking about Jesus at work would your job be in danger? If the government banned all Christianity except Sunday and Wednesday assemblies would you have to change anything about your life? If you answer no to any of those questions then you would not be faithful under persecution. Persecution doesn’t make weak people stronger. It makes strong people stronger. If you don’t have enough faith to talk to a friend about Jesus when the worst thing that could happen is them telling you they’re not interested, do you honestly think you’d be faithful when your life is on the line?
If persecution ever comes to this nation there will be much fewer churches. Not just because the buildings will be burned, but because many people will surrender their faith. I would dare say that most congregations (if not all) have some people who will easily quit Jesus if He becomes illegal. This has been the case in every single country where persecution has taken place. The churches get smaller, but they get stronger (obviously, since all the weak people have left).
What about you? If the persecution comes, will you abandon the Lord who redeemed you? You need to know the honest answer to that question, because God already does. And if you don’t figure it out and fix where you’re lacking, you may be in for a surprise on judgment day.
A man once asked Jesus what the most important commandment in the law was, and Jesus said; well, what do you think? The man replied that we need to love God with all of our heart and strength and to love all the people we come in contact with as if they were our very own flesh. Jesus told Him; do this and you will live…..
What would you do in such a climate? If secret police ransacked your home and dragged you to your basement as they beat your wife and children, would you reveal the names of the other Christians in your church? It’s a question we need to ask because we need to know the answer. If we wait till we are faced with decisions of this sort, even much less dramatic ones, our devotion will surely come up lacking.
Paul told the Philippians (ch.1) that word of his imprisonment had scattered far and wide. Indeed, we already know that Paul went to prison. The man who had dragged men and woman to prison for their faith in Christ now sat imprisoned for serving the same Master. Paul must have thought of those people as he lived his life in chains, especially the faithful ones – the ones who would not break. Christians who would rather live or even die in prison than to betray their King and His disciples would have given Paul great comfort. Paul’s willingness to do the same gave the church the motivation it needed. In Philippians 1:12-14 he says; “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
Had we lived at the time we would be faced with two options when hearing of Paul’s suffering. We could have learned to be quieter. After all, some would say that Paul brought this on his self by going to the synagogue every weekend and antagonizing the Jews. Or we could take courage from men like Paul and determine to be more faithful ourselves. We could finally get up one morning and go tell our neighbors that Jesus died for their sins and that there is hope in His righteousness. It might have cost us our lives, but Jesus said whoever lost their life for His sake would find it.
So what would you do? You may think it’s difficult to answer when you’re not faced with the same situations, but that’s not true.
Examine your level of devotion right now. If it were suddenly illegal to teach the gospel in public would you be in danger of the law? If you were banned from talking about Jesus at work would your job be in danger? If the government banned all Christianity except Sunday and Wednesday assemblies would you have to change anything about your life? If you answer no to any of those questions then you would not be faithful under persecution. Persecution doesn’t make weak people stronger. It makes strong people stronger. If you don’t have enough faith to talk to a friend about Jesus when the worst thing that could happen is them telling you they’re not interested, do you honestly think you’d be faithful when your life is on the line?
If persecution ever comes to this nation there will be much fewer churches. Not just because the buildings will be burned, but because many people will surrender their faith. I would dare say that most congregations (if not all) have some people who will easily quit Jesus if He becomes illegal. This has been the case in every single country where persecution has taken place. The churches get smaller, but they get stronger (obviously, since all the weak people have left).
What about you? If the persecution comes, will you abandon the Lord who redeemed you? You need to know the honest answer to that question, because God already does. And if you don’t figure it out and fix where you’re lacking, you may be in for a surprise on judgment day.
A man once asked Jesus what the most important commandment in the law was, and Jesus said; well, what do you think? The man replied that we need to love God with all of our heart and strength and to love all the people we come in contact with as if they were our very own flesh. Jesus told Him; do this and you will live…..
-JC3
9.13.2009
Preaching Today...
"Who Is Keeping This World Together"
A common sentiment, especially in America, is that the fate of the world depends on man. Is this Biblical, or is it a symptom of a culture that has forgotten God?
- JC3
9.04.2009
3000 Miles Wide And 3 Inches Deep
70% of Americans believe that “many” religions lead to eternal life. This is the finding of a recent study done by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life. Though many Americans are very happy with their particular “faith traditions” they refuse to admit that theirs is the only right way. In fact, the study found that 44% of those polled thought their religious group should preserve their faith traditions, but they disagree that “their way” is the only one that leads to eternal life.
Some have praised these findings as evidence of the tolerance and love present in American faith these days, while others are saddened by what they view as apostasy and cowardice.
Several reporters were quick to pick up the story. As I read their takes on the information I was not surprised at their reactions. Just like the majority of Americans who espouse a pluralistic view of religion, the majority of reporters penned words of agreement. Like any good reporter, they tried to remain objective, but much like Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, we are often betrayed, not by our tone, but by the very words we say. One reporter in his summary of the study said; “Some Christians hold strongly to Jesus' words as described in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Others emphasize the wideness of God's grace. (emphasis mine – JC)” If this sounds like an innocent assessment of the facts, perhaps you should read it again. Implied in this statement is that there are two types of believers; one group who “strongly believes” Jesus’ words in John 14:6, and another who “emphasize the wideness of God’s grace.” Is this the truth? Are we willing to agree that we can be shoved in to one of these two categories? If so, which will you choose? Do you “strongly believe” Jesus’ words or do you “emphasize God’s grace?” And if you choose one, why do you exclude the other?
Many of the studies findings were as contradictory as they were shocking. 92% of Americans said they believe in God, while nearly half questioned whether He exists. Still more surprising was the fact that over 20% of the “self described” Atheists said they believed in God, with 8% saying they were “certain of it.”
If you find these results as amazing as I do, you probably have asked yourselves some of the same questions, like; how can this be serious? Do people actually believe this way? And most importantly we ask, what does God think about this?
You are probably not surprised by this study, for we have seen others like it, and we see the evidence of such weakness of faith in our own communities. Yet each time we read new evidence that confirms our concerns we are reminded of some basic shortcomings that Americans have in regards to religion, specifically Christianity. Such as knowledge of the fact that; sometimes you’re wrong! The study (and the subsequent analyses) pointed out that Americans differ sharply on religious convictions yet are willing to accept one another’s beliefs as equally legitimate, yet they didn’t point out that God disagrees with this conclusion. Indeed, since the beginning of time God has had different covenants with man, yet at no time did God permit man to worship “whatever god he chose.” In Exodus 20:3 Jehovah says; “you shall have no other gods before me.” To see how serious He was about this admonition we can look to 1 Kings 9:6-9. In this passage Jehovah warns Solomon of the consequences of serving other gods. He tells Solomon that if it happens, the people will suffer, and soon become a by word. God’s people would literally become an object of scorn because of their disobedience.
So, how do we reconcile Jehovah’s own words with the concept of His grace? Certainly the reporter quoted above thinks that God’s grace could never allow such a punishment. But what does the book say? In Acts 4:12 Peter and John make a statement that faithful Christians have always believed; “…there is salvation in no one else…” speaking of Jesus. What they declared that day we still hold to be true – there is no way to eternal life except through Jesus!
No doubt someone will respond by saying; “that’s just your religion!” Making the point that many religions don’t believe the same thing – and they’re correct. Many religions don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation – but those religions are wrong. Now, some may think that statement to be judgmental and mean, but what’s worse is that many who call themselves Christians would agree with them. Therein lays the problem. In this country we have the freedom to believe what we want and worship what we want and we have abused that freedom. This country as a whole has swallowed this notion of pluralism so anxiously that now most American’s faith is just the way D. Michael Lindsay of Rice University described it; “3000 miles wide, and 3 inches deep.” Meaning it may span across many different “faiths” and beliefs, but it’s has no depth.
So what do we do? How can we rectify a problem that has grown to epidemic proportions? The same way we handle any problem – consult our Maker. We need to look back to the Bible to know God’s will, and to understand His plan. Only then can we make true spiritual progress.
Some may scoff and say this notion is archaic and antiquated, and they might be half right. If by archaic they mean this way of thinking is old, they are certainly correct, because it’s been thousands of years since God first made a covenant with man and He has always demanded obedience to Him above all others. So we can take pride in the age of our system. But more than argue about age we need to debate about truth, and one truth that will never change is this: The Jesus who brought grace in to the world is the same Jesus who said; “I am the way the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”
Some have praised these findings as evidence of the tolerance and love present in American faith these days, while others are saddened by what they view as apostasy and cowardice.
Several reporters were quick to pick up the story. As I read their takes on the information I was not surprised at their reactions. Just like the majority of Americans who espouse a pluralistic view of religion, the majority of reporters penned words of agreement. Like any good reporter, they tried to remain objective, but much like Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, we are often betrayed, not by our tone, but by the very words we say. One reporter in his summary of the study said; “Some Christians hold strongly to Jesus' words as described in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Others emphasize the wideness of God's grace. (emphasis mine – JC)” If this sounds like an innocent assessment of the facts, perhaps you should read it again. Implied in this statement is that there are two types of believers; one group who “strongly believes” Jesus’ words in John 14:6, and another who “emphasize the wideness of God’s grace.” Is this the truth? Are we willing to agree that we can be shoved in to one of these two categories? If so, which will you choose? Do you “strongly believe” Jesus’ words or do you “emphasize God’s grace?” And if you choose one, why do you exclude the other?
Many of the studies findings were as contradictory as they were shocking. 92% of Americans said they believe in God, while nearly half questioned whether He exists. Still more surprising was the fact that over 20% of the “self described” Atheists said they believed in God, with 8% saying they were “certain of it.”
If you find these results as amazing as I do, you probably have asked yourselves some of the same questions, like; how can this be serious? Do people actually believe this way? And most importantly we ask, what does God think about this?
You are probably not surprised by this study, for we have seen others like it, and we see the evidence of such weakness of faith in our own communities. Yet each time we read new evidence that confirms our concerns we are reminded of some basic shortcomings that Americans have in regards to religion, specifically Christianity. Such as knowledge of the fact that; sometimes you’re wrong! The study (and the subsequent analyses) pointed out that Americans differ sharply on religious convictions yet are willing to accept one another’s beliefs as equally legitimate, yet they didn’t point out that God disagrees with this conclusion. Indeed, since the beginning of time God has had different covenants with man, yet at no time did God permit man to worship “whatever god he chose.” In Exodus 20:3 Jehovah says; “you shall have no other gods before me.” To see how serious He was about this admonition we can look to 1 Kings 9:6-9. In this passage Jehovah warns Solomon of the consequences of serving other gods. He tells Solomon that if it happens, the people will suffer, and soon become a by word. God’s people would literally become an object of scorn because of their disobedience.
So, how do we reconcile Jehovah’s own words with the concept of His grace? Certainly the reporter quoted above thinks that God’s grace could never allow such a punishment. But what does the book say? In Acts 4:12 Peter and John make a statement that faithful Christians have always believed; “…there is salvation in no one else…” speaking of Jesus. What they declared that day we still hold to be true – there is no way to eternal life except through Jesus!
No doubt someone will respond by saying; “that’s just your religion!” Making the point that many religions don’t believe the same thing – and they’re correct. Many religions don’t believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation – but those religions are wrong. Now, some may think that statement to be judgmental and mean, but what’s worse is that many who call themselves Christians would agree with them. Therein lays the problem. In this country we have the freedom to believe what we want and worship what we want and we have abused that freedom. This country as a whole has swallowed this notion of pluralism so anxiously that now most American’s faith is just the way D. Michael Lindsay of Rice University described it; “3000 miles wide, and 3 inches deep.” Meaning it may span across many different “faiths” and beliefs, but it’s has no depth.
So what do we do? How can we rectify a problem that has grown to epidemic proportions? The same way we handle any problem – consult our Maker. We need to look back to the Bible to know God’s will, and to understand His plan. Only then can we make true spiritual progress.
Some may scoff and say this notion is archaic and antiquated, and they might be half right. If by archaic they mean this way of thinking is old, they are certainly correct, because it’s been thousands of years since God first made a covenant with man and He has always demanded obedience to Him above all others. So we can take pride in the age of our system. But more than argue about age we need to debate about truth, and one truth that will never change is this: The Jesus who brought grace in to the world is the same Jesus who said; “I am the way the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”
- JC3
8.30.2009
Preaching Today...
"Loving Correction....Seriously"
How do we react when someone corrects us? It says a great deal more abotu our spiritual maturity than we might like to reveal.
- JC3
8.27.2009
Does Religion Make You Nice?
Is it possible for a person to be an Atheist and still be nice? Is it possible for them to be trustworthy? Most Americans don’t think so. According to a Gallup poll from 2007 most Americans say they would not trust a self described Atheist to run this country. In an article I read recently, written by a man named Paul Bloom, he explored whether there was an actual connection between being religious and being nice.
Bloom points out that the battle between secular humanist’s and those of faith has been raging the last few years with each blaming the other for the world’s ills. Bloom notes Dostoyevsky’s famous quote; “Where there is no God, all is permitted” and a quote from famous Atheist Christopher Hitchens who said; “Religion poisons everything.” The debate over the merits of religion often devolves in to quoting the most heinous pages of the history books in an effort to see whether believers or non believers have a higher body count.
Bloom assumes in his article that people of faith think that religion makes us better and a lack of religion makes us worse. He goes to great length to prove that while it is true that Atheists are more statistically likely to say they feel miserable, that it is actually the fault of the ‘religious communities’ in this country. Bloom’s conclusions come from a belief that community is the only real contribution that religion has made to the world. He cites the Danes and the Swedes as proof of this. He claims that both of these societies are filled with people who continue in the religious traditions of their family without actually believing in God. He points out that they rape and kill one another less than Americans, thus religion doesn’t actually make you nicer. He then decries the ‘treatment’ of Atheists and sums up by saying; “Religion may not poison everything, but it deserves part of the blame for this one.”
This article serves as a good example of what many secularists are trying to do this country, and the world. The dishonesty and ignorance of men like this author and other Atheists has made a serious discussion with them nearly impossible. Bloom’s ‘hit piece’ on religion is a good example of this. Take for example the thesis of his article, namely that some assert that religion makes you nicer. Have you ever heard anyone say this? I hope not! Religion does not make you nice. Christianity does! Ephesians 4:32 says; “be kind to on another…” I realize that the primary application of that passage is dealing with our brethren, but consider Galatians 6:10; “…do good to everyone, especially those of the household of faith.” That passage shows us that kindness or ‘niceness’ should be the disposition of the Christian. But why is that?
Are Christians nice just because their religious? No. In fact, I have met many ‘religious’ people who weren’t very nice. But those who are Christians in the truest sense of the word, those that exemplify Christ in their words and actions are very nice people. We need to remember this fact. Never forget that it was the ‘religious’ Egyptians that enslaved God’s people for so many years. It was the ‘religious’ Athenians that Paul tried to lure out of idolatry. It was the ‘religious’ Jews and Romans that executed Jesus. Being ‘religious’ doesn’t make us any nicer than it makes us righteous. Religion alone is powerless. Until we inject the Son of God into our religion, our faith, then it means nothing. Romans 12:2 says; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Unless we are ready to do that the best we can hope for is vain, meaningless religion.
One more thing I may say in reference to this article is to beware of deceitfulness among what you read in the media. If you read Bloom’s article you may have realized that his initial question is whether religion makes you nice. If you recall, he uses the Danes and the Swedes to prove that this is not the case. He argued that they did not really believe in God, thus ‘religion’ isn’t really what makes you nice. Did you notice what he did there? He shifts from a discussion of believing in God to religion mid sentence. What Bloom really proves is that the Danes and Swedes are ‘nice’ but by his own assertion they are also religious. They don’t believe in God perhaps, but his argument depends on their being religious. I point all this out to remind you to be careful what you read. There are some who would deceive you.
Above all else we must remember that our faith is in the God of Heaven who sent His Son as a ransom for our sins. We owe a debt we cannot pay, and all God has asked is that we look to Jesus and strive to look like Jesus. If we do that we will be righteous…and ‘nice’ is just part of the package.
Bloom points out that the battle between secular humanist’s and those of faith has been raging the last few years with each blaming the other for the world’s ills. Bloom notes Dostoyevsky’s famous quote; “Where there is no God, all is permitted” and a quote from famous Atheist Christopher Hitchens who said; “Religion poisons everything.” The debate over the merits of religion often devolves in to quoting the most heinous pages of the history books in an effort to see whether believers or non believers have a higher body count.
Bloom assumes in his article that people of faith think that religion makes us better and a lack of religion makes us worse. He goes to great length to prove that while it is true that Atheists are more statistically likely to say they feel miserable, that it is actually the fault of the ‘religious communities’ in this country. Bloom’s conclusions come from a belief that community is the only real contribution that religion has made to the world. He cites the Danes and the Swedes as proof of this. He claims that both of these societies are filled with people who continue in the religious traditions of their family without actually believing in God. He points out that they rape and kill one another less than Americans, thus religion doesn’t actually make you nicer. He then decries the ‘treatment’ of Atheists and sums up by saying; “Religion may not poison everything, but it deserves part of the blame for this one.”
This article serves as a good example of what many secularists are trying to do this country, and the world. The dishonesty and ignorance of men like this author and other Atheists has made a serious discussion with them nearly impossible. Bloom’s ‘hit piece’ on religion is a good example of this. Take for example the thesis of his article, namely that some assert that religion makes you nicer. Have you ever heard anyone say this? I hope not! Religion does not make you nice. Christianity does! Ephesians 4:32 says; “be kind to on another…” I realize that the primary application of that passage is dealing with our brethren, but consider Galatians 6:10; “…do good to everyone, especially those of the household of faith.” That passage shows us that kindness or ‘niceness’ should be the disposition of the Christian. But why is that?
Are Christians nice just because their religious? No. In fact, I have met many ‘religious’ people who weren’t very nice. But those who are Christians in the truest sense of the word, those that exemplify Christ in their words and actions are very nice people. We need to remember this fact. Never forget that it was the ‘religious’ Egyptians that enslaved God’s people for so many years. It was the ‘religious’ Athenians that Paul tried to lure out of idolatry. It was the ‘religious’ Jews and Romans that executed Jesus. Being ‘religious’ doesn’t make us any nicer than it makes us righteous. Religion alone is powerless. Until we inject the Son of God into our religion, our faith, then it means nothing. Romans 12:2 says; “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Unless we are ready to do that the best we can hope for is vain, meaningless religion.
One more thing I may say in reference to this article is to beware of deceitfulness among what you read in the media. If you read Bloom’s article you may have realized that his initial question is whether religion makes you nice. If you recall, he uses the Danes and the Swedes to prove that this is not the case. He argued that they did not really believe in God, thus ‘religion’ isn’t really what makes you nice. Did you notice what he did there? He shifts from a discussion of believing in God to religion mid sentence. What Bloom really proves is that the Danes and Swedes are ‘nice’ but by his own assertion they are also religious. They don’t believe in God perhaps, but his argument depends on their being religious. I point all this out to remind you to be careful what you read. There are some who would deceive you.
Above all else we must remember that our faith is in the God of Heaven who sent His Son as a ransom for our sins. We owe a debt we cannot pay, and all God has asked is that we look to Jesus and strive to look like Jesus. If we do that we will be righteous…and ‘nice’ is just part of the package.
-JC3
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