So you say you admire me? You respect me? You look up to me? You even like me?
Then why are you wearing that? Who said that it is friendly to show your breasts, your back, your belly, your thighs to me? I am not your husband! (See Song of Solomon 7, Isaiah 47:1-3, Genesis 3:1-7, 21.)
You may say that you are a Christian, but I know who you really are! You are a trap, and I am running far, far away from you. See you at Jesus' feet--if you repent. (Proverbs 5, 7)
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
The Not So Good Ol' Days
"Gone are the days/Of 'Leave It to Beaver'/Matt Dillon and his sidekick Festus/Now we survive on the immoral lives/Of those of 'The Young and the Restless'" ~ Carman, "Soap Song" on Radically Saved
I love Carman. His style of music, his passion for seeing the Kingdom of God manifest in the lives of God's people, were both honorable in every way. However, there is one line in this song that bothers me. I am not slamming Carman for using it, I'm just taking exception to the mentality behind it.
Matt Dillon and his sidekick Festus were sheriff and deputy who put down crime and criminals in their small town. That was the admirable side of them that made their show popular. The down side, however, was their friendship with Miss Kitty.
Miss Kitty was the local bar owner and the proverbial "mother of harlots" of her town. I'm sorry, drunkenness and fornication aren't virtues in any society, and yet Miss Kitty was the protected queen of the show. Our acceptance of this has led to where we are now: drunkenness (or drug abuse) and fornication are now praised with reckless abandon on the vast majority of shows today. Sure, there are the "family-type shows" where the father and mother are stable influences in their children's lives, but those shows are not only few and far between, we seem to get a lot more entertainment value the more dysfunctional the family is.
Of course, we won't change Hollywood any time soon, but we can change ourselves. We let Hollywood get to this place because we have not cut off the source of their revenue. That source is only cut off when we exhibit and teach lives of holiness to the Lord.
Calling on others to follow Jesus is my passion in life. More importantly, for those who watch me, is my personal pursuit of Him in every area of my life. That means I don't pay for things that will not glorify Him. That means I don't bring things to my house and indulge in them if I will be drawn away from Him. True, as we live lives that honor the Lord, the world will mock us. I say, "Bring it on!" The worst they can do is kill us, which means we go to Heaven, the best they can do is follow us, which means they go to Heaven, too. How can we lose?
I love Carman. His style of music, his passion for seeing the Kingdom of God manifest in the lives of God's people, were both honorable in every way. However, there is one line in this song that bothers me. I am not slamming Carman for using it, I'm just taking exception to the mentality behind it.
Matt Dillon and his sidekick Festus were sheriff and deputy who put down crime and criminals in their small town. That was the admirable side of them that made their show popular. The down side, however, was their friendship with Miss Kitty.
Miss Kitty was the local bar owner and the proverbial "mother of harlots" of her town. I'm sorry, drunkenness and fornication aren't virtues in any society, and yet Miss Kitty was the protected queen of the show. Our acceptance of this has led to where we are now: drunkenness (or drug abuse) and fornication are now praised with reckless abandon on the vast majority of shows today. Sure, there are the "family-type shows" where the father and mother are stable influences in their children's lives, but those shows are not only few and far between, we seem to get a lot more entertainment value the more dysfunctional the family is.
Of course, we won't change Hollywood any time soon, but we can change ourselves. We let Hollywood get to this place because we have not cut off the source of their revenue. That source is only cut off when we exhibit and teach lives of holiness to the Lord.
Calling on others to follow Jesus is my passion in life. More importantly, for those who watch me, is my personal pursuit of Him in every area of my life. That means I don't pay for things that will not glorify Him. That means I don't bring things to my house and indulge in them if I will be drawn away from Him. True, as we live lives that honor the Lord, the world will mock us. I say, "Bring it on!" The worst they can do is kill us, which means we go to Heaven, the best they can do is follow us, which means they go to Heaven, too. How can we lose?
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Definitions
It's good to know what people mean by what they say. Unfortunately, miscommunication leads to many unnecessary disagreements and divisions. It is funny how people fervently use words whose meaning they clearly don't know.
Like legalism. There is a big difference between being strict and being legalistic. Legalism is adding to the commandments of the Lord, not simply asking people who claim to follow Him to do what He has already commanded them to do. Jesus didn't get after the Pharisees because they told people to follow the Law. Rather He got after them because they added commandments to God's commandments in order to make themselves look good, while they totally ignored the actual commandments of God and lived lives contrary to them.
Similarly, when the Apostle Paul contended for the freedom of the Gentiles from the Law, he was not doing anything new. Naaman was not compelled to follow the Law when he was healed by Elisha. Nineveh was not compelled to become Jewish at the preaching of Jonah. So why would God, who through His prophets had foretold the salvation of the Gentiles, put this burden on the new Gentiles?
This same Apostle Paul was the one who commanded that Christians abide by the moral law: "Owe no man anything, except to love one's neighbor as himself. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the whole law" (Romans 13:8-10).
Jesus said the same thing and challenged the salvation of those who called Him, "Lord, Lord" and yet disregard His instruction (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:15-23).
Does this mean that salvation is by works? Hardly. It means that Jesus came to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21) not just from Hell. In fact, Jesus taught that the way to avoid Hell was to take the most drastic of measures to keep from sinning (Matthew 5:27-30; 18:7-9). Paul said, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19).
The only way to do this is to live in grace: that is what Romans 6 is all about. Grace, or Spirit-filled living, does not allow us to sin to our hearts content and remain in Jesus' "good graces." Rather it empowers us to overcome our sinful tendencies and the temptations that bombard us every day. This is what Jesus meant by "If any man come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow after me [i.e., walk in His steps]."
In short, Christianity is about living life on God's terms, being grateful for His passing over our iniquities, not about us getting over on God: "Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that also shall he reap. He who sows to the flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Galatians 6:7-8). Jesus' beef with the cities He upbraided in Matthew 11:20ff was that they did not repent, not that they didn't believe He existed, not that they didn't believe in God, not that they didn't go to church.
So, when it comes to commands like sobriety (i.e., not getting drunk or high), modesty in clothing, fornication, honoring parents, etc., it is not legalism that drives those who ask people who claim to be Christians to adhere to the Biblical standard. It is Jesus Himself.
Now, are some people too strict about it? Maybe. It might be that they are strict because they have seen people ruined by ignoring God's commands. It might be that they heard about the commandment but don't understand it well enough to communicate it properly with the person they have taken to task.
But it might be that they are just right and we need to repent. Because walking with Jesus means that we have to change. And we have to change a lot of things that we like(d) doing. There is pleasure in sin for a season, but the end of it is death. Is it worth "piling up" the grace needed to save ours souls only to discover that in our love for sin has caused us to miss out on God's grace entirely?
Like legalism. There is a big difference between being strict and being legalistic. Legalism is adding to the commandments of the Lord, not simply asking people who claim to follow Him to do what He has already commanded them to do. Jesus didn't get after the Pharisees because they told people to follow the Law. Rather He got after them because they added commandments to God's commandments in order to make themselves look good, while they totally ignored the actual commandments of God and lived lives contrary to them.
Similarly, when the Apostle Paul contended for the freedom of the Gentiles from the Law, he was not doing anything new. Naaman was not compelled to follow the Law when he was healed by Elisha. Nineveh was not compelled to become Jewish at the preaching of Jonah. So why would God, who through His prophets had foretold the salvation of the Gentiles, put this burden on the new Gentiles?
This same Apostle Paul was the one who commanded that Christians abide by the moral law: "Owe no man anything, except to love one's neighbor as himself. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the whole law" (Romans 13:8-10).
Jesus said the same thing and challenged the salvation of those who called Him, "Lord, Lord" and yet disregard His instruction (Luke 6:46; Matthew 7:15-23).
Does this mean that salvation is by works? Hardly. It means that Jesus came to "save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21) not just from Hell. In fact, Jesus taught that the way to avoid Hell was to take the most drastic of measures to keep from sinning (Matthew 5:27-30; 18:7-9). Paul said, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity" (2 Timothy 2:19).
The only way to do this is to live in grace: that is what Romans 6 is all about. Grace, or Spirit-filled living, does not allow us to sin to our hearts content and remain in Jesus' "good graces." Rather it empowers us to overcome our sinful tendencies and the temptations that bombard us every day. This is what Jesus meant by "If any man come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow after me [i.e., walk in His steps]."
In short, Christianity is about living life on God's terms, being grateful for His passing over our iniquities, not about us getting over on God: "Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that also shall he reap. He who sows to the flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Galatians 6:7-8). Jesus' beef with the cities He upbraided in Matthew 11:20ff was that they did not repent, not that they didn't believe He existed, not that they didn't believe in God, not that they didn't go to church.
So, when it comes to commands like sobriety (i.e., not getting drunk or high), modesty in clothing, fornication, honoring parents, etc., it is not legalism that drives those who ask people who claim to be Christians to adhere to the Biblical standard. It is Jesus Himself.
Now, are some people too strict about it? Maybe. It might be that they are strict because they have seen people ruined by ignoring God's commands. It might be that they heard about the commandment but don't understand it well enough to communicate it properly with the person they have taken to task.
But it might be that they are just right and we need to repent. Because walking with Jesus means that we have to change. And we have to change a lot of things that we like(d) doing. There is pleasure in sin for a season, but the end of it is death. Is it worth "piling up" the grace needed to save ours souls only to discover that in our love for sin has caused us to miss out on God's grace entirely?
Friday, December 04, 2009
Salvation: Use It or Lose It
Okay. Let me say before I start that I know that, after you finish reading this, some of you will not want to be my friends anymore. That is okay with me. At least you will know me a little better. I'd much rather you know the guy you're praying for than pretend to be something I'm not. I only ask that you finish reading it before you judge me. I expect to be judged. I only ask that you judge me with all the facts in hand.
Can you lose your salvation? First of all, why would I even bother with this topic? All I ever usually do is talk about life the way I live it.
It is because I live a life that continually confronts me with this question: What is the Gospel? I'm not going to argue the finer points of Calvinism vs. Arminianism, because I think that's a fruitless endeavor. I'm going to look at the Scriptures and see what examples God left for us in the Bible to explain the doctrinal concepts He presents to us in the letters He commanded His Apostles to write—in the Bible.
I haven't consulted any commentaries on this subject. I haven't read any books recently that particularly tackled this question. I was laying in my bed one night thinking about several things, and this subject came to mind, so I decided to tackle it on paper. There will be no references to theologians, no quotations from respected pastors, no deferences to “church fathers”—only a mild acknowledgment to Bill Perry for pointing out the importance of “story” in the Bible.
Now, he did not explicitly state this while he was teaching the “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” class in the spring of 2009 at Calvary Chapel St Petersburg, but I did draw this inference: that God has detailed doctrine in the stories He has recorded for us in Scripture. The key to understanding doctrine, therefore, is to understand the stories that illustrate it. And not just the parables.
So what stories illustrate the dilemma I present in this article? Well, for sake of space, I can't touch on all of them, but I did think about Nadab and Abihu, Judas Iscariot, and Annanias and Sapphira. I also thought about saints who sinned egregiously, Aaron, David, and even Peter, yet still made it to Heaven. What separates the two groups of people?
Let's see:
Nadab and Abihu: These were the elder two sons of Aaron, the inaugural High Priest of God. In fact, they were inaugural priests themselves, being among the first group of people specifically set apart by God to minister to Him and to His people. They were among the seventy elders that met with God and ate a feast with Him upon the mountain while Moses was about to receive the Ten Commandments in tablet form and the instructions on how to build the tabernacle and all the instructions for the priestly services (Exodus 24).
And yet in Leviticus 10, we read that God consumed them both in a moment for offering “strange fire before Jehovah which He had not commanded them” (Jay Green's A Literal Translation of the Bible; I know of no English translation that substantially differs). In all my years of reading the Bible, I had never understood why God would be so harsh. The implication that they were drunk when they did it, inferred by most people who presented the case to me from verses 8 through 11, didn't seem to do it justice.
But then I started re-reading the Bible, starting in Genesis, and noticing all kinds of things that I had never read before, such as Exodus 30:9: “You shall not offer up strange incense on it, and burnt offering and food offering...” Upon what? Upon the altar that God was so painstakingly detailing for Moses, after displaying His might and power with thunderous display upon the Holy Mount! How could they forget?!
And yet they did. Aaron, their own father, was not allowed to mourn their deaths. Were they ever saved? Did they lose their salvation? Had they died before this happened, would they have gone to Heaven?
Judas Iscariot was a Christian's Christian. He was trustworthy, he came from a noble background, he was the treasurer for Jesus Himself. Jesus called him, “Friend,” and even displayed the closeness of their relationship by giving him the sop at the Passover meal (John 13). But Judas betrayed Jesus.
Even before this very night, Judas had “covenanted with the chief priests and Pharisees, saying, what will you give me that I should turn Him over to you?” And for the price of a slave, Judas betrayed the Lord of Glory. Funny, he didn't even get to enjoy the money he got by evil-minded schemes: he threw the money back to the enemies of God, and they turned it over to the potter, in fulfillment of prophecy.
But let's back up: What if Judas had died before all this happened, would he have gone to Heaven? Did Judas lose his salvation? Was Judas ever saved?
Annanias and Sapphira were well-known to the congregation at Jerusalem. They needed no introduction to Peter, and they were obviously of visible status if they felt the need to make such a public display of their giving. Funny how Jesus' commandment not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing got lost in all this “generosity,” but that's not what Peter rebuked them for. Peter didn't even rebuke them for not giving all the money—he said it was theirs to do with as they chose! What God was angry about was the fact that they lied about it. And God struck them dead on the spot.
Peter was shocked. Not at God's response, but at the folly of this couple. Their reputation obviously preceded them. The words of rebuke that Peter spoke to them were not words of, “Ah, I caught you now! I knew it all along, you treacherous wretches!”
No, his words were, “Why... Why...?” (Acts 5).
So, did they lose their salvation? Were they ever saved? If they had died before they got the chance to do this, would they have gone to Heaven?
I really think that's the wrong question to ask. This is why:
Those who will be rejected by Jesus on Judgment Day-- who make the appeal, “Didn't we work the same works of those who followed you?” are given the same description in Matthew 7—workers of iniquity or lawlessness—as those who are described as tares in Matthew 13. In other words, the real question isn't whether or not you can lose your salvation. The real question is whether or not you want to serve sin.
Let's look at the lives of those who did choose sin, and yet did not die the death of the ungodly: Aaron, David, and Peter.
Aaron, already designated to be the inaugural High Priest of the Most High God, decided to cave to the pressure from the people of Israel (now, I know with words only, you think, just by reading the narrative, “That wasn't that much pressure,” but do remember that this is the same group that had already repeatedly tried to stone Moses when God was stretching their faith) and make a golden calf to represent the false god that allows, encourages, and even demands all sorts of sin. Then, when Moses confronted him about it, he lied, saying that the calf had simply “appeared” out of the fire, when, in fact, he had carefully fashioned it himself. He didn't die on the spot.
But what happened? After this, his own older two sons were emboldened to disregard the commandment of the Lord. They ended up in Hell, and he could not mourn their deaths. Eventually, Aaron himself challenged God's call on Moses' life and, after more failures, was denied entrance to the Promised Land.
What about David? He didn't die the death for deliberately choosing to commit adultery with another man's wife and then plotting that man's death after repeated attempts to get the man to sleep with his own wife in order to cover it up. “But the thing which David did displeased the Lord,” and he lost his first son from Bathsheba, and several other sons to mischief and the work of the devil in their lives. And God said specifically that this was a direct result of his sin.
And then we have Peter. A man mightily used by God. He was chosen to pronounce the deaths in Judgment against Annanias and Sapphira. He was used to open the door of the Gospel both to the Jews and also to the Gentiles. And yet he compromised the Gospel under pressure (Galatians 2). The result?
He had to face the shocking embarrassment of the public rebuke from the Apostle Paul. Can you imagine being imminently successful in ministry and having an upstart little missionary guy set you straight in front of all these people that look up to you? Yet that is what God did to Peter. And this little upstart went on to write most of the New Testament, while Peter only contributed two short letters. And God didn't make Paul exclude this incident from his writings, which letters were in wide circulation during Peter's lifetime, because he didn't die until at least five years after Paul. Can you imagine that?
So what conclusion do I draw from all this? It's not safe to choose sin. Pick sin, and you'll pay for it. Don't rest in the comfort of your salvation and decide to just compromise. It isn't worth it. And you could very well find yourself on the wrong leg of the U-turn from Hell-bound sinner to Heaven-bound saint. Thank God for His grace and mercy, but let's not tempt the Lord.
Can you lose your salvation? First of all, why would I even bother with this topic? All I ever usually do is talk about life the way I live it.
It is because I live a life that continually confronts me with this question: What is the Gospel? I'm not going to argue the finer points of Calvinism vs. Arminianism, because I think that's a fruitless endeavor. I'm going to look at the Scriptures and see what examples God left for us in the Bible to explain the doctrinal concepts He presents to us in the letters He commanded His Apostles to write—in the Bible.
I haven't consulted any commentaries on this subject. I haven't read any books recently that particularly tackled this question. I was laying in my bed one night thinking about several things, and this subject came to mind, so I decided to tackle it on paper. There will be no references to theologians, no quotations from respected pastors, no deferences to “church fathers”—only a mild acknowledgment to Bill Perry for pointing out the importance of “story” in the Bible.
Now, he did not explicitly state this while he was teaching the “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” class in the spring of 2009 at Calvary Chapel St Petersburg, but I did draw this inference: that God has detailed doctrine in the stories He has recorded for us in Scripture. The key to understanding doctrine, therefore, is to understand the stories that illustrate it. And not just the parables.
So what stories illustrate the dilemma I present in this article? Well, for sake of space, I can't touch on all of them, but I did think about Nadab and Abihu, Judas Iscariot, and Annanias and Sapphira. I also thought about saints who sinned egregiously, Aaron, David, and even Peter, yet still made it to Heaven. What separates the two groups of people?
Let's see:
Nadab and Abihu: These were the elder two sons of Aaron, the inaugural High Priest of God. In fact, they were inaugural priests themselves, being among the first group of people specifically set apart by God to minister to Him and to His people. They were among the seventy elders that met with God and ate a feast with Him upon the mountain while Moses was about to receive the Ten Commandments in tablet form and the instructions on how to build the tabernacle and all the instructions for the priestly services (Exodus 24).
And yet in Leviticus 10, we read that God consumed them both in a moment for offering “strange fire before Jehovah which He had not commanded them” (Jay Green's A Literal Translation of the Bible; I know of no English translation that substantially differs). In all my years of reading the Bible, I had never understood why God would be so harsh. The implication that they were drunk when they did it, inferred by most people who presented the case to me from verses 8 through 11, didn't seem to do it justice.
But then I started re-reading the Bible, starting in Genesis, and noticing all kinds of things that I had never read before, such as Exodus 30:9: “You shall not offer up strange incense on it, and burnt offering and food offering...” Upon what? Upon the altar that God was so painstakingly detailing for Moses, after displaying His might and power with thunderous display upon the Holy Mount! How could they forget?!
And yet they did. Aaron, their own father, was not allowed to mourn their deaths. Were they ever saved? Did they lose their salvation? Had they died before this happened, would they have gone to Heaven?
Judas Iscariot was a Christian's Christian. He was trustworthy, he came from a noble background, he was the treasurer for Jesus Himself. Jesus called him, “Friend,” and even displayed the closeness of their relationship by giving him the sop at the Passover meal (John 13). But Judas betrayed Jesus.
Even before this very night, Judas had “covenanted with the chief priests and Pharisees, saying, what will you give me that I should turn Him over to you?” And for the price of a slave, Judas betrayed the Lord of Glory. Funny, he didn't even get to enjoy the money he got by evil-minded schemes: he threw the money back to the enemies of God, and they turned it over to the potter, in fulfillment of prophecy.
But let's back up: What if Judas had died before all this happened, would he have gone to Heaven? Did Judas lose his salvation? Was Judas ever saved?
Annanias and Sapphira were well-known to the congregation at Jerusalem. They needed no introduction to Peter, and they were obviously of visible status if they felt the need to make such a public display of their giving. Funny how Jesus' commandment not to let the left hand know what the right hand is doing got lost in all this “generosity,” but that's not what Peter rebuked them for. Peter didn't even rebuke them for not giving all the money—he said it was theirs to do with as they chose! What God was angry about was the fact that they lied about it. And God struck them dead on the spot.
Peter was shocked. Not at God's response, but at the folly of this couple. Their reputation obviously preceded them. The words of rebuke that Peter spoke to them were not words of, “Ah, I caught you now! I knew it all along, you treacherous wretches!”
No, his words were, “Why... Why...?” (Acts 5).
So, did they lose their salvation? Were they ever saved? If they had died before they got the chance to do this, would they have gone to Heaven?
I really think that's the wrong question to ask. This is why:
Those who will be rejected by Jesus on Judgment Day-- who make the appeal, “Didn't we work the same works of those who followed you?” are given the same description in Matthew 7—workers of iniquity or lawlessness—as those who are described as tares in Matthew 13. In other words, the real question isn't whether or not you can lose your salvation. The real question is whether or not you want to serve sin.
Let's look at the lives of those who did choose sin, and yet did not die the death of the ungodly: Aaron, David, and Peter.
Aaron, already designated to be the inaugural High Priest of the Most High God, decided to cave to the pressure from the people of Israel (now, I know with words only, you think, just by reading the narrative, “That wasn't that much pressure,” but do remember that this is the same group that had already repeatedly tried to stone Moses when God was stretching their faith) and make a golden calf to represent the false god that allows, encourages, and even demands all sorts of sin. Then, when Moses confronted him about it, he lied, saying that the calf had simply “appeared” out of the fire, when, in fact, he had carefully fashioned it himself. He didn't die on the spot.
But what happened? After this, his own older two sons were emboldened to disregard the commandment of the Lord. They ended up in Hell, and he could not mourn their deaths. Eventually, Aaron himself challenged God's call on Moses' life and, after more failures, was denied entrance to the Promised Land.
What about David? He didn't die the death for deliberately choosing to commit adultery with another man's wife and then plotting that man's death after repeated attempts to get the man to sleep with his own wife in order to cover it up. “But the thing which David did displeased the Lord,” and he lost his first son from Bathsheba, and several other sons to mischief and the work of the devil in their lives. And God said specifically that this was a direct result of his sin.
And then we have Peter. A man mightily used by God. He was chosen to pronounce the deaths in Judgment against Annanias and Sapphira. He was used to open the door of the Gospel both to the Jews and also to the Gentiles. And yet he compromised the Gospel under pressure (Galatians 2). The result?
He had to face the shocking embarrassment of the public rebuke from the Apostle Paul. Can you imagine being imminently successful in ministry and having an upstart little missionary guy set you straight in front of all these people that look up to you? Yet that is what God did to Peter. And this little upstart went on to write most of the New Testament, while Peter only contributed two short letters. And God didn't make Paul exclude this incident from his writings, which letters were in wide circulation during Peter's lifetime, because he didn't die until at least five years after Paul. Can you imagine that?
So what conclusion do I draw from all this? It's not safe to choose sin. Pick sin, and you'll pay for it. Don't rest in the comfort of your salvation and decide to just compromise. It isn't worth it. And you could very well find yourself on the wrong leg of the U-turn from Hell-bound sinner to Heaven-bound saint. Thank God for His grace and mercy, but let's not tempt the Lord.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Modesty
Dear Friends,
TheRebelution.com has launched the results of their massive Modesty Survey! Over 1,600 Christian guys have answered questions on everything from glitter lotion and lip gloss to swimsuits and skirt slits! It's everything girls have ever wanted to ask guys about modesty, but were afraid to ask! For guys, it's really interesting to see what other Christian guys think!
Most importantly, the survey is presented as a resource to help Christian girls (and guys), not a list of legalistic rules, and it is accompanied by the Modesty Survey Petition (which tons of guys have signed) which encourage young women to focus on the heart, not the hemline, to honor their parents, etc.
The results were released on St. Valentine's Day as a gift from 1,600 Christian guys to all Christian girls -- and I can't think of a better one! Now the survey is being endorsed by people like Shaunti Feldhahn ("For Women Only") Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts), CJ Mahaney (Sovereign Grace Ministries) and Shannon Ethridge ("Every Woman's Battle")!
Go check it out: www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey
But also make sure you spread the word to all your friends. We want as many Christian girls (and guys) as possible to see this, so forward this email on!
Your (Excited) Friend,
Joshua S Black
P.S. Guys, they are still accepting signatures for the Modesty Survey Petition, so this is an opportunity for you to still share your voice on the topic of modesty!
THE MODESTY SURVEY
www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey
TheRebelution.com has launched the results of their massive Modesty Survey! Over 1,600 Christian guys have answered questions on everything from glitter lotion and lip gloss to swimsuits and skirt slits! It's everything girls have ever wanted to ask guys about modesty, but were afraid to ask! For guys, it's really interesting to see what other Christian guys think!
Most importantly, the survey is presented as a resource to help Christian girls (and guys), not a list of legalistic rules, and it is accompanied by the Modesty Survey Petition (which tons of guys have signed) which encourage young women to focus on the heart, not the hemline, to honor their parents, etc.
The results were released on St. Valentine's Day as a gift from 1,600 Christian guys to all Christian girls -- and I can't think of a better one! Now the survey is being endorsed by people like Shaunti Feldhahn ("For Women Only") Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Revive Our Hearts), CJ Mahaney (Sovereign Grace Ministries) and Shannon Ethridge ("Every Woman's Battle")!
Go check it out: www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey
But also make sure you spread the word to all your friends. We want as many Christian girls (and guys) as possible to see this, so forward this email on!
Your (Excited) Friend,
Joshua S Black
P.S. Guys, they are still accepting signatures for the Modesty Survey Petition, so this is an opportunity for you to still share your voice on the topic of modesty!
THE MODESTY SURVEY
www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Yeah, I know.
I'm gonna get it for this one.
So I've been praying to be married all this time, and I've been told that singleness is a gift that God gives us to serve Him wholeheartedly. And I believed that lie for most of my life, but now I have been corrected. The following is actually copied from my comments to the post of a friend on Facebook.
Singleness isn't a gift. It is a state. Paul said that he learned to be content in whatever state he found himself. But he also said that "he who gives in marriage does well" although he did say that he who does not give in marriage does better. Jesus also said that "not everyone is able" to stay single (Matthew 19:8-10), responding to his ... Read Moredisciples' suggestion that the difficulties of marriage pose too great a barrier to success.
I'm not for jumping into marriages that don't honor the Lord, but I don't think that people who are single should be made to feel guilty for looking for a spouse. Nothing in the Bible condemns marriage. In fact, Paul tells us that it is a "doctrine of devils" to forbid someone to marry (1 Tim 4:1-3).
And, anyway, a strong desire for something is not idolatry. Hannah's strong desire for a son was not considered idolatry by God, even though He had not given her any specific promise that she would have a son. And He honored her request.
Here is a good definition of covetousness: a desire so strong for anything that it makes you willing to sin to get it. Desiring marriage is not a sin, unless you are willing to commit fornication or to marry an unbeliever to get it.
And marriage is a ministry, too. It is a ministry of sanctification for both husband and wife (1 Cor 7). Now, I realize that that's about 10 cents' worth, but, hey--it's still the truth!
Last comment: if you are thinking about marriage all the time, how could you possibly be serving the Lord undistractedly? Obviously, it's not the case. It's better in such a case to actually get married (1 Cor 7:9)!
So I've been praying to be married all this time, and I've been told that singleness is a gift that God gives us to serve Him wholeheartedly. And I believed that lie for most of my life, but now I have been corrected. The following is actually copied from my comments to the post of a friend on Facebook.
Singleness isn't a gift. It is a state. Paul said that he learned to be content in whatever state he found himself. But he also said that "he who gives in marriage does well" although he did say that he who does not give in marriage does better. Jesus also said that "not everyone is able" to stay single (Matthew 19:8-10), responding to his ... Read Moredisciples' suggestion that the difficulties of marriage pose too great a barrier to success.
I'm not for jumping into marriages that don't honor the Lord, but I don't think that people who are single should be made to feel guilty for looking for a spouse. Nothing in the Bible condemns marriage. In fact, Paul tells us that it is a "doctrine of devils" to forbid someone to marry (1 Tim 4:1-3).
And, anyway, a strong desire for something is not idolatry. Hannah's strong desire for a son was not considered idolatry by God, even though He had not given her any specific promise that she would have a son. And He honored her request.
Here is a good definition of covetousness: a desire so strong for anything that it makes you willing to sin to get it. Desiring marriage is not a sin, unless you are willing to commit fornication or to marry an unbeliever to get it.
And marriage is a ministry, too. It is a ministry of sanctification for both husband and wife (1 Cor 7). Now, I realize that that's about 10 cents' worth, but, hey--it's still the truth!
Last comment: if you are thinking about marriage all the time, how could you possibly be serving the Lord undistractedly? Obviously, it's not the case. It's better in such a case to actually get married (1 Cor 7:9)!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Winter Jam
I usually ignore things like Winter Jam, because it seems to me that whenever a multi-denominational group of Christians gets together, it downplays the Gospel. Sure, everybody has a good time, but nobody is exhrted to righteousness, and some of the acts could use some strung rebukes themselves.
Not the case here.
I was amazed as act after act was clean, modest, godly, sometimes goofy, yes entertaining, but I could find no offense to Jesus whatsoever. And I was looking. I don't think I stopped looking until the very end of the show.
True, some people might argue with the style of some of the music. True, some songs weren't specifically written about God. True, there was a lot of dancing.
But the Gospel message overall could not have been clearer, and anyone who left there thinking of Jesus as anything but a just and compassionate God and Savior wasn't paying attention at all. The Gospel presentation during the middle of the show was superb. And everything that followed was biblical Christianity at its best.
I was shocked. Yes, I wished that my favorite singer was there (Steven Curtis Chapman), but he was there last year and I didn't go then. But I was blessed beyond measure...especially by Brandon Heath.
Not the case here.
I was amazed as act after act was clean, modest, godly, sometimes goofy, yes entertaining, but I could find no offense to Jesus whatsoever. And I was looking. I don't think I stopped looking until the very end of the show.
True, some people might argue with the style of some of the music. True, some songs weren't specifically written about God. True, there was a lot of dancing.
But the Gospel message overall could not have been clearer, and anyone who left there thinking of Jesus as anything but a just and compassionate God and Savior wasn't paying attention at all. The Gospel presentation during the middle of the show was superb. And everything that followed was biblical Christianity at its best.
I was shocked. Yes, I wished that my favorite singer was there (Steven Curtis Chapman), but he was there last year and I didn't go then. But I was blessed beyond measure...especially by Brandon Heath.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Super Subs?
In the sports world, super subs are a good thing: they keep the team rolling at full speed while the primary starters are out. But this is a different kind of super sub: the super hero.
On the surface, super heroes seem harmless, posing as childhood fantasy and childlike fun. But as I continued to watch super heroes and their shows, I became bothered by the increasing likeness of the characters to Jesus Christ. Oh, sure, Jesus is better than any super hero, but, to this world, super heroes are more appealing than Jesus. Jesus gave us the answer why in John 7:7:
"The world cannot hate you," He told His earthly brothers, "but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."
You see, a super hero will rescue a single mother from her boyfriend, but won't tell her that the reason for her dilemma is that she was committing adultery. Nor will he tell that she needs to repent of the white lies she tells in order to receive a pardon from God. A human hero will give his life so that others may receive his organs, but he will also commit fornication with the woman before giving her his heart, and he will give this defiled woman to a man whom he says is a good person and deserves his eyes.
You see, we can identify with this kind of hero, because he isn't God and won't demand perfection from us: he just does enough good for other people that his own sins may be atoned for--sins such as fornication, selfishness, and lust. A man can assuage his conscience for his dreadful error in taking his eyes off the road long enough to kill his wife and many others by killing himself and donating his organs to "good people"--including the woman he slept with.
Of course, those of you who know the movie I'm primarily referring to (Seven Pounds) may object that I'm being too cynical. After all, didn't Jesus say, "Greater love hath no man than this, than that a man lay down his life for his friends"? Yes, He did. But the act of defiling the woman for whom he supposedly gave his life undercuts any love he professed to have for her. Furthermore, his reason for doing so was not for her, but for him. It was his own way of paying for his sins, especially the sin that cost him his wife. Noble? Hardly. Redeeming? Not so. Selfish? Absolutely. And a terrible substitute for the One who gave up His throne in Heaven to become like the rebels who hate the God who gives them every breath they take and not only to suffer at their hands but to atone for their sins so that He could bring them into His kingdom to bless them forever.
"The world cannot hate [them], but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil." Like fornication.
On the surface, super heroes seem harmless, posing as childhood fantasy and childlike fun. But as I continued to watch super heroes and their shows, I became bothered by the increasing likeness of the characters to Jesus Christ. Oh, sure, Jesus is better than any super hero, but, to this world, super heroes are more appealing than Jesus. Jesus gave us the answer why in John 7:7:
"The world cannot hate you," He told His earthly brothers, "but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."
You see, a super hero will rescue a single mother from her boyfriend, but won't tell her that the reason for her dilemma is that she was committing adultery. Nor will he tell that she needs to repent of the white lies she tells in order to receive a pardon from God. A human hero will give his life so that others may receive his organs, but he will also commit fornication with the woman before giving her his heart, and he will give this defiled woman to a man whom he says is a good person and deserves his eyes.
You see, we can identify with this kind of hero, because he isn't God and won't demand perfection from us: he just does enough good for other people that his own sins may be atoned for--sins such as fornication, selfishness, and lust. A man can assuage his conscience for his dreadful error in taking his eyes off the road long enough to kill his wife and many others by killing himself and donating his organs to "good people"--including the woman he slept with.
Of course, those of you who know the movie I'm primarily referring to (Seven Pounds) may object that I'm being too cynical. After all, didn't Jesus say, "Greater love hath no man than this, than that a man lay down his life for his friends"? Yes, He did. But the act of defiling the woman for whom he supposedly gave his life undercuts any love he professed to have for her. Furthermore, his reason for doing so was not for her, but for him. It was his own way of paying for his sins, especially the sin that cost him his wife. Noble? Hardly. Redeeming? Not so. Selfish? Absolutely. And a terrible substitute for the One who gave up His throne in Heaven to become like the rebels who hate the God who gives them every breath they take and not only to suffer at their hands but to atone for their sins so that He could bring them into His kingdom to bless them forever.
"The world cannot hate [them], but Me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil." Like fornication.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
The Simple Man
"Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware." --Proverbs 19:25
My life as a Christian started rather simply: I knew that my sins kept getting me into trouble, and that I couldn't stop sinning, and that Jesus could help me. So I called upon Him, and He has delivered me from the penalty and power of my sins. (I am eagerly looking forward to the day when He delivers me from the presence of sin.)
My life as a Christian has continued in simple fashion: if it doesn't agree with the Bible, it's wrong. Now, atheists like to tell me that that is a stupid position to take, but I have lived my life this far and never been led astray by Scripture. In fact, everytime that I have believed something other than what Scripture said, I have found that thing to be false and myself to have erred, in the practical things of life. So, why not believe it for everything? Simple enough.
Sin is also a pretty simple issue: if God says don't do it, you will pay dire consequences if you do. Drug abuse and fornication are two sins that have plain-to-see (unless you're an atheist) serious consequences, consequences that frightened me into praying never to fall prey to those sins. By the grace of God, I never have. Drug abuse just isn't appealing to me, and God has simply never let me commit fornication (and I am so glad!)
Rebuke is rather simple, as well: If I know that someone put poison in your cup and I don't tell you before you drink from it, then I am just as guilty of murder as the person who actually put the poison in the cup. So, if I let you go down the road of sin and I don't tell you about the consequences, then I am just as bad as the devil who is trying to destroy you.
This last point is misunderstood by many of my Christian friends. They believe that I am judging them when I point out their flaws. I believe that I am warning them about the trap that Satan has laid for them. Perspective is everything. And I dearly hope that I can communicate this just a little better to my dear friends.
My life as a Christian started rather simply: I knew that my sins kept getting me into trouble, and that I couldn't stop sinning, and that Jesus could help me. So I called upon Him, and He has delivered me from the penalty and power of my sins. (I am eagerly looking forward to the day when He delivers me from the presence of sin.)
My life as a Christian has continued in simple fashion: if it doesn't agree with the Bible, it's wrong. Now, atheists like to tell me that that is a stupid position to take, but I have lived my life this far and never been led astray by Scripture. In fact, everytime that I have believed something other than what Scripture said, I have found that thing to be false and myself to have erred, in the practical things of life. So, why not believe it for everything? Simple enough.
Sin is also a pretty simple issue: if God says don't do it, you will pay dire consequences if you do. Drug abuse and fornication are two sins that have plain-to-see (unless you're an atheist) serious consequences, consequences that frightened me into praying never to fall prey to those sins. By the grace of God, I never have. Drug abuse just isn't appealing to me, and God has simply never let me commit fornication (and I am so glad!)
Rebuke is rather simple, as well: If I know that someone put poison in your cup and I don't tell you before you drink from it, then I am just as guilty of murder as the person who actually put the poison in the cup. So, if I let you go down the road of sin and I don't tell you about the consequences, then I am just as bad as the devil who is trying to destroy you.
This last point is misunderstood by many of my Christian friends. They believe that I am judging them when I point out their flaws. I believe that I am warning them about the trap that Satan has laid for them. Perspective is everything. And I dearly hope that I can communicate this just a little better to my dear friends.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Worship
I remember one of my friends telling me how he struggled with the lust of the eyes. My answer? "You need to stop hanging out with women who dress immodestly. You can't resist temptation by stepping right into it."
For the most part, I've been doing that. But then there are times when I am caught by surprise at the attire worn at the gatherings of Christians. Those are the times that I just want to hide or scream. Rarely can I do either.
Jesus said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; because it is far better for you to enter into life half-blind than to enter into Hell with good vision. And if your right hand causes you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away; because it is far better for you to enter into life maimed than to enter into Hell whole. And if your right foot causes you to sin, cut it off; because it is far better for you to enter into life lame than to enter into Hell whole."
Now obviously, all of this is hyperbole. None of the prophets were ever instructed by God to literally dismember themselves in order to deal with sin in their own lives or to dismember other people in order to deal with sin in their lives. But Jesus does have a point: anything that is causing you to sin needs to go. For me, that will have to include some friends I dearly love. I cannot continually resist the temptation, as has been adequately proven by history, so I just need to not be where it is.
Before everyone starts making unfounded and uncalled for and bigoted unnecessary jokes about Islamic oppression, I want to make something really clear: there is no way on earth that anyone--male or female--in their right mind could possibly believe that short shorts are modest. Or cleavage- and/or midriff-showing tops. That is the sort of thing I am complaining about. Give me a break.
How can a man focus on the Lord when he is surrounded by all this flesh? Close his eyes? I'll try that next time one of those women is trying to have a conversation with me. I'll let you know how it goes.
Or I'll just stay away from them and leave them to wonder what happened.
Or, even harder, I'll confront them about their attire and beg them to wear real clothes. Yeah, that will go over well.
How on earth can Christian women wear this stuff and sing praise songs to the Lord?
"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘ These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:7-9)
Because we have adopted a different standard of modesty than is revealed to us in Scripture.
Wait a minute--did Jesus say that those who say they follow Him but actually listen to others are hypocrites?
That is scary. I think I should warn them.
For the most part, I've been doing that. But then there are times when I am caught by surprise at the attire worn at the gatherings of Christians. Those are the times that I just want to hide or scream. Rarely can I do either.
Jesus said, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; because it is far better for you to enter into life half-blind than to enter into Hell with good vision. And if your right hand causes you to sin, then cut it off and throw it away; because it is far better for you to enter into life maimed than to enter into Hell whole. And if your right foot causes you to sin, cut it off; because it is far better for you to enter into life lame than to enter into Hell whole."
Now obviously, all of this is hyperbole. None of the prophets were ever instructed by God to literally dismember themselves in order to deal with sin in their own lives or to dismember other people in order to deal with sin in their lives. But Jesus does have a point: anything that is causing you to sin needs to go. For me, that will have to include some friends I dearly love. I cannot continually resist the temptation, as has been adequately proven by history, so I just need to not be where it is.
Before everyone starts making unfounded and uncalled for and bigoted unnecessary jokes about Islamic oppression, I want to make something really clear: there is no way on earth that anyone--male or female--in their right mind could possibly believe that short shorts are modest. Or cleavage- and/or midriff-showing tops. That is the sort of thing I am complaining about. Give me a break.
How can a man focus on the Lord when he is surrounded by all this flesh? Close his eyes? I'll try that next time one of those women is trying to have a conversation with me. I'll let you know how it goes.
Or I'll just stay away from them and leave them to wonder what happened.
Or, even harder, I'll confront them about their attire and beg them to wear real clothes. Yeah, that will go over well.
How on earth can Christian women wear this stuff and sing praise songs to the Lord?
"Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘ These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:7-9)
Because we have adopted a different standard of modesty than is revealed to us in Scripture.
Wait a minute--did Jesus say that those who say they follow Him but actually listen to others are hypocrites?
That is scary. I think I should warn them.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Do Actors in Hollywood Like Getting Rich?
If so, will these actors take a million dollar bill? Watch and see!!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Just a thought
I keep hearing people say that they only witness when God gives them "those divine appointments." Well, I got to thinking about that, and came up with this:
If you want a divine appointment, you might need to clear your agenda.
If you want a divine appointment, you might need to clear your agenda.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Never Put Confidence in the "Sinner's Prayer"
From Jews for Jesus:
"Shlomy, a staff missionary who is doing campaign follow-up, met with Shlomo, who had prayed with Tzachi to receive the Lord on the phone a few days ago. Unfortunately, Shlomo explained that he’s not really a believer, but that he had prayed with Tzachi in order to please him. He then added that he’d like to begin reading the New Testament. Our follow-up team will continue to meet with him."
In all honesty, nothing in the communication says that we should not count on the Sinner's Prayer to measure a "decision" for Christ, but I thought that the incident should be noted. People pray with us for all kinds of reasons. God alone knows the hearts, and God alone is the Lord of the harvest. Please do pray for Shlomo and the many like him who only pray to please men.
"Shlomy, a staff missionary who is doing campaign follow-up, met with Shlomo, who had prayed with Tzachi to receive the Lord on the phone a few days ago. Unfortunately, Shlomo explained that he’s not really a believer, but that he had prayed with Tzachi in order to please him. He then added that he’d like to begin reading the New Testament. Our follow-up team will continue to meet with him."
In all honesty, nothing in the communication says that we should not count on the Sinner's Prayer to measure a "decision" for Christ, but I thought that the incident should be noted. People pray with us for all kinds of reasons. God alone knows the hearts, and God alone is the Lord of the harvest. Please do pray for Shlomo and the many like him who only pray to please men.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Hell for Christians
Just out of curiosity, how many Christians are willing to go to Hell? None? Well, I hope to change your minds by the end of this post.
How many Christians actually want others to go to Hell (like Hitler, Pol Pot, Richard Dawkins, Steven Spielberg, Bill and Hillary Clinton, etc.)? Many of you? Well, I hope to change your minds by the end of this post.
And how many Christians think that Hell is a good thing? Well, a few of you. But I hope to change the rest of your minds by the end of this post.
I'm sure by now you think that I am a heretic. But, please, bear with me, and I will show you from the Bible why I am saying these things. In reverse order.
First off, why is Hell a good thing? Let's think about Hell for a minute: Weeping and gnashing of teeth in a place of outer darkness, where the worm doesn't die, and the fire isn't quenched, and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever. Hmm...not a fun place to be <---understatement of all time.
So how can anyone in his right mind consider Hell to be a good thing??? That's a question atheists ask Christians all the time. What does the Bible say about that?
Well, Jesus plainly declared, in Matthew 25:41, that Hell was created for "the Devil and his angels": it was not meant for humans, but humans will go there, too, if they side with the devil against God. Hell is proof that God is Just and Holy. Being moral agents, created in the image of God Himself, we would be outraged if a pedophile murderer was given a light sentence or even let go altogether. How much more angry should a Just and Holy God be with this man when he stands before Him to answer for his evil deeds?
So why is Hell good? Hell is proof that God is just. That means that criminal activity, though it may go unpunished for a variety of reasons here on earth, will not go altogether unpunished.
Secondly, why should a Christian desire that not even the worst of criminals (or mere political enemies) face the wrath of God, even if it is a good thing for sin to be punished?
I think the scariest verse in the Bible is Matthew 12:36. Therein, Jesus says, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Every idle word.
Do you know what an idle word is? It's a word that comes out of your mouth that you don't even think twice about. I remember when I was in my car with my younger brother and I opened a compartment and was quite surprised at the contents thereof. My brother looked at me in astonishment. "What?" I asked him. "You just cursed," he said. "You said (blank)!" "I did?" I never did hear the word come out of my mouth. How many times have I done that?
If God exacted of me every idle word that I have spoken, I don't think I would be in too much better a place than Hitler, to be perfectly honest. Yes, I know Hitler specifically targeted the Jews for his hatred, but he was a mere murderer of 31 million people. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:21-22, that, if you call someone worthless or a moron/fool/idiot/dummy/etc., you will get the same punishment as a murderer on Judgment Day. Scary? Yes. And if I love my neighbor (which is anyone with whom I have the least bit of contact), then there is no way on earth I wish on them the wrath from which I fled to the Savior fifteen years ago.
Which brings me to my final point: why should any Christians wish that they themselves could go to Hell? Well, for the same reason the Apostle Paul did:
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:..." (Romans 9:1-3)
So great was Paul's love for his earthly kin, that he had the heart of Jesus, being willing to be accursed from God so that his brethren, the Israelites, might obtain eternal life. How great is your love for your people? For your neighbors? For your coworkers? For your friends? What are you willing to endure that they might receive Christ?
Pray about it, will you?
How many Christians actually want others to go to Hell (like Hitler, Pol Pot, Richard Dawkins, Steven Spielberg, Bill and Hillary Clinton, etc.)? Many of you? Well, I hope to change your minds by the end of this post.
And how many Christians think that Hell is a good thing? Well, a few of you. But I hope to change the rest of your minds by the end of this post.
I'm sure by now you think that I am a heretic. But, please, bear with me, and I will show you from the Bible why I am saying these things. In reverse order.
First off, why is Hell a good thing? Let's think about Hell for a minute: Weeping and gnashing of teeth in a place of outer darkness, where the worm doesn't die, and the fire isn't quenched, and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever. Hmm...not a fun place to be <---understatement of all time.
So how can anyone in his right mind consider Hell to be a good thing??? That's a question atheists ask Christians all the time. What does the Bible say about that?
Well, Jesus plainly declared, in Matthew 25:41, that Hell was created for "the Devil and his angels": it was not meant for humans, but humans will go there, too, if they side with the devil against God. Hell is proof that God is Just and Holy. Being moral agents, created in the image of God Himself, we would be outraged if a pedophile murderer was given a light sentence or even let go altogether. How much more angry should a Just and Holy God be with this man when he stands before Him to answer for his evil deeds?
So why is Hell good? Hell is proof that God is just. That means that criminal activity, though it may go unpunished for a variety of reasons here on earth, will not go altogether unpunished.
Secondly, why should a Christian desire that not even the worst of criminals (or mere political enemies) face the wrath of God, even if it is a good thing for sin to be punished?
I think the scariest verse in the Bible is Matthew 12:36. Therein, Jesus says, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Every idle word.
Do you know what an idle word is? It's a word that comes out of your mouth that you don't even think twice about. I remember when I was in my car with my younger brother and I opened a compartment and was quite surprised at the contents thereof. My brother looked at me in astonishment. "What?" I asked him. "You just cursed," he said. "You said (blank)!" "I did?" I never did hear the word come out of my mouth. How many times have I done that?
If God exacted of me every idle word that I have spoken, I don't think I would be in too much better a place than Hitler, to be perfectly honest. Yes, I know Hitler specifically targeted the Jews for his hatred, but he was a mere murderer of 31 million people. Jesus said, in Matthew 5:21-22, that, if you call someone worthless or a moron/fool/idiot/dummy/etc., you will get the same punishment as a murderer on Judgment Day. Scary? Yes. And if I love my neighbor (which is anyone with whom I have the least bit of contact), then there is no way on earth I wish on them the wrath from which I fled to the Savior fifteen years ago.
Which brings me to my final point: why should any Christians wish that they themselves could go to Hell? Well, for the same reason the Apostle Paul did:
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:..." (Romans 9:1-3)
So great was Paul's love for his earthly kin, that he had the heart of Jesus, being willing to be accursed from God so that his brethren, the Israelites, might obtain eternal life. How great is your love for your people? For your neighbors? For your coworkers? For your friends? What are you willing to endure that they might receive Christ?
Pray about it, will you?
Monday, August 06, 2007
Well, Who Said that Preaching Was Easy?
WARNING: This video is just a live shot of everything that happened. It includes LOADS OF FOUL LANGUAGE!! The video was actually posted on YouTube by someone making fun of the preacher, so there was no effort to edit the vile responses of the people. Watch at your own risk.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Much of You
"I wanna make much of you, Jesus/I wanna make much of Your Love/I wanna live today/To give You the praise/That You alone are so worthy of/I wanna make much of Your mercy/I wanna make much of Your Cross/I give You my life/Take it and let it be used/To make much of You!!!"
What did Jesus do to make Himself so worthy? Why is it so glorious that He died as a common criminal upon a Roman cross? Why is Steven so willing to put himself behind the Life of Jesus, when Steven is so talented himself? He says, "This is Your Love, oh God, not to make much of me/But to send Your own Son so that we could make much of You for all eternity!"
What about Steven? Doesn't he deserve some praise for the way he has led people to the Lord? For the way he has helped so many orphans? For the way he has uplifted so many Christians? Why does he want to give Jesus all the credit?
The answer is that Steven recognizes his own sinfulness and how unworthy he is of God's love. SCC knows that he was condemned--"dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1)--but now has been set free by the Lord against Whom he had sinned, by that Lord taking the punishment that he deserved upon Himself in order to save him.
That is the message of the Gospel--that is the hope of the Christian. Let us evermore make much of Jesus for all eternity!!
What did Jesus do to make Himself so worthy? Why is it so glorious that He died as a common criminal upon a Roman cross? Why is Steven so willing to put himself behind the Life of Jesus, when Steven is so talented himself? He says, "This is Your Love, oh God, not to make much of me/But to send Your own Son so that we could make much of You for all eternity!"
What about Steven? Doesn't he deserve some praise for the way he has led people to the Lord? For the way he has helped so many orphans? For the way he has uplifted so many Christians? Why does he want to give Jesus all the credit?
The answer is that Steven recognizes his own sinfulness and how unworthy he is of God's love. SCC knows that he was condemned--"dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1)--but now has been set free by the Lord against Whom he had sinned, by that Lord taking the punishment that he deserved upon Himself in order to save him.
That is the message of the Gospel--that is the hope of the Christian. Let us evermore make much of Jesus for all eternity!!
Evangelistic Discouragement
"One night when [Dwight L.] Moody was going home, it suddenly occurred to him that he had not spoken to a single person that day about accepting Christ. A day lost, he thought to himself. But as he walked up the street he saw a man by a lamppost. He promptly walked up to the man and asked, 'Are you a Christian?'
"Moody did not find soul-winning easy. In fact, even other Christians often criticized him for having zeal without knowledge. Others called him 'Crazy Moody.' Once when he spoke to a perfect stranger about Christ, the man said, 'That is none of your business...If you were not a sort of preacher, I would knock you into the gutter for your impertinence.' [A gutter ran along the street carrying waste and rain water--it was very filthy.]
"The next day, a businessman friend sent for Moody. The businessman told Moody that the stranger he had spoken to was a friend of his. 'Moody, you've got zeal without knowledgge. You insulted a friend of mine on the street last night. You went up to him, a perfect stranger, and asked him if he were a Christian.'
"Moody went out of his friend's office almost brokenhearted. For sometime he worred about this. Then late one night a man pounded on the door of his home. It was the stranger he had supposedly insulted. The stranger said, 'Mr. Moody, I have not had a good night's sleep since that night you spoke to me under the lamp-post, and I have come around at this unearthly hour of the night for you to tell me what I have to do to be saved.' "
Recounted by Harry Albus, quoted in the Evidence Bible.
"Moody did not find soul-winning easy. In fact, even other Christians often criticized him for having zeal without knowledge. Others called him 'Crazy Moody.' Once when he spoke to a perfect stranger about Christ, the man said, 'That is none of your business...If you were not a sort of preacher, I would knock you into the gutter for your impertinence.' [A gutter ran along the street carrying waste and rain water--it was very filthy.]
"The next day, a businessman friend sent for Moody. The businessman told Moody that the stranger he had spoken to was a friend of his. 'Moody, you've got zeal without knowledgge. You insulted a friend of mine on the street last night. You went up to him, a perfect stranger, and asked him if he were a Christian.'
"Moody went out of his friend's office almost brokenhearted. For sometime he worred about this. Then late one night a man pounded on the door of his home. It was the stranger he had supposedly insulted. The stranger said, 'Mr. Moody, I have not had a good night's sleep since that night you spoke to me under the lamp-post, and I have come around at this unearthly hour of the night for you to tell me what I have to do to be saved.' "
Recounted by Harry Albus, quoted in the Evidence Bible.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
What God’s Word Says About Abortion
by Lynn Copeland
God speaks very clearly in the Bible on the value of unborn children. God’s Word says that He personally made each one of us, and has a plan for each life:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" (Jeremiah 1:5).
"Even before I was born, God had chosen me to be His" (Galatians 1:15).
For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb . . . Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13, 16). "Your hands shaped me and made me . . . Did You not clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life" (Job 10:8–12).
"This is what the Lord says—He who made you, who formed you in the womb" (Isaiah 44:2).
"Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us both within our mothers?" (Job 31:15).
Because man is made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:27), each life is of great value to God: "Children are a gift from God" (Psalm 127:3). He even calls our children His own: "You took your sons and daughters whom you bore to Me and sacrificed them...You slaughtered My children" (Ezekiel 16:20,21). The Bible says of our Creator, "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being" (Job 12:10). God, the giver of life, commands us not to take the life of an innocent person: "Do not shed innocent blood" (Jeremiah 7:6); "Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person" (Deuteronomy 27:25). "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). Taking the life of the unborn is clearly murder—"He didn’t kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave" (Jeremiah 20:17)— and God vowed to punish those who "ripped open the women with child" (Amos 1:13).
The unborn child was granted equal protection in the law; if he lost his life, the one who caused his death must lose his own life: "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined . . .But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life" (Exodus 21:22,23). Life is a gift created by God, and is not to be taken away by abortion. God is "prochoice," but He tells us clearly the only acceptable choice to make: "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
God speaks very clearly in the Bible on the value of unborn children. God’s Word says that He personally made each one of us, and has a plan for each life:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart" (Jeremiah 1:5).
"Even before I was born, God had chosen me to be His" (Galatians 1:15).
For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb . . . Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13, 16). "Your hands shaped me and made me . . . Did You not clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life" (Job 10:8–12).
"This is what the Lord says—He who made you, who formed you in the womb" (Isaiah 44:2).
"Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us both within our mothers?" (Job 31:15).
Because man is made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:27), each life is of great value to God: "Children are a gift from God" (Psalm 127:3). He even calls our children His own: "You took your sons and daughters whom you bore to Me and sacrificed them...You slaughtered My children" (Ezekiel 16:20,21). The Bible says of our Creator, "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of every human being" (Job 12:10). God, the giver of life, commands us not to take the life of an innocent person: "Do not shed innocent blood" (Jeremiah 7:6); "Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person" (Deuteronomy 27:25). "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). Taking the life of the unborn is clearly murder—"He didn’t kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave" (Jeremiah 20:17)— and God vowed to punish those who "ripped open the women with child" (Amos 1:13).
The unborn child was granted equal protection in the law; if he lost his life, the one who caused his death must lose his own life: "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined . . .But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life" (Exodus 21:22,23). Life is a gift created by God, and is not to be taken away by abortion. God is "prochoice," but He tells us clearly the only acceptable choice to make: "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
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