What He Did

God alone

Sits on the throne

To Him alone we kneel,

Despite our sin

He enters in

To make the shadows real.

Our weakened flesh

This tattered mesh

This ever sinking ship,

Is raised from waters

Dark and deep,

Pried from death's iron grip.

Despite our crime

Yes, yours and mine

He came to pay the price,

Leaving Heaven

Leaving all

To be the sacrifice.

The blood of Jesus

Works to free us

From the weight of sin,

His life now ours

No prison bars

A new story to begin.

By. Jonathan Schaefer

Men and Nations

     So I want to ask you all a question. It's kind of personal and I hope you don't mind but I want to ask it nonetheless. Well actually, I want you to ask it of yourself. Just take a moment, quiet your mind, and look deep inside yourself. Ready? Okay. Ask yourself, “am I a jerk?” Do I come across as arrogant, pushy, self-righteous? Do I lord my faith over all the poor “non-believers” around me and complain loudly about every little misstep the world makes in my presence? Do I? If the answer to that is even maybe than you may need to take some time to reevaluate your behavior.

     Let me start by nipping a possible complaint in the bud. I'm not asking you to start accepting sin or to stop proclaiming man's need for salvation. We must never compromise in our lives and it is to God's law not man's that we are ultimately responsible. One of the most compelling ways we can reach others is by a radically different life, one lived honorably and morally in whatever the circumstance. That being said, people won't be able to see the good in your life if you carry it around like a trophy and tell everyone how awesome you are or refuse to shut up about how horrible the world is.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

(Matthew 28:19)

     When I look in the scriptures I see a call to bring fallen men to God so that He can make them righteous. I see a command to go forth and make disciples, to teach others, and to continue in the faith. I don't see an order to change governments. God doesn't care about nations in the sense of political bodies. He doesn't really want us to care overmuch about what laws are passed, or what the culture supports; all He cares about is the salvation of people. People. Individual souls that are each going to end up in an eternity of punishment if they fail to turn to Him. These people are all around us and do we really care that they are damned?

     I understand, that we don't like the way the world is going. I get that our own culture and even world-wide norms are moving further and further from God's decree. I see all of it but I want you to understand that its a symptom of a greater disease! People are falling away from God because they are already apart from Him. If we want to change the laws, if we want to have a voice in the public square, if we want to see nations founded on the principles of God's Holy Word than we need to get people saved! Those people will then change the laws and the governments and the nations. This idea that we can change a country from the top down is the same fault we keep blaming on “liberal” politicians; morality cannot be legislated and you cannot simply mandate belief.

“As far as it is possible for you be at peace with all men.”

(Romans 12:18)

“Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

(Hebrews 12:14)

     Moreover, we as Christians are given two equally valid commands: to go forth and preach, and to live at peace. We are not to be the agents of strife! I know that Christ said the He came to bring a sword (Matthew 10:34) but we are not Christ and we are to be hated for our stand with God not for our nasty behavior (1 Peter 4). I'm not saying that we need to wrap Christ up in an appealing package for the masses to seek after. I'm just saying that social improvement and activism should not be our primary objective. We seek the salvation of the lost and if we change our little part of the world along the way, then great.

     As citizens we do have a responsibility to be involved with our government (especially my fellow Americans) however, we do ourselves a great disservice if we get caught up in trying to defend the law and the country for God. This is not “God's country.” This is not a special, unique, city on a hill. God has blessed this country but only because we used to honor Him. Ancient Israel suffered the same fate as they fell into decline. So go out and vote on things as you would believe God leads you but don't spend all your time harping on a fallen culture acting like a fallen culture. Care about people and society will take care of itself.

Contentment

     We all like to be entertained, and theirs nothing wrong with that. Enjoying your favorite book or TV show or video game is a great way to unwind and relax after a long day. Unfortunately we've made relaxation and entertainment a life's pursuit these days and that perspective has affected the rest of our experience.

     This thought came to me when I was listening to some old songs I hadn't heard for a long time and I picked up on a line that said “I'm alone and the world is having more fun than me.” I thought about how odd that line is and then it hit me. So many of us spend our lives in the dread fear that someone, somewhere, somehow is having more fun that we are. That we are missing out on enjoyment that we should be rightfully experiencing! It occurred to me that not only is this a terrible waste of our time, to be worrying about missed fun, but its also a sneaky way to let covetousness and discontent into our lives and our thoughts.

     Covetousness is a similar to greed in that we want something we don't have but it says more than I want. It says I want what you have and possibly that I should have it -instead- of you. I think it's a huge problem in our modern world, we can't just be happy for the things others have. It seems like more and more the first reaction to seeing that others have more than we do is to ask why do they have that and I don't? We mask it as dreaming for the future or in terms of Capitalism or whatever but its really nothing more than selfishness and wanting what other people have. Really that's what it all comes down to, selfishness and pride. As I've said before, the ultimate fountainhead of sin is pride. God would have us live our lives for others but our pride wants to make us the center of thought and attention.

     Similar to Covetousness is discontent. Actually the two are inseparable and serve to fuel the fire that burns in them both. To be discontent is, obviously, to not be happy with what you have. This can be a good thing when striving to do your best but the real essence of the term is to be almost angry about what you think you deserve but don't have. The Christian needs to understand that everything they have from first breath to that new job is a gift from God. Furthermore, every decision God makes is for the absolute best so if we don't have something there's a good reason for it! When we allow ourselves to wallow in discontent we are really challenging God's decisions for our lives and of course this just serves to encourage our covetousness. If we're not happy and thankful for the things we have we will turn desiring eyes onto the things of others.

     What we have on this earth is temporary whether its objects or relationships or employment. We need to ask God to give us a contented spirit that will remain thankful for even the little things. Only then will be on the right path to avoiding greed and covetousness and discontent. These things can rot your life and your relationships. Take care today to thank God for what you have and learn to be happy with what you have. You may just find that being thankful for a little will lead you to a lot more.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

(Hebrews 13:5)

Real Life

Not a terribly deep thought today but an important one.  I often wonder about those of us who call ourselves “Christians,” how many of us really believe?  I don't even really mean that in the sense of how many of us are truly saved (although that's connected to it); I mean do you treat your faith as a real thing.  When I say that I'm a Christian what I 'mean' is that I believe in a God who really exists and with whom I have a relationship.  I believe in God who exists in one essence but in three persons whom we know as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.  I believe in angels and demons and the souls of men.  I believe that beyond this physical reality is a whole spiritual realm that goes unseen by us but is in reality far more important than what we do see.  I believe that reality as we know it was created in a specific moment not too long ago and will cease to be, replaced by something far better, at a predetermined time in the near (according to God's reckoning) future.  I believe all of this and more.

This is important to point out because there are quite a few people who also claim to be Christians and by extension claim to believe all these things but who don't live as though they do.  You say that you believe in God but you don't work toward aligning your life with Him.  You say that you believe in His moral law but continue to fudge the rules and step close to and over the line.  We all do so much that is really quite contradictory to our “belief.”  What I'm really asking is do you just say that you believe, or do you believe but don't think about it much, or do you not really believe but you find your life more fulfilled when it has a lovely spiritual wrapping on it?  In the words of the The Truth Project (which I highly recommend), “Do you believe that what you believe is really real?”

If you do, then that has consequences.  You cannot live as the world would say, with a private spiritual life that doesn't effect your public actions.  God is real and He is watching!  I cannot pray at home but not in the square, I cannot make decisions in a moral vacuum, I cannot go against the Word that He has given to me, I CANNOT!  These are not fairy tales we were told as children, nor stories we use to comfort us in our older days; we carry in our hearts and in our heads and in the pages of sacred Scripture the very words of God!  We must not place them to the side and deal with them as a trivial thing.  We must be affected by them, we must be wholly transformed by them!

I have heard it said that it is not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, but that Christianity has been found difficult and left untried.  God does not propose to us an easy life, He requires of us a hard life of struggle followed by an eternity of reward!  Some will have a harder time of it than others but we will all face problems.  In the light of eternity however, all our troubles will seem like such a minor thing.  Don't be fooled or mislead into an “easy believe-ism” mentality.  Let God's Word guide you and change you.  What can we do but listen, when we hear the truth?

Sick Blarg.....

Sorry, no post today everyone.  I've been, well, rather sick the last few days and writing took a backseat to things like breathing properly and coughing/sneezing a lot.  I'll be back Friday though, thanks!

Learning and Teaching

     I feel like we've lost something in the modern church, or maybe just misplaced it. Really it's a collection of things but they all interrelate. Let's start with a question, who does the teaching in your church and in what context? I'm willing to bet that most of you answered “the Pastor” and “on Sundays from the pulpit.” While that answer is a correct one it's not the entire answer. Nearly adult in the church should be teaching somebody something although the settings may vary as much as the content.

     I love a line I once heard from John MacArthur; in response to someone theoretically saying “but I don't know much of anything,” he says to then find someone who knows less than you and teach them what you do know! It's not just the “teaching staff” of your church or the Pastor that has instruction to teach. Teaching is a part of the great commission, we are all commanded to go forth and make disciples. Fathers should be teaching their children for instance, and so should the mothers. It's not the church's responsibility to instruct your children, it's yours! Now that isn't a blast against Sunday school or children's church but it is meant to point out that those institutions are supplemental. An hour or two on Sunday is not enough exposure to overwrite or out-balance the days that your kids spend with you. Volunteer for Sunday school or weekday bible studies, ask God to show you His truth so that you can be equipped to teach others. You don't have to be eloquent or well spoken, you only need to know God's word to pass it along.

     I think we've also undervalued the importance of having strong older Christians around us. The Bible is clear that the older should teach the younger and that the younger should respect the older. We have in these men and women valuable treasures of truth and experience that we should be tapping into and seeking after.

“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”

(Titus 2:1-8)

     There is a separation of generations today that I don't see in the Bible. Kids grouped with kids, teens with teens, young adults with young adults and so on; why do we do that? I don't really know and I'm not about to speculate. My thoughts are along this line though, fifty years may seem like a big age gap now but how important will that time difference be when we've been in heaven for a million years? Will not those fifty years seem like the blink of an eye? We have all of eternity to live with God and each other, the tiny bit of time we have right now should hardly make a difference on those uncountable ages. I highly recommend getting out of your group, make a friend who graduated college before you were born or even one who's just a few years older than you. Don't waste the resources that God has put in front of you.

     Don't be afraid to teach and don't be scared to learn. We all see God from a slightly different angle, and while our perspectives must be measured first against the rule of God's word, those various points of view can help us see things in a different way. Study by yourself and you'll only ever see things one way or a handful of ways. It's very likely, and I'd nearly say certain, that God has someone prepared to show you something about Himself that you never would have found on your own and vice-verse.  

Soft Spoken

(Sorry for posting late in the day, various things filling up my time!)

     Lately I've been wondering, do we make as much of an impact on this world as we could? More accurately, do represent something different enough to be noticed? There are plenty of factors to this puzzle, many possible variables to consider but today I'd like to discuss one you may not have thought of; how you talk about sin. I don't mean laughing at off-color jokes or even what words you use to describe certain things, I mean much of your hatred for sin is reflected in your words?

     It seems to me that we used to be better at this. In days long past men and women of God didn't mince words or speak softly when referring to sin. It was recognized and spoken openly that things like adultery and pornography were satanic and evil, a damnable plague on this world. More often these days we hear about how “immoral” they are or how “wrong” they are. Other religions in the world weren't “cultural holdings” or “regional beliefs” they were idolatry and webs of lies!

“If any man thinks that the gospel is only one of many religions, let him candidly compare the Scripture of God with other pretended revelations. Have you ever done so? I have made it a College exercise with our brethren. I have said—We will read a chapter of the Koran. This is the Muslim’s holy book. A man must have a strange mind who should mistake that rubbish for the utterances of inspiration. If he is at all familiar with the Old and New Testaments, when he hears an extract from the Koran, he feels that he has met with a foreign author: the God who gave us the Pentateuch could have had no hand in many portions of the Koran. One of the most modern pretenders to inspiration is the Book of Mormon. I could not blame you should you laugh outright while I read aloud a page from that farrago. Perhaps you know the Protevangelion, and other apocryphal New Testament books. It would be an insult to the judgment of the least in the kingdom of heaven to suppose that he could mistake the language of these forgeries for the language of the Holy Ghost.”

-Charles Spurgeon

     I understand that we don't want to push people away by insulting them. I understand that to blast someone in the face and attack them is no way to win their heart to Christ. I understand all that but we used to know the difference between attacking a person and attacking an idea. Ideas don't have rights. Personal preferences and even deeply held cultural convictions only have any merit so far as they are true! Remember we were not given clever arguments to convince the masses (2 Peter 1:16) nor were we given emotional music to sway the heart. What we have are weapons powerful enough to destroy cities!

“For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ...”

(2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

     There should be no quarter given to the enemies lies and our heart for the lost should not tempt us to soften the blow. We do not hate the Muslim but we do hate Islam, we don't hate the Hindu but we do hate Hinduism, we do not hate the Pagan but we do hate Witchcraft and Paganism. Anger can be righteous and hatred can be just when the object of our ire is evil in truth. Whatever stands itself against the true God of the universe is a lie and a deception and has no right to exist or be respected. If we muddle on truth and falsehood than to what salvation are we drawing those around us? If we don't stand firm on the law of God then what right do we have to show others how they have transgressed it?

“The law serves a most necessary purpose.

They [unbelievers] will never accept grace

until they tremble before a just and holy Law.”

-Charles Spurgeon

     Sadly I feel that our softness on this point is a sign of our selfishness. I know that I have held my tongue at times because my mind has been filled with worry. What will they think of me? Will a stand here make working with this person awkward? We must stop worrying about whether others view us favorably and spend our time ensuring that they see God truthfully! Will you find any comfort in your reputation when those who thought so highly of you are burning for eternity? They will curse you either now as a troublemaker and prude or later as the one who knew the way to salvation and did not show them.

     Now remember, this is not a call against the people lost in sin and idolatry. These people are lost and misled and need God's help and we must bring them the truth as we have been commanded. This is not done by force or by coercion, not by strength of arms or battle, but by preaching the truth. We do no one any good by playing nice, a man who does not differentiate friend from foe will not last long in war. Let your speech be laced with love, these people are lost and in desperate need. We need not be seen accepting or open minded but let us be known as righteous and moral and firm. God will save all that are His own, let us not sully that work by blurring the lines.