Owe Nothing!

Just before the recent financial bailout, aimed towards putting a stop to the problems in the banking and housing industry, the CEO of my company lectured us about the importance and necessity of the bailout. I won't bore you with the details. Besides, I couldn't repeat everything that was said in the first place. Working in the financial industry, lending specifically, affords me the opportunity to work with many individuals and families trying to finance their dreams. The one thing that I have noticed in all this time is that there is little, if any, financial savvy and responsibilty placed on those seeking the loans. In this day and age it is popular to point fingers at the wealthy CEOs and the industries they preside over. We are all familiar with terms like "Big Oil" and "Big Pharma" that are used to advance the idea that all responsibility lies at the feet of the leaders of all these companies. Granted, many of them are not innocent of their share of the blame. However, they can't put a single person in debt unless that person, or persons, agree to be put themselves in debt. As one pundit, Pat Buchanan, put it:

"Americans save nothing. We spend more than we earn. Thus the levels of consumer debt, credit card debt, auto debt and mortgage debt."

I see this statement come to life nearly every day. There seems to be no sense of delayed gratification amongst most consumers. I admit, so as not to come across as judging anybody, that I struggle with this myself. The sense of entitlement is astonishing. It is as if everybody feels they are owed the happiness spoken of in the Declaration of Independence rather than just having the opportunity to pursue it. Terms like the "Great Depression" are thrown around to stir up the fear and uneasiness already prevalent in the country. Although, unemployment rates, for example, are no where near the 25% levels reached at that time. Sadly, this idea of delayed gratification has even missed the Body of Christ.

"...and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:5-10

Unfortunately, there are many believers who feel that they are entitled to all the world offers. You don't need to look any further than Christian television to find a teacher telling his flock that God desires them to be rich, wealthy and so forth. And they twist the scriptures to do so. This leads to people expecting God to "bless" them with worldly gain regardless of the problems they have created for themselves. For instance, I know of a family whose credit was terrible, but that my company agreed to help with a loan. After informing them of our decision to help they started balking at the conditions we had set for the loan. The reason they didn't agree to the conditions is because they lied to us about certain aspects of their financial condition. Yet, all I kept hearing from this, supposed Christian, family is "God Bless you" as they lied to us. I know this isn't indicative of everybody, but I believe it to be a good example of people who will not admit to their own mistakes and then expect to be helped out of their mess by God and others. It is difficult to be content in this world. Especially, when you grow up in a society that offers so much that appeals to the flesh. However, I believe that the more you have, the more you want, and the harder it is to be content with what you do have. It is next to impossible to save yourself rich, and I don't expect people to be able to avoid all debt, entirely. Yet, with a handle on your finances, I believe your relationship with the world and the Lord will get better. You will have less stress on your life and more ability to do the things for the Lord we all say we wish we could do.

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13: 8-10

Think about it. What is one of the major causes of sin? Is it not because people owe something they cannot afford to pay and will do just about anything to get out from under that debt? And because of that they end up doing things they normally wouldn't do in order to pay that debt. Scripture says the "root" of all kinds of evil is the love of money. We all know that people steal money for many reasons. One of which is to pay debts. The same goes for committing murder. And coveting, like desiring things we can't have or afford, leads to going into debt, amongst other things. It makes it difficult to love your neighbor when you are focused on and consumed with your debt. It is more difficult to give to your churches, charities and even save for a rainy day, when you are in debt. If you compare the debt that all mankind owed to God because of our sin, you can get a greater perspective. We not only were in debt to God, there was no way on earth that we could pay that debt. When you owe a debt to a lender you cannot pay, you can end up losing your home, your automobile and, definitely, your good name. If not for Jesus Christ paying our debt to God, we would have lost a lot more than a piece of collateral or our good name. Our destination would be Hell. The next time you consider going into debt for something, ask yourself if it is worth the grief, anxiety and potential loss that would happen if you can't pay it back. Or what you might have to do in order to pay it back. Jesus paid our debt to set us free. We can experience a form of that freedom when we are free of our own debts.

Call it what it is...

I remember telling a friend of mine, when discussing my faith in Jesus Christ, that if I had discovered that the way to getting to know God was to become an Islamic terrorist, then give me my explosives and tell me what to do. Of course, I was being a bit tongue and cheek when I said this. My point was that there is only one truth when it comes to knowing God. It seems that for many, God is so vague in revealing to us His plan for salvation that He lets us determine how to get there on our own. However, this is something that smells of satanic influence. The fact that people believe there are more ways than one to Heaven stops them from questioning much of what passes for religion. There is a sense that since they believe all religions lead to Heaven, "who am I to question what one believes?" Unfortunately, this same belief rears its ugly head when fighting the "War on Terror." The fact is that there is a segment of Islam dedicated to wreaking havoc on most of the world. Those fighting it must realize that the Islamists are fighting a religious war whether we want to call it that or not. Just look at excerpt from an Associated Press article on the recent attacks in Mumbai, India:

Orange flames and black smoke engulfed the landmark 565-room Taj Mahal hotel after dawn Saturday as Indian forces ended the siege there in a hail of gunfire, just hours after elite commandos stormed a Jewish center and found at least eight hostages dead. The bodies of New York Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, were found at the Jewish center. Their son, Moshe, who turned 2 on Saturday, was rescued Thursday by an employee who scooped him up as she fled the building. At least two Israelis and another American were also killed in the Jewish center, said Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a spokesman for the Chabad Lubavitch movement, which ran the center. In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said eight bodies had been found in the center and officials were investigating whether there is a ninth victim. Among the foreigners killed in the attacks were six Americans, the U.S. Embassy said. The dead also included Germans, Canadians, Israelis and nationals from Britain, Italy, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Singapore.

Germans, Canadians, Israelis, British, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Thais, Australians and natives of Singapore. This attack was, in a sense, global. There was no discretion showed in who was targeted. From my standpoint it was an attack on everyone and everything that didn't line up with the terrorists worldview. How many belief systems were represented among those killed in the attack? We know for sure that Jews were attacked. This is not surprising given the hatred that many Muslims have towards Israel and the Jewish Nation. I heard reports early on that the terrorists were specifically targeting Jews, Americans and Westerners.

""All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you." John 16:1-4

Jesus warned His disciples of the coming persecution they would face because of their faith in Him. And we know all too well the trials that those in the early Church endured for the faith. It is not any different today. The goal of the Islamic terrorists is to use violence and fear to influence others to submit to their will. And, time after time, they attack those who they feel are Christian and or sympathetic to the Christian faith. That is why you see the United States, Israel and their allies consistently attacked. The attacks are often said to be due to foreign policy or economic issues. To me, that is just a cover to avoid calling it was it really is, a religious war! When the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, do you remember the pictures of sympathetic Muslims celebrating in the streets? This is because they see the United States as the "Great Satan." Well, the term Satan is a religious term for the Devil, the embodiment of evil. And what is at the foundation of our country? Our country, the United States, was founded on Judeo-Christian values taken directly from the Bible. Secondly, what is Israel called by most of the terrorists and radicals? Little Satan. The same thing applies to Israel as well. The Jews are God's "chosen people." The land they inhabit was given to them by God. Is it any wonder they are so hated? The Muslim terrorists believe they are doing God's work when they murder innocent people around the world. It behooves us to understand that this is a religious war to them even if we try and say it is not.

"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matthew 5:7-13

We should not be surprised at what we see going on. The world is in an uproar trying to figure out diplomatic solutions to all the problems going on. And, I pray that these things will begin to calm down. However, these are all signs of the end of the Age. Jesus warned His disciples of wars, earthquakes, famines and being hated by all men. These are signs of His return! The reason we must stand firm in these times and take on the evil of the world, specifically Islamic terror, is because they and much of the world are lost and in need of salvation. We need to endure these times, create and protect environments that allow us to proclaim the truth of the Gospel to all the world. We must proclaim it to the terrorists as well as many of the victims of terror. We should not lose heart when we see these things coming to pass, but look at them as an opportunity to be a witness to the world of the hope offered in Christ. The contrast provided by Islamic terror reveals the difference between their faith and that of a Christian. Their god offers fear, hatred and violence as a means by which to win converts. Our God, the one true God, offers faith, hope and love in the person of Jesus Christ. As people fight against, and flee from, the religious tyranny of the Islamists, we can be thankful that their actions force people to turn to something else. That something else being faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, the next time you see a report of another terrorist attack somewhere in the world, pray for those involved, but, most importantly, be thankful that it is yet one more sign of the imminent return of our Lord!

Celebrating Thanksgiving in America

The tradition introduced by European Americans of Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and His blessings dates back well over four centuries in America. For example, such thanksgivings occurred in 1541 at Palo Duro Canyon, Texas with Coronado and 1,500 of his men; in 1564 at St. Augustine, Florida with French Huguenot (Protestant) colonists; in 1598 at El Paso, Texas with Juan de Oñate and his expedition; in 1607 at Cape Henry, Virginia with the landing of the Jamestown settlers; in 1619 at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia; (and many other such celebrations). But it is primarily from the Pilgrim’s Thanksgiving celebration of 1621 that we derive the current tradition of Thanksgiving Day.

The Pilgrims set sail for America on September 6, 1620, and for two months braved the harsh elements of a storm-tossed sea. Upon disembarking at Plymouth Rock, they held a prayer service and then hastily began building shelters; however, unprepared for such a harsh New England winter, nearly half of them died before spring. Emerging from that grueling winter, the Pilgrims were surprised when an Indian named Samoset approached them and greeted them in their own language, explaining to them that he had learned English from fishermen and traders. A week later, Samoset returned with a friend named Squanto, who lived with the Pilgrims and accepted their Christian faith. Squanto taught the Pilgrims much about how to live in the New World, and he and Samoset helped forge a long-lasting peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. Pilgrim Governor William Bradford described Squanto as “a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . and never left [us] till he died.”

That summer, the Pilgrims, still persevering in prayer and assisted by helpful Indians, reaped a bountiful harvest. As Pilgrim Edward Winslow (later to become the Governor) affirmed, “God be praised, we had a good increase of corn”; “by the goodness of God, we are far from want.” The grateful Pilgrims therefore declared a three-day feast in December 1621 to thank God and to celebrate with their Indian friends – America’s first Thanksgiving Festival. Ninety Wampanoag Indians joined the fifty Pilgrims for three days of feasting (which included shellfish, lobsters, turkey, corn bread, berries, deer, and other foods), of play (the young Pilgrim and Wampanoag men engaged in races, wrestling matches, and athletic events), and of prayer. This celebration and its accompanying activities were the origin of the holiday that Americans now celebrate each November.

However, while the Pilgrims enjoyed times of prosperity for which they thanked God, they also suffered extreme hardships. In fact, in 1623 they experienced an extended and prolonged drought. Knowing that without a change in the weather there would be no harvest and the winter would be filled with death and starvation, Governor Bradford called the Pilgrims to a time of prayer and fasting to seek God’s direct intervention. Significantly, shortly after that time of prayer – and to the great amazement of the Indian who witnessed the scene – clouds appeared in the sky and a gentle and steady rain began to fall. As Governor Bradford explained:

It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in abundance, as that ye earth was thoroughly wet and soaked therewith, which did so apparently revive and quicken ye decayed corn and other fruits as was wonderful to see, and made ye Indians astonished to behold; and afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing.

The drought had been broken; the fall therefore produced an abundant harvest; there was cause for another thanksgiving. The Pilgrim practice of designating an official time of Thanksgiving spread into neighboring colonies and became an annual tradition. And just as those neighboring colonies followed the Pilgrims’ example of calling for days of thanksgiving, so, too, did they adopt their practice of calling for a time of prayer and fasting. The New England Colonies therefore developed a practice of calling for a day of prayer and fasting in the spring, and a day of prayer and thanksgiving in the fall.

The Thanksgiving celebrations so common throughout New England did not begin to spread southward until the American Revolution, when Congress issued eight separate national Thanksgiving Proclamations. (Congress also issued seven separate proclamations for times of fasting and prayer, for a total of 15 official prayer proclamations during the American Revolution.)

America’s first national Thanksgiving occurred in 1789 with the commencement of the federal government. According to the Congressional Record for September 25 of that year, the first act after the Framers completed the framing of the Bill of Rights was that:

Mr. [Elias] Boudinot said he could not think of letting the session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. With this view, therefore, he would move the following resolution:

Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer. . . .

Mr. Roger Sherman justified the practice of thanksgiving on any single event not only as a laudable one in itself but also as warranted by a number of precedents in Holy Writ. . . . This example he thought worthy of a Christian imitation on the present occasion.

That congressional resolution was delivered to President George Washington, who heartily concurred with the request and issued the first federal Thanksgiving proclamation, declaring in part:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor. . . . Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.

That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church (of which President Washington was a member) announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, “unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities.” Following President Washington’s initial proclamation, national Thanksgiving Proclamations occurred only sporadically (another by President Washington in 1795, one by John Adams in 1799, one by James Madison in 1814 and again in 1815, etc.); 1 most official Thanksgiving observances occurred at the state level. In fact, by 1815, the various state governments had issued at least 1,400 official prayer proclamations, almost half for times of thanksgiving and prayer and the other half for times of fasting and prayer.

Much of the credit for the adoption of Thanksgiving as an annual national holiday may be attributed to Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, a popular lady’s books containing poetry, art work, and articles by America’s leading authors. For nearly three decades, she promoted the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day, contacting president after president until Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of that November. The Thanksgiving proclamation issued by Lincoln was remarkable not only for its strong religious content but also for its timing, for it was delivered in the midst of the darkest days of the Civil War, with the Union having lost battle after battle throughout the first three years of that conflict. Yet, despite those dark circumstances, Lincoln nevertheless called Americans to prayer with an air of positive optimism and genuine thankfulness, noting that:

The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God. . . . No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, Who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

That remarkable Thanksgiving Proclamation came at a pivotal point in Lincoln’s spiritual life. Three months earlier, the Battle of Gettysburg had occurred, resulting in the loss of some 60,000 American lives. It had been while Lincoln was walking among the thousands of graves there at Gettysburg that he first committed his life to Christ. As he later explained to a clergyman:

When I left Springfield [Illinois, to assume the Presidency], I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.

The dramatic spiritual impact resulting from that experience was not only visible in Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day proclamation (and also his 1864 call for a day of prayer and fasting) but especially in his 1865 Second Inaugural Address.

Over the seventy-five years following Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, presidents faithfully followed Lincoln’s precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day (but the date of the celebrations varied widely from proclamation to proclamation). In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began celebrating Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of each November, and in 1941, Congress permanently established that day as the national Thanksgiving holiday.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, remember to retain the original gratefulness to God that has always been the spirit of this – the oldest of all American holidays. (Below are representative examples of the scores of Thanksgiving proclamations penned by various Founding Fathers.)

[Congress] recommended [a day of] . . . thanksgiving and praise [so] that “the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and join . . . their supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, to forgive [our sins] and . . . to enlarge [His] kingdom which consisteth in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” 2 Continental Congress, 1777 – written by SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION SAMUEL ADAMS AND RICHARD HENRY LEE

[I] appoint . . . a day of public Thanksgiving to Almighty God . . . to [ask] Him that He would . . . pour out His Holy Spirit on all ministers of the Gospel; that He would . . . spread the light of Christian knowledge through the remotest corners of the earth; . . . and that He would establish these United States upon the basis of religion and virtue. GOVERNOR THOMAS JEFFERSON, 1779

[I] appoint . . . a day of public thanksgiving and praise . . . to render to God the tribute of praise for His unmerited goodness towards us . . . [by giving to] us . . . the Holy Scriptures which are able to enlighten and make us wise to eternal salvation. And [to] present our supplications...that He would forgive our manifold sins and . . . cause the benign religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be known, understood, and practiced among all the inhabitants of the earth. GOVERNOR JOHN HANCOCK, 1790

David Barton - 11/2008

We the Jury find the defendant...

Perry Mason, Matlock, LA Law, Boston Legal, The Practice, Law and Order and various other television shows have enjoyed varying degrees of success focusing on the law and legal matters. Often times you have one of two scenarios playing out. You have the innocent person who looks guilty or the guilty person who appears to get off for their crime. In either case, you will have lawyers on both sides doing their best to win the case. It can often make for some very gripping and entertaining television. The other day, I saw a fellow Christian ask, on a public forum, the following question:

"Does the Holy Spirit convict a believer of sin?"

Of course this has led to a back and forth over the answer to this question that has produced well over 100 replies at last count. All of the respondents are passionate about their beliefs with most falling into the category that affirms the belief that the Holy Spirit convicts of us sin. The best answer I have heard on the subject states that the Holy Spirit does not convict a believer of sin. The answer goes something like, "The Holy Spirit does not convict a believer of sin. The Holy Spirit leads a believer into the truth of who they are in Christ. If it convicts a believer of sin then there must be a resolution for that sin."

"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me..." John 16: 5-9

Think back to those legal shows for a moment. When I think of conviction, I think of a defendant trying to prove his or her innocence, but having convincing evidence of their guilt presented against them. This ultimately leads to a guilty verdict (i.e. a conviction). And then you have to render a punishment. No true believer in Christ will try and deny that they have sinned. Therefore, we don't need to be convicted of it. Rather, we recognize we have sinned and then turn to the Holy Spirit, or approach the throne of Grace, to find mercy in our time of need. It is there that we are instructed as to who we are in Christ and why we weren't trusting Him when we sinned. When a defendant is found guilty, there punishment lies ahead of them. As a Christian, the punishment for our sin has already been taken by Christ. God has already judged the world for its sin. The verdict was guilty. The penalty was death. Jesus Christ took that penalty on our behalf. There is nothing more for us to take. Therefore, we live in thankfulness the rest of our lives while we try and trust Him with our lives in the midst of our sins. The Holy Spirit, like a lawyer, is our Counselor. He instructs us in how we should live our lives as Christians. And that is in total dependence on Him. Unbelievers, on the other hand, need to be convicted of their sin, unbelief in Jesus Christ, so that they will turn to Him for salvation. Unbelief is the only sin that Jesus didn't die for on the cross.

"Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage." Jude 1:14-16

Rarely does an unbeliever do anything they believe to be wrong at the time they are doing it. Scripture says that people do what is right in their own eyes. If someone thinks what they are doing is wrong, chances are they won't do it. For many unbelievers, they don't share the concept that they are sinners in need of redemption. That is why they need to be "convicted" of their sin. Just before dying on the cross Jesus said, ""Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)." At the time Jesus said these words, the Holy Spirit had not indwelt anybody. Therefore, nobody was being led by Him. Those crucifying Jesus thought what they were doing was right. Some, like the Jewish leadership that tried Him, even thought they were doing God's work. But, that is what is to be expected from those in the darkness. They are the ungodly and we should not be surprised that they act in such a manner. But, you should also see why the Holy Spirit needs to convict the world of their unbelief. They need to be convicted of their sinful condition of spiritual death and be made aware of God's only provision of forgiveness and spiritual life in Christ. Once a person has come to Christ by faith, they don't live from sin to sin and conviction to conviction. A Christian lives by faith in Jesus Christ to lead them into all truth through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Church and the Movie Theater

Anybody who has been to the movies, lately, is familiar with the little character that comes out and "shushes" you before the movie begins. I think there is a message that flashes across the screen saying "Silence is Golden." One of the most annoying things to have to deal with at a movie theater are people talking, whether to the movie or to each other. And let us not forget about the cell phones going off or being opened, revealing the bright light, while someone is texting away. You often think to yourself, "What are they here for if all they are going to do is not pay attention to the movie?" The point I am trying to make is that a movie theater, no matter how filled to capacity it is, is not the place for fellowship to be going on. With that thought in mind, I stumbled across something a friend of mine wrote on her blog that I thought to be interesting. She writes:

"But I have a confession to make. Even though my spirit yearns for true sincere fellowship, it just doesn't seem to be finding me. Some of the relationships I've had with other believers were well........somewhat disappointing. Now of course I know these thoughts are of the flesh, but I can't help but wonder WHY!!! Why do people of the faith keep each other at a distance? Why do people of the faith only want relationships that touch the surface of life. And why can't we just see each other according to the spirit, instead of judging people by their faults?"

I happen to share many of her sentiments about fellowship. Recently, I was in a discussion with another Christian who was defending the normal church experience as fellowship. Think about it, though. What is the normal church experience like? Is it not filing in to the sanctuary, moments before it begins, saying a few pleasantries to those in attendance, finding a seat and getting settled in for the message? One to two hours later, we get up, say our goodbyes and shuffle off to our corner of the world until the next week. Now, I am being general in my description, but I think it safe to assume many of you are familiar with what I am saying. Well, unlike the lady I was speaking to on the subject, I don't believe this is fellowship. Yes, we can quibble back and forth about what exactly the true definition is, if any, but I don't see this experience being any different than sitting in a theater with a bunch of strangers watching a movie.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47

When we go to movie, we are not there to talk to each other about our lives. We are their to watch the movie. Similarly, when we attend church, we are not their to talk to each other, but to hear the message. However, scripture talks about something totally different when it mentions fellowship. Fellowship is something done on a daily basis with like-minded believers. I could imagine that the bonds that were built during these times lasted a lifetime, and dare I say, an eternity. Meeting together on a daily basis forces us into each others lives. We, in turn, start to get to know each other on a personal level. We begin to share our likes, dislikes, loves, hurts, struggles and accomplishments with each other. This is how trust begins to form and we let down our guards we put up at church on Sunday. Part of the problem my friend is encountering I believe stems from this lack of intimacy among brethren. One of the most damaging things that has occurred to the faith stems from the modern church experience. We have learned to become superficial and phony in our Christian experience. There is a tendency to act as though we have it all together. Therefore, we put up false fronts for a few hours not truly desiring to let anybody into our inner circle to really see who we are. The result is we keep each other at a distance for fear of getting too close.

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phillipians 2:1-4

It is next to impossible to encourage one another in the faith if we only see each other a couple hours a week and interact with each other even less. How do you look out for the interests of others when you don't know them well enough to even know what they are dealing with? You cannot. If you are anything like me, when I used go to church it was just to get some encouragement for myself. I prayed that the message that day would somehow be directed at me and would change my life. I was not concerned much about the problems of others, much less allowing time to even inquire about them. However, when we are secure in the love, grace and forgiveness we have in Christ, we are comfortable enough to seek out others in an effort to share what we have with them. We all know from experience that it takes time before we feel secure enough to unload our deepest feelings with another person. And those relationships are created through consistent and meaningful fellowships. Think back to the friends you had growing up. You shared each others burdens and confided in each other because you developed a trusting bond through shared experiences and always being around one another. That is the same with any relationship. In Christ, we have a common faith in which to build from that can tear down walls and build up love and trust with each other.

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." Hebrews 3:12-14

Many of us will try and study the Bible each day whether through a study, reading books on our faith, getting a daily devotion emailed to us or a variety of other ways. We do this because we want to continue to grow in our faith and stay sharp on the truths we have already learned. That being the case, it stands to reason that daily fellowship will help us break through the superficial relationships we forge at church. We eat daily. We bathe daily. We sleep daily. We do so because not doing it will lead to many health issues and eventually to our demise. If we don't cultivate sincere relationships amongst our fellow brethren our faith will suffer as well. In fact, we run the risk of isolating ourselves. Personally, I don't really fellowship with my old friends. Many of them are unbelievers and we don't have much in common anymore. The only alternative is to find relationships from within the Body of Christ. But, if we don't take the time to find these relationships how on earth do we encourage one another "daily" as scripture teaches? I bet nobody could tell you who they sat next to at the last movie they went to see. And I would also bet that very few of us could tell you the name of the person who sat next to us at church last week. And if we could it is probably because we came with them. If we want sincere and meaningful relationships with other believers, we need to make the effort to create them. Start a Bible Study, invite someone over for lunch, exchange numbers, ask them a question about the faith (instead of just the pastor), strike up a conversation about the message, anything. We need each other now and for all time.

Alive...safe and sound in Him

Q: I Peter 3:5 says we are `shielded by God`s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.` Could this mean that even though we are born again and sealed with Jesus` blood, that we are not ultimately saved until we meet our Father in heaven? I Peter 3:18 Jesus was put to death in the body and THEN made alive in the Spirit. Why is the same not true for us? Thank you so much for your help.

A: I believe the verse you are referring to in your first question is 1 Peter 1:5. It is there were it says, "who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." Christians are, at the same time, saved, being saved and will be saved. If you look at this passage of scripture in context you will see that in verse 3 it says that God "has given us new birth." Our salvation is a gift from God that we have received by placing faith in Jesus Christ. Verse 4 reaffirms this truth by reminding us that, in Christ, we have an inheritance that "can never perish, spoil or fade." While it is true that we have not experienced the fullness of our salvation yet, we definitely do have it as a present possession. Nobody will argue that our lives, here on earth, is heaven in any wave, shape or form. We are saved, but we live in sinful, fallen bodies that inhabit a sinful, fallen creation. But, remember that right now "our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)." A Christian is just as much saved now as they will be when they enter Heaven. It is just that the sin in our lives and the world around us makes it difficult to imagine at times. But, remember that our salvation is not conditional on what we do or don't do, it is guaranteed based on what Jesus Christ has done for us.

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)." When you first accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, you were given the Holy Spirit of God to indwell you. This is the very life of God that was lost by Adam when He sinned in the Garden of Eden. And because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, on your behalf, there is now no sin that will cause that life to leave. That is why it is called an eternal life. Because we still have sin in our lives, it makes it difficult to come to terms with the fact that we are saved. This can lead to a Christian questioning their salvation. If we are not careful, it can be an opportunity for the devil to plant doubt in our hearts as to who we, ultimately, belong to. However, scripture reminds us of a great truth we have to understand. "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9)." God knows that if our salvation was left up to us to achieve, or maintain, we would fail miserably. Therefore, in His love, He sent Jesus to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus is the only one who has ever lived the Christian life. Now, raised from the dead, He wants to live His life through us. As I have heard it put, He gave His for us, so He could give His life to us, so He could live His life through us.

This brings us to your second question. The same is true for us as it was for Jesus Christ. Christians have been made alive in the Spirit. In fact, if we have not, we are not saved. The key to understanding this truth is right in the verse you quoted. "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit (1 Peter 3:18)." The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ has brought us to God. Since the Fall of Adam, our sins have separated us from God and He from us. When God created Adam, He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7)." The very life of God was given to Adam. But, when Adam sinned, he died spiritually, and God removed His life from Adam. The absence of life is death. Because of Adam's sin, all mankind comes into this world spiritually dead to God, but alive to the world. We are the "unrighteous" described in the verse you mentioned. Because we are all spiritually dead to God, there is nobody from among mankind who had a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for the sins that separated us from Him. But, Jesus, born of a virgin, is the only man who had a life to give because He, being God in the flesh, was born spiritually alive. His death, as 1 Peter 3:18 says, was "once for all." His sacrifice was satisfactory to God to pay for our sins for all eternity. That is why when a believer sins, the life of God, received at salvation, does not leave them.

Salvation is the restoration of the life of God. As I have stated, before God could restore His life to mankind, He had to do something about the sin that caused that life to leave. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22)." Before God could give us His life He had to take away sin. As scripture says, all mankind is dead spiritually. But, when we accept God's offer of life, made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are resurrected from the dead spiritually. And in the future, when the bodily resurrection of the saints takes place, we will experience the fullness of the salvation we already have received. Think of our salvation as a reservation. "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 5:5)." A reservation guarantees us a place in whatever it is we have one for. It is something that cannot be cancelled or given to someone else. The moment you received Christ by faith, you were given the Holy Spirit, the life of God, as a deposit, guaranteeing your salvation. Because of this truth, a Christian is free to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ as He reveals to us all that we have been given through faith in Him. This allows God to conform us to likeness of His Son because there is no sin that separates us from Him. Jesus had to die so that, raised from the dead, He could make us alive to God. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, we have been raised from the dead, in Him.

The Last Birth

KATMANDU, Nepal – A Nepalese teenager revered by many as a reincarnation of Buddha has returned to the jungle to meditate after emerging for less than two weeks, officials said Saturday. Ram Bahadur Bamjan, 18, reappeared on Nov. 10 after several months of meditation to bless thousands of his followers, speaking to them on at least two occasions... His followers lined up near the jungle of Ratanpur, about 100 miles south of Katmandu, to be blessed by Bamjan. He tapped the believers on their forehead but did not speak to them individually. The followers believe he has been meditating without food and water since he was first spotted in the jungles of southern Nepal in 2005. Believers say he spent months without moving, sitting with his eyes closed beneath a tree. Buddhism, which has about 325 million followers, teaches that every soul is reincarnated after death in another bodily form. But several Buddhist scholars have been skeptical of the claims that Bamjan is a reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in southwestern Nepal roughly 2,500 years ago and became revered as the Buddha, or Enlightened One. Rakesh, a Buddhist scholar, told the Associated Press last week that being Buddha means the last birth and the highest level that can be achieved and there can be no reincarnation of Buddha, even though Buddhists believe in life after death. (AP)

This story intrigued me when I came upon it today. I have a friend who, as far as I can tell, has been greatly influenced by Eastern religions like Buddhism. I even remember coming across a book about the "similar" teachings of Jesus and Buddha. As I skimmed through the book, and realized how it could deceive many people into thinking Buddha and Jesus are the same type of individual, my thoughts were about the many dissimilar sayings of both Jesus and Buddha.

Reincarnation

Depending on who you ask, reincarnation means that when a person dies, their mind, body, soul or portions of them all, carry one from life to the next. The actual definitions are so convoluted and vague that it amazes me that anyone can figure out exactly what is meant by the concept. Regardless, the fear of coming back to this life as something other than human, an animal for instance, is said to be an underlying force which makes a person act more responsibly. How they act will determine whether they reach "enlightenment" and no longer need to be reincarnated or not. But, in my opinion, the entire motivation is a selfish one. How can this tenant of Buddhism line up with Christianity? It doesn't. The Bible says that perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). Therefore, if your motivation is to avoid punishment, you will not be acting in love. Christians, on the other, have experienced the love of God who died for them, in Christ, in order to give His live to them. Thus, we freely give to others the love we have received from God. We act in love for other not in fear for ourselves. And we do this because we know that this life is all we get before we enter eternity. Because, unlike reincarnation, we know that...

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Hebrews 9:27-28

Tapped believers on their forehead

The moment I read this I thought about the popular, but heretical, teaching of being slayed in the Spirit. How many Christians have experienced a pastor tapping them on the forehead, sometimes violently, as some sort of spiritual act designed to impart the Holy Spirit? Unfortunately, this teaching is rampant and, apparently, some aspects have spilled over into Buddhism, or vice versa. This young Buddhist, who is supposed to be the reincarnation of Buddha, is reported as having little or no contact with his followers as he spends days and weeks meditating. But, Christians know a God who not only has a personal relationship with each one of us, He indwells us for all eternity. We don't sit around, waiting with bated breath, for our God to come out of the forest and tap us on the forehead and then disappear again. Our God loves us so much that He has died to give us His life, as a free gift, made possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If this "Buddha Boy," as he is called in the article, is some sort of god, and Buddhism is supposed to be similar to Christianity, then why doesn't this god have a relationship with His followers? Fact is, this teenager, nor the Buddha he is supposedly a reincarnation of, is not God. The truth is clear.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."" Matthew 1:21-23

Another bodily form

It is true that at the resurrection of the dead, Christians, both dead and alive, will receive a resurrected body. It will be something totally different from these corrupted bodies of flesh and blood we have now. We don't get raised from the dead in order to indwell bodies ravaged and stained by sin. A Christian gets a spiritual body that will endure all eternity. For someone to believe they will not only come back to these sinful bodies, but may have to comeback as something worse, an animal, an insect, you name it, is not something that I would call encouraging. And it is also not representative of a loving God. For a Christian, this life and body is as bad as it gets. For an unbeliever this life and body will be as good as it gets for them if they die apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. For a believer we have the promise of knowing...

"...that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." 1 Corinthians 15:50

For an unbeliever they have a promise from God as well:

"But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." Luke 12:25

The Last Birth

Probably the most disheartening part of the article was learning what the definition of Buddha means. The last birth. I guess Buddha is so highly regarded amongst his followers because he achieved this supposed last birth. But, one has to wonder two things. First, how do they know he achieved this last birth? Followers of "Buddha boy" don't believe he did. And two, assuming he did (and he didn't because Christ is the only way to the Father in heaven), how many lifetimes did it take him? This belief system is so open-ended that its followers can make up whatever it is they claim to be seeking. As I mentioned earlier, the Bible tells us that man dies once and then faces judgement. There is no second chance once you die. All mankind has been born once, but only believers in Jesus Christ have been "born again." If you want to call this the "last birth" then so be it. However, what Buddhists don't understand is that salvation is not about physical birth at all, no matter how many they believe we get.

"In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" John 3:3-7

All mankind is born into this world spiritually dead to God in their sins. The life of God no longer indwells mankind because of the sin of Adam. Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, is the only man who ever had a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. And, Jesus, raised from the dead, now offers that life to all who place faith in Him. When they do, they are born again of the Spirit of God. We are all born once physically. Christians are born "again" spiritually. And because of that life indwelling us we live for eternity. We don't taste the sting of death. Yes, our physical bodies will perish, but our spirits live on forever, in Christ. Unlike Buddhists, who believe in a god that leaves it up to them to figure out how to get to heaven through countless lifetimes, the one true God of the Bible did for us what we could not do for ourselves, in Christ. This life is the only one we get in order to accept Jesus Christ's offer of salvation. Do not wait for the next life, which will never come, to realize this truth.

10,000 years

Once a month, at work, we celebrate the birthdays of employees that fall within that month. Today, the celebrant was a bit sad at getting older. She was talking about her age, putting on weight (although she is quite slender) and all the things that worry us about aging. Trying to interject some humor into the conversation, I told her about how this birthday is just a blip when it matched up against eternity. Knowing she is a Christian, I reminded her of the last stanza of the classic Christian hymn, Amazing Grace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

Later in the day, she sent me a private email thanking me for reminding her to keep her focused on eternal things. It was a blessing to me because when I mentioned the hymn it was more to make a point about age rather than to be something encouraging. Like my coworker, I also have my concerns and fears about getting older. The increasing aches and pains. The loss of a youthful appearance. The inability to take care of ourselves. All of these, along with other factors, can combine to make the aging process a sort of slow death. While we may have wisdom, respect and the love of friends and family, we cannot escape the constant reminders that the end is getting closer.

"Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Selah" Psalm 39:4-5

We read in the Bible where many people lived hundreds of years and we cannot fathom the ability of anybody living that long, much less wanting to. Adam lived 930 years. Noah lived 950 years. Methuselah lived 969 years. Today, we are lucky if we live 120 years. It is inconceivable to think that people lived for nearly a full millennium. Imagine if you lived for the past 1,000 years. That means you would have been born the same year as King Henry I of France. The more you think about it, the more unbelievable it becomes. Like the Psalmist we desire to know our future. How long will I live? What kind of death will I die? Will I be remembered? Will I be loved? Will I love? Is aging going to be unpleasant? The questions are endless. The lack of answers can lead to fear and anxiety which can lead to getting our minds off the more important things in life. This can lead to fruitless ventures like chasing after health and wellness. Anything that will ease the pain of aging and promise to give us one more day in this world appeals to us. When Jesus was walking the earth, He performed miraculous healings. Today, we see believers and unbelievers alike looking for these same miracles from God. Believing that God has promised to deliver them from sickness, age and struggle.

"Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure." Job 14:1-2

Not unlike my coworker, we all wake up in the morning and stare in the mirror at the visible signs of age, brought on by sin, staring us back in the face. It is human nature to desire to do anything and everything, in our power, to reverse those signs. If we are not careful we can find ourselves sitting in church, allowing our itching ears to be scratched with the false promises of miraculous healings and whatever else we desire God to change in our lives. However, often times we are left deflated by the lack of these wishes being fulfilled. The unrealistic expectations we have of God lead us to expect something from Him that He did not promise to give. We are reminded by Scripture to expect a, relatively, short life of trouble, experiencing the withering away of our bodies as we head towards the end of our life. This in no way takes away from God's ability to conduct a miracle in our life as He has for many throughout history. However, when a miracle becomes the norm, it ceases to be a miracle. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness and blessed us with every spiritual blessing. If we have all of this, and it has not resulted in the slowing of the aging process or the ending of physical ailments, it means that what we have is not something that we may see.

"A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." John 20:26-29

Thomas doubted that Jesus had been resurrected. And after seeing Him with his own eyes, he stopped doubting and believed. The physical effects of sin we see and experience everyday can cause us to doubt that which we know to be true about the Lord, our salvation and this life. Birthdays are said to be celebrations of life. However, as we get older they can become painful reminders of the inevitable certainty of death. Thomas knew Jesus had died. And Thomas' hope, apparently, died with Christ. It may not be as sudden as the death of Jesus Christ, but each birthday, each reminder of our body withering away, can cause us to share in the doubt Thomas exhibited. But, when the Lord appeared, saying "Peace be with you," Thomas' hope was restored as Jesus proved He had conquered death. After all, death is what we are afraid of as we age. It is hard to think of the promise of eternal life as we watch ourselves get closer to the end of this life. However, Jesus not only removed Thomas' doubt when He appeared, He removes our doubt, as well, by saying that we are blessed for not having seen Him! It has been nearly 2,000 years since Jesus ascended to the Heavens after His resurrection. He knows we yearn to shed these bodies and go to be with Him in glory. And one day soon, whether through death or His return, we will be with Him. So next time you celebrate a birthday, don't think of it as a day closer to death, but a day closer to Life! Remember, there are no birthdays in Heaven because there is no time to keep track of when you have all eternity ahead of you to sing God's praise. Amen

Compassion: To Be or Not To Be

Q: My question is what is wrong with compassion? I have been told that to feel and show compassion is to enable. I agree in some cases but I am not sure I understand the Bibles meaning of having compassion for one another......

A: There is nothing wrong with compassion. In fact, it is a cornerstone of the Christian faith. Compassion is simply having a heart that puts the needs of others ahead of your own. We don't need to look any further in our search to discover this answer than the ministry of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of Matthew we read where Jesus went from town to town, teaching in synagogues and healing all those who were sick and suffering with disease. "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36)." Think about how the average person feels, Christian or otherwise, when they encounter someone who is being harassed and is helpless. In most cases, we do whatever is necessary to give those in need a leg up. While we cannot miraculously heal the sick and cure disease like Christ, because we are not God, we can definitely find ways in which to bring peace to someones life. A vast majority of charitable organizations that have been created over the years were founded by Christians, or those heavily influenced by the Christian faith. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the International Red Cross and World Vision are just a few of the examples of how the compassion the Lord expressed to the less fortunate has manifested itself.

There are times when compassion, or perceived compassion, can, and does, enable a person to continue down a destructive path. Have you ever been approached by a homeless person asking for money? We all have. Often times it is quite obvious that these individuals have been abusing alcohol or some other substance. Whether we feel sorry for these people, or just desire that they stop bothering us, we may pass them a small some of money. While we may be well meaning in our actions, we most likely have only given that person another opportunity to sink deeper into the depths of the sin they are trapped in. "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:9-10)." The motivation behind our assisting people, that only serves to enable them, is that we fear being judgmental of them. We often take Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged," out of context for fear of being labeled as not having compassion. The judgment we cannot make is of one's heart. We may not know why they do what they do, but we certainly can make a judgement about what they do, if it is sinful or destructive, and show them the way out. It is this fear of being called judgmental that makes much of our charitable acts insincere. The motivation is not so much to help another person, but to avoid being judged for our actions or lack thereof.

However, if you think about what motivates many of us to be compassionate to others, it is because we can empathize with the sufferings of others. The Bible tells us to "live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble (1 Peter 3:8)." When we see someone less fortunate then ourselves we are motivated to help them because we see something in their lives that reminds us of our own. I used to struggle with alcohol dependency. Therefore, when I see someone trapped in the same sin, my heart goes out to them. Since we have something in common I hope that I can use that similarity to bridge a gap with them in order to share Christ. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently (Galatians 6:2)." When someone is hurting, compassion doesn't enable them to continue in their sin. Compassion goes to them, in love, in an attempt to show them a better way. It is at that time that we can tell a person how Jesus Christ rescued us from the depths of the sin and despair we were in. We are basically sharing with others the love, forgiveness, meaning and purpose we have found in Christ. A Christian is not better than anybody else. But, in Christ, we are better off. Knowing just how much the Lord has done for us, humbles us to the point where we want to spend our lives sharing what we have received with others.

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:5-7)." God showed compassion towards us by humbling Himself and becoming one of us, in Christ. Similarly, we humble ourselves when we show compassion to those who are without Christ, trapped in sin or both. We have no reason to be arrogant or boastful about what we have been given through faith in Jesus Christ. "Freely you have received, freely give (Matthew 10:8)." A Christian is a new creation in Christ. This is a gift of God received by accepting Jesus Christ as our savior. Now that we have freely received an eternal inheritance, our mission in life is to lead people to Christ in order that they may receive His offer of everlasting life. One of the blessings of struggles is that they reveal our need for Jesus Christ. And it is those of us who have received the compassion of God that, in turn, share it with those trying to fill the void in their spirits that can only be filled by Jesus Christ. The only way we can discern whether we are being compassionate or being an enabler is by relying on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us from within. We have the mind of Christ. And the attitude we should take is that of doing only what we are being led to do by God, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did nothing unless the Father told Him to do it. We would be wise to do the same. After all, if the "Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3)" indwells us in the Person of the living Christ, who better to teach us how to be compassionate and when to do it?

Baghdad Bob

How many of you remember the initial days of the current Iraq War? If you were like me, you watched the around the clock coverage of what was taking place. As the media reported the progress of the United States military, they also showed us what the other side was reporting about the war. Case in point was the Iraqi Minister of Information, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf. Obviously, trying to do his job and assure the Iraqi people that they were not losing the war, al-Sahaf became famous for his outright misinformation when it came to accurately reporting the war. He became known, sarcastically, as "Baghdad Bob." To give you some insight into his actions, I found the following online from USA Today, written April 7, 2003:

"The Iraqi information minister stands in front of the cameras, a grim smile on his face, a military beret on his head, and declares forcefully, "There are no American troops in Baghdad!" Meanwhile, black smoke rises in the distance behind him, weapons fire can be heard all around, and American tanks rumble down streets only yards away."

It is both sad and comical that someone would be so dishonest despite the fact that he, and his audience, knew he was lying to them. I guess he'd rather do his job than be honest. This reminded me of when I used to attend my family's church as a child and young adult.

""Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.' ... "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." Matthew 23:5-7, 27-28

Each and every Sunday, I would see all the men dressed to a "T" and the women wearing their Sunday best. The men would come with their doubled-breasted suits, coordinated ties and shiny shoes. The women with their colorful outfits, combined with their matching shoes, purse and, of course, hat. Now, there is nothing wrong with looking your best, but it was all done for show. All of it done to look the part you claimed you were living as well as to outdo those you went to church with each week. It was definitely a fashion show. However, it didn't take long or require a trained eye, to see that these people were trying to put on a front. I guess if they looked good people would think that they were living the Christian life. That life being one of sinless perfection, or at the very least, increasing righteousness. Nothing could be further from the truth. As I soon noticed, these people were as phony as a cardboard cut out. I always noticed, after church, the women sitting in their cliques gossiping and finger pointing at nearly everybody that was in church that day. And the men were sitting back staring at the pretty ladies and engaging in all the normal banter that comes along with it. Now, don't get me wrong, I am generalizing here. It wasn't every single person, but you get my point. The message that I got from them is "fake it until you make it." None of them were living the life they tried to pass off as living. All it did for me was turn me off. Looking back, these people didn't know Christ at all, in my opinion. They did everything in order to be seen by men, and women.

"...though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." Philippians 3:4-9

I knew, then, if that is what is meant by being a Christian, I didn't want anything to do with it. I can be phony on my own time. A friend of mine, an unbeliever, once lamented how one of his problems with Christians is that we are arrogant. I understood exactly what he meant by that statement. He probably had experiences with the type of individuals I grew up around. And it not only turned him off of Christianity, it turned him off of Jesus Christ. Yes, my friend doesn't have an excuse if he doesn't accept the Lord as his Savior. But, that doesn't diminish the fact that many of us Christians are not the best witnesses for the Lord. Like Paul, we can be overflowing with legalistic righteousness, or, as I like to say, religious pride. Yes, it is pride that is behind our putting on fronts before others. Religion is nothing more than a lifelong attempt at trying to be like God through obedience, real or perceived, to an agreed upon set of rules. And when we believe this to be true about ourselves it comes out as arrogance and self-righteous pride. But, Paul counted his legalistic righteousness as loss compared to knowing Christ. He knew, like we should discover, that we are of no earthly good when we project an image of perfection to those around us. Yes, we are perfect, in Christ, but that is how God sees us through the prism of Christ's finished work for us and resurrected life in us. If those most in need of hearing the Gospel and having an encounter with the living Christ think they have to be perfect in order to do so, they never will come to Him. And when they see us faking like we are something special, they don't want anything to do with it. We must remember that we are more effective in our witness when people see Christ shining through us in the midst of our faults.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Most everybody who comes to Christ does so after going through some of the worst times in their lives. When we go to them, in love, and can relate to their experience, we have established common ground from which to tell them about the Gospel. For instance, I may be able to talk to someone struggling with alcohol dependency. The simple fact that I have overcome that in my life can be a ray of hope to someone still struggling. And when they see where I have come it gives them hope and allows me to share with them how I have come so far. Jesus Christ. It is when people, as my friend says, "see our warts" that we become real to them. It is our trying to deceive others, when they can see right through us, that hurts any opportunity to share the love of Christ with them. I can't tell you how many opportunities I have had to share Christ with people, especially those that know my history, because of the changes they see in me. Not, the false front of religious pride, but the testimony of a changed life in Christ. Just like the whole world saw through "Baghdad Bob" when he lied about the progress of the war, people see us as Christ's version of propagandists when we don't tell the truth about our lives. We don't have to act like something we aren't to be a witness for Christ. It isn't about us anyway!

Frankly, My Dear...

Gone with the Wind is a 1939 movie starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The movie is a romance set around the time of the Civil War in the 1860s. At the time, the film won an unprecedented 10 Academy Awards. A record that stood for nearly 20 years. One of the classic lines in the film comes when Gable's character, Rhett Butler, rebukes Leigh's character, Scarlett O'Hara, with the classic line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" Basically, what he said to her was that he did not care what she thought. Unfortunately, while many of us admire the individuality of "Rhett Butler," and say that we do not care what others think about us, deep down, we do care what others think about us. I talked the other day about how this desire to be loved and accepted by others can lead to us compromising all that we hold dear. Rush Limbaugh, radio talk show host, said the following on this subject.

"We have a national psychosis problem: way too many people give a damn what people think of us in these various hellholes that harbor people who want to kill us. They give a damn what people think of them individually, too -- and I'm telling you, that's death. That's destructive. It stunts your growth."

I think Limbaugh hits the nail on the head when he talks about how worrying about what other people think of us is destructive and stunts our growth. We all love a pat on the back, being part of the in-crowd and the comfort that can come from being a part of a group. I have heard it said that each one of us is the sum of the five people closest to us. Well, that would make sense because we don't often spend time with those people we don't have anything in common with. However, there could always come a time when following the crowd can be to our detriment.

"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!" Galatians 5:7-12

Do you remember, growing up, being asked, "If your friends jumped off a cliff would you follow them?" This was usually a rhetorical question asked of us by an upset parent after we blindly followed others into trouble. Normally, we would, sheepishly, respond, "No." Although, the chances of us repeating our actions were probably quite high. Most of us would probably jump off the, proverbial, cliff with our friends because we cared about what they thought of us. Even when we do know better we will still go along with the crowd because we fear not doing so would lead to being ostracized by the group. There have been times in my life that I kept quiet or went along with the crowd because I didn't have the heart to stand up against those that I spent my time with. I remember being invited to, and attending, the bachelor party of my best friend. I was a Christian at the time, and obviously still very worldly. Despite knowing that a bachelor party was not an activity a Christian should participate in, I went anyway. I put my friends feelings ahead of my better judgment. To this day I am haunted by my behavior at this party. I can still hear a friend of mine shouting, "You're not a Christian!" after my participation in the activities. I was a Christian, but certainly was not acting consistent with my identity in Christ. I let the influence of friends, and the lure of flesh, "cut in" on me and keep me from obeying the truth. My one transgression was like the yeast that destroys the dough. Thankfully, I am forgiven and God has used that incident to build me up and strengthen me.

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14

The Bible tells us you can't serve two masters. To do so makes us unstable in all ways. Is not that what happens when we care about others opinion of us? As Christians, we know better. Yet, despite knowing better, we still do the things that take away from opportunities to grow and mature in the faith. There comes a time in every Christian's life that we wish we had the "answer" to a problem we encounter. We pray to God for a magical response to it. Often, that doesn't come. When Jesus was in the wilderness, being tempted by the devil, His response to every temptation of the devil was to quote scripture to him. The devil eventually fled from Him. We should be the same. But, we cannot do the same if we don't get in the Word. And normally, we don't have a familiarity with the Word to rely on because we were involved in activities designed to please others. Thus, our growth is stunted and we don't have the truths of scripture to rely on when we encounter a problem in our lives. If you have a child and he or she says "ga ga goo goo" you don't mind it because you know that is the extent of their maturity. However, if that child is now 35 years old and still saying "ga ga goo goo" you would be concerned. Many believers have been in the faith for years, but still have the maturity of a newborn Christian. Thus, they not only have stunted their growth, left themselves unprepared to handle life's problems, but they cannot teach others. You cannot pass along what you don't know! So, if you want to mature in your faith, be a teacher and not an infant, and be prepared for life's problems, take lesson from "Rhett Butler" and, excuse my language, not give a damn about what others think about you. Amen!

The Color of Love

I was browsing through the magazine section at the grocery store when I noticed the cover of the December 2008 issue of Essence Magazine. It had actor Will Smith hugging his wife, and actress, Jada Pinkett-Smith, from behind. The story accompanying the photo was about their marriage and the love they have for each other. I didn't read the story, but was intrigued by the title of it. It read something to the effect, "Black Love: You have to create the relationship you want." I have no problem with creating the relationship you want. Any relationship worth having takes some effort on the part of those involved in it. However, what in the world is "Black Love"? Do blacks love each other differently than others? I wonder if Caucasians have "White Love." Hispanics, obviously, must have "Brown Love." And I assume that Asians and Native Americans have "Yellow Love" and "Red Love," respectively. It is kind of silly when you think about it. And then what is it called if you have an "interracial" marriage? If a Native American (Red) and Asian (Yellow) get together, is it called "Orange Love"? Personally, there is only love. It is not specific to any particular culture or ethnic group. But, that begs the question, "What is love?"

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

We have all heard the classic songs, "What the world needs now is love (sweet love)" and "All You Need is Love." When I read the lyrics to these songs, and songs like them, love is never really defined. There is an assumption about love that is made that I don't think is truly loving. Love is always defined as tolerance. Now, tolerance is an aspect of love. After all, the biblical definition of love, above, talks about being patient and not easily angered. Both can describe an aspect of tolerance. However, love has become a code word used to justify and allow any behavior under the sun. Or, as I like to say, love means tolerance of sin. But, when it comes to relationships, the Bible's definition of love crosses all boundaries, but does not tolerate sin. You don't need to have "Black Love" or any other kind of love. There is just love. How it plays out in each of our lives may be different. Regardless of the relationship between two people, they all have different pros and cons that need to be addressed. Let us take a look at some aspects of love.

Patience

When you are in a marriage, there is always the need for patience. Whether it be with each other , the children or in-laws, there comes a time to set aside personal preferences and desires in order to preserve peace and unity. That is not something specific to any particular relationship, it is needed in every relationship. As a Christian, we must realize the patience God showed towards us, and still shows on a daily basis. Our sins, our lack of maturity, our lack of faith, our acceptance and promotion of bad doctrine, our tolerance of error, and so on, all require enormous amounts of patience. It is only by tapping into the source of patience, the indwelling Holy Spirit, that we can begin to be patient with our spouses, or anybody in our lives with which we have a relationship.

Rude

One of the hardest things about letting someone get close to you is that they know how to "push your buttons." If ever a disagreement arises, there is always the opportunity to say some hurtful things to the other. Normally, it is done in self-defense or to hurt someone as much as we believe we have been hurt by them. If you have ever been in relationship that ended; i.e. divorce, you realize that you rarely, if ever, can be cordial to your ex. Why? Because they know who we are at the deepest level. And when the bond formed is torn apart, those secrets about, and intimate knowledge of, one another is often used to hurt the other. We can say some of the meanest things to each other during these times. Imagine if God was rude to us? He created us and knows our heart. Do you not think He could devastate us if He wanted to do so? But, because of His great love for us, He does none of it. In fact, He no longer remembers any of our wrongs. It doesn't mean we didn't do wrong, but that we are not held accountable for them.

Keeps No Records of Wrongs

Right in line with not being rude towards each other is not keeping a record of each others wrongs. When you are married, and spend nearly every moment together, there, no doubt, will come a time when you sin against each other in some way. Often times we can be pretty good at forgiving, or even ignoring, the sin of our spouse when it happens. But, there will come a time when we get upset with each other that, in order to gain the upper hand, we dig up the past to use as a weapon. Nothing can injure a relationship more than to have to defend months and years of stored up sins that have little, to nothing, to do with the present disagreement. However, in order to maintain harmony and the marriage bond in a relationship, we can't keep records of wrongs in order to use them at a later date. Think about all the sins you have committed your entire life, whether in thought, speech or deed. You can't number them all. And God put them behind His back, through the death of Jesus Christ, for all eternity. The least we can do is pass along to our spouses that which God has done for us.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." 1 John 4:7-12

It is interesting that Scripture says that "everyone who loves is born of God." We know that the only ones born of God are Christians. That means that if you are not in Christ, you don't know the true meaning of love. Now, I know this flies in the face of conventional wisdom because people from all walks of life, both secular and religious, may demonstrate certain aspects of this truth. But, normally it manifests itself in a way that condones, and even promotes, unloving and sinful behavior. Or it is only directed towards those we want in our lives. Loving others as God has loved us does not mean you tolerate sinful behavior. It means that, in spite of that behavior, you continue to love those closest to us and even those who are not. When somebody is impatient towards us, is rude to us and wrongs us, it doesn't mean we agree with what they did. Many times we say things like, "that's okay" when we are sinned against. Well, no, being sinned against is not okay. Rather, in Christ, we release you from having to make amends for something that you probably can't pay back. In turn that allows both individuals to heal and, perhaps, grow closer to each other. This is definitely something that is needed inside a marriage relationship and does not need to be redefined to fit into any racial or cultural categories. God defines love, and just like His offer of salvation, one size fits all. The color of love does not reflect any skin tone, but is colored in the precious blood of Jesus Christ! Without a foundation built on faith in Christ, you will not be able to, truly, create a relationship built on love.

Proposition 8 is Enough

The local news was reporting that there were protesters in downtown Denver rallying against the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Proposition 8 is a statewide ballot measure that bans same-sex marriage. A similar measure was passed in Colorado a couple of years ago. As I told a friend of mine today, when the proponents of same-sex marriage, or other liberal issues, lose in an election, they protest and demand the outcome be overturned. In my opinion, when homosexuals, and their supporters, who believe their sin to be a normal, god-given, behavior, don't get their way, anybody who rejects it is deemed "abnormal." It is why they will call opponents of same-sex marriage bigots and other vile names. As an example of some of the stuff that is said about those of us who are against same-sex marriage, I refer you to an article written in the Denver Post, today, that talks about some of the signs that were being displayed at the rally.

"The Mormon church has a right to their beliefs but they don't have a right to make public policy," said Cathryn Hazouri, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado. Many protesters held signs that read, "Stop the H8, Separate church/state," "Constitutional Democracy=No Tyranny of the Majority" and "Oppression is a Sin.""

The Mormon church aside, I laugh when I hear proponents of same-sex marriage say that a religious body doesn't have a right to make public policy. Well, who does have the right to make public policy? It is the public! And the public decided against Proposition 8. I find it also interesting that they will call those in favor of Prop 8, or any legislation against same-sex marriage, as promoting hate. But it is the homosexuals who storm churches, have gay-pride parades and use activist judges to shove their beliefs down the throat of the majority of the population. As for separating church and state, there is nothing in the founding documents of this country that even hints at the idea. Besides, you can't separate your beliefs from your politics. What are politicians? They are lawmakers. And the laws they put in place and support are those that line up with their beliefs! Now, they may not assign their belief system to any recognized religion, but they adhere to those beliefs religiously. And there is no "Tyranny of the Majority." It is called voting. Same sex marriage was voted down by the majority of the people in California. If anybody is guilty of tyranny, it is the homosexuals who use activist judges to overturn the will of the people, as was the case in California. And, oppression may be sin, but so is condoning sin by saying you have a "right" to have it made legitimate by the state. So, who is right when it comes to the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage?

""Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."" Matthew 19:4-6

"Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." Romans 1:26-27

"...realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching..." 1 Timothy 1:9-10

"'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." Leviticus 18:22

God is right, when it comes to the issue of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Jesus, God in the flesh, affirmed that God created male and female as the proper marriage union. If it were not He could not have told them to be fruitful and multiply. This is a command that no homosexual can obey, ever! Jesus, the Creator of all things, is the Word. And the Bible is the written Word of God. Therefore, it is God who determines what is the definition of marriage. There are plenty of secular arguments against same-sex marriage, but even those are not the standard of truth by which to judge these things. We must always go back to the Word of God to determine what is best in these circumstances. Besides the affirmation of marriage as between a man and woman, the Bible clearly has an opinion about homosexuality. We see in Romans where homosexual behavior is the result of "shameful lusts." This shameful lust leads to unnatural behavior between men and women. And, unfortunately, those taking part in such behavior are at risk of receiving a penalty for their perversion. In 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul compares homosexual behavior to that of murderers, perjurers and kidnappers. Some versions have it compared to slave trading. Will the same-sex proponents protest against laws banning murder, perjury, kidnapping and slavery? I doubt it. I believe the reason so many of these homosexuals want marriage between a man and a woman to be redefined to include same-sex relationships is because, deep down, as the Bible says, they know that what they do is immoral and detestable and they want to relieve themselves of the guilt they feel.

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Many homosexuals, falsely, believe that God made them homosexual. No, when God created mankind, He made Adam and Eve. He did so for a purpose. He wanted Adam and Eve to populate His creation with godly offspring that He could love and enjoy on a planet, and in a universe, made for them. The sexual desires we all have, are indeed, natural and God-given. However, because of sin entering the world, how we choose to engage in that activity has been perverted. Instead of the natural order God desired of a married man and women using the gift of God to produce godly offspring, we have the sexual immorality and debauchery you see before us today. Regardless of what sexual activity one is engaged in, homosexuality, fornication or some other perversion, anything done outside of the marriage between a man and woman, is sin. But, God provided a way in which to rescue all mankind, including those trapped in the homosexual lifestyle. He did this through His Son Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world, including homosexuality, and rose from the dead to indwell all those who come to Him by faith. When we engage in sexual sin, of any kind, we are trying to fulfill a need within ourselves that can only be filled by the life of God. And that life is only available as a free gift, made available, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we are honest, if engaging in sexual sin, or sin of any kind, were fulfilling that desire we crave in the depths of our being, we would not have to continue to engage in it. Normally, the more we engage in that sin, the more depraved we become. It is a never ending trap. But, as scripture says, those activities are descriptions of what defined a person before they come to faith in Christ. As a Christian, we are now washed, sanctified and justified in Christ. If you are a homosexual, you don't need to change the definition of marriage to justify who you are. You need to realize that what you seek to find in your sin; love, peace, acceptance, meaning and purpose, can only be found in Christ. My prayer is that you turn to Him before it is too late.