Power Talk

Current Research: Objections of the Unchurched to Christians

2009-11-18T15:22:00.003-06:00

I am often amused by religious research regarding church growth and world opinions about Christianity. The Alabama Baptist (“the most widely circulated state Baptist newspaper”) reports that in a recent study one researcher found those “who don’t attend church [the unchurched] are not too bothered by what they view as hypocrisy in the Church.” For several reasons the preceding statement is amusing to me. The researcher went on to point out the four things that “non-churchgoers don’t like about Christians.” Sadly, they are probably accurate but certainly not amusing. However think with me, and ask yourself after reading the four objections, what are they describing?

1) Christians who treat other Christians poorly. 2) Holier-than-thou attitudes. 3) Christians who talk more than they listen. 4) Christians who don’t go to church.

Listen to Jesus’ rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. “For they preach, but do not practice” (v. 2). Sounds to me like number 3 above. “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their fingers” (v. 3) A definite connection to number 1. “For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. Four neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.” (v.13). “For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (v. 25). In other words, the Pharisees and scribes talked about being in the kingdom like some talk about being a Christian, but neglect the assembling of the saints for every contrived excuse, anemic alibi and personal pleasure. This would be applicable to number 1, 2, 3 and 4. “For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness”(v.27). Again, this clearly fits all four objections.

I know you are ahead of me on this but what has Jesus just pronounced a woe upon? HYPOCRISY! (see first part of each of the verses cited vv. 13, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29) The “unchurched” regardless of how you slice, dice or spin it, are bothered by the hypocrisy of Christians as they describe the things they don’t like about them. Even so, what should be our greatest concern is that God dislikes it!

So the real question is: Are WE bothered by it? It won’t change until we are and our lights will not shine as long as Christians are indifferent and complacent about it. (John 13:34-35)

The Darkness of the Soul without God

2009-08-08T06:18:00.009-05:00

By all accounts, George Sodini was a seemingly rational and reasonably successful 48 year-old man. He worked as a software program writer for a large law firm. He enjoyed his work and had recently been promoted. His lifestyle did not reflect any sort of drug or alcohol abuse. In fact, until the last couple of months, he hadn’t consumed any alcohol in twenty years. He never married, and he owned his own home where he had lived for the past 10 years. From the picture I have seen of him, he was nice looking man, physically fit and well-dressed.

Yet, George Sodini was identified as the gunman in last Tuesday night's (August 4, 20090 deadly LA Fitness health club shooting in Collier Township, Pennsylvania. His own words conveyed via his blog (an internet site where one’s personal writings can be posted and read by all) reveal a man struggling profoundly with his own sense of isolation. His blog chronicled his torturous life as he wrote about the loneliness and frustration he felt at not having any kind of a relationship with people, especially female companionship. His writing, as was his life, was filled with darkness and contradictions. Tragically, he fatally shot three women and injured nine others in his shooting spree before turning the gun on himself, taking his own life.

The words of the writer of Ecclesiastes are stamped all over his life and writings: “Vanity of Vanity, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (1:2-3). It is impossible for most of us to comprehend the struggles of people who suffer in such depraved silence from a sense of not belonging or of being needed. For Sodini, his perception of life was clearly one marked without meaning or purpose as defined by the word vanity. I am making no excuses for Sodini. To the contrary, I am pointing out that without a real relationship with God based on faith and a proper understanding of His word, Sodini’s empty life shows the darkness of the abyss to which evil can fill the life and lead the soul of man.

When I read Sodini’s writing, I wonder what an encounter with a faithful Christian would have done for Him. Perhaps nothing, but then again, perhaps everything, and four people would be alive and nine others would not have been injured. I am reminded that the power of the gospel, lived out in our lives and shared with others, has “wonder working power” to transform the vilest person we might ever meet, even me! (Romans 1:16; 1 Timothy 1:12-17) Always, let your light shine – you never know the darkness into which it may shine leading others to the Christ.

LETTING OUR LIGHT SHINE IN OTHER CULTURES

2009-07-17T06:52:00.010-05:00

“Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.”

Dorothy, Wizard of Oz

The phrase “the Ugly American” is defined by the dictionary as a “pejorative term for Americans traveling or living abroad who remain ignorant of local culture and judge everything by American standards.” It is very easy to forget that we are not in America when we are doing work in foreign countries. Learning to be flexible is the key to success in doing this work in India. India does not have all the modern conveniences related to infrastructure (i.e. communication system, transportation [roads], power plants, etc.) which we as Americans take for granted. There are just some inconveniences that you must accept if you are going to accomplish anything worthwhile. It is painful and miserable when people can’t deal with it. There really is no point in complaining about it. We are not in the United States.

I have enough other faults and weaknesses but complaining is just not one of them. I think I know why I don’t complain, but it is not important to the point I want to make. Initially there is a culture shock and it takes some adjusting. However, if you travel abroad, the easiest way to adjust to a culture is to just be a Christian. Being a Christian has nothing to do with whether I am an American or an Indian. The universal nature of God’s Kingdom (rule) is such that it can and is to be lived in every culture (Revelation 7:12). In fact, isn’t that God’s point to Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2? God assured Nebuchadnezzar that He was going to set up His kingdom (rule) and it “shall not be left to another people” (vs. 44). Simply put, God’s kingdom/rule over people was going to be universal, and it would be established without respect to human culture, might or ingenuity (i.e. “without hands’).

For this reason, Jesus established a new covenant that was universal in scope. Jesus wanted us to make disciples for Him. To accomplish that, He commands we “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15-16). The reason He commanded this is because the gospel is for all men regardless of their culture, race or ethnicity. If we are going to let our light shine in other cultures, it will be on the basis of our faith in the gospel and not on our insistence for our American way of life! (read carefully 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

COLONY OF HEAVEN

2009-07-15T09:47:00.005-05:00

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…" (Philippians 3:20)

I am an American citizen and very grateful to be one. There is very little in India, outside of the cherished relationships I have with many of the Indian people, which makes me want to live here. India is not my home. It is a beautiful country in many ways. It is a country far richer in tradition and history than America. I am ever learning about India that I might not be perceived as being disrespectful toward the culture. Sometimes that is not easy for my Western mindset to understand, much less accept, the differences in cultures. I am aware that the reverse is true for my dear friend Benson when he visits America. Though neither of us has a desire to live in each other's respective land, we do respect each other's culture as far as our conscience will permit

I am quite confident the one thing we (Benson and I) share in common, above our preferences for our native cultures, is the desire to live in our respective cultures only as sojourners because our longing some day is to be in Heaven. Thus, we both long to have a firm grasp on the pilgrim concept taught in the Bible – namely, that this world is not our home – whether we are Indian or American. For we are first and foremost Christians, which means we are members of the family of God that is made up of every nation, tribe, peoples and languages, who will one day bask in the culture of God's presence without a longing to be elsewhere. This is what we both strive to reflect in our lives and preaching because we are guided by Heaven's ways revealed in the Scriptures. Thus, whether in India or America or anywhere else in the world, all those who make up God's family are a colony of heaven on earth regardless of the differences in their respective cultures and languages. Regardless of where Christians live on this earth, they can live faithfully to God letting their lights shine through the Scriptures knowing their true citizenship is in Heaven.

NO SECRETS IN DEATH

2009-07-13T22:02:00.007-05:00

The media focus on the recent deaths of celebrities has been unrealistic. Steve McNair, a former NFL quarterback who was married and the father of four boys, was found shot to death alongside his girlfriend, according to the news media. His death is tragic in so many ways as were the two other cultural icons, Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. The message of the book of Ecclesiastes is stamped all over their lives; "Vanity of vanities…All is Vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

It is no secret that the lives of these icons (as well as many more before them) were characterized by lust. The exact cause(s) for the type of cancer Farah Fawcett contracted may be unknown to the public, but the risk factors for it are not. Michael Jackson clearly died from a drug induced heart-attack. McNair died at the hands of someone while he was with his mistress. A look at their bank accounts, fame and popularity reveal they "had it all." The reality is that "having it all" is no safeguard against death. Death is where you leave "it all" because you cannot take any of it with you.

Life does not have to be lived in vanity (meaninglessness) whether rich or poor. The fact is, life is only vanity if "having it all" means only living for this world. If all there is to our existence is this world, then life is meaningless. When people are consumed by their lust and addictions, clearly their world-view is strictly defined by the here-and-now. Consequently, drugs, violence and sexually transmitted diseases will be a major risk factors contributing to the deaths of people consumed by their lusts.

Think where each one of these individuals would be right now if they had been faithful Christians. It is true that being a Christian is no safe-guard against death but it does assure that when we die we can do so with dignity and not with shame. We die with dignity because we lived for a meaningful hope. Thus, the Christian's hope is better than anything this world can provide – even if one managed to "have it all" (Matthew 16:26). Someone has wisely said, "If you want to know how to live, then you need to know how to die." There are no secrets in death – much less in judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)

Sacrifice: When Nothing Else Matters

2009-07-09T10:34:00.007-05:00

It was not the obligation or duty of Jesus to die for us. His sacrifice was wholly a matter of love. It is His incomprehensible willingness to love the unlovable that staggers the mind. A love publicly manifested by His giving up heaven's glory to enter a hostile and sinful world as a man rejected, ridiculed and condemned to die unjustly. The innocent for the guilty, to set them free, forever declares His humiliation and voluntary sacrifice on our behalf.

There are only two reasons that love motivated Jesus to sacrifice Himself on our behalf. Namely, His love for God and His love for God's creation – nothing else mattered (Hebrews 10:5-7). We must understand this, without that sacrifice is impossible! Nothing else mattered in his love but God and people – not His physical comforts (Luke 9:58); not His personal preferences (Matthew 26:42); not even His intense longing to be with His Father in Heaven apart from going to the cross (Luke 5:16).

Only when nothing else matters but God and people will God's people come to know the true meaning of sacrifice. Until then, the work of the local church will suffer want at the hands of physical comforts, personal preferences and longing to be elsewhere. We are not called to duty or convenience but to conviction and sacrifice that willingly serves through love. "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. …No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'" (Luke 9:23, 62) If we learn to sacrifice because nothing else matters but God and people, then our light will always shine.

“LOVE IS STRONG AS DEATH”

2009-07-02T15:16:00.010-05:00

“… in order to love, we must be individuals; to be individuals, we must know death; therefore, in order to love, we must know death.” Peter J. Kreeft

Last week while flying back from Tucson, Arizona, I was thumbing through the American Airlines on-board magazine for June 2009. It contained a human interest piece on the late “Billy Mays.” In spite of his annoying infomercials, according to the article, he apparently was not only very successful but was a very personable individual. It is interesting that within a week of reading that article he died suddenly at the age of 50. I guess, in a sense, he was to infomercials what Michael Jackson was to pop music and what Farrah Fawcett was to fashion models/actresses in the 1970’s. But more than that, Mays, Fawcett and Jackson all share the common fate of all humanity – they are dead.

I know it seems too obvious to mention but it needs to be noted that neither, fame, beauty, talent nor voice recognition spared them from the inevitable and the irreversible act of death. No one wants to be morbid or insensitive to those who sincerely mourn their passing, but death is the reality for each of us regardless of our talents and wealth. Compiling all their wealth, fame and beauty together could not compete with death. In spite of that, the Bible, which speaks to the living, does remind us that there is something that is as strong as death in this life: “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.” (Song of Solomon 8:6 ESV)

Solomon observes that love, like death, is both real and unrelenting as it pursues its purpose. Yet, it is not just any love, it is that committed love of marriage. As much as faithfulness preserves love, wisdom preserves life. Such committed love is jealous. Yet it is not a jealousy grounded in selfishness. To the contrary, the jealousy to which the writer refers, is that voluntary and selfless devotion, which seeks the protection and welfare of that one to whom we are committed. No amount of “water” (struggles, temptation, pain, suffering, et. al.) pouring over a committed love can quench its fires and no amount of wealth can purchase such committed love (see v. 7). The wisdom that preserves life, and the faithfulness of committed love, which sustains marriage can only be as strong as death, if it is founded on the “fear (reverence) of God.” (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 9:10; 5:15-23)

Making Sense of the Bible #5

2009-06-27T13:46:00.003-05:00

Bear with me….

Years ago, when I first moved to Texas to preach, one of the members built custom homes for a living. One day he got to telling me about one of the men in the congregation who had built his own house. At the time, he was a young husband/father who wanted to build his own house with his own hands, but he didn’t have the expertise, so he began asking the home builder question, after question, after question. About the time the young man was ready to break ground for constructing his new home the builder was also ready to break ground for a new home.

Once the construction started, my home-builder friend told me that the young man would come out to the job site every day after he got off work to see what had been done that day. The young man would make notes, ask questions and then go back to his own site and do exactly the same thing. When he couldn’t figure out how to do something, he would call the builder at home. The builder would explain how to cut this angle or that angle or to install this or that. A few months after the home builder finished building the new home, the young man finished the new house for his family. When I moved from there, that man and his family were still living in that house he had built with his own hands.

When it comes to understanding how God communicates to us through the Bible He does it just as my home builder friend did for the man who knew nothing about how to build a house. The builder would give him direct instructions on how to do something, or when the young man would go out to the site after work, he saw an example of how and what needed to be done. When he couldn’t figure something out, the homebuilder gave him enough information that he could necessarily deduce how to do a thing.

There are only three ways I ever knew how to teach my children anything. I either told them how to do it or I showed them how or I would give them enough information that they could figure out how to do it. Again, that’s just common sense. Friends, God does not communicate His will to us in the Bible through some hidden, mysterious or esoteric manner. He teaches us in the same way we teach things, namely, through direct statement/command, or approved example or necessary inference. It is no wonder that the Bible tells us that “the common people heard (Jesus) gladly,” (Mark 12:37) for He taught His will to them just as they would teach their children and others about things they knew.

Making Sense of the Bible #4

2009-06-26T13:53:00.009-05:00

The Bible is made up of the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT). If we think of the Old and New Testaments in terms of a “will” (like one we would make in the event of our death), it would free us from many of the misunderstandings which exist in the religious world today. The OT was God's will and purpose, based on promises and prophesies, to bring Jesus, who would redeem man from his sin, into the world as Savior and Lord. The NT is the revelation and fulfillment of those promises giving us assurance that through Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection we can be forgiven of our sins.

The Law portions of the OT, which include the well-known Ten Commandments, were given to the Israelites whom God delivered from Egypt [Exodus 20:1-17 (read carefully vs. 2 and note who is being spoken to, for they are the ones who received the Ten Commandments); Deuteronomy 5:1-21 (read carefully vs.1-3 and make the same notation)]. The Ten Commandments and the Levitical law codes (contained in the book of Leviticus) regulating priests and the sacrificial system were given not to the world but to the Israelites.

When Jesus came into the world, He gave another will that was to be universal (for all men – not just the Israelites or Jews but for all). Jesus made it clear that he was sacrificing Himself (shedding His blood) to establish the New Testament as the means of forgiveness for sins (Matthew 26:28). Keep in mind that a will cannot be probated or executed until after the death of the one who made it. Thus, while Jesus lived on earth he was subject to the OT and its laws (Luke 2:41-47; 4:16; Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:3).

In Jeremiah 31:31-33, Jeremiah prophesied of a future time when God would make a New Covenant (Testament) that would supersede the Old Covenant (Testament) and it would not be for just Israel but for all men. In the NT the writer of the book of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah’s prophecy pointing out in fact that the NT is that replacement and the OT is “obsolete and vanishing away” (Hebrews 8:8-13). The Hebrew writer tells us that since Jesus died, “He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes affect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.” (Hebrews 9:15-17 underline mine for emphasis - br).

The OT establishes the faithfulness of God to His word and serves an important purpose in helping us understand how God deals with people. Briefly stated, God deals favorably or unfavorably with people based on their response to His word. Without understanding this distinction between the OT and the NT we are prone to misunderstanding and false concepts. Thus, if our light is to shine we must trust in God and His word, obeying Him from the heart based on the terms which He set forth in the NT and went into effect after Jesus’ death.

Making Sense of the Bible #3

2009-06-25T16:30:00.001-05:00

“Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Using common sense is one of the basic necessities to understanding any literature. A quick glance of my library indicates that I have over fifteen different books on the subject of how to interpret the Bible (hermeneutics). I have never read a book on “hermeneutics” which did not mention “common sense” as one of the primary rules for a proper exegesis of the text (getting the meaning out of the text). While that may be stating the obvious, when it comes to making sense of the Bible it is obvious in reading and listening to some discuss the scriptures, common sense is not so common.
Applying common sense to Bible interpretation does not mean we approach it with preconceived ideas. That goes for everyone regardless of how well you know or think you know the scriptures. Common sense is applying the same rules to interpretation that we would to any other piece of literature.

The Bible employs a vast array of literary genres (poetry, narrative, figurative, prophetic, et. al.) to reveal its message. Just as we would not read every book in a library the same way, we should not read every book of the Bible the same way. Is the Bible literal or figurative? Yes. Thus, we need to take the literal parts of the Bible literally and the figurative parts figuratively. A careful reading of the context will tell us whether the passage is meant to be interpreted literally or figuratively. Therefore common sense seeks to understand any given passage in its historical context (to whom was it written, the occasion, the purpose of the writing) and in its immediate (literary) context.

Words have meanings in sentences and are grammatically constructed to express the author’s thoughts which harmonize with both the immediate context (those sentences preceding and following any given passage) and the remote context (whether it be the whole Bible, or the particular book of the Bible we are studying). A dictionary may give us several definitions for a word but it is the context that determines the meaning. We have no more right to take any definition we want from the dictionary and apply it than we do in wresting a verse of scripture from its context to give it whatever meaning we want. Common sense should never been as uncommon as it often is when it comes to Bible reading and studying. Let your light shine, use common your common sense when reading the Bible.

Making Sense of the Bible #2

2009-06-24T11:46:00.001-05:00

It is merely my purpose to give some basic thoughts on making sense of the bible rather than a lengthy, technical discourse on the rules involved in “hermeneutics” i.e. “the science of interpreting the scriptures.” To do so would probably necessitate me having to write another series of articles on “making sense of hermeneutics.” Fortunately, all that can be avoided when one takes the risk of just stating the obvious, which is what I intend to do. Please don’t misunderstand me – a good hermeneutic is both essential and exceedingly helpful to a proper interpretation of the scriptures. By any fair standard of definition, what I am writing in these articles would be classified under the heading of hermeneutics.

Given that most people who initially read the Bible are at least curious about it brings up a point worth considering when making sense of it. Curiosity with the Bible is at least rooted in the fact that it claims to be about God, if not from God. Understanding what it says doesn’t require that one read it with a belief in those claims. However, since it makes those claims whether one believes it or not, it would seem to me that the reader would at least give a respectful and fair reading of its claims before deciding either way. So what I am suggesting is that one read and approach the Bible for what it claims to be, which does not demand that one believe it in order to understand it.

The Bible does not claim to profess all the truth about every subject known to man. However, it does profess to contain the only truth man needs to know in order to go to Heaven (2 Peter 1:3-4; Jude 3). Any approach to the Bible with a preconceived notion as to specific doctrines or that it is a fictitious work to begin with is a waste of one’s time and a less than objective treatment of it. Giving it a fair reading and hearing does not mean you listen to what I or anyone else says about it. A respectful and fair reading of it means that is what YOU give it yourself by reading and critical thinking. To base your understanding of it on what someone else says or thinks is not giving it a fair hearing, even if what someone else says about it is true. The fact that the Bible, as we have it today, has been preserved for 2,000 years and multiplied thousands upon thousands have believed it through the ages earns it the right to be given a respectful and fair hearing by every responsible person. How fair and respectful are you? Let your light shine and read the Bible with the fairness and respect it has earned before making up your mind about its claims or anything else someone says about it. That is true objectivity.

Making Sense of the Bible #1

2009-06-12T12:26:00.007-05:00

I never knew a time in my life without the Bible. For that I am eternally grateful to godly parents whose marriage, child-rearing, social, and work ethic were all shaped by biblical principles. Unfortunately and to my regret, that doesn’t mean growing up I always read the Bible or lived what I knew the Bible taught. When I finally “came to myself,” realizing the colossal mess I had let sin make of my life, I knew where to turn. No one had to suggest to me, “Read the Bible.” I knew from godly parents it was the place to start. It never occurred to me to have to ask, “How do I read the Bible or what is the Bible about?” I had grown up with a better than average knowledge of the Bible.

Here is my point. Many people today believe there is a God of some sort and by worldly standards they would be considered morally good. However, unlike me, they have never known a time with the Bible. If they have any interest in the Bible and you just hand them one they will probably ask, “How should I read the Bible?”

In the next few “Let Your Light Shine” articles, I want to talk with you about how to read/study the Bible. Let me make one point in preparation for these upcoming studies about the uniqueness of the Bible. Carefully consider these facts and their implications; The Bible as a book was compiled over a period of some 1600 years by some 40 different authors from all walks of life living in differing places and circumstances. This time-span included over 60 generations, and three different languages were used to convey its message (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). The theme or message of these writers contains no contradictions either in their recording of historical events, places or people. Much of the writing of these men, over this vast period of time, included highly controversial subjects and yet in their teaching they remain united and in complete harmony with one another from the earliest to the last writer. Thus, the Bible stands unique among all other religious thought and writing, not only for these facts, but for so many others too numerous to mention here. Understanding these few facts one should approach the Bible with deep respect for its uniqueness alone because it provides a rational clue to the only sensible explanation of its origin. Read your Bible and let your light shine!

"COWS OF BASHAN"

2009-06-10T15:20:00.004-05:00

“Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’” Amos 4:1

I never read this passage without being amused initially by imagining some preacher today getting up and referring to the ladies of the congregation as cows. I don’t think it would go over to well in our politically correct culture. One may wonder from our cultural perspective if the prophet was just indifferent or frustrated or angry or compassionless or just plain rude or even all of the above. Calling them cows might be one thing, but calling them cows of Bashan is in a different class altogether.

Bashan was an extremely fertile land east of the Sea of Galilee. Rainfall was above normal for the region making its volcanic soil rich. It produced much of the grain consumed in that area of the world. Consequently, livestock bred and raised in Bashan were among the biggest (fattest) in the world because they were well-fed and watered.

Understanding the prophet’s geographical reference helps us to understand the content of his message. Today, if he were delivering the same message, especially if he wanted to be politically correct (and by all means let’s!), he would have referred to them as “fat cats.” He was not referring to their dress size when he called them “cows of Bashan!” He was referring to their insatiable lust and power as part of the ruling class who abused the poor and needy seeking more of what they had plenty of, when in fact, could have done with less (4:6). The underlying cause of their rampant materialism is the same as ours today – they had turned from serving God with their whole heart and were no longer seeking Him (“yet you did not seek me” see 4:6, 8, 9, 10, 11). Yet they would have denied it because they were relying on their rituals (see 4:4-5 – i.e. “going to church”). If we seek God with our hearts, honoring His will by obedience to His word, and our lights will shine for all to see. Is your light shining?

When God Laughs…

2009-06-05T12:50:00.006-05:00

Atheism’s attempt to paint God out of the picture, even in the face of what they would call the “apparent design” of life, is comedic relief for God. Through the wisdom inherent in our universe’s structure and life, God has identified Himself, but man refuses to listen. In turn God said, “I will laugh at your calamity; I will also mock when terror strikes you like a storm, and you calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.” (Proverbs 1:24-28). God is not afraid for His works to be humbly examined in awe of their obvious design. He works in a way that those who study His works might delight in and remember (memorialize) Him (Psalms 111:2, 4).

Yet God laughs last at those who profess to know Him but refuse to submit to His will. The atheist’s hubris in rejecting the obvious is foolishness to the nth degree. However, the oblivious fool is the one who claims to know God merely for the sake of convenience while refusing to serve Him with conviction in heart and life. God’s laughter is no light-hearted matter for the person who takes Him seriously. If our light is to shine, we must trust and serve God not only because of the obvious but out of a deep conviction and commitment to His word.

THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

2009-06-02T13:12:00.005-05:00

The bible upholds the sanctity of human life by virtue of life itself. For the very breath which breathed life into man's formation from the dust of the ground made him a living soul distinct from all other life forms (Genesis 2:7). From both divine and human perspective, God's creative love reached its zenith when man became a living creature. So sacrosanct was human life to the divine mind, that God declared, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image" (Genesis 9:6).

Yes, God decimated Noah's world by flood because they had reached the nadir of their existence having no regard for the sanctity of life – "the earth was filled with violence…for all flesh had corrupted their way on earth" (Genesis 6:11-13). Yes, God commanded the deaths of nations and their inhabitants using other nations to accomplish His will, but it was neither capricious nor whimsical. He sanctioned their deaths because of their violence in disregarding human life, sacrificing it by appeasement and pleasure to their idols. It is often overlooked that such judgments "grieved" God, or that He derived "no pleasure in the death of the wicked." (Genesis 6:5, 6; Ezekiel 33:11) There is no other divine proscription available by which to uphold the sacredness of life or to deal with wanton and violent disregard for life than by demanding that "whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." To this end, God expects governments to act as "His ministers" protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty (Romans 13:1-6).

While I abhor abortion, especially on the scale to which it is sanctioned and practiced by our government, no man has the right to take the law into his own hands and act with the same wanton disregard for human life in the name of religion toward a doctor performing abortions! Whatever religion he is acting in the name of is a false religion. By the same token, any religion that would sanction such a doctor is a false religion. No government or religious sanction of sin, any more than one man's practice of sin, gives another the right to commit sin.

WHO IS GOING TO REMEMBER US?

2009-05-29T11:21:00.018-05:00

The name Hananiah is found several times in the book of Nehemiah. But who is he? Do you know?

Hananiah is a name found in the book of Nehemiah in several different places (Nehemiah 3:8, 30; 10:23; 12:41). I rather suspect a solid case could be made that the Hananiah mentioned in all these passages is the same person. Regardless, I doubt very seriously the book of Nehemiah triggers a thought of Hananiah even to those well-acquainted with the book.

Nonetheless, there is one other place in Nehemiah’s memoirs that the name Hannaniah is found. After the walls and gates of Jerusalem had been rebuilt and repaired Nehemiah wrote, “I gave my brother Hanani and Hananiah the governor of the castle charge over Jerusalem, for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.” (Nehemiah 7:2). Owing to the fact that Hanani is Nehemiah’s brother (1:2-3); Nehemiah sees no need to explain his choice. Furthermore, we can reasonably, and quite necessarily, infer from his commendation of Hananiah that the same is equally true of his brother.

My point in writing about the obscurity of Hananiah is not to give some bible trivia. It is to point out, when it is all said and done, whether anyone remembers us or not on earth is really insignificant. Yet, I might add, if human history were to remember our lives, be it as remotely as a mere footnote like Hananiah, what better definition of our lives could there be than that we were more “faithful and God-fearing than many”?

If we are going to let out light shine and be an influence to those around us, it is not important how many people, if any, remember our names after we die. Our memory is only significant to those who know us by name in the present. When we die, with very few exceptions, we will only be remembered by those who knew us and not in some history book. Do those who know us by name, in the present, see us as a person more “faithful and God-fearing than most”? That, my friends, will determine the ultimate significance of our lives for all eternity!

I Read the News Today. . .

2009-05-26T18:27:00.003-05:00

Oh boy! It was more of the same. Nothing sensational per se. The same typical tragedies and disappointments were noted, internationally, nationally and locally. There were a couple of brief flashes of positive things going on. I do find it interesting that as much as the word "God" is used irreverently in our culture, it is pretty obvious that He is decidedly missing from the lives of many of those who make the news.

The one story I thought might be interesting had to do with "urban survivalists" preparing for the worst in the midst of our economic woes. They are stockpiling dried foods, water, etc. After reading some psychologist's explanation of this phenomenon, he confirmed the point I made about God being missed in the lives of many people when he said, "We have no real causal understanding of the way our world works at all. When times are good, you trust that things are working but when times are bad you realize you don't have a clue what you would do if the supermarket didn't have goods on the shelves and that if the banks disappear, you have no idea where your money is."

If it is true that our culture has no "causal understanding of the way our world works," it seems to me to be a pretty fair explanation of how we got into this economic mess. We think our existence is about things and our ability to buy things. We spend more time, money and effort in preparing for our existence in this world rather than the world to come. It is no wonder I read the news today and it was more of the same.

Rich would describe Americans, with very, very few exceptions. Consequently, we all would do well to heed the warning of the apostle when he wrote, "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." (1Timothy 6:17-19) Let your light shine – be rich in those things pertaining to God!

Are We as Good as We Think?

2009-05-21T19:15:00.005-05:00

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)

I have a really good preacher-friend who tells the story on himself about golfing with another preacher. My friend was a better than average golfer and extremely competitive. One day he was not playing very well and was yelling at himself on the course after every shot. His golfing partner, catching my friend in a calmer moment, asked him, “Do you know why you get so mad playing golf?” My friend shot him a quick glance and grumbled, “No. Why?” His partner replied, “You are not as good as you think you are.”

I laugh every time I think about that story. Yet the reality is there are some in the kingdom of God that take themselves way too seriously – thinking they are better than what they really are. The Scriptures are too numerous to list that warn us against over-estimating our abilities and talents (Galatians 6:3; Romans 12:16; Philippians 2:3-5, et. al.). Who can doubt Peter “over-sold” his faith to his own shame, frustration and humiliation? (Luke 23:31-34) So, even we are warned, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1Corinthians 10:12)

We must take God seriously and not ourselves in worship. Who can doubt that some in Corinth had over-estimated their talents (taken themselves way too seriously) to the disruption of the assembly? The apostle chides them for such presumptuousness in their worship (I Corinthians 14:36-40). Those who over-estimate their abilities are often frustrated in their repeated attempts to do what they desire to do but lack the talent to do. It is equally frustrating, if not disruptive to the congregation’s effort to worship. Too often, those who overestimate their abilities assume that a leading role in our worship (i.e. giving a talk, leading the prayer or the singing, etc.) is about fulfilling their own desires. When that occurs, one has taken himself too seriously.

To give God the glory and let our light shine in worship we must not only offer the best but, we must humbly recognize our limits. May God give us the grace to make humility our first priority in worship that we might take Him more seriously. Only then can our efforts conform to our desire to giving Him our best.

Communicating through an Interpreter

2009-05-20T11:33:00.010-05:00

Having traveled to India for several years now I am often asked, what it is like to preach through a translator? Well I can tell you how to have a first-hand experience. The next time you place a call for an order, or technical help with your computer, you will no doubt reach a call center somewhere outside of the Western world (i.e. India, Philippines, Malasia, et. al.). When you reach them try making some good-natured comment or wise-crack to the agent.

For instance, today I placed an order for some books on-line with Amazon. When I received my auto-confirmation via email I realized I had ordered 2 copies of the same book. I tried in every way on line to correct it. I finally had to surrender to the telephone to get it corrected. I explained to Victoria in the Philippines what I had done. Victoria spoke good English, she was cheerful but all business. After every phrase of my explanation she was very quick to say, "That's OK" or "That's fine, Mr. Robinson." Then she asked me a couple of questions. And I replied in a mock tone of, "Well, I am just stupid." She said, "That's fine Mr. Robinson." Immediately I retorted, "Hey Victoria you don't have to be so quick to agree with me on that." After a slight but obvious pause she said, "I am sorry, I didn't understand that." When I told her I was just kidding her there was dead silence. Then I realized "kidding" was not in her English vocabulary so I said, "I was just joking with you." Quickly with a courtesy laugh she replied, "Oh, that's OK Mr. Robinson." And so that's how it goes when East meets West.

A much needed word to preachers who travel to foreign lands. Our Western illustrations and idioms are seldom of any value in a foreign land. In one of my early trips to India I once was trying to explain building your "faith" on the right foundation, using an illustration of thick and thin ice, to a group of South Indians who had probably never seen snow much less a frozen river or lake. When my translator gave me one of those bewildered looks - I knew immediately this was going nowhere. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the veteran American preachers getting a kick out of me trying to explain my illustration. It was then that I realized the Bible is its own best illustrator - so I quickly reversed field and asked if they were building their faith on rock or sand (Matthew 7:24-27)! And with the typical Indian head nod and verbal "ahhh" my translator and I plowed on. . .

Learning from Children

2009-05-19T16:19:00.007-05:00

Children are great teachers of how life is supposed to be lived. In their greatest disappointments, they turn to the ones who brought them into the world for security and comfort. In their joys, even when their parents are not in sight, they can't wait—they long—to share their excitement because no one cares for them like their mom and dad.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2-3). Our Heavenly Father delights in us, as we turn to Him both in our disappointments expressing our dependence on Him and in our excitement as we share the joys of life for no one cares for us as He does.

He is not telling us to be childish but child-like in our joys and sorrows. To be childish one fails to recognize his limits and soon becomes arrogant in overestimating his talents. To be child-like is to recognize our limitations and humbly trust in God, who does not expect of us what we are not capable. What joy we would know and what sorrows we could escape if only we would accept it! A child-like spirit will free us, from many a blunder, as it aids our lights to shine in the glory of God, our Father.

THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING

2009-05-15T15:41:00.005-05:00

Cleaning off my desk (partially anyway, so don't have a heart attack for those who know me and have seen my desk), I found a newspaper article from the Birmingham News January 20, 2008. I am sure my intention was to use it at some point in a sermon. However, I am a bit more desperate at this point to meet the deadline for my bi-weekly Let Your Light Shine article.

The article is titled, "Why Do We Lie?" It does not paint a pretty picture of our culture's ability and acceptance of lying. In the first place, the article cites the numerous circumstances which our culture not only readily accepts lying but expects it. Secondly, the author notes, "Sometimes, of course, dishonesty is the best policy. Lying, for all the bad it might cause, is an indispensable part of keeping our day-to-day lives running smoothly."

There is a vast difference between telling someone you are doing fine when you don't feel good as a matter of civil discourse and in telling someone an untruth in order to deceive them to gain some advantage over them (be it for prestige, position, cover up wrong-doing, etc.). A "white" lie is no better than a "black" lie. There are ways to express one's true feelings without lying even in uncomfortable situations. That is why it is important that we learn to think before we speak. Such learning is the practice of self-discipline.

Dishonesty as the best policy reeks of skepticism and moral relativism. Both of which, like dishonesty itself, are ultimately demeaning to the moral character and dignity of man. However, we might also emphasize, as another writer has wisely observed, "If a man is only honest for policy's sake he is a real rascal." There is no altar (be it convenience or appeasement) on which we can legitimately sacrifice honesty, any more than there is a policy that can justify dishonesty. Someone has said, "The devil has many tools but lying is a handle that fits them all." Jesus unmasked the devil for what he is when He declared, "…There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (John 8:44)

Let your light shine, as Paul wrote to the Christians at Ephesus, "Therefore, having put away all falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor…" (Ephesians 4:25).

At What Price?

2009-05-12T16:56:00.008-05:00

I am not a big fan of reality television shows. I barely know they exist, much less do I know the difference between American Idol and Survivor. About all I can tell you of the difference between these two shows is from the commercials hyping them. It seems to me the major distinction between the two shows, from what little I know, is that the contestants on American Idol do not get as dirty as the contestants on Survivor.

One contestant from Survivor who was recently voted off the competition is reported to have said, "I sure as heck was out there for a million dollars, I wasn't out there for my integrity." The contestant may have been honest in her reflections regarding her experience on the show. Sadly, however, her brute honesty is more reflective of our culture than most of us think about. The idea she would or could put a price tag on her integrity speaks volumes about the superficiality and shallowness of her values – this is true for any of us regardless of the dollar amount.

Outside of some form of gambling or some promotional give-away (neither of which, in my mind, qualifies as legitimate competition), few of us will ever have the opportunity to legitimately compete based on our skill and talent for a million dollars and become famous. So I am not being critical of the reality television show for either the competition or the rewards offered. What should be disconcerting to right thinking people is that we live in a culture which thinks nothing of putting a price tag on integrity and honors the compromise of values to achieve success.

Are we guilty? We may rationalize to ourselves that we wouldn't do it for a million dollars. The irony is we may sell our integrity for a lot less money. What about a few hundred on our taxes? The irony is that we may justify the compromise of our values on the basis of a seemingly more noble pursuit (success). What about cheating on an exam for a passing grade? The irony is we may abandon our integrity and compromise our values for something as trivial as lust and pleasure. What about illicit sexual behavior and/or substance abuse just to be accepted by your peers? One can have all those things (saving hundreds on taxes, success, and acceptance, etc.) but at what cost? Jesus will have the last word, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26) There are no regrets to be had only joy for doing the right thing and letting your light shine through your integrity and values. Can we say the same about compromising our integrity?

Dwarfed Thinkers of Darwinian Evolution

2009-05-07T13:51:00.014-05:00

I have to laugh at the statements contained in the conclusion of an article in defense of the Darwinian theory of evolution; "The evidence that all life, plants and animals, humansand fruit flies, evolved from a common ancestor by mutation and natural selection is beyond theory. It is a fact. Anyone who takes the time to read the evidence with an open mind will join scientists and the well-educated."

The writer assumes the thing he needs to prove in the article. He assumes similarities in functions, which the genes of a fruit fly share with those of a human, means they are the same. Read carefully his argument below.

Despite their enormous differences, fruit flies and humans descended from a distant common ancestor and share many genes that control similar biological functions. Seventy percent of human and drosophila genes are conserved, meaning the genes resemble each other in structure and still carry out a related or identical function. The same genes build the fly eye and the human eye. It is much easier to understand gene function in drosophila than in humans. No other organism has contributed more to our understanding of evolutionary and population biology then drosophila.

I find it amusing that the writer (who is highly-educated) acknowledges enormous differences between humans and fruit flies but relies on a seventy percent resemblance between their conserved genes and their function to jump to the conclusion that we all have a distant common ancestor. This is a clear case of an assumption in search of a meaning. We do share a common Creator but not a common ancestry.

Notice the way he uses language as he writes, "The same genes build the fly eye and the human eye." The same genes – that is preposterous! He equates the function and the similarity in structure of the genes with sameness. I am reminded of a line from the TV sit-com "The Office." Pam is talking to Jim, who has just been dumped by his girlfriend, about her wonderful relationship with her boyfriend. Jim retorts, "Well our relationship was exactly the same only better."

Ay, the real rub in the article: his use of the intimidation factor to try to get us to drink his kool-aid. His assertion has yet to be proven and is merely backed up with his hubris when he wrote, "Anyone who takes the time to read the evidence with an open mind will join the scientist and the well-educated." In other words, if you don't agree with it, you are neither educated nor open-minded. Chesterton said it best, "Merely having an open mind is nothing; the object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid." We need substance not assumption. We need sound reasoning not jingoistic rhetoric wedded to an assumption in search of meaning.

Hypocrite! Who Me?

2009-05-05T17:09:00.009-05:00

“Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.”
Francois De La Rochefoucauld

If our descriptions of a hypocrite could be turned into colors, I wonder what kind of colors they would be. I am pretty sure we could not get black to be black enough and I have my doubts I could get a sickly green to be a “sicklier greener.” However, what is most disturbing to me about any and all of our imaginative colors and descriptions of hypocrisy is that the mental picture is of someone I know – it’s me. As someone has said “there is a bit (or more) of hypocrisy in the best of us.” These comments are not offered as an excuse or justification for hypocrisy; they are merely to remind us that each of us have or will misrepresent ourselves to others. The worst misrepresentation we can make is to ourselves. (Luke 18:9-14)

I might add there is nothing like a hypocrite to make us a hypocrite. It is not that I shouldn’t despise the hypocrisy of others; it is that I should make every effort to clean up my own act first. Surely we must get the log out of our own eye if we are going to be of any significant help in getting the speck out of another’s eye (Matthew 7:1-5). Oh, the breaches we could repair in relationships if only we first despised our own hypocrisy. “With his mouth the godless man (hypocrite – KJV) would destroy his neighbor…” (Proverbs 11:9)

We all need to be fair and honest in our evaluations and judgments of others. However, we cannot be unless we first examine ourselves honestly. Otherwise, we will prove to be the biggest hypocrite of all. (Ouch! I needed this) Let your light shine, examine yourself according to God’s word (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The Christian's Need to Pray

2009-04-30T11:19:00.007-05:00

Having been blessed to work with a number of college-age students for many years, I got to meet a lot of different parents. It was not unusual to get a call from one of them (mainly mom) asking me to please check on her son or daughter. Many times what precipitated the call from Mom was the unexpected phone call home from her child which appeared to be for no reason at all -- at least no reason to which any self-respecting 18-year-old college freshman (who had been clamoring all through high school that he couldn't wait to get out of the house and be independent) was going to admit. Many times the student's unexpected call home was due to homesickness. There is no question in my mind that when loneliness hits us, or some crisis takes us by storm, we all (whether 18 or 80) want to retreat to that place of shelter and refuge where we felt most secure. Whether he admits it or not, home was the place of shelter and refuge from his loneliness, or the momentary crisis, for the 18 year-old freshman.

Jesus found the need to pray whether in the midst of the multitudes or in withdrawing from them to a desert place. In fact, he found it necessary at times to withdraw from his inner circle of loyal disciples, "rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark...and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35) Prayer was the natural expression of Jesus' dependence on God but it was an equally clear indicator of His longing to be at home with His Father.

If prayer is to be an expression of our heart's longing for and dependence on God (Romans 10:1, Acts 4:23-30) but our prayer-life is not what it should be, perhaps we would do well to ask ourselves what are we longing for and on whom or what are we depending? God will neither be surprised nor concerned by genuine prayer that expresses our desire and longing to be with Him, in fact He is expecting it. The truth is we will be surprised by how much He cares for and comforts us, as He delights in answering the prayers of those who long for and depend on Him. Prayer keeps our light shining.

How We See Each Other

2009-04-28T08:44:00.014-05:00

...All is yellow to the jaundiced eye.

Alexander Pope

Constantly criticized and slandered – that was the life of the apostle Paul. He lived every moment, it seems, under the intense scrutiny of his enemies who searched his every word and action looking for opportunities to embarrass and defame him. The unbelieving Jews accused him of lying as he preached the gospel, slanderously reporting that he was teaching, “Do evil that good may come…” (Romans 3:8). Other times he stood alone before unbelievers in the world who sought to do him great harm as they strongly opposed his message (2 Timothy 4:14, 15).

In another situation, Paul defended himself saying, “But with me it is a very small thing to be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself; but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.” (1 Corinthians 4:3-4). What is disturbing about this defense is not that Paul made it or that he made it before unbelieving Jews or the world. Not this! He was making this defense of himself before Christians! It was Christians who were subjecting his actions and motives to their superficial judgments about his speech and claiming their preference for Apollos, much like we often do with our own personal judgments about each other. When Paul made it clear that it was in fact, the Lord who judges His servants, he is reminding each one of us that our inane judgments about one another are of no consequence to the Lord’s judgment. They do, however, reveal our personal disdain for the very cross by which He was declared to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). Furthermore, scrutinizing one another for matters that have nothing to do with faithfulness to the Lord (see 1 Corinthians 4:2) is nothing less than arrogance and the empty boasting of those who have over-estimated their own sense of importance (vs. 7). Paul says put away those judgments and let the Lord be the judge, then each one of us will receive His praise! (vs. 5) Let your light shine, be free from such judgments and be faithful to the Lord!

The Pain of Betrayal

2009-04-24T00:44:00.011-05:00

King David wrote from the depth of a heart broken by the betrayal of a close friend when he said, “For it is not an enemy who taunts me-- then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me-- then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng. … My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.” (Psalms 55:12-14, 20-21). I have often wondered in the apostle Paul’s list of perils (2 Corinthians 11:24-27), if he didn’t save the worst for the last when he wrote, “in the peril of false brethren” (verse 26). Painful beyond description are such betrayals. Yet none are as great as what our Lord endured. Sadly I must recall my own betrayal of Him in the midst of those betrayals I have both suffered and may yet be called to suffer again. I must do right and focus, as King David did under such circumstances when he said, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalms 55:22) The truth is, we’ve been called to suffer for doing right—let us glory in such suffering with Paul as we depend on God for strength to do right (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). We can do no less, if we are going to let our light shine!

Atheism and the Christian

2009-04-17T11:21:00.003-05:00

"I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me." John 17:20-21

I must confess, albeit for completely different reasons, I stand with Christopher Hitchens an avowed atheist, in his amazement that there is any faith in God in the 21^st Century. Hitchens the author of a new book entitled "god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." I actually believe the title for his book would have even been better and more accurate IF he would have inserted the word "False" before the word "Religion." Thus reading, "god is not Great: How False Religion Poisons Everything." Such a god of false religion is not the God of true New Testament religion.

The God of the pure religion of the New Testament is not the god of any false religion. Much of Hitchens' argumentation focuses on the abuse of false religions (institutional and/or state run religion). He points back to the Crusades of middle-ages to the present day acts of terrorism committed in the name of religion as evidence that religion poisons everything. However, all such acts of violence are condemned by the God of the Bible – they are poison indeed!

Yet, I must point out right here that those professing Christ who are not true to the Bible, must accept in part the responsibility of legitimizing Hitchens' claim that such religion poisons everything. I say that because if we profess to be of Christ, whether individually or corporately (including any and all denominations), but do not practice what the Bible teaches, then we ARE practitioners of a false religion regardless of our intentions.

Jesus prayed if we would believe on Him through the New Testament two things would happen: 1) We would be one with Him and His Father; 2) The world may believe God sent His Son. Yet we see the world lying (both literally and figuratively) in disbelief. We must conclude that many who claim to be of Christ are not one with him because they are not following the word He gave. To the extent that any of us are not willing to submit to God in our faith and practice, to that extent we bear the responsibility for the disbelief of the world. Thus, the significance of Jesus instruction is made abundantly clear when he said, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Speaking Truth To Our Neighbor

2009-04-16T15:34:00.018-05:00

"It is not that some people want to be understood, it is that they speak and act so as to be misunderstood."

"Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I am only joking!" (Proverbs 26:18-19) Good-natured ribbing can turn caustic, hiding its verbal abuse and retaliation behind the pretense of "I was only kidding." Even our private apologies for and public "confessions" of sin are oftentimes no less duplicitous and disingenuous. When confronted with sin, the guilty often blame others for misunderstanding what was said or meant. Such confessions sound more like an excuse to justify rather than admit guilt. Insincerity is the trademark of those attempting to minimize their guilt, operating for their own self-interest. Those who are spiritually-minded, when confronted with their sin humbly examine themselves and with no protest, repent seeking forgiveness from God and the offended. We can do no less if our light is going to shine when speaking truth to our neighbor!

Considering the Steadfastness of Job

2009-03-31T14:43:00.006-05:00

The New Testament writer exhorts his readers who are suffering to keep in mind the steadfastness (endurance/ patience) of Job (James 5:11). What is his point? If we consider both the similarities and the dissimilarities between Job and the recipients of James’s exhortation we find an answer. Job suffered innocently as did James’s readers. However, the readers were suffering under the hand of the rich and powerful (James 5:1-6). On the other hand, Job was a prosperous man (Job 29:12-17). However, he suffered not as a victim of the rich and powerful as James’s readers did but neither was he guilty as a rich man of perpetrating such oppression. It is here we establish one key difference in the respective sufferings of Job and James’s readers. Namely, those to whom James wrote could point to a cause for their suffering (rich and powerful). Job could not point to a cause for his suffering.

What we learn from James’s exhortation is that the greater challenge to our faith in suffering is not the suffering itself but, rather, our view and the judgments we make about it. Putting it simply, it is not what happens to us that messes us up; it is how we handle it that messes us up. When we consider the steadfastness (endurance/patience) of Job in suffering, we learn that suffering, whether we understand its causes or not, comes to rich and poor alike. To consider the steadfastness of Job is to understand that God provided for Job in his suffering the one thing he needed in order to endure. Namely, that God was there suffering with him. In other words, it was in Job’s suffering that he was made aware of God’s abiding presence. For this reason, Job came to know and see God in a compassionate and merciful way he never could have apart from his suffering (read Job 42:2-6, note especially verse 5). Consequently, James’s exhortation to his readers is this very point when he wrote: “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” (James 5:11).

Of Honest Doubts

2009-03-27T12:41:00.003-05:00

Doubts are healthful, if they are honest. As one has wisely observed, "Doubt is the spade that uncovers the truth." Honest doubts prod us to be vigilant in our search for truth. People with honest doubt sometimes err in the pursuit of truth. However, if we are going to remain spiritually alive, we will not remain in that error if we are honest. Spiritually alive people who err in the pursuit of truth will show themselves to be alive spiritually not only by examining their beliefs when challenged, but by also correcting their beliefs when wrong. Thus, they show themselves to be in the faith (II Cor. 13:5). If the the longest journey any of us will make is coming to ourselves (Luke 15:17), then the most critical step of that journey is the first. The first step for that long journey is an honest self-examination not doubting the truth but recognizing the possibility I could be wrong!

The Value of Words

2009-03-20T19:09:00.003-05:00

In the Sago mining accident in West Virginia three years ago, 13 miners were trapped for 40 plus hours before rescuers could reach them. It was from two and a half miles deep into the earth, just before midnight, when a rescue worker discovered a body lying on the ground but breathing. They had already recovered one dead body and feared that all were dead. So, in his excitement, he yelled out to the rest of the wearied rescuers, “Over here, over here they’re alive.” That word “alive,” from deep in the mine, was heard by the radio man and he blared out the word over his radio into the mine shack, which served as the command post for the rescue efforts, “We have found them they are alive.” Unfortunately before those in the mine shack could confirm the radio transmission, the word “alive” traveled heedlessly through the mountains like a sonic boom into the town. When the word “alive” reached the small church where the miners’ families had gathered and it was announced that they had found all of them “alive” – a jubilant celebration erupted. There was rejoicing, reprieve and relief from their 40 hours of having anticipated the worse. Three and a half hours later Ben Hatfield, CEO of the mine, looking wearied, saddened and deeply pained entered the church building where the jubilant families were waiting with open arms to greet their rescued husbands, sons, fathers, brothers and uncles. Sadly, Ben was not there to celebrate with them. He was there to make the grim announcement that all thirteen of the miners had been found but only one survived. In less than 5 seconds, his words turned the three and a half euphoric hours of joyous, jubilant, tears of celebration into tears of bitterness, sadness and despair.

Friends, the power of words are incalculable. There is a reason the Bible says in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” And in Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” Our words, yours and mine, are to our character what money is to the economy – money is the medium of exchange through which we buy and sell goods. Words are our currency – words are the medium of exchange through which we buy and sell our character for either good or ill. Just as money can be devalued by a down turned market our words can be devalued by a “down turned” character.

We need to remember our words have value; they are not neutral. As we all know from the current state of our economy, the devaluation of the dollar does not occur in a vacuum. It has weakened global markets all over the world. Friends, our words are not spoken in a vacuum – they are not neutral – they initiate a process for good or ill depending on our character. Let your light shine; choose your words carefully and by always seasoning them with grace.

Why Religion Fails

2009-03-17T14:22:00.009-05:00

Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.

G. K. Chesterton

Why does religion fail? Leonard Pitts writes in the Birmingham News today (March 16, 2009) under the title "Losing our religion: Why are so many people turning away from God?" Pitts is pretty much on target in pointing to modern day "organized [institutionalized – br] religion," and the fact that "God and religion are not synonymous," as major contributors to the growing lack of interest in religion and God.

There is no substitute for the simple, true Christianity revealed in the New Testament. It is not found in institutionalized religion, as Pitts well states; "Religion is what men and women put in place, ostensibly to worship and serve. Too often, though, religion worships and serves that which has nothing to do him [God - br], worships money and serves politics, worships charisma and serves ego, worships intolerance and serves self." It is for this reason many people have found religion difficult and leave it untried or having tried it turned away from God!

Maybe it's time for those professing to be New Testament Christians to wake up, not to smell the coffee and donuts in our assemblies (while that could, no doubt, be literal in some assemblies, I mean it metaphorically to refer to our view of the church as some kind of social club) but to heed the call to "preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2) We need to quit playing religion in our assembling and worship Almighty God. It is not about us; it is about Him! Until we quit playing religion in our assemblies, our lives will never seriously reflect the faith that turned the world upside down! Let your light shine.

Pursuing Life

2009-03-04T22:02:00.003-06:00

Marketing is a game. It is a game where advertisers try to convince us we have to have everything from the “newest” to “the new and improved.” We live in an age of consumerism that has spawned greed and an insatiable lust for things. Quite frankly, our economic crisis is evidence that our materialistic view of life has brought us to the precipice of economic ruin. For those with a consciousness of God, brother Sewell Hall stated the simple truth recently when he said, “People can survive on so little.” Yet, in the world of advertising such simple truth is an abomination!

In our pursuit of “things,” trying to find some sense of fulfillment, we are left disillusioned and disappointed. Yet, we are not left feeling this way because “things” are necessarily inherently immoral or sinful. To the contrary, we are left with such feelings because we have made the pursuit of things the sine qua non (the indispensible condition) of our existence and purpose. We have allowed the pursuit of “things” to define who we are. Consequently, when the “newest” and/or the “new and improved” hits the market, we are tired and disillusioned with the former “newest” or “new and improved.” It is to this which the writer of Ecclesiastes would scream, “Vanity of vanities!”

Jesus also poignantly illustrated the point in the parable of the rich fool, which he prefaced by saying, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15-21) Jesus is not saying don’t acquire things. To the contrary, he is saying whether you have a little or an abundance of things; enjoy them by using them to the glory of God. In so using them, we will never grow disillusioned or disappointed because our pursuit is not things but the glory of God. As we identify ourselves in Him, we will never be put to shame but our lights will always be shining. Is your light shining? What are you pursuing?

Fake Tears

2009-02-24T13:32:00.005-06:00

A recent newspaper article on parenting began with the following scenario: “My 3-year-old has this annoying habit that is driving me crazy: When she doesn’t get what she wants, she fake cries.”

I wanted to laugh, until I began to think of some Christians I have seen act in the same manner; then I wanted to shed some real tears. The apostle Paul clearly admonishes us to “act like men” (1 Corinthians 16:13). He is not saying act like males but to quit acting like three year-olds. Why do you think a three year-old “fake cries”? I will tell you it is the same reason some Christians “fake cry.” Namely, their life is out of focus because it is focused only on themselves and/or on the “here and now” rather than the Lord Jesus Christ. To focus only on self and/or the “here and now” is to be focused on the past. It is a looking back. As one writer so poignantly put it, “Those who are solely governed by the past stand, like Lot’s wife, crystallized in the act of looking backward, and forever incapable of looking forward.” (Zodhiates, The Behavior of Belief, Part 3, pg. 18).

We only grow spiritually when our hearts and lives are focused on the Lord. The more we focus on the Lord the more we come to know our true selves and find our deepest needs are met. You want a heart and life that longs for Heaven? Make and keep your focus on the kingdom God."No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62).

Stay focused on the Lord so when you must shed the real tears of pain, sorrow, or disappointment, they will not dampen your light but rather fuel it to shine brightly amidst life’s surging storms and trials.

A Good Conscience

2009-02-23T16:30:00.004-06:00

Sometimes the greatest challenge to our faith is often intellectual. Instead of using our intellect to accept what we know is right, we use it to invent clever excuses for having done the wrong thing. It was when God confronted Adam and Eve in the Garden after they had sinned that the blame-shifting game began which has plagued humanity since. Adam attempted to excuse himself saying, “The woman made me do it.” Eve rationalized, “But the serpent made me do it.” At this point, I would like to borrow the wag’s line who said, “And when God came to the ol’ serpent he didn’t have a leg to stand on.” But alas! I digress.

We need to understand that how we think affects how we behave. The convictions of our faith have to do with our conscience and, like Paul, those who are spiritually alive “strive always to keep [their] consciences clear before God and men” (Acts 24:16). It is Paul who keeps his conscience – not Paul’s conscience that keeps him – pleasing to God.

We must not confuse the function of the conscience with that of faith. The function of the conscience is merely to approve or disprove of our thoughts and actions. The function of the conscience is not to guide, whether that conscience is mine or someone else’s. Christians are to walk by faith, not by their conscience (2 Corinthians 5:7). The Christian’s conscience properly functions as it approves of that which is pleasing to God but it can only do that if it is trained – that is to say, if the Christian is walking by faith (Romans 10:17). Be faithful to God. That is the aim of our faith and the means of keeping our conscience clear before God and man.

Our New President

2009-01-29T15:34:00.003-06:00

I have included President Obama in my prayers this day and will continue to do so during his leadership of the greatest free country in the world. I have no doubt there will be times I will disagree with his decisions and policies. Yet, I am also aware that the biblical mandate to pray for our civil authorities is not conditioned upon which party they are a member of, much less whether I agree with them or not, and most certainly NOT the color of their skin (1 Tim. 2:1-3; 1 Peter 2:13-17).

I will pray for the safety of the President and his family. I will pray that his professed belief in Jesus, as the Christ the Son of God, will shine through the tough decisions he will have to make. I will pray for God to work in President Obama’s heart, through His Sovereign providence to administer justice and seek truth without regard to party, popularity and prosperity. I will pray that President Obama will be successful and effective in helping to restore a sense of community and accountability among individuals. I want to encourage you to let your light shine in 2009. Will you lift up the new President before our Heavenly Father and pray for him right now?

Letting Your Light Shine

2009-01-29T15:21:00.002-06:00

When Jesus talked about being the light of the world – the light he emitted was incomparable to any light ever known. His light exposed for all time what men cannot remedy – their sinfulness (John 1:4). Thus, Christ came not to condemn but rather to be the life and light of men, illuminating the way to God who saves (3:19-21). The light of Christ is man’s only hope. Christ’s light shines only through His word revealed in the Bible. As Christians, we are to be luminaries of that word.

Is your life illuminating the way to God for others? “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life…” (Philippians 2:14-16)

You Know What Happens When the Cat is Away?

2009-01-14T12:25:00.014-06:00

Exactly! Not only will the mice play and multiply but so will the rats and rabbits! In the Macquarie Islands, located half-way between Australia and the Antarctica, some Eco-conscious species decided they needed to remove all the feral (wild) cats from the island to save their 3.5 million sea-bird population. Now the rabbit population has over run the island and is eating all their vegetation which the sea-birds depended on for nesting and cover.

Aye but here is the rub mate! Writing in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, Dana Bergstrom and her colleagues wrote, "Our study shows that between 2000 and 2007, there has been widespread ecosystem devastation and decades of conservation effort compromised." Why is that? Well the study concludes, "The unintended consequences of the cat-removal project show the dangers of meddling with an ecosystem — even with the best of intentions.

The Bible teaches us that God created us to be good stewards of His creation and to respect animal life. I am confident God will hold accountable those who do not (Proverbs 12:10; Genesis 2:15). However, I am equally convinced that man was created superior to all the animals (Genesis 1:26-28). Unfortunately, man does not always act with superior intelligence. Even so, those who worship and value the earth and beast more than they value God or their fellow man will always end up with "the unintended consequences" accruing to their own brute natures (Romans 1:18-32).

Real Encouragement for Our Faith

2008-11-18T17:29:00.007-06:00

Like everyone else I need encouragement, as well as affirmation, for my faith in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. So I am not writing as some insensitive clod to the spiritual struggles and choices each of us face regarding our faith. There is no doubt “the wrong seems oft so strong.” The question is where do we go to find the real encouragement and affirmation for our faith?

The question is raised because frequently I get e-mails sent by well-intentioned people who are both serious and sincere about their spiritual lives and daily walk with God. Generally, the e-mails are filled with some emotional story of one sort or another which are meant to make us stop and reflect on some moral virtue befitting life as a Christian. However, most of the stories are fictional and merely illustrative of some act of kindness or of some spiritual virtue. Regrettably, these stories from a spiritual standpoint, like most of the devotional writing and books put out by the thousands (it seems every year) are like meringue on a pie. They taste good but they aren't filling. It is what it is – “fluff.”

One such story, which prompted this essay, was about a young seventeen year old student who allegedly wrote a composition for school on what heaven was like and he died soon thereafter. To me it did not depict the view of heaven which I have gleaned from the scriptures. Sadly, a young man did die shortly after reporting to his family he had written it. Unfortunately, he plagiarized it from a book published by Josh Harris two years before the young man died. (For the rest of the story see: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/room.asp)

There is something worse than not believing in God – it is having a warped view of God. It is precisely here that unbelievers in the world are often conflicted by Christianity because we, who profess to have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, do NOT all believe and practice the same things. That single fact alone breeds much of the contempt for Christianity that the unbelieving world possesses. It was Jesus, the same One whom many profess as Lord and Savior that prayed, “I do not pray for these alone but also for those who will believe in Me through their word: that they all may be one as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me” (John 17:20-21).

The picture of heaven presented in the fictional account, of the aforementioned e-mail, is of the young man going to a room in heaven filled with index cards and files categorized of the things he has thought, said and done with emphasis on the file “People I Shared the Gospel With.” As he weeps bitterly for his failures in the scene he has penned of his view of what heaven is like; Jesus comes in and writes his name on every card and file with his blood telling the young man “it is finished.” In other words, it has all been forgiven.

The Bible teaches Heaven is not so much a place, as it is where God is. If that is true there can be no sin there or mention of it. Sin is an earthbound matter and when penitent believers get to heaven “there shall be no more pain, the former things have passed away...there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or cause an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:3; 26). The scene in heaven is not one of weeping bitterly for our failures but of praise and celebration because paradoxically we have been both conquered and made victors by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 12:10-12).

The forgiveness Jesus offers through his blood is NOT something for the future – it is a present reality! He has not asked us to have faith that He will forgive us when we get to Heaven. He has purchased our redemption by his death and resurrection. He asks that we trust in Him now for the forgiveness of our sins through obedience to His word (John 14:13; Hebrews 5:7-8). It is that faith, in His finished work on the cross, which leads and guides us to heaven (1 John 3:1-3). The apostle Peter said it best when he wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1Pe 1:3-9)

No emotional urban legend or fictional story, however well-intended, can match the words of encouragement and affirmation for my faith in Christ that God has revealed in the Bible. Friends, no one can talk about heaven like God can – He is Heaven. We wouldn’t know anything about heaven if He hadn’t told us about it. Anything else, other than what God has said about Heaven, is either mere speculation at best or superstition at worse. If you profess Jesus as your Lord and Savior be encouraged and have your faith affirmed – get in His word and get His word in you! You won’t be the same and you won’t have to worry about sharing the gospel – it will show and you can tell – wherever you go!

The Defeat of Homosexual Marriages and the Election of A Black President

2008-11-06T12:13:00.004-06:00

John Cloud, Time Magazine correspondent, wrote an interesting piece via Yahoo News on "Why Gay Marriage Was Defeated." Quite frankly, I think he is coming from the other side of the issue than me, as he seems to convey disappointment in its defeat. Nonetheless, I enjoy reading views that are significantly different from mine.

The correlation Cloud notes between the significant black voter turn out to help elect Obama also spelled doom for the misnomered "marriage equality." That correlation appears to be well-supported by the statistics contained in his article. So for those of us who for political reasons, rather than ignorant racial prejudices, were opposed to Obama's left-leaning socialism we can find some silver lining in the post election results. Gay marriage was defeated in one of the most liberal states in the Union, my native state of California. With that political score, for the first time in a long time, I am glad to claim my birth-place.

The statistics as given by CNN, suggests that African-Americans by a margin of 69-31 percent voted against so-called "marriage equality." In large part this margin is a reflection, according to the article, that African-Americans are more likely to attend to church than whites.

With all this said, there is one salient point that needs to be made. If the statistics are true and I have no reason to believe they are NOT for they are statistics of the left-leaning Obama supported cable news provider CNN. It proves African-Americans voted the race card electing one of the most liberal men ever to ascend to the Presidency ONLY because he was black. The same black vote that helped Obama get elected was the same vote that defeated one of the many things of the liberal agenda he supported. Namely, the misnomered "marriage equality" for homosexuals. By the way, "marriage equality" is pure subterfuge - it is not equality that the homosexuals want it is special rights they crave for their narcissitic world-view.

Integrity and the "Credit Tsunami"

2008-10-23T13:23:00.010-05:00

Alan Greenspan, former head of the Federal Reserve, facing tough questions from Congress, acknowledged partial wrong in his efforts to deregulate. He refers to the current economic crisis as "a once-in-a-century Credit Tsunami."

I am no money expert and I am not sure about deregulation or regulation both are a two-edged sword. Nonetheless, let me state unequivocally that neither deregulation nor regulation is at the heart of our financial crisis. At the very center of the problem is humanity! That's right human beings like you and me. Unfortunately, many of these humans are governed by an insatiable appetite for wealth and an unquenchable thirst for power acting more like animals than they do humans. They give the human race a bad name!

What is lacking in humanity whether it is up on Capitol Hill, or over on Wall Street, or down home on Main street is INTEGRITY. While many on Main Street are yelling for prison terms (and rightly so) for those who are guilty on Wall Street and Capitol Hill. The sad truth is, if they were on Wall Street or Capitol Hill they would have been just as guilty. Regardless, of the guilt of the greedy power-brokers and the financial gurus and even though they may buy themselves out of serving time in prison - they remain human though they act like wild animals.

However, one day, like all the rest of us, they will face the Judge of all humanity in eternity where there will be no unsolved mysteries as to who is guilty and who is to blame (Ezekiel 18:20). If men and women lived with this in mind, regulation or deregulation would not be an issue, INTEGRITY would rule the day - "a man's word would be his bond" regardless of race, socio-economic classification, or whether he worked on Main Street, Wall Street, or Capitol Hill.

"If It Were Not So"

2008-10-17T19:34:00.001-05:00

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms: if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place I am going”
(John 14:1-3 NRSV).

Whether one interprets these words of Jesus to be a reference to the church or to heaven may be debatable. There are good arguments for either view. The one thing we can be sure of is that Jesus is reassuring His apostles that in his departure they will not be forgotten. Later in the same chapter He also promises to send the Holy Spirit so as to reassure them they will not be left alone (orphaned) in this world (vs. 18).

Here were men who had left all to follow Jesus for the glorious prospect of a future with Him because He was the Messiah. Consequently, as they saw their future wrapped up in Him, it was difficult for them to envision His leaving. Yet, Jesus reminds them of the essential element of faith.

That element is trust – “Trust in God trust also in me.” They were to trust in Him because of who God is and who He is. When life becomes complex and struggles ensue remember in whom you trust – “do
not let your hearts be troubled.” (see also 2 Tim. 2:8) They had a proven experience or “a track record” with Jesus. In fact, He had always proven to be even more than they expected. For the past three years they had often been “surprised by joy” in the most dire of circumstances.

For instance, gathering twelve baskets of leftovers, after feeding the five thousand with the five loaves and two small fish was no doubt impressive. Or in the next scene, as John records it, they are caught in a fierce storm in the midst of the sea. As they began rowing back to shore they encountered someone walking toward them on the water. They are terrified of what they see until he ventures a word saying, “It is I; do not be afraid.” After hearing his voice, the next verse says, “then they were willing to take him into the boat and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were headed” (6:5-13; 16-21). We see how the sorrow experienced by all at the tomb of Lazarus was turned into joy (11:17-43). What Jesus wanted to accomplish in all these examples was to direct their trust in the glory of God (11:40). Clearly, they had reason to trust Him – they had experience with Him.
Yet their trust would truly be made to shine forth in the full radiance of God’s glory through His word. Only in this way would their trust in Him prove to be genuine – if such trust were established on the veracity/ truthfulness of His word. If they were going to be where He is, they must continue to live lives which moved at the impulse of His word. Their future with Him was to be marked by their obedience to His word: “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (vv. 23-24). Thus, Jesus declares, - “If it were not so, I would have told you.”

What Jesus has told us is sufficient to trust Him. To trust in Jesus provides the world with a clear path to knowing and experiencing him, if we live in obedience to His word. He does not provide us with false hope and views for the future. What we have given up in order to receive a glorious future with Him is assured—if it were not so he would have told us!

Will you trust Him to that end?

The Right of Self-government

2007-11-20T14:30:00.003-06:00

Thomas Jefferson, speaking of self-government wrote, “The object of the republican form of government and of the principles that are essential to that form, is to enable a people to govern themselves to the most practicable extent possible.”

G. K. Chesterton, observed nearly one hundred years later, "Self-denial is the test and definition of self-government."

However, nearly two millenniums before Jefferson and Chesterton spoke of those self-evident truths regarding the divine origin of man and his right to self-government, the apostle Paul twice in the same letter to the Corinthians said: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful …” (I Corinthians 6:12; 10:23).

When the apostle Paul made these statements it was a notation that we are a people endowed with free-will. Yet as people with free-will we are to choose responsibly by not allowing our choices to master us but to choose what will be most constructive for all. It is in this latter choosing of what is most constructive that he also gave this instruction: “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others” (I Corinthians 10:24).

An elected body of government in a republic is by the people, of the people and for the people. Thus, government exists not for any ONE person but for the people who elected them. To whatever extent any elected position turns to self-aggrandizement or for the benefit of some special interest we have lost the right of self-government having failed the test of self-denial in putting others ahead of ourselves.

It is true we can’t legislate morality. However we can call for moral conduct and accountability in the lives of those elected. To live in a free country we must have the right and freedom to choose - even the evil. Yet we can only maintain that freedom to choose, for future generations, when each of us understand our choices cease to be helpful when they become our master or when they fail to be constructive for all. Furthermore, only as elected officials and the citizenry come to grips with the ultimate reality that we all answer to a higher law for the choices we make – are we enabled to carry out the objective of our republican form of government and live responsibly in its cherished democracy and freedom.

At every level of government we need non-partisan statesmanship and visionary leadership which seeks to guide with character and integrity rather than mere compliance and/or convenience. Once again G.K. Chesterton succinctly makes the point when he wrote: “Having the right to do a thing is not the same as being right in doing it.” Thus, in self-government to be right in doing a thing – the thing we do must not only be right but it must never enslave us to the thing chosen. Thus, the thing we choose must be helpful to those we serve no matter how difficult it is to choose.

Obama Barack's Flag Flack. . .

2007-10-05T10:56:00.001-05:00

It is absurd what political pundits find to write about regarding candidates running for office. The latest is Barack’s recent comments about not wearing his flag lapel pin any more, which he did wear following 9-11. For the record, I am not a supporter of Barack, even if Oprah is! However, I think his explanation (see below) for not wearing the flag lapel pin is valid.

… I probably haven't worn a flag pin in a very long time. After a while I noticed people wearing a lapel pin and not acting very patriotic. My attitude is that I'm less concerned about what you're wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart. You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and ideals. That's what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals.

I was reminded of a story a friend of mine told me about his son. It was several years ago when the WWJD bracelets were all the rage. His son who was about 8 or 9 years old, while playing some kind of organized football, came across the line and “put the hurts” on the offensive lineman trying to guard him and a scuffle ensued. My friend said he had been watching the two of them all game long. The offensive tackle had been getting the best of him for most of the game. He noticed several times when his son would get up after the play the offensive lineman would say something to him or would purposely bump into him. Finally, his son had all of it he wanted. That’s when he “put the hurt” on him and they began to scuffle a bit before the ref broke it up.

After the game was over my friend was walking off the field with his son. My friend told me he wasn’t going to mention the incident because he felt to some extent it’s all part of the game and the coach had already talked to him about the incident. However, after he looked at his son’s wrist as they were walking to the car and noticed the WWJD bracelet, he couldn’t resist. So with a grin he had to ask, “Son, when you got into that scuffle with that offensive lineman and you were hitting him, I am just curious, were you wearing that What Would Jesus Do bracelet?”

Whether you like Barack as potential candidate or not his explanation about patriotic values and wearing flag lapel pins is right on target. Our patriotism and good citizenship, as an American, is revealed by how we live, respect the law and treat others. Too bad politicians (along with many others) don't make the same connection about their faith. Namely, it’s how you live, respect the laws of the God and treat others that reveals your light as a Christian – not your profession of belief or the wearing of some religious icon, bumper sticker or bracelet. There is a reason Jesus asks, “"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46)

Death Penalty Part 2: Is it Morally Permissible?

2007-10-02T11:07:00.002-05:00

If we argue the death penalty is morally permissible what is the basis of our claim? Are we justifying premeditated murder under certain circumstances? If so, is morality relative and subject to circumstance?

Any time any person speaks of what is morally permissible or prohibited (right or wrong) they are making an appeal to an absolute. Think about it! This applies even to the moral relativist who denies that morality is absolute when he makes the absolute statement that morals are relative. The irony of this is that, philosophically speaking, the concept of absolute is the opposite of relative. The question is on what basis can we claim anything to be absolute?

This sense of morality and the concept of absolute come from somewhere. The concept of absolute, philosophically speaking, is the opposite of relative. By definition, absolute means unlimited, unconditional, independent, perfect, or complete. Hence, relative presupposes the existence of absolute if it is to have any meaning at all. Morality, like goodness, is proportionate to our being. Dr. Kreeft’s (Professor of Philosophy, Boston University Philosophy) analogy is a good one when he compares a dog to a man. A dog may run all over the neighborhood trying to mate with every female dog he finds and when the dog returns home we pat him on the head saying “good doggy.” We do not condemn the dog for his promiscuity – it is his nature. However, the same behavior in man is, at the very least, frowned upon by society. Furthermore, if a dog in his nature as a dog could act like a man he would not be a very good man any more than the man who resorts to acting like a dog would be a good man.

The existence of morality itself is an argument for the existence of God. Morals have no basis if God does not exist. On what basis can we individually, or collectively as a society, condemn Hitler’s holocaust of the Jews in Europe during World War II? Call him what you want, but Hitler believed he was right and passed a law to engage in the slaughter of millions of Jews. Hence, if morality reaches its highest form through human law, then we have no absolute or basis on which to condemn Hitler. So, we must ask, if he was wrong to engage in such death and destruction, on what basis can we make such a moral claim?

The point is, whether we admit it or not, we recognize the existence of a moral law which transcends all human law and thought. Universally, every person clearly understands certain behaviors to be moral or immoral regardless of what any human law legislates. Where does this sense of morality originate? It cannot be the result of some theory of macro-evolution because morality has been understood among men from the earliest eons of civilization. If the theory of macro-evolution, a random process over time, explains the presence of moral law, then it falls of its own weight as it does in so many other hypotheses. We have to ask ourselves, how can random produce the absolute unless random inheres within it the absolute? Such reasoning is absurd! Again, that which proves too much proves nothing!

God is the author of absolute morals because He is the only absolute moral being. Moral law is no more random than the man subject to moral law. Hence, all of us are subject to moral law given by the absolute moral God. Therefore, it stands to reason man is the product of (created by) God and not some randomness over time (macro-evolution or some alleged unfolding history of the absolute). The Bible affirms man was created by God in “His image” (Genesis 1:27). That is not to say, man is God or a god but that he has a nature grounded in God’s moral absolute being. For man to act like God, he would not be very good at it. In fact, as history shows, he would be very bad – like a dog, who if he could, would not be a good man anymore than a man is good who acts like a dog. In the same fashion, God the Creator is not a man – He is absolute. It is true that God, through Jesus, became God in the flesh. However, He did not do so to act like man in his sinfulness but to be the ideal man in relation to God. God’s purpose in becoming flesh was to be the absolute sacrifice, in reconciling and redeeming man back to Himself, by means of his finished work of atonement on the cross. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 more on this later).

Man as a created being grounded in the moral nature of God means man has free-will. God created man knowing man would choose not to recognize and serve Him as the Creator. In the Garden of Eden man chose to rebel against God (Genesis 3:1-7). The penalty for man’s criminal act against God was death as God foretold him it would be if he rebelled (Genesis 2:15-17). It was not God’s purpose in creating man to bring about death in any sense (Genesis 1:26-31). It is clear that sin (violating God’s will) brought about both spiritual and physical consequences. The spiritual consequence of man’s sin is separation from the presence and free access to God as seen in man’s expulsion from the garden. Sin separates us from God – hence, spiritual death (Isaiah 59:1-2). The physical consequence of man’s sin, as evidenced in his disbarment from the tree of life, is death (Genesis 3:22-24).

Death, both spiritually and physically, is the ultimate penalty from which man cannot free himself. Knowing this, God in his great mercy, “dreamed a dream” and “schemed a scheme” whereby man could be free from the pangs of death and live eternally with Him. God’s word of promise and hope for all mankind is given between man’s rebellion and expulsion, as he told Satan of his ultimate defeat saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). God’s promise was to bring one born of the flesh to destroy Satan bringing the ultimate victory over death for mankind. This was accomplished in the “fullness of time” through Jesus Christ “born of the seed of a woman” (God becoming flesh) and “made under the law” (the imperfect sacrificial system of the Israelites) “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). It is no wonder the thrill of victory peals out in the words of the Hebrew writer when he declared, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (2:14-15).

Perhaps, this is a lengthy way of getting to the issue of the moral argument for the death penalty but it is not without merit. Death became an intrinsic part of God’s dealing with sin (crime) from the beginning. God valued human life above all that He created because there is an eternal value (absolute) inherent in the life He created and gave to man (Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “he has put eternity into man's heart” – in the very nature of his being). Furthermore, it is by the gift of His Son on the cross that God demonstrates and confirms His love for mankind which He had from the beginning (Romans 5:8-9).

It is only as God values human life that man can know and regard its sanctity. As man continued in his existence after The Fall (Genesis 3), he became exceedingly wicked and evil, rejecting God in every conscious thought and action (Genesis 6:1-13). Once again, it was by death that God sought to purge the world of its evil bringing a flood that would destroy the earth and its evil inhabitants. Only Noah, his family and the inhabitants of the ark were spared. Noah found grace in the sight of God and was saved – that is to say, he lived by faith, in the midst of an evil world, doing what God commanded in building the ark (Genesis 6:9, 22; Hebrews 11:7).

After God purged the world, with the flood bringing death and destruction on the world of the ungodly, He promised never to destroy the world by flood (Genesis 8:21-22). As confirmation of this promise he gave to Noah and unto all succeeding generations the rainbow as a sign of His covenant (9:12-15). It is in this context that God gives an eternal principle regarding the sanctity of human life saying to Noah, “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:5-6). The value of human life demands that when a man’s life is taken by another the only appropriate penalty for the life taken is the life of the person who took the life.

There is nothing on earth commensurate to the value and sanctity of human life. The death penalty is not a matter of an “eye for an eye;” it is far more significant than that! There is no punishment, outside of the death penalty for murderers, which evinces and reinforces the sanctity of human life. In that a murderer is put to death, for the life taken, the death penalty is expressing the divine regard for the sanctity of human life. Thus, as we show the appropriate divine regard for any thought or action we are acting morally. The death penalty is moral as it upholds the moral value and sanctity of human life given by God.

Death Penalty Part 1: Is It Constitutional?

2007-10-01T13:15:00.002-05:00

The governor of Alabama has granted a temporary stay of execution for convicted murderer Thomas Arthur. Understand the governor is not opposed to the death penalty. He is, however, concerned about the way it is carried out especially, since a federal judge in Tennessee has ruled the current meds used in lethal injection carried a “substantial risk of unnecessary pain.” The “substantial risk of unnecessary pain” according to the court violates the eighth amendment prohibiting “cruel and unusual punishment.” I am no legal scholar, so there is no pretense here. My comments I hope reflect a common sense reading of the Constitution.

It is the obvious irony of the current controversy over the issue in Alabama which strikes me as being a bit odd. I am not arguing the specific merits of the Thomas Arthur or any other death penalty case per se where superfluous arguments are made against its application relative to race, economics or any other alleged societal misapplications. I believe the death penalty is permissible both morally and, even less importantly to me overall, constitutionally. I want to argue for capital punishment on both fronts. Since the latter is not as important to me as the moral right for it to exist, let me address in this post the opposition to the death penalty on the basis of the eighth amendment, which prompted the governor’s stay.

To argue against the constitutionality of the death penalty from the eighth amendment is to undermine the rest of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States. Clearly, the framers of the Constitution understood the right of the death penalty to exist as evidenced by the language in the Fifth Amendment (which upholds the right, against self-incrimination and double jeopardy, for due process, against confiscation of private property without just compensation). Notice how the wording of the fifth amendment begins (bold emphasis mine – br):

“No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb, nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.”

There is a well-known and accepted maxim that states “that which proves too much proves nothing at all.” If the death penalty is unconstitutional based on the eighth amendment, then the fifth amendment itself must be declared unconstitutional because it clearly accepts the right of capital punishment to exist. Thus, any argument based on the eighth amendment proves too much and is an unreasonable, untenable assault (whether intentional or not) on the whole of the Bill of Rights.

Death from a human point of view by its very nature is cruel and unusual. Just ask the parents of a small child whose life has been taken away by “natural causes” (some explainable or unexplainable disease). Just ask the young children who suffered the loss of a parent(s) to some accident or disease. Just ask a bystander who has helplessly and beyond his control had to watch another die for whatever reason. All of this we ask of those who are innocent survivors and victims of life. Yet lost in the innocence of these survivors are the victims of criminal homicide and their survivors, who know all too well, the nature of death as being cruel and unusual.

The constitutionality of the death penalty exists for a higher reason than the Constitution itself.

Next Post: Death Penalty Part 2: Is Capital Punishment Moral?

"O, Come Let Us Worship..."

2007-09-22T11:54:00.001-05:00

Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
Let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For Jehovah is a great God, And a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, and he made it;
And his hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker:
For he is our God,
And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand
To-day, oh that ye would hear his voice! Psalms 95:1-7

We live in an age where our worship has devolved into the sensational, amounting to nothing more than lively entertainment. I suppose it is a reflection of our post-modern culture which relies on feelings as the measure of truth, rather than an objective and absolute standard of the true and living God. The landscape of worship today (even found among “churches of Christ” sometimes and growing rapidly) is marked with repetitive fast changing scenes of so-called praise music and dramatic presentations of Bible stories. What is passed off as a spiritual message is colored only by a tint of scripture. It more nearly reflects the hue of current pop-psychology (feeling good about ourselves). The value of worship is sadly judged by the outcome. The outcome many churches are seeking today is in making the worshipper feel good about him/her self.

I am writing these words for those desiring to be just Christians. My expectation for this article is not to plow any new ground but to remind us of what our opportunity to worship God means. I emphasize opportunity rather than duty though worship of God is the duty of every sincere child of God. It seems clear to me in reading the Psalms and other worship texts from the scriptures the language used to describe worship is almost always expressed from a heart of privilege than one of duty.

I seldom think about worship without being reminded of Moses’ admonition to Aaron (read carefully Leviticus 10:1-3). According to the text, Aaron felt in some way his sons Nadab and Abihu suffered unfairly (vs. 3 “Aaron held his peace”) as they were consumed by fire from the altar of the Lord for doing what they felt was right in worship (vs. 2). Their worship consisted of “strange fire which the Lord had not commanded” (vs. 1). No doubt, like some of us today, Aaron and his sons would have argued, “But we are true worshippers of the God and after all fire is fire.” It is without question they were attempting to worship the One True God. Furthermore, from a human point of view, there is no doubt that fire is fire. Distinguishing one fire from another is not found in the physical elements of fire (the what) – they are the same! The truth is everything we offer to God in worship has a physical value and common use. Thus, from the non-Chrisitian and/or an unbiblical view it may seem to be all the same. The only way fire as a physical element of our earthly existence or anything we do in worship can be distinguished from the common use is if the Lord, the Creator and author of fire, declares by His word that the thing is to be distinct (sanctified, set apart, holy). Neither a sense of good feelings nor good intentions can extinguish the flames of God’s anger when we fail to honor Him according to His directives for worship.

Some may argue, “we are making a distinction without a difference when we demand a ‘thus saith the Lord’ for the things we engage in as worship to God.” But I must ask, “Without a difference to whom?” The fact remains God has spoken, His word makes the distinction. Thus, for true worshippers that makes a huge difference. So, the only way to escape the flames of God’s displeasure in attempting to worship (draw near) Him is when true worshippers use and do only the things God has authorized to be used and done in worship. "This is what the LORD has said, 'Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified'" (Leviticus 10:3). The elements of worship may have a common use in ordinary life but the God we worship in spirit and truth is uncommon; He is to be served with reverence and godly fear (Hebrews 12:28). The only way for worshippers to sanctify and glorify God before all the people is to use and do only as God has spoken.

The phrase “near me” is clearly Old Testament language for worship (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Ezek. 44:13, 15, 19). This Old Testament language for worship was also borrowed by the New Testament writer to refer to the worship offered by Christians (cf. Hebrews 4:16; 7:25; 10:22). As Psalms 95, quoted above clearly indicates, we are worshipping the Great God, King and Maker. We forget that worship is a privilege and is therefore an opportunity to praise and please the one and only God of all the earth and to hear his voice! (Psalms 47:7; Zechariah 6:5). God’s voice can only be heard in worship as we draw near to Him in the way He has declared. “Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name; Worship Jehovah in holy array” (Psalms 29:2).

Worship is a discipline. It is a discipline that takes time, thought and focus. Only as we come to know God can we truly see ourselves as He sees us (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2). It is this view which prompts the proper response in true worship of God as our Maker and Redeemer. Any discipline requires study and concentration. The discipline of worship is strictly a pass/fail course. We either worship God from a true heart according to His revealed word or we don’t. We cannot allow ourselves to be easily distracted from the purpose of worship which is to come before Him with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to Him (Psalms 95:1-2) – whether in singing, praying, observing the Lord’s Supper, preaching or giving. These acts are not an end within themselves! They are merely vehicles by which we “draw near” to God in worship. The means used in our public assemblies to draw near to God must focus on God (1 Cor. 14:26-27). There may be a legitimate use made of the time when saints are gathered for worship to do other things (e.g. make announcements of various types, visiting, etc.). However these things should not distract from the worship.

The value of our worship experience will only improve as we seek to improve our knowledge of and draw near to God. The more we know about God the more we will seek the opportunity to worship Him in spirit and truth. It is only out of the fullness of God’s presence in our lives that our hearts are provoked to seize both privilege and opportunity to worship Him. “He hath sent redemption unto his people; He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name” (Psalms 119:9). “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling” (Psalms 2:11).

Dan Rather. . . NOT

2007-09-20T12:10:00.001-05:00

Dan Rather's admission of allegedly being coerced into apologizing for his participation in spreading the lies about the President's military record in 2004 is humorous. I think he protests way too much (there is a Shakespeare line in that somewhere). Two weeks after the shameless bias of Rather an investigative journalist and CBS a major news network was exposed, much to their chagrin, Rather offered this seemingly sincere apology:

The failure of CBS News to…properly, fully scrutinize the documents and their source led to our airing the documents when we should not have done so. It was a mistake. CBS News deeply regrets it. Also, I want to say personally and directly, I’m sorry.

Does the man have any credibility? He wants us to believe the fraudulent story he apologized for was true and the sincere apology he gave for reporting on the fraudulent story is now a fraud. Yikes! Sorry Dan but I'd RATHER not. He claims his reputation was ruined by CBS and that he was let go on account of that fraudulent story. He is suing them for $ 70 million. Seems to me he did a pretty good job of ruining his own reputation and undermining whatever integrity he had. I am reminded of the Ecclesiastes writer's pungent warning: "Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor" (Eccl. 10:1).

A Thinking Man's Religion

2007-09-19T13:58:00.001-05:00

The New Testament is a way of life for people who are willing to think. However, to be sure, thinking is not the sine non qua (the essential element without) of only those who possess a degree of higher education. In point of fact, many with a lesser degree of formal education often grasp the meaning of the text, with greater ease, than some who have attained a higher degree of education (cf. I Cor.1:26-31).

Among the apostles and writers of the NT only a few of them possessed a higher education by academic standards. A fact, duly noted by the opposition to Christianity in the first century, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13 NIV). These men at times, were impulsive, impetuous and ignorant of the “bigger picture” of God’s purposes. However, no one can read or study their lives and seriously regard these “unschooled” men as credulous simpletons.

The academic and so-called religious world (and on occasion brethren) often fear what they are either unwilling to admit they do not know and/or honestly examine a contrary position to their own. Consequently, they disdain those who are humble in their confidence of what they believe.

Jesus taught the people to think for themselves with regard to the message of the OT as it pointed to the Christ and “the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37). Read carefully the gospel of “Mark chapters 11 and 12” noting the arguments advanced by Jesus contain no trace of esotericism (an understanding for only the enlightened or intellectual). One only needed to know what the OT said and to think about it in a proper way to come to the truth.

We must encourage independent study and thinking with regard to God’s word. Paul’s admonition to Timothy is: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15 NRSV). Our faith is not dependent on what another says the Bible teaches. It is to be determined by the Word and to that end we must think for ourselves. Some would discourage independent thinking because it puts them at risk. After all, one who is honest and truly thinks independently may end up differing with them.

The unifying factor of all truly faithful people is found in the truth, not in their agreement! Agreement in error is not a unity that is pleasing to God! However, if we reverence the Bible as God’s word, and we are honest in our pursuit of the truth, such like-minded people are obligated to examine their differences without regard to personalities or resorting to insults and innuendos. Independent thinking seeks neither to be right for right’s sake (I’m right you’re wrong) nor for the sake of winning an argument (I’m smarter)!

True independent thinking, in the midst of differences, seeks to be right for the sake of humbly submitting to it. This is true religion for all thinking people – it is for truth’s sake and not for self!

“Making Ourselves Richer. . .”

2007-09-18T23:38:00.001-05:00

"It’s an essential paradox: In shared sacrifices we made ourselves richer."
--Ken Burns

The above quote is from a recent interview with Ken Burns a well-respected historical documentary film maker. Mr. Burns has made a new documentary on WWII which he says focuses on “the so-called ‘ordinary man’s’ experience of combat.” When asked, what we should remember about the Second World War, he replied, “It’s an essential paradox: In shared sacrifices we made ourselves richer. And I don’t mean just in some sentimental, emotional or communal way. We made ourselves richer, paradoxically, by giving things up. We became financially, materially richer.”

It is impossible to deny the paradox. We are a richer nation and materially more prosperous because of the shared sacrifice of those brave men and women who served and died in the war. Yet, there is a downside to that material prosperity as well. Shared sacrifices as a nation for only financial successes (possessions) and personal liberty still leaves us as a very lonely people. As Burns notes, “Today we are all independent free agents. We drive in our own car alone. We surf the Net alone. We watch TV alone. And yet we yearn for community.”

Please understand that the paradox of sacrificing to be made richer is not a phenomenon of the Second World War. It is a biblical principle. It is no doubt one of the most radical concepts of the First Century ever taught by Jesus. “He who loves his life will lose it, and he hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and there where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him my Father will honor.” (John 12:24-25).

The world’s existence – the physical universe – reveals far more than just a material existence brought about by random chance or even shared sacrifice. It reveals a power and intelligence that exceeds a collective wisdom and power of all the ages of human existence. It cannot be successfully refuted that as old as man is he has longed to pay tribute to that power and intelligence. It is the Bible alone that tells us of the One power and intelligence, who is not just a prime mover, but a personal Creator.

God demonstrated the very paradox of immeasurable gain through sacrifice by sending His only begotten Son to the cross. God’s desire in creating a man was to create man in a way that man would of his own volition serve and “pay tribute” to Him. Thus, God made man a “free agent” – endowed him with free will. It was a risk God took – a sacrifice if you will – knowing that He created man who would reject, defy and in every way rebel against Him in the most heinous or indifferent way. Truly, man has rebelled openly, secretly and in the most abject way. All the shared sacrifices of a nation or people cannot reconcile man to God. It is clear from scriptures God took the initiative and risk only because of the cross which He bore in mind before a single divine breath was ever drawn to speak the world or man into being (1 Peter 1:20).

The Bible reads, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He might taste for everyone. For it was fitting for Him (God), for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:8-9). This salvation could not be purchased by the shared sacrifices of human blood shed on the battlefield of war. It was the single sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God which atones for our rebellion and offers us the freedom of an unfettered access to God, which remains the true yearning of the human heart. This yearning, as it leads us to know God through His word, provides us with that fulfillment of community among His true people who are willing to lose their lives for His sake that they might find true life in serving and following Christ. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Now that’s a sacrifice with which you and I need to share – it will make us richer beyond our greatest expectations in and from this world!

"Things Money Can't Cure"

2007-09-14T13:28:00.002-05:00

The Birmingham News reports today (September 14, 2007) on a story that has been told and retold several times regarding Jack Whittaker of Mount Hope, WV a 315 million dollar Powerball winner in 2002. Jack was already a millionaire, at the time of his "good luck" playing the Powerball. He had a successful pipeline business worth 17 million dollars. Since winning the lottery his wife left him, his only granddaughter died at the age of 17 because of a drug addiction. Jack became a heavy drinker (up to a fifth of vodka a day) though thankfully, as Jack states, "He is done with boozing." Furthermore his daughter, though her cancer is in remission, remains in poor health.

The lessons from Jack's sad plight are perhaps too obvious. Nonetheless, at least for myself, they are worth taking note. The story has the book of Ecclesiastes, from the Old Testament, written all over it. If you are not familiar with the book of Ecclesiastes read it. "All the labor of man is for his mouth, yet his soul is not satisfied" (Ecclesiastes 6:5 NKJV).

I remember a conversation sometime ago with a struggling young mother. I tried to encourage her with the reminder, "You know money can't buy happiness." She looked at me and then down at ground as she replied, "Yeah I know but I would like to find that out for myself." Sadly, Jack's wife, granddaughter and those who know him personally all found out for themselves. As heart wrenching as Jack's story is it is an even greater tragedy that we all want to find it out for ourselves.

When our soul is not satisfied "all (life on earth) is meaningless (vanity)" as the writer states repeatedly in Ecclesiastes. What no doubt appears, as harmless entertainment (playing the lottery) especially, to a millionaire who could easily afford it, may turn out to be a curse. I am aware there are lottery winners who have not suffered Jack's plight. However, the truth remains there are MANY who have suffered - Jack found out. For recreational drug users, I suppose there are those who have never become addicted but that wasn't the case for Jack's granddaughter - "she found out." No doubt some unhappy couples in marriages have stayed together seeking to find happiness through money but Jack and Jewell found out for themselves that it was a myth!

The writer of today's story cogently observes, "Almost five years later, Whittaker is left with things money can't cure: His daughter's cancer, a long list of indiscretions documented in newspapers and court records, and an inability to trust others." As a good friend once told me, "Money can buy things that money cannot fix."

The ancient writers spoke about a divine discontent. Augustine noted what the Bible clearly teaches when he said of man's relationship to God, "Our hearts, O Lord, were made for you, and they are restless until they rest in you." With greater assurance the apostle Paul wrote, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ" (Colossians 2:9-10 NIV). Only in Christ can and will our soul be satisfied. Only in Christ can we find the cure for all the things money can't cure. Find out for yourself!