Be Merciful this Holiday Season

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6: 27-31)

As we look to the last week of 2013 the anticipation of Christmas, the start of a new year, and the accompanying thoughts of family gatherings begin to stir memories of past circumstances good and unfortunately, bad. Getting together with family and friends not usually around most of the year often creates anxiety and tension. In the midst of the holiday stress, inevitably old personal wounds will be exposed resulting in potentially angry words and hurt feelings. What we choose to do in Christ when these events overwhelm our holiday gatherings is critical to quelling potential arguments and showing the love of Jesus Christ to an unbeliever watching from the sidelines “how Christians conduct themselves.”

Jesus’s words in Luke Chapter 6, like much of what He demonstrated and demanded from us are easier said than done. “If you love those who love you, Jesus said, what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6: 32) In other words, He understands it is not easy and I feel certain that it will only be in His power that we can have success. “And,” He continues, “If you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” (6:33)

No, this year when tensions get high in those family gatherings Jesus has a higher standard for you to meet. “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
(6: 34-36)

Bearing in mind however, that when you fail, (His) grace is sufficient for you and His power is made perfect in our weakness,” (2 Cor 12:9) and that crazy uncle may see Christ in you and perhaps next year, he will be living a higher standard helping you make the family gathering more pleasant. Merry Christmas!

Revival Starts with Me

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chron 7:14) NIV

It is no secret that America is in trouble. The foundations of this once great country are collapsing around us; with each passing day the outlook is worse with no solution in sight. The moral fabric of a land first settled by European Christians seeking religious freedom is now in decay. Churches are largely corrupted through the preaching of a false gospel that promises “Your Best Life Now,” while enriching the “shepherds” at the expense of the sheep.
George Barna, Focus on the Family and other religious culture researchers note a great departure from organized religion primarily because most “30 something’s” raising children consider religious people “hypocritical, judgmental or insincere.” And while I can agree with their assessment, abandoning a relationship with a sinless and faithful God because a brother or sister is imperfect is bad decision.

The situation in which we find ourselves is not a surprise to God; He warned us clearly in 2 Chronicles this would come, and He gave us a solution to the problem. Recall these words, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people….. “My people…repent and I will heal your land.” As you read this, the locusts and plagues are invading our land and your Heavenly Father is prompting us (Christians and Jews – “called by His name”) to repentance. Herein lies the problem and the lesson I pray the Holy Spirit will convey in the next couple paragraphs.

When God gave us (the people called by His name) the Ten Commandments, He included a command NOT to misuse (take in vain) the Lord’s name. However, I believe most who call themselves “people of Jehovah,” (Christians and Jews) take His name in vain! By that I mean to misuse or to take lightly that we are associating ourselves with the Creator of all things who is sinless and above all reproach, without any consideration of how we obey his commands! Jesus warned us clearly about this when he said, “if you love me, obey my commands,” yet despite many reminders and reprimands, we continue misusing God’s name through our hypocritical behavior, our church posturing and false worship!
We deceive ourselves in our religious circles by blaming the atheists, the homosexuals and other religions for our country’s problems, when, in God’s eyes, our problems lie squarely at our feet; the result of us turning our collective backs on God in favor of our own desires and worldly pleasure.

The Church behaves, as God describes, like Gomer, the prostitute whom God commanded Hosea to marry. (Hosea 1:2) We have chosen to sell ourselves to the pleasures of our flesh and to use God’s grace and mercy to make us feel better on Sunday as the moral fiber of our once great land slowly erodes and the mantle of our world leadership status is removed. Our current situation is not the result of a political, financial, or security problem, it is completely a spiritual one. We are seeing the result of years of spiritual decay brought about by our propensity to sin and or drive to satisfy our selfish desires under the veneer of religion.

Consider a few issues:
 With the exception of the Catholic Church most Christians and Jews have ignored and some sadly agreed with the abortion of 50 million over the past 40 years.
 On the issue of pre-marital sex and divorce for that matter the Church has turned its head; the congregation’s statistics look like the world.
 On the issues of Christian persecution and human trafficking we hear mostly silence from the pulpits with only a few groups bringing the issue to light on the internet.
 Pornography continues to be a huge problem among Christian men and young people while being ignored by the leadership in the churches.
 Most of the outreach to the nation’s poor and hungry still comes from the government; widows and orphans left as wards of the welfare system rather than the “hands and feet” of the Church.


Revival Starts with Me

It is not hard to see why the researchers find so many leaving churches citing “hypocritical, judgmental or insincere” behavior in the pews. While I am not claiming perfection here, what I am saying is that we must look at ourselves with unbiased eyes and recognize our sinfulness. (2 Cor 13:5) Jesus came that we may have life and “have it abundantly” and if we confess our sins, he is our Advocate with the Father and is “faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (John 10:10; 1 John 1:9) Denial that we have taken the Lord’s name in vain is no longer acceptable; we must be honest with ourselves, be humble before His throne crying out to our Father in repentance if our land is to be healed. Neither the President, Congress nor anyone inside the beltway can solve our nation’s problems, only God’s chosen, on our knees turning away from hypocrisy and insincere behavior will capture the Father’s ear, and urge Him to begin changing our situation.

Revival starts with me and you, right now….

Let us pray: Father, we have sinned against you in so many ways in our thoughts, in our words and in our deeds. We have clothed ourselves in your name but we have not followed your commands and lived like Jesus demonstrated. We have allowed our land to be corrupted by worshiping the idols of money, luxury, and excess and have neglected to love you with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We have put our personal interests before our neighbors and we have tarnished Your Name in the process. Forgive us please as we humble ourselves before your throne in repentance from our wickedness and asking once again for your mercy. Heal our land Father as we prostrate our hearts before your authority and love. Change us and heal us making us less like us and more like Jesus. Fill us now with your Holy Spirit and send us out into the world to proclaim the gospel and make disciples. In Jesus mighty name I pray!

Whom will you serve?

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
Jesus emphatically said, "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Paul the apostle writes to the church in Rome, “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right.” Bob Dylan reminds,
“You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody….”

There is no way around it. Whether atheist or agnostic, priest or convict, rich or poor we are all prisoners of our sin nature or freemen through the blood of Jesus Christ and bound to his ways. Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commands.” (John 14:15)

You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody's landlord you might even own banks.
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

The choice laid out is clear either we are slaves to our flesh or we choose to obey the commands of God. The difference, however, is that now through the blood of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit received when we (with faith) ask Jesus. We are now able to cast off the chains of sin that held us captive and become slaves of His righteousness recalling the promise, “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)
The question now before you and me now that we are free from sin, how will we use our freedom? Will we love the Lord with all that is in us? Will we love our neighbor as our self? Will we tell others? Will we make disciples? Or like the dog will we return to our former sins? (Proverbs 26:11)

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be working in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
“Gotta Serve Somebody,” Bob Dylan

Father, help us to understand that what the Son sets free is free indeed. We are free to tell the world through our actions and our character that we no longer are slaves to sin but rather servants of the most High God, to the glory of Your Name! Let us never forget. Amen.

Nothing hidden from God

"May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Psalm 19 is one of the greatest declarations of the sovereignty of God in the Bible. David writes the words to the Choirmaster of the great ancient hymn,

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above] proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.” (v 1-3)

Nothing is hidden from God, our words our thoughts and even the meditations (intentions) of our hearts are in full view of our Creator and our Father. Jesus reminds us of this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7), that God’s law extends to the intent of the heart and sin is committed in the meditation of the heart whether or not that intent becomes action.

David did not need to have Jesus tell him this truth. He understood that God was with him always and he knew his very thoughts. In yet another hymn David writes, “You have searched me, LORD, and you know me….Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.” (Psalm 139:1-4) Who can escape from God’s omnipotence and omnipresence?
This fact should give us both fear and comfort. Fear that our Savior is one who our very thoughts should at all times revere and comfort in knowing that he loves us so much that he gave His Son as a sacrifice for the sins of our hearts before we were born. It is out of fear and reverence that we should strive in His grace to be more like Jesus and less like ourselves with each passing day. And as we continue to understand more fully how important and impactful our words and actions are the attitudes of our hearts will continue align more closely with the words of Jesus as he spoke to the crowd, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

Father thank you for your word and your ever-presence around us. Pour out your grace upon us as we are humbled by Your holiness and offended by the words that proceed from our mouths out of impure hearts. Cleanse us all in the blood of Jesus as we grow in thought, word and deed. In Jesus name we pray and in the power of the Holy Spirit we learn.

Is your tongue a gateway for good or evil?

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. Prov 13: 3 NIV
In his commentary on this verse Adam Clarke writes, “The government of the tongue is a rare but useful talent.” How true and yet how rare is it that mankind takes this wisdom of God through the pen of Solomon to heart. The bible virtually screams the value and danger of improperly governed speech. According to one count, there are 46 verses that warn the believer about gossip and lying alone and from Genesis to Revelation the Holy Spirit cautions of the tongue’s ability to hurt whether it be through complaining (Num 11:1); lying (Ex 20:16, Titus 2:3, Prov 12:22); profanity (James 5:12); or disrespect toward parents (Pro 20:20; Deu 27:16). The issue of improper speech is clearly very important to God, but why?

When the devil led Jesus “up to a high place and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, he tempted Jesus by saying “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours,” (Luke 4: 5-7) Jesus responded from Deuteronomy chapter 6, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” It is interesting in this dialog that Jesus did not deny the devil’s claim about his authority rather he chose to confine his response to what He knew from God’s word, “Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you…” (Deut 6:13-14) And although he did not include 6:13 in his response, I believe the Spirit is saying here that the devil has been given some latitude by God to continue at work in our day and our speech, may be a gateway into our lives whether for good or evil depending upon how we choose our words.
The scripture here says, “take your oaths in (God’s) name, do not follow other gods.” This fits quite well with what Solomon tells us about speaking rashly. When we do so we fail to speak in accordance with God’s requirement and we leave ourselves wide open to the ruin found in “other gods.”
Father your word reminds us, “out of the abundance of our heart’s our mouths speak.” Help us therefore through your Holy Spirit to keep our new hearts clean so that we remain vigilant of our tongues and the speech that pours forth from them. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Amen!

The Conundrum of sin

***Conundrum – “an intricate and difficult problem” (Miriam Webster.com)

Mankind’s confrontation with sin through the centuries has been the subject of countless debates, the endpoint of millions of relationships, and the downfall of many of our most famous. Our prison systems and graveyards are filled with men and women who have struggled and lost to sin. Psychologists, pastors and parents are bombarded with endless concerns and every week billions flock to churches, synagogues and mosques seeking answers.

Some, like Ayn Rand, see no issue with sin declaring it “virtuous and necessary” for mankind to be fulfilled, “Man’s fall, according to your teachers, was that he gained the virtues required to live. These virtues, by their standard, are his Sin. His evil, they charge, is that he’s man. His guilt, they charge, is that he lives.” Others, such as Pastor Ravi Zacharias, who answer to Higher Authority, see sin in the light of God’s holiness:

“…good, says Zacharias, is the original of which evil (sin) is the counterfeit….Evil is an aberration.”

And most, including the Apostle Paul himself, acknowledge their struggle with sin passionately crying out with Paul in their collective hearts, “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate….. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:15-24)

In fact, a war has raged within us since time began and if we are truly honest with ourselves, all of us struggle with something on a periodic basis. To follower of Jesus Christ, sin is a conundrum (a very difficult problem) which often leaves us “on our heels,” dumbfounded and longing for resolution.

From a secular and physical perspective, it appears easier not to follow God’s law and continue living life as one pleases. Why would any rational person want to be “saved,” yet live permanently engaged in a war between mind and body, trying to live within God’s standards of holiness? Isn’t it folly, living in a constant state of struggle, while unbelieving by-standers are poised for the believer’s inevitable fall waiting to cry “hypocrite” at the first sign of misbehavior? To the non-Christian these questions are valid; however, the natural man is unable to see God’s salvation and justification often choosing to see a God who cannot keep his children from immoral conduct!

It is true, a believer will struggle to resist temptation, but he or she should find peace in the knowledge and assurance of Jesus’ completed work on the cross for the forgiveness of all (past, present and future) transgressions. Paul writes to the Church in Rome, “…For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly….but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5: 6-8) Burdened by the weight of our sinfulness and in humility we all come to Jesus amidst transgression to receive the free gift of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Immediately forgiven, the believer steps onto a faith journey in which the Holy Spirit reveals his sins (drugs, alcohol, pornography, gossip, greed, envy, and the like) along the way. As sins are discovered and outwardly confessed the believer continues on a path of recovery and healing called sanctification. (James 5:16)

Throughout the journey the new believer is planted firmly on the horns of sin’s dilemma, his Christian mind speaking, “I am a slave to God’s Law,” while his human nature cries out, “I am a slave to what feels good.” Our sins are unknown to us unless God reveals them through His Word. Once revealed sins are dealt with through humility and confession as when we first believed. Considering our fallen nature, a Christian is at risk of falling into old habits along our faith journey (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:8; Ecc 7:20; Jer 17:9; 1 John 1:8). We walk a thin line between former self and new creation. When we take our eyes off Jesus on this tightrope we tend to stray from our path. Paul aptly reminds us however that eliminating sin in our lives is never by our own effort, “so that no one may boast. (Eph 2: 8-9) Actually, the centrality of our walk of faith and our resolution to the conundrum of sin is humility and complete dependence on Christ. Pride caused Satan’s fall and the subsequent fall of mankind, when we listened to the lie and consumed the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3). Jesus reminds:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

(Matt 5: 3-5)

We are blessed and free of sin’s unrelenting pull only when we humble ourselves before a merciful God and say, “I am a sinner and I need the blood of Jesus to make me whole.” Only then will our difficult problem be solved and only then will you and I be able to reach out to our lost and hurting friends and neighbors and lovingly say, “I know someone who can help you with that.” “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” and praise God, His grace is sufficient to save us from ourselves.

Blessings!

Examine youself Church

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” 2 Cor 13:5 Paul, writing to the Corinthian church, closes his letter with what I believe a very challenging statement to “examine yourselves, to see (if) you are in the faith…” When I read this and considered what it said I was troubled in my spirit as I understood the gravity of what the apostle said. Many questions came to mind: Is Paul really challenging our salvation here? Is he saying that salvation is more than saying a prayer and believing in Jesus? What does the evidence of our commitment to faith in Jesus look like? How do I know I am saved? How can I “examine” myself? I believe Paul is talking directly to believers who have grown comfortable in their decision to follow Christ. They were convicted of their sins perhaps during a sermon at church or by the words of an evangelist at a conference. They went forward and prayed the “Sinner’s prayer.” Since then, however, their lives look the same as they did before their “decision for Christ.” Today’s church is filled with men and women who consider themselves believers but who’s lives look like the secular world. The divorce rate among Christians is just as high as the rest of society, Men in the church still struggle with pornography and infidelity. Women in the church continue to gossip under the cover of “we have to know so that we can pray for you.” Teen believers continue to struggle with sexual sin, drug and alcohol abuse, and class consciousness. Most American Christians, do not know the gospel, do not study the bible on a consistent basis and do not regularly pray. It seems as if our decision to follow Christ has not changed our lives much, weakening our effectiveness as “kings and priests” and rendering us powerless to spread the gospel. Perhaps we should all heed Paul’s advice and examine our commitment to Christ in the light of our personal conduct. John’s first letter to his disciples and followers, provides some excellent “test questions” for believers who desire to examine their faith. “If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth….” (1 John 1:6) Are you walking in darkness (sin) yet claim to follow Christ who is light? What sins that you know are wrong do you regularly (perhaps deliberately) commit? True faith in Christ requires that you “hate” sin. There must therefore be repentance when you are convicted of your sins and begin to walk with the Lord. You should be transformed as you draw closer to God through prayer, daily study of His word and repentance of sin as God reveals it to you. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) “There is no one righteous, not even one...” (Rom 3:10), we are all guilty of sin. If you think you are innocent you’re wrong. Confess your faults one to another and be healed. (James 5:16) “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2: 3-4) John states it simply, if we are followers of Jesus, we must read, understand and obey what God commands. If we are deliberately disobeying God, we are walking in darkness. “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.” (1 John 2:9) Are you holding a grudge against a fellow brother or sister in Christ? Jesus said, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Jesus raised the bar from physical murder to hatred in the heart. If you are gossiping or holding something against a fellow believer, you are hurting him or her and you are murdering them in the eyes of the Lord. We must love one another as Christ loved us. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15) Is your bank account, IRA, house, car, girlfriend, television, or favorite sports team more important to you than God? Do you spend more time waxing your car a week than you do studying the bible or having fellowship with other believers? Do you put watching sports over going to church? If you answered yes to any of these, you may want to consider your salvation again. God must be the most important thing to us over even family. If we love Him, put Him first. The last days are upon us and we must be in relationship with God. Soon the end will be upon us and like the “thief in the night,” Jesus’ return will be upon us and the rapture of the church will leave us behind. Brothers and sisters when the master returns be sure that you are honoring him with your life and not doing something that you would be ashamed of.