Bailout or Bankruptcy

Here is a link to a column that Rush Limbaugh shared on his program today. While it is funny to listen to Rush defend the Republicans and demonize the Democrats, I do think this column helps us understand why the bailout plan is a bad idea. Author Jeffery Miron writes:

In contrast, a bailout transfers enormous wealth from taxpayers to those who knowingly engaged in risky subprime lending. Thus, the bailout encourages companies to take large, imprudent risks and count on getting bailed out by government. This "moral hazard" generates enormous distortions in an economy's allocation of its financial resources.

Gnostic Teaching

Today as I began to study for the first sermon in the new series I am preaching (Listen: What Christ Wants The Church to Know, Revelation 1-3) I read this:

“Thus, John has not diluted the communal and covenantal aspects of the Exodus typology found in the prophetic writings. No doubt he is keen to emphasize this more corporate aspect of God’s love to counter early gnostic teaching, which viewed the effects of God’s salvation in individualistic and interior ways.” (New International Biblical Commentary: Revelation, Robert Wall, p. 59)

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t much of what we teach today about salvation individualistic and deals with matters of the heart and experience? Just this morning as I drove back from the nursing home I heard Charles Stanley talk about accepting Jesus as “you personal Lord and Savior.”

I realize that there is a personal component to salvation and that salvation is about receiving a new heart, but I think in order to appeal to the individual we have emphasized the personal aspect and ignored the covenant and corporate responsibilities. Following Jesus isn’t just about my “relationship” with Jesus, but also how I relate to other Christians in the context of the Church. So I am wondering: have we allowed gnostic teaching into the Church?

Commitment to Holiness

I want to share with you the opening paragraph of Henry Blackaby’s book Holiness: God’s Plan for Fullness of Life. He writes:

“It is the people of God who can truly shape a nation. Many look to great leaders or powerful governments to shape a nation. But most likely, leaders and governments will not restore a nation once it is on the downward slide. While leaders and governments can influence a nation, there is no group of people who can determine the coming years of a nation like God’s people” (p. 1)

In this presidential election season it is easy for us to get distracted from the reality that the fate of our country lies not with our elected officials or the court system, but with the Church. We are where we at as a nation, not because a liberal agenda or a biased media, but because the Church, God’s people, have failed to live like the Church. Thus restoration of this great nation begins not in Washington, but within our church families. As our nation is once again influenced by people who are committed to Jesus, then, and only then, will the United States be the great country we know she can be.

Where do we start? Here is what the apostle Paul told the church in the city of Colossae:

5 So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 It is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 You used to behave like them when you were living among them. 8 But now you must also get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene language from your mouth, and all such sins. 9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old man with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new man, which is being renewed into full knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. 11 Where this happens, there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free person. Instead, Christ is all and in all.

12 Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Put up with one another and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, you also should forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which ties everything together in unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you with all richness and wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and singing to God with thankfulness in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:5-17; ISV)

Paul tells the Colossians, as well as us, that there are things we need to get rid of as well as things that we need put on. Why do we need to do this? Because we are different, we are holy, we are set apart. If we are to have any influence in this world then we need to be different from this world. We need to show as well as tell others about the truth which is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

To have Church families that are set apart and holy means that the members of that Church family must make a commitment to being those things. In other words it begins with us and the choices that we make. Are you committed to be holy, set apart from this world to be used by God, or are you willing to be part of the culture around you? This is where the battle for our nation, and thus the world, begins: our commitment to personal holiness.

• Point to Ponder: If we are going to have influence in this world, we have to be different from this world.
• Passage to Remember: Colossians 3:5-17
• Prayer to Pray: Lord God in Heaven, give me the wisdom to know and follow Your truth. Give me the strength to stay true to my commitment to holiness and provide me with opportunities to influence the lives of other people with Your love and truth.

Christ-Centered

Introduction to the Restoration Ideal #13

The founders of the Restoration Movement emphasized the importance of the Bible. For them the Bible was what guided and informed their faith. The reason they put that importance on the Bible because they believed that the Bible was indeed the written word of God.

What this means is that the Bible is Christ-centered. Marshall Leggett writes;

“The entire Bible is about Christ, as He is the culmination of God’s plan to bring men back to Him. But this in now way diminishes the importance of the Scripture. On the contrary, it reinforces its necessity. How could one have knowledge of Christ without the written Word that contains it? How could one know His love and will without ‘vehicles’ that carry that message? It would be like having music without notes and mathematics without numbers.” (p. 50)

It is though the Bible that we understand what God is doing. How else could we know about a single Jewish preacher in the first century, let alone the meaning of His death, or His resurrection. Only the Bible gives us what we need to know so we can put our faith in Christ Jesus.

Economic Insights

Here is a link to a column written by Dr. Ron Paul about the state of our economy. I particularly liked this paragraph:

The very people who have spent the past several years assuring us that the economy is fundamentally sound, and who themselves foolishly cheered the extension of all these novel kinds of mortgages, are the ones who now claim to be the experts who will restore prosperity! Just how spectacularly wrong, how utterly without a clue, does someone have to be before his expert status is called into question?

Sports Saturday: Big Ten Opener

I didn't post my reaction to the games last week. Not only was I disappointed by Iowa's one point loss, but also because I was not able to see the Denver game and so I was unable to react to it.

Iowa opens up the Big Ten at home against Northwestern. On paper (at least according to my dad) this is a game Iowa should win. Iowa has a great defense, a good run offense, but a medicore passing offense. Last week Jake Christensen started for the Hawkeyes, and the more experienced quarterback was unable to led the team to victory. I like Jake, and according to what I hear he is a good kid who puts in the effort, but apperantly he just isn't improving. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he is not a good fit for Iowa's offensive system. This week Rick Stazi gets the start. He has started two games this season, and though he is more inexperienced than Jake, I think he is a better fit in the offense than Jake is.

The reality with Iowa is that they need to keep the game a low scoring game. If the game is under 21 points they have a good chance at winning, but if the other team scores 24 points or more than Iowa is going to have a hard time winning. They just do not have the offensive punch to put up a lot of points. This team needs to win with its defense. That means the offense needs to control the ball with no turn overs. My prediction for this week is Iowa 17 and Northwestern 10.

Denver goes to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The Chiefs are struggling, and this is a game Denver should win going away. It should be very much like the opening game against Oakland. I hope this will be a game that helps the defense to get things together. I think they have the necessary parts for a good defense, but I don't think they have their defense scheme down yet. If the defense improves then I think that makes Denver one of the teams to beat, a Superbowl favorite, but the defense needs to get better. One think I have learned from all my years of following football, is that sooner or later the offense hits a bump and the defense needs to come through for the team to get a win. If all you have is a good offense, then you will be in trouble. Most likely tomorrow is not a day Denver has to rely on their defense. My prediction is Denver 45 and Kansas City 14.

Good Leaders

I believe that of all the problems that we face as the Church the biggest problem is a lack of good leaders. This leadership void has led to numerous church families who are in decline. Not only are they getting smaller, but their influence in their communities is gradually being reduced to nothing. On the other end of the spectrum we have churches who have given themselves away to a cult of personality. So there is a form a leadership that exists in these church families, they are not being built up in God’s Word, and because there is no accountability for THE leader, he gets away with it and the body suffers.

The apostle Paul started a church family on the island of Crete. He did not stay, but Paul left his companion Titus to complete the work. What was the work Titus was to complete? To establish a godly and competent leadership to guide this new community of believers. These are the guidelines Paul gives to Titus to help him complete this task:

5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set in order the remaining matters and to appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who cannot be charged with dissipation or rebellion. 7 For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God's work, not arrogant, not prone to anger, not a drunkard, not violent, not greedy for gain. 8 Instead he must be hospitable, devoted to what is good, sensible, upright, devout, and self-controlled. 9 He must hold firmly to the faithful message as it has been taught, so that he will be able to give exhortation in such healthy teaching and correct those who speak against it. (Titus 1:5-9; NET)

Paul’s emphasis is not on talent, but on character. Too often in the church we appoint people to be leaders: teachers, preachers, decisions makers, based not on their character, but on their talent and personality. We judge them on their ability to teach and preach. We judge them on whether or not they are a “people person” and whether or not they are a “go-getter”. How much trouble have we brought into our church families because we settled for talent and personality rather than character?

In God’s economy talent is worthless without character. God can do more to a person is dedicated to Him who has minimal talent, than He can with the person who is load with talent but is not committed to Him. Good leadership (when it comes to the Church) then is founded, not on talent and personality, but a person’s commitment to God that is reflected in his/her character.

What does this have to do with us? First, we have to remember to support people who demonstrate Christian character (reflect Jesus in their lives), rather than the person who is talented. It is easy to be wowed by person with talent, especially if that person has a charismatic personality, but we have to look beyond the personality to see what their life is saying.

Second, it means that we, as followers of Christ Jesus, need to continue to be faithful. We may never have the leadership position that we want, but that doesn’t mean God will not use us to influence the lives of other people. When we are committed to God and when faithfully follow Jesus, God will use us to impact other people’s lives regardless of our lack of talent. It is who we are, not what we can do, that God is most concerned with. After all, if God can use a donkey to speak His truth, then He certainly can us me to touch the life of someone else.

• Point to Ponder: In God’s economy talent is worthless without character.
• Passage to Remember: Titus 1:5-9
• Prayer to Pray: Lord God, help me not to be discouraged by the talent or personality that I don’t have, and help me see how I can be a leader in this world for Your Church. Provide me with the wisdom and understanding so I can live a life that is worthy of Your Son Jesus and may my life reflect Him to the world.

Insight Into The Mystery

Introduction to the Restoration Ideal #12

The principle of the Bible being the only rule of faith and practice for a Christian is, to me, the fundamental principle of the Restoration Movement. I think all the other principles are an extension of this one. While we might not (will not) agree with how to interpret the Bible, I think it is where we can find the unity Christ’s Body (the Church) needs.

In chapter 6 of Introduction to the Restoration Ideal, Marshall Leggett summarizes the importance of the Bible. Leggett writes:

“God solved a dilemma with the Bible. He wanted to reveal those musterions hidden in His heart. Musterion is the Greek word in the New Testament often translated as ‘mystery.’ However, it does not mean a mystery in the sense of a puzzle or a riddle. Instead, it refers to that which is hidden from finite understanding, beyond the range of natural apprehension. It would be a truth man’s mind could never conceive without Divine help.” (p. 47)

In other words, without the Bible, we could never accurately know who God is. We could get some idea that God exists, but His character, love, purpose, and plan would allude us. Instead of worshipping God, the Trinity, who would worship created things: things we can see or the evil spiritual forces that we can’t see. The Bible is important, because it reveals to us, in the best terms that we can understand, who God is and how He wants us to live.

As a Christian, I can never hold on to an idea of who God is, that is not supported by His word. The Bible is what I know God has revealed about Himself, the rest is just conjecture. It is for this reason that we need to be on our guard against people who dismiss or misuse the Bible. The best way for us to be on guard against such people, Satan being the number one abuser, is to familiarize ourselves with what the Bible says. If we are students of Scripture, then we will be less likely to be led astray. If we only have a casual understanding of the Bible then we will be pulled this way and that by people who sound like they know the truth.

The follower of Christ Jesus has a responsibility to be familiar with the Bible. Only the Bible offers us the words of truth that we need to have a solid foundation for our faith in God. The Bible opens up the mystery of God so we can understand who He is and how He wants us to live.

Promised Life

The apostle Paul understood that there was a purpose for his life. This purpose is what drove Paul. It was the reason that he endured hardships and faced persecution. The purpose that Paul lived was to take the Good News of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. This is what Paul told the elders of Ephesus:

24 But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace. (Acts 20:24; NET)

It was God’s calling on his life that gave Paul his purpose. This calling caused Paul to see himself as both God’s servant and Christ’s apostle. Those are the titles Paul uses when he sat down to write a letter of encouragement and instruction to his student Titus. This is what Paul writes:

1 From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. 3 But now in his own time he has made his message evident through the preaching I was entrusted with according to the command of God our Savior. 4 To Titus, my genuine son in a common faith. Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior! (Titus 1:1-4; NET)

Being a slave and an apostle Paul saw that his job was to build of the faith of Christians, to instruct them on what it means to live a righteous life, and to remind them of promise of God—eternal life. This is what I want us to take some time to consider. God has promised us life! Not just existence, but life, eternal life. That is reason to have hope.

Eternal existence isn’t reason to have hope. Because of sin existence is what we come to call life. Why would we want an eternal existence of sickness, hardship, bills, confusion, fighting, and a host of other problems that crowd our days? We wouldn’t. Eternal life is much more than just going from one day to the next. It would have to be, otherwise it wouldn’t something for us to hope for. The promise of eternal life should give us hope.

We don’t have a description of eternal life in this paragraph, but we are told that it is the promise of God. Why can we trust this promise? Because God has revealed the source of eternal life. This message, Paul says, had been entrusted to him. This message Paul proclaimed centered on God’s grace as found in Christ Jesus. We can trust God’s promise because God promised long ago to send a Messiah to set people free. Thousands of years past between God’s initial promise and Jesus, but in His timing God did exactly what He promised He would do. Jesus is the evidence we need so we can know that God will keep His promise of eternal life.

It is important for us to reflect on the promise of God and the life of Jesus. The difficulties of life, even the mundane routine of life, have a way of robbing us of the hope of eternal life. We can wonder: “Where is this eternal life? If I am a new creation, why do I still feel like the old creation?” Reflecting on God, His Word, His Son, and His promise will reorient our lives and fill our hearts with hope. We need hearts full of hope if we are going to survive this life of existence with our faith intact.

• Point to Ponder: Jesus is the evidence we need so we can know that God will keep His promise of eternal life.
• Passage to Remember: Titus 1:1-4
• Prayer to Pray: Father in Heaven, help me not to surrender to the despair of daily existence, but fill my heart with hope as I am reminded of Your great promise of eternal life found in Your Son Jesus.

Thomas Campbell

Introduction of the Restoration Ideal #11

Returning to Marshall Leggett’s work Introduction to the Restoration Ideal we find ourselves in chapter 5, which is a short biography of Thomas Campbell. If you are interested in reading about the life of Thomas Campbell you can do so here.

The main contribution that Leggett says Thomas Campbell offered to the movement to restore the Church to the New Testament model is emphasis on the Bible as God’s Word. Thomas Campbell would say, “Persons can be Christians only if they would but follow the Bible only.” (p. 45)

In my mind that raises a very important question: How can we follow the Bible only? Again we have to remember the context of this statement. Thomas Campbell came from a time when there were deep divisions between between Christians. This mainly fell among denominational lines, and each wrote a creed or a confession that would emphasis their difference from other groups. So the main thought here is that Christians need to follow the Bible before they followed the creeds and confessions.

I think where this becomes very important for us today, in a Christian culture that isn’t creed based, but in a sense personality based, is to measure what we are taught and read against the truth of Scripture. Too many people pick a preacher or teacher they like, and they hang on their every word. When we do this our faith is based more on what these preachers and teachers say than it is on our personal knowledge of Scripture.

There are many good preachers and teachers out there who seek to be true to the Word of God, but we can’t build our faith on their good intentions. Remember the Bereans of Acts 17? They were commended because they searched the Old Testament Scriptures to make sure what the apostle Paul, the man who wrote much of the New Testament, said was true. Their faith wasn’t based on the personality of Paul, but the desire to know God’s truth. We can only know God’s truth when we are familiar with God’s word, the Bible.

Sports Saturday: Direction for the Season

Last week the Broncos and the Hawkeyes gave me reason to be optimistic about this year's football season. I want to make to observations. First, Iowa needs to be better offensively if they hope to accomplish something this season. Second, Denver needs to be better defensively if they hope to have success. Talent wise I think both teams have the talent needed to do good things, and so it comes down to execution.

This week the Hawkeyes travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Pitt Panthers. It looks like Iowa will continue the trend of changing starters at quarteback. This week last year's starter Jake Christensen gets the nod again. I think this is a good decision. Jake makes good decisions, only having 7 interceptions all of last year, and has experience. Iowa's defense has yet to allow a touchdown, and so if the defense continues to play well (which I expect they will) Iowa will be in the game. So the offense needs to move the ball, avoid turnovers, and score touchdowns instead of fieldgoals. This is a critical game, and a win will give the Hawks momentum heading into the Big Ten season. My prediction: Iowa 24 and Pitt 13.

Denver was very fortunate last week. The missed fumble call at the end of the game gave the Broncos the time beat the Chargers. I think it is important to remember that while the missed fumble call prevented the Chargers from wrapping of the victory, it did not cause them to lose. The Chargers had two opportunities: on fourth down and the two point attempt to seal up the victory and they didn't do it. The human error is still part of the game of football.

This week the Broncos host the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are supposed to have one of the best teams in the NFC, but lost last week to the Washington Redskins. Their offense is banged up, including their top receiver. Denver's problems lie with their defense, but I think they have the talent on that side of the ball to be successful, but they need to get pressure. Winning home games is crucial, and beating back to back tough opponents will give Denver momentum moving forward. I like this match up. Denver's offense is very good and hopefully facing a banged up offense can breathe life into the defense. My prediction: Denver 31 and New Orleans 17.

Check into tomorrow to discover my players of the game.

An Economic Mess

We have been hearing a lot about the economy lately. It might turn out to be THE issue of the election as we enter the home stretch. Of course this plays right into Senator Obama's hand, because he can claim that our current economic crisis is the result of failed Republican policy. My question is: What is Senator Obama's solution? It is one thing to understand that there is a problem, it is another thing to know the solution to that problem.

Senator McCain on the other hand seems to believe that we just have to wait this out and that the "fundamentals of the economy" are strong. Even if Senator McCain is right, how is he going to convince people who are feeling an economic crunch that things are okay?

I think it is crazy that Congressman Ron Paul has been talking about these things for five years, he understood the consequences of our nation's fiscal policy. Dr. Paul knew what was happening, and no one wanted to listen. In my book that means he is the one guy we need to turn to for answers, yet neither Senator McCain or Senator Obama want to. The Republicans and Democrats can point fingers and blame each other, but the reality is that both parties are to blame. Each party has done their share to create big government and to help prop up are sagging economy.

Craig Westover at Minnpost.com writes about the fact that Congressman Paul has been talking about these economic issues long before they become the concerns they are today.

On Sept. 10, 2003, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, testified before House Financial Services Committee, which was holding hearings regarding special privileges extended to government sponsored enterprises (GSEs). Think Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In his testimony. Paul criticized such privileges in general and warned of the potential for disaster posed by government involvement with Fannie and Freddie specifically.

You can read Mr. Westover's column here.

A Common Name

Introduction to the Restoration Ideal #10

Chapter 4 of Marshall Leggett’s book Introduction to the Restoration Ideal deals with the name God’s people should be known as. Leggett points out that in the New Testament there are several names that that God’s people were called.

The most common, used of 200 times, is the word brother or brethren. This is a good word to describe God’s people because it denotes the family relationship we are to have with one another. The Church is God’s family, He is our Father, and we are brothers and sisters.

Another term that was used for the followers of Jesus is the word disciples. This word represents the reality that God’s people follow Jesus. We are not just students, but we are devoted to following the example of Jesus in every area of life. We are His disciples.

Two other terms used to for the followers of Jesus are believers and saints. As followers of Jesus we believe in God, His promises, and in the person and work of Jesus. We are saints because we have been set apart, cleansed, and made holy by God.

Leggett goes on to write:

“But none of the names for Jesus’ followers in the New Testament fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy—except one—the name CHRISTIAN. It is a ‘new name, better than of sons and of daughters, an everlasting name that shall not be cut off’ (Isaiah 62:2, 56:5).” (p. 37)

In Acts 11:26 we discover that the followers of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch. Some people will tell us that the name Christian was first given to Christ’s Followers by enemies of the Church wishing to make fun of the disciples. But looking at the meaning of the word called one gets a very different picture. Leggett quotes H. A. Ironside to make his point:

“The Greek word translated ‘called’ really means, ‘oracularly called,’ or divinely called.’ The evidence bears that out. The disciples were first divinely called Christians at Antioch. This was God’s name for them. Now that the work of evangelizing the world had really begun, God said, as it were, ‘I am going to give you the name by which I want My people known’—and He gave them the name ‘Christians.’” (p. 37)

Now why is this important? Remember the Restoration Movement sought to restore unity in the Church. The reason the founders of the movement saw the name thing as important was because having a common name was a reminder of the similarities we share as followers of Christ. Yes, we maybe Baptists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, or Evangelicals, but over all those we are Christians. Having a common name helps give us a sense of unity, in spite of our many differences.

Mutually Opposed

Many of us find two opposing desires in our hearts. The desires are the desire to live life on our terms and the desire to follow God. It would be nice if the two were the same, but they are not. The one is about maintaining control in our lives, while the other one is about surrendering that control to God. This doesn’t mean that we want to live some evil lifestyle, but it does mean that we don’t trust God to do what is best.

John Eldredge in Walking with God writes about these two desires:

“I want two things that are mutually opposed—I want to live a nice little life, and I want to play an important role in God’s kingdom. And it’s in those times that I am trying to live a nice little life that I make decisions and choices that cause me in small and subtle ways to live outside of Jesus. The Shepherd is headed one direction, and I am headed another. Not to some flagrant sin—that’s too easy to recognize. Instead, I’m simply wandering off looking for the pasture I deem best.” (pp. 89-90)

I don’t want to speak for you, but I know this summarizes my life. On the one hand I want the life I want to life, a nice life that is safe and comfortable, but on the other hand I want to be part of what God is doing in this world, and thus putting me in the sights of the Enemy. A life following Jesus is anything but safe and secure.

My flesh always pulls me towards the life I want, the life of my dreams. What is frustrating, and I would bet that you have been there too, is that the life of my dreams never really becomes a reality. It always seems to remain just out of reach. And if by chance we have a few moments when we think we have achieved it, it just doesn’t seem to be everything that we dreamed it would be. It is very unsatisfying.

As long as we live here on earth we are going to be pulled in these two directions. We are either going to use our time and energy to create the life we think will make us happy, or we will do the hard thing and devote our lives to following Jesus and to the life that He wants us to live.

I want you to think about what the apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians:

For this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him as you bear fruit in every good work and grow in the full knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:9-10; ISV)

If we are going to follow after Jesus and live a life that is pleasing to God then we must seek out His will. It is through the wisdom and understanding that God gives us through His Word that we can know how He wants us to live. Without God’s Word in our lives we will continue to try to create a life that we think will make us happy.

It isn’t enough just to know and understand God’s will. The key is to be obedient to God’s will. The way God’s will makes a difference in our lives is when we adjust our lives to it. If we aren’t willing to obey God, then knowing His will doesn’t make one bit of difference in our lives. We need to be committed to doing God’s will, no matter what the cost or where His will might take us.

Our desires to have a nice little life and to live the life God created us to live are mutually opposed (though I should add that when the first is our goal we will never achieve it, but when the second is our goal we will have a life that is so much better than what we had dreamed), and if we are going to follow Jesus we will have to lay down our dreams and desires in order to pick up His desires for our lives. The life we really want, true life, isn’t found in what we can create for ourselves, but it is found in the life God created us to live. Seek out God’s will for your life, and then live out His will. That is how we truly live life.

• Point to Ponder: If we are going to follow after Jesus and live a life that is pleasing to God then we must seek out His will.
• Passage to Remember: Colossians 1:9-10
• Question to Consider: Are you adjusting your life to God’s will?

Sunday Quote: Freedom of Generosity

"Generosity is about being free. The generous are free from the things of this world. While they own possessions, their possessions do not own them. They are free from taking for their own benefit and are free to give, even when it results in personal sacrifice. Generosity is love in action, and love is measured in giving, not taking." ~ Erwin McManus, Uprising, p. 158

Sports Saturday: Cautiously Optimistic

On Saturdays I have decided to write about one of my other passions: sports. I enjoy basketball and football, but my life is not consumed by either one. I enjoy following teams and the teams I enjoy following are the Iowa Hawkeyes for college sports, the Denver Broncos of the NFL, and the Boston Celtics of the NBA. I don't really concern myself with what else is happening.

This weekend my two football teams are in very similar circumstances. Both the Broncos and the Hawkeyes have had disappointing seasons for the past few years, and both seem to be improved. The problem is that it is hard to tell just how improved since Iowa has played two inferior opponents (Maine and Florida International), and Denver has played an Oakland Raider team that is a mess. Even though things have looked improved I haven't gotten my hopes up very high yet.

Iowa vs. Iowa State

Big game for Iowa. It is a rivalry game and it is a game that the Cyclowns of Iowa State have won 7 out of the last 10 times (though the Hawks have won 3 of the last 5). ISU beat Iowa last year with five field goals, 15-13 was the final score. That was the beginning of a very disappointing year for the Hawkeyes after starting 2-0.

This year the game is in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, so it is a home game. The offensive line seems to be improved, which was one of the problems last year and resulted in Iowa struggling to move the ball. Going along with improved line play, Iowa has a good running back, a quarterback that fits Iowa system, and more experienced recievers. With a better offensive attack the Hawkeyes defense, which was stingy last year, will be stingier, and will make it even tougher for ISU to move the ball.

My prediction is Iowa 24 and Iowa State 12.

Denver vs. San Diego

Huge game for only being the second game of the season. It is a division game, which means it has playoff implications, especially since the AFC West seems to be a two horse race at this point. The Chargers have beaten the Broncos the last four games and last year the games weren't even close: 41-3 and 21-3 respectively. The last game the Chargers openly mocked the Broncos, which means there is some bad blood between the two teams.

The Broncos' defense still has some question marks, but their offense seems to be improved. The offensive line seems to be blocking better than last year (it is basically an entirely new line), quarterback Culter seems to have regained his strength after playing last year with diabtes that was undiagnosed, it looks like they will finally have two play making receivers, and they have their usual stable of running backs.

It is my belief that an improved offense, that keeps the opposing offense off the field, will help the defense. The Chargers also have a few key injuries. I like the Broncos chances, especially playing at home. My pick is Denver 28 and San Diego 17.

Those are my picks, not that anyone else is interested, but I am. Lets see how close I am.

The Bible Only as a Christian Only

Introduction to the Restoration Ideal #9

Chapter 3 of Marshall Leggett’s book Introduction of the Restoration Ideal is a short summary of the life of Barton W. Stone, one of the men credited with founding the Restoration Movement. I am not going spend whole lot of time here. If you are interested in the life of Barton Stone you can read about him here.

One thing that caught my attention in this chapter was the lack of church attendance in the frontier of the United States. Stone spent part of his life as a minister in Kentucky. According to Leggett:

“The census of 1800 showed that less than one out of twenty persons in Kentucky was a member of any church. This produced a spiritual and moral vacuum.” (p. 28)

As the United States grew the Church was not always able to keep up. If the we are going to make an impact for Christ, then we have too make sure to go where the people are.

In summarizing Stone’s beliefs Leggett writes:

“Stone was determined to follow the Bible only as a Christian only. This was the foundation upon which he began to build a theology. He rejected total depravity, the Calvinistic doctrine that portrayed a person as helplessly lost until God chose to act upon him with His irresistible grace. Stone felt the Bible taught that man is neither good nor bad in infancy, but human nature possesses a predisposition to sin. He believed that man can and must act on his own behalf to gain salvation. He must hear the gospel, accept the gospel, and be obedient to the terms of the gospel. Stone concluded that Christian baptism was the immersion of a believer ‘for the remission of sins.’ He, himself, was immersed and preached that immersion was ‘ordained by the King.’” (p. 31)

Now it would be easy to chase the rabbit of total depravity and irresistible grace. I think the point that needs to be understood is that he made a commitment to following the Bible as a Christian. We have to remember that Stone, as well as the three other men who are credited with founding the Restoration Movement, came from a time when Christianity was deeply divided into different denominations by creeds and confessions. These creeds, rather than the Bible, were used as tests of fellowship. Stone wanted the Bible to be foundation of a disciple's faith rather than some man made creed. He also wanted disciples to known first and foremost by the name Christian rather than by a denominational name.

So rather than be sidetracked by Stone’s beliefs I think we need to ponder his commitment to the Bible only as a Christian only. We are not going to interpret the Bible the same, we are going to have disagreements, but if we understand that Bible is our source of truth and that we are all Christians, regardless or our denominational ties, then we are able to be committed to each other even though we might disagree.

Feeling Alive

The Heart of All Things: part 5

People are looking for life. Many people are existing as the go through the motions of each day, but they are longing for something more. That is why Jesus’ promise found in John 10:10 of abundant life is so appealing. The problem is that for most Christians life seems to be anything but abundant. Part of this is because we have forgotten that there is an enemy who is out to steal, kill, and destroy our lives, but it is also do to not understand what life is about. Life isn’t primarily about purpose or even significance. Life is primarily about love. No wonder Jesus said that the great commands that are to guide our lives are about love.

37 Jesus said to him, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and most important commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40; ISV)

Heart of abundant life, eternal life, is love. If we are not loving other people, then we are not really living. If you are wondering how to really live life, perhaps you need to consider how to love the people around you.

I believe experience shows us that love and life are tied together. Ask yourself this question: When have I felt the most alive?

One time I felt alive was the summer of 2004. It was early July and I and 25 other people traveled from western Illinois to northern Arizona to a Navajo Indian reservation. It was shocking to see the extreme poverty that existed there. Our group spent five days painting houses and doing some minor repair on houses for people who could not afford to have it done. I also had the added privilege of being able to teach the kids and the sponsors who went along on the trip. I remember thinking: this is what life is all about!

When we love, whether it is serving those in need, doing something nice for a friend, or spending time with our families, are the times when we will feel the most alive. Those are the experiences that will have us saying: this is what life is all about!

Have you ever had that feeling? I hope that you have, because I believe that it gives us insight into what real true abundant life is all about. It is about love. Not love that is just spoken or felt, but love that is acted upon and shown. With out love there is no life in us.

That is the great truth that I want you to take away this series of ponderings: Love is the lifeblood of eternal life. It is how we maintain the life given to us by Jesus, and it is how we share that life with other people.

God has loved us and the result has been life. He has instructed us to love other people. Why does God want us to love? One of the purposes of the command to love others is so that they too might have life. Are you ready to love?

• Point to Ponder: If we are not loving other people, then we are not really living.
• Passage to Remember: Matthew 22:37-40
• Question to Consider: When have you felt the most alive?

Restoring to the New Testament Ideal

Introduction to the Restoration Ideal #8

The Church is the Body of Christ. If we are going to follow Christ then we are required to be part of the Church, and the main way we show that we are part of the Body is our participation in a local church family. The Restoration Movement is focused on restoring the Body of Christ, the Church, to the ideal found in the New Testament. Much of this happens at the local level in individual church families. It is about what we believe and teach as well as how we live.

If we are part of Christ Body that means that we are separated from the world. Yes, we still live and participate in the world, but our lifestyle and our standards need to be different. Our church families should be loving communities where people can find acceptance, love, forgiveness, healing, help, and purpose. Leggett writes:

“The church as Christ conceived it became a beautiful fellowship as the disciples loved one another, bore each other’s burdens, and shared together. It possessed unity” (Introduction to the Restoration Ideal; p. 18)

Ideally this is what the Church should look like, but we well know that the Church has not always lived up to this standard. Even in the New Testament we read about divisions and false teachings that threatened to tear the church apart.

This has become a greater problem as the Church began to find acceptance in the world. Rather than living according to the Jesus’ standard, the Church has often adopted the standards of the world. Leggett points this out on page 19 when he writes:

“More and more, as time passed, Christianity became secularized. One historian says, ‘The doors of the church were thrown open so wide, that the distinction between Christianity and the world was obliterated.”

The Church as gone through times of secularization and reform. The inevitable result has been different denominations. It was this denominationalism that the founders of the Restoration Movement wanted to overcome. Having experienced the ugly side of denominationalism (which really isn’t apart of our landscape today) they came to believe that denominational sectarianism was a scandal to the movement of Christ Jesus (p. 22). While we may not experience the extreme sectarianism that was evident in Christianity in ages past, we can still see the damage that it caused as we study Church History. In this regard the Church has been her own worst enemy.

The Restoration Movement sought to restore unity and love among the many followers of Christ. In some aspects we are closer to this goal than we have ever have been before. A quick look at the Christian Bloggers link list I have will show us that we are far more accepting of people with a different faith heritage. That doesn’t mean that we still cannot benefit from the ideal of restoring the Church to the principles of the New Testament. What are these principles? Marshall Leggett ends Chapter 2 by pointing them out:

“This restoration movement can be introduced in several ways. But perhaps the best is through the central ideas of four of its early leaders. These early leaders of the movement, and the central ideas for which they stood, are:
Barton Warren Stone and the Ancient Name,
Thomas Campbell and the Ancient Book,
Alexander Campbell and the Ancient Order, and
Walter Scott and the Ancient Gospel.” (p. 24)

The Hope of Love

The Heart of All Things: Part 4

Love is what makes life worth living. When we reflect on our lives we realize that it is the time spent loving when we have felt most alive. Holidays with the family, helping the neighbor with some yard work, comforting a friend who is grieving, teaching a child a new skill, or serving someone who is in need. Life and love are connected. If we are going to live the life that God created us to live, then we need to love. Not just feel love or talk about love, but doing those things that come from love. When we love we know that we are alive, when we love we improve the life of someone else, and when we love we can know that God is on our side. That is what the third element of love is about.

3. The third element of love we need to know is the hope of love.

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God. 22 Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The person who keeps his commandments abides in God, and God abides in him. This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit. (1 John 3:21-24; ISV)

Since we do not stand in condemnation of our hearts we can have confidence before God. Why can we have confidence before God? Because we have committed ourselves to doing His will. This is very important to remember as look at verse 22. With out this context we can take verse 22 and claim a promise from God that God never promised.

John promises that when we are committed to God’s will that we can be confident that when we ask something of God that He will do it. That is a wonderful promise. It is not the promise that God will be our personal genie who is willing to grant our every wish, but it is the promise that God will give us those things that will help us accomplish His will. In other words God will help us love people. He will not necessarily provide the warm fuzzy feeling of love, but He will provide us with the resources necessary to properly show compassion for people.

What is the command that God has given us to obey? The first part of the command is to believe in Jesus. Why is this important? If we don’t believe is Jesus then we can spend all our time trying to improve people’s physical lives, but do nothing for their spiritual lives. Remember Jesus’ mission is centered on freeing people from their sins. It does very little good to help people with their physical needs if we don’t address their spiritual needs.

The second part of the command is that we are to love people. In other words we are to continue with the mission of Jesus in destroying the devil’s work. We do this, ultimately, by telling people the Good News about God’s love and the forgiveness of sins found in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Though it also includes helping them with their everyday needs, because this provides evidence that the Good News that we bring is the truth.

The promise we find in this passage is that when we obey God’s commands then we know that we live in Jesus. Remember this is important because it is through Jesus that we are given life, and it is by staying connected to Jesus that our life is sustained. There is another piece of evidence that we are connected to Jesus in the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. The Holy Spirit moves us towards compassion; He helps us understand the truth of God’s Word; and shows us the opportunities God has given us to serve other people.

What is the hope of love? The hope of love is that we are connected to Jesus.

• Point to Ponder: When we obey God’s commands the we know that we live in Jesus
• Passage to Remember: 1 John 3:21-24
• Question to Consider: Are you confident that God is with as you do His will?

Part of the Body of Christ

Introduction to the Restoration Ideal #7

At the end of June I began to blog through the book Introduction to the Restoration Ideal. Because of circumstances (one being misplacing the book) I have not gotten back since finishing chapter 1. In order to catch you up you can read my previous 6 posts here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Chapter 2 is entitled: The Church For Which Christ Gave Himself. The focal point of the Restoration Ideal isn’t individual Christians, but the Church. I believe this is one area that the Restoration Ideal could benefit Western Christianity. Evangelical Christianity that dominates our country focuses on our “personal relationship” with God. While it is true that the choices of faith are often personal choices God never intended for faith to be private. Spiritual maturity is the result of the Christians loving, serving, encouraging, help, and teaching one another. Author Marshall Leggett writes; “It is his (a new Christian) responsibility to become a supportive member of the priesthood of believers in the local congregation of the church” (p. 17).

It needs to be noted that unity and fellowship are not only essential for the maturity of a follower of Christ, but they are also essential for the Church to carry out her God given commission to make disciples. The Church is the body of Christ, and by working together we are able to continue the work of Jesus here on earth.

In a time of diverse opinions how can there be unity? We can find unity by focusing on the foundation of the Gospel: Jesus. Remember Jesus told His disciples that He would build the Church on the “rock” of faith in Him. Leggett writes:

“Christianity became founded upon faith in Jesus as the Christ, which means ‘the anointed one’ or ‘Messiah,’ and as the the Son of God. The apostle Paul would later say, ‘For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:11).” (p. 17)

Restoring the Church to the New Testament ideal requires us to see the Church as Christ’s Body, and not just an optional event to attend. If we can understand that we are part of Christ’s Body, not only will that remind us that an important task to complete, but it will also give us motivation to work for unity.

The Action of Love

The Heart of All Things: Part 3

Jesus came to give us life. The apostle John records this promise of Jesus; The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10; ISV). The promise of Jesus is that we find life, true life, in Him. This life is made real in our lives when we love. We live the life God created us to life when we follow the example of Jesus rather than the example of Cain. The example of Cain, imitating his hatred for his brother, leads to death. The example of Jesus, imitating His sacrificial love for the least important, leads to life. When we love God, by loving our neighbors, true life becomes a part of our lives.

2. The second element of love we have to understand is the action of love:

16 This is how we have come to know love: Christ gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. 17 Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God remain in him? 18 Little children, we must stop loving in word and in tongue, but instead love in action and in truth. 19 And this is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to establish our hearts in his presence. 20 If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. (1 John 3:16-20; ISV)

John began this section by giving us a negative example of what love is. We are not to follow the example Cain, instead we are to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

What is the example of Jesus when it comes to love? It is the fact that He laid down His life for us. This is the greatest example of love: the laying down of life so others can live. That is what Jesus did.

It seems that John understands that not all of us will be asked to do the supreme action of love (the giving of our physical lives). So John provides us with an example to help us understand how self-sacrifice can be real in our every day lives: we give what we have to help those in need. It is giving to help provide life for others. Jesus certainly did this. There were times when He was tired but when the crowds sought Him out He stayed and taught and healed the sick. The early Christians did this by continuing to preach the Good News of God’s Love and Jesus’ death and resurrection in the face of persecution.

We do this when we give money above and beyond our tithe to help a person with expenses. We do this when we miss a business appointment to spend a few hours with a friend who needs to talk. We do this when we stop and pick up an acquaintance and bring them to worship on Sunday morning.

Love, according to John, is not just about what we say, but it is about what we do. We can say we love people, but if we don’t show love to people, then that shows the world that God’s truth is not part of our lives. There are a lot of people who say they love people, who give to humanitarian causes, but are terrible and hateful to their family. Love isn’t about giving money, but how we treat individuals.

This brings us to a difficult part of the text. What does it mean that our hearts condemn us? Sometimes Satan, trying to disguise himself as the Holy Spirit, will attempt to deceive us with our conscious. He will remind us of the times we were not loving to people or how we might have missed an opportunity to love someone. One of the truths John wants us to know is that our hearts, our conscious, isn’t always right. We need to remember God’s promise to forgive our past sins and our current commitment to love people. Those two things will show us that God accepts us, and He is the ultimate judge of our lives.

What is the action of love? The action of love is self-sacrifice, giving away things that are important to us so that we can improve the quality of life for someone else.

• Point to Ponder: Love is not just about what we say, but it is about what we do.
• Passage to Remember: 1 John 3:16-20
• Question to Consider: How is the love you feel in your heart made real in your life?

Just Asking

In this week's Christian Standard has an excellent article by Jim Tune in which he asks five questions that the Restoration Movement needs to asks itself. He writes:

I’ll be the first to admit that the vision for unity around simple New Testament Christianity has been obscured at times by legalism and harsh sectarian attitudes in our fellowship. The glare of strife and division blinded many young leaders—myself included—to that which was winsome and worthwhile about our identity and platform. This left many younger leaders feeling apathetic, even disdainful, toward both our heritage and our doctrinal distinctives. There was a corrective pendulum swing toward greater grace and a more generous orthodoxy. But I believe now the pendulum has swung too far.

I want to encourage you to finish reading what Jim Tune writes in Just Asking, for I think he raises some very good questions, especially for those of us who are associated with the Restoration Movement. Plus, this provides a good reason to get back to the book Introduction to the Restoration Ideal that I started to blog through at the end of June.

Sunday Quote: Making Things Right

"It is this Fall that made redemption necessary, not to continue a process of creation already begun and still in progress, but to arrest and correct a process of deterioration that threatened to abort the whole purpose for creation. Redemption is not the continuation of creation, but the correction of the Fall. As such it restores or reinstates God's original purpose for the creation by turning it back toward its proper goal. Thus the key word is not continuation but restoration. God's purpose for creation will be achieved, but only through redemption. Their unity lies in a common source (God) and a common goal; but they represent two different means of achieving the goal, not two stages of the same means." ~ Jack Cottrell, God the Redeemer, p. 31

The Importance of Love

The Heart of All of Things: Part 2

Love is a major theme that runs through the book of 1 John. Love is the idea that is the foundation to the Apostle’s comments in 1 John 3:11-24. In this passage John tells us the importance love plays in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. This is what he wrote:

11 This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: Christ gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. 17 Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God remain in him? 18 Little children, we must stop loving in word and in tongue, but instead love in action and in truth. 19 And this is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to establish our hearts in his presence. 20 If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God. 22 Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The person who keeps his commandments abides in God, and God abides in him. This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit. (ISV)

For us to live lives of love we need to keep in mind three elements of love.

1. The first element of love is the importance of love.

11 This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. (1 John 3:11-15)

In verse 10 John writes: This is how God's children and the devil's children are distinguished. No person who fails to practice righteousness and to love his brother is from God (1 John 3:10; ISV). John goes on to say: This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another (v. 11, ISV). From the very beginning we have heard this message. It is the foundation of the Old Testament and the central message of Jesus. To love God and to love people are the two great commandments of the follower of Jesus Christ.

John starts by providing us with a negative example of love. Do not be like Cain…John writes. Every family, from the very first family, has problems. While every family has problems, we are still shocked when those problems get so bad that they result in a brother murdering his brother. Yet that is the example of Cain who murdered his brother Able because of Able’s righteousness.

The Bible is not very clear on what made Cain’s actions evil. We assume that it has something to do with sacrifice that he offered and that he wasn’t willing to give God the best portion of his crop. What we do know is that what ever Cain did he was not ignorant of his wrong actions: he knew exactly what he was doing. And the blessings Able received from God only reminded Cain of his wickedness in disobeying God. Cain allowed jealousy and hatred to grow in his heart and the end result was that he took the life of his righteous brother Able.

Hatred and murder take life. They do not nurture life, but they take life from others. Have you ever experienced the hatred of family members? Maybe not personally, but you experienced it from a distance as an observer. Hatred always makes people miserable. The family members are forced to take sides and the joy and happiness that are supposed to define a family taken away. Where is the life?

Where is life? Life is found in loving people. John tells us: We know we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers (v. 14, NIV). This is the key verse of this entire section, if not the entire book. We know we have life because of love. We have compassion for our neighbors, spend time with our family, and we help our friends. Life is found in our love. You want to know if you have eternal life, then follow your love.

If we don’t have love then we don’t have life. Hate, which in its most extreme form leads to murder, is mere indifference in its weakest form. It is giving help to people who are need when you have the means to help them because you are in essence robbing life from them. It is taking time to pray for people we can’t help, but who are in desperate need. Indifference is the opposite of compassion, which is the main ingredient of love.

What is the importance of love? The importance of love is that it reveals whether or not we have true everlasting life flowing through our veins.

• Point to Ponder: Love reveals whether or not we have true everlasting life flowing through our veins.
• Passage to Remember: 1 John 3:11-15
• Question to Consider: What can how you love tell you about your life?

We Proclaim Him

As I was studying for my sermon for Sunday (Colossians 1:24-2:5) I read this thought from N. T. Wright in his commentary on the book of Colossians. Commenting on the first part of Colossians 1:28 Wright writes:

'Him we proclaim': these words serve, for Christian preachers and teachers, as a constant reminder of their central calling, not (first and foremost) to comment on current affairs or alleviate human problems, good and necessary as those activities may be, but to announce that Jesus is Lord. (p. 93, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Colossians & Philemon)

This is a good reminder. I think it is so easy to get caught up in the so-called culture war and want to do something about it. So we find ourselves fighting for people's minds or trying to help people through problems, and what is really important is put to the wayside.

Why is proclaiming Jesus as Lord so important? It is important because when Jesus is made Lord, and not merely given lip service, things change. History offers evidence of this reality. No matter what happens in this election, what is important for us to do is to continue to proclaim Jesus as Lord. We do this, not only by the words we use, but also by the way we live. May we be people who proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

Distracted by Moldy Bread

In Joshua 9 we read the account of the Gibeonites, a Canaanite tribe, who deceived Israel in order to enter into a covenant (a treaty), because the Gibeonites feared Israel. They had heard that God had given the land to Israel and knew about the destruction of Jericho and Ai. Naturally the Gibeonites did not want to be next. Rather than engaging the Israelites in battle, which they determined would be futile, they devised a plan to trick Israel. The plan was to dress up ambassadors to make it appear that they had traveled a great distance, they even outfitted these ambassadors with moldy bread and torn wineskins, to make their ruse seem more plausible. Apparently they understood that God made allowances for Israel to enter into alliances with distant countries, but not with the people who lived in Canaan. The Gibeonites hoped to survive by deceiving Israel.

Joshua and the leaders of Israel did fall for the ruse and entered into a treaty with the Gibeonites, a treaty they honored in spite of the deception on the Gibeonites part. The Israelites allowed the appearance of things to distract them from reality.

I believe that as Christians we are vulnerable to make alliances with people and parties that we have no business with making an allegiance with. An allegiance I think we get sucked into is the allegiance to politics. Sometimes this has to do with a political party, and other times it has to do with a particular candidate or an agenda. The result is that we are distracted from what God has called us to do as we put time and effort into something that is of less importance.

Right now there are Christians who have been deceived by Senator Obama’s moldy bread of hope and change. They have allowed themselves to believe that this man will usher in change and bring hope to people. Let’s be honest, that is just political rhetoric. If we want to be part of bringing hope and change to people, then we need to bring the Gospel to people. People who have been changed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ have hope regardless of the government that they live under. Change that bring hope is only found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not a politician who is able to make more promises than what he can keep.

Other Christians have been distracted by conservative promises of pro-life and pro-marriage platforms. There is nothing more precious in this world than human life, and we need to fight for it, but we should have learned by now politics is a poor vehicle to make that happen. The Republican party, despite of what they may say, is more interested in being in power than in protecting life. If they can make a promise to secure your vote then they will do it. When we get deceived by the moldy bread of a political party we will give them our allegiance and give time and money to get the “right” people elected and miss out on really touching the lives of other people. The greatest thing that we as Christians can do to stop abortion and end the charade that is homosexual marriage is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ into the lives of other people. As the truth changes their lives, so will their views on life.

God has given us a great opportunity in this country to be able to participate in the political process. I think it is something that we need to stay informed on and to vote when we have the opportunity. I also think that it is dangerous to give our allegiance to a party or a candidate. The greatest hope this country has is the Gospel on Jesus Christ, which has the power to change the hearts of people. Our allegiance must be to Jesus before anything else. Where does your allegiance lie?