Wild at Heart Boot Camp

I wanted to let you know that I will be at a Wild at Heart Boot Camp this weekend and I won't be able to post. I leave tonight from Omaha and will get back sometime on Monday. Believe it or not I had good intentions about writing posts and allowing blogger to automatically post them, but I simply ran out of time. Have a good weekend and I will have an update on Monday evening. Until then 1 John 2:6.

You can find one of the things that struck me during my time at Wild at Heart Boot Camp here and here.

Regardless of the Circumstances

{Psalm 1; NLT}

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Life is not static. Our circumstances are constantly changing. The reality of this truth seems to be impressed upon me every day as I realize that I am not the person I was ten years ago. My beliefs have matured, my goals have become more focused, and my body does not respond the way it once did.

Another way we notice that life is not static is the changing of the seasons. Right now I am able to witness the transition from winter into spring as flowers begin to bloom, the grass becomes green, and trees fill out with leaves. The four seasons remind us that things are continue to change, and no matter how much we want to hold on to the moment we can’t. Time marches on and change follows in its wake.

As we look at the first prayer/poem/hymn in the collection of Psalms we have in the Bible we notice something very interesting. What we notice is that the person who rejects evil and cherishes God’s Word becomes a fruitful person. They don’t just produce fruit during one season, which is typical of a fruit tree, but in each season. God’s people are constantly fruitful.

I want us to stop and consider this reality for a moment. Any person, when the circumstances of life fall right in place, can be useful and loving. Yet that usefulness lasts only for a season, when life changes that person loses their influence. It was circumstance and chance that allowed them to be helpful to other people.

The person who values God’s Word and has put it into his/her heart puts themselves into a position where they can be useful all the time. They realize what matters is not the right circumstances, put how they respond to those circumstances. It doesn’t matter if they are 12 or 94 because God’s Word shows them how they love people in all situations. It doesn’t matter if they are married or single because God’s Word helps them understand that they have value and are able to make a difference in this world. It doesn’t matter if they are healthy or lying sick in bed because God’s Word convinces them that they have the ability to influence the life of someone else.

For the follower of Christ Jesus what matters is not the “season” of life they are in, but the Word of God that is in their hearts. When we know God’s Word then we are able to make a difference regardless of the circumstances of our lives.

Broken to Surrender

I love to read stories about how God has transformed the lives of people. Consider the story of Basilio Clark.

Any of the old-timers living in Olongapo, Philippines, near Subic Bay (once the home to the American Seventh Fleet), will tell you that Basilio Clark, the warm Baptist pastor who plays his guitar and sings so beautifully, is a different person from the one who terrorized the same city in his youth.

A clue to his background is found in his name--Basilio Clark. Basilio is a Filipino name; Clark, an American name. Basilio’s father was an American serviceman; his mother, a Filipino who met and fell in love with the handsome American. After several children were born, Basilio’s father was killed in an automobile accident. Without enough food at home, the boy began to run the streets, stealing from the sidewalk vendors and shopkeepers in the open markets of Olongapo.

As a teenager, Basilio was the head of a gang who robbed, plundered, murdered, and pillaged at will. Holing up one night with his gang, Basilio slept as police surrounded the hideout. They took him and his companions captive.

The judge, glad to be able to rid the area of such terrors, showed no mercy. Basilio and his eight companions were sentenced to die in the electric chair. They were quickly moved to Bilibid prison in Muntinglupa, just outside of Manila. The massive steel doors of the fortress-like prison closed, ominously signaling the end.

The electric chair at Muntinglupa sends thousands of volts of electricity into a frail body, short-circuiting the heart and stopping life. Basilio and his gang feared death this way and chose rather to die at their own hands.

Mixing insecticide, which had been smuggled into the prison, with paint thinner they were able to steal, the nine of them formed a circle and drank the deadly potion. Of the nine, only one survived: Basilio, and he was blind.

He had failed in life and he had failed in death. While he awaited his appointment with the electric chair, Basilio began to listen to a little radio that Olga Robertson, a faithful prison worker, had given the prisoners. This little radio known as a PM (Portable Missionary), played but one station, DZAS, the voice of the Far East Broadcasting Company. Day after day as Basilio listened, God began to speak to his heart. From there Basilio slowly surrendered his life to Jesus.

Gaining his confidence, Mommie Olga, as the prisoners affectionately called her, began to disciple and teach Basilio the Word of God. Then going from cell block to cell block, Basilio began to tell other prisoners that God had forgiven him and that he had repented of his sins.

It quickly became obvious that this was no longer the tough youth who had terrorized Olongapo, but a changed man whose eyes no longer saw--but they did shed tears over his fellow prisoners. Something had happened! Something big.

Eventually, the president of the Philippines issued a pardon to Basilio Clark, and he was released. Going back to his home a changed man, Basilio continued to share his faith.

While it would be easy to give the credit to Basilio’s transformation to the voices he heard over the radio and the discipleship of Olga Robertson, the reality is that they are just vehicles God used to connect with Basilio. God was the one who worked the miracle--and what He did for a thug and gangster He can do for you. Changed lives are what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. Paul was right, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). (Harold Sala, Profiles in Faith, pp. 71-74)

Many of us have lives that are broken by sin. They are broken by the sin which we struggle with and by the consequences of the sin of other people. The only way we can have lives that are transformed, like the transformation Basilio Clark experienced, is to surrender our lives to Jesus. Surrendering isn’t a one time act, but the constant giving away our lives to the will of God.

In Acts 2 we read about the beginnings of the Church. I hope that you take that time to read it, but because of space I will summarize what happens. The disciples of Jesus, lead by the 11 apostles, are in Jerusalem. It is the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the crucifixion and around a week since Jesus ascended into heaven. The disciples receive the power of the Holy Spirit and begin to preach to the crowd, which is large because of the festival. At some point Peter becomes the chief speaker, and his words center on Jesus, which prick the hearts of the listeners. They cry out; “What must we do to be saved!’ and Peter answers that they must repent and be baptized. On that day 3,000 men were added to the number of Christ Followers.

Not only did they become members of the Church, but their lives began to change as the devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus, as taught by the apostles, to fellowship, to pray, and Communion. These new disciples were community focused and served and helped one another as they committed themselves to Jesus.

From the historical account found in the book of Acts we can make several observations about surrendering to Jesus. The first observation is: surrendering is the result of understanding God’s Word.

“So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
(Acts 2:36-37; NLT).

The people listening to Peter’s sermon had experienced the events that took place 50 days before (the death and resurrection of Jesus). They had talked about what happened and maybe even debated who Jesus was, but it was the result of hearing the Word of God preached that God was able to connect with their hearts.

Similarly we are often moved to repentance and surrender when we are convicted in our hearts by the Word of God. We will not surrender our lives to Jesus until we have an understanding of our situation apart from Jesus Christ. If we think we can get by or if we can change our lives on our own then we will not bow a knee to the Lord of lords. Scripture, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is the main tool God uses to convict people of their brokenness. When we are brought face to face with our broken lives the only thing left for us to do is to give our lives to the One who can make us whole.

Second, surrendering requires repentance and baptism. When the listeners of this first Christian sermon became convicted of their brokenness they cried out for help; “What should we do?” (Acts 2:37,) And Peter’s response is quite clear; “Repent and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). If we are going to surrender to Jesus then we need to repent and then we need to be baptized.

What exactly is repentance? I think the best way to describe repentance is with the word defection. Repentance means that we have been part of the kingdom of Darkness and we defect and join the Kingdom of Light. We decide to no longer side with God’s enemies and instead we become one of His allies. Repentance is the changing of our minds, wills, and loyalties. This was at the heart of Jesus’ message. Jesus proclaimed; “The time promised by God has come at last! The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”(Mark 1:15; NLT). This is what Jesus is saying: “Believe God’s Word and join His Kingdom!” Through God’s Word we are made aware of our broken condition and through repentance we leave the kingdom of sin and death to live in the Kingdom of Light.

How does baptism fit into all of this? Baptism is part of the physical action that we do to demonstrate our surrender to Jesus Christ. Malcolm Smith had this to say about baptism:

“But in baptism, we are passive; it is something we submit to;it is a rite that is done to us by another. It is the dynamic action of faith by which we helplessly present ourselves to the Holy Spirit for God’s acceptance through the cross and resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (The Lost Secret of the New Covenant; pg. 149)

Baptism is something that we submit to in faith as we helplessly put ourselves in a position to receive the mercy of God. The apostle Paul wrote; Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? (Romans 6:3; NLT) In baptism we lay aside our agendas and wills and die to self in order to become the people God created us to be. That is what it means to surrender.

Surrendering demands that we change the way we live. How did the 3,000 new Christians respond after they surrendered their lives to Christ Jesus? According to Acts 2:42ff. they demonstrated their surrender to Jesus by changing their lives. Surrendering isn’t a one time event, it is the constant aligning our lives to God’s will. If our lives are not changing then we have not surrendered our lives to Jesus.

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:20-24; NLT).

Changing the way we live is an essential part of surrendering to Jesus. It is the part of surrender that we have to do each day for the rest of our lives.

Here is the truth I want you take away today: Wholeness is the result of surrendering our lives to Jesus. We will never be the people God created us to be until we surrender the broken pieces of our lives to Jesus. He can take the broken pieces of our lives and create a masterpiece. All we need to do is give Him a chance.

Sunday Quote: Holiness and Revival

"I believe there will be no revival without holiness in the leadership. None. Cry unto God all you want. He will not hear you. Pull together all the phrases that revivalists of other generations have all quoted, and it will not make an ounce of difference to the heart of God. God is looking of holiness!" ~ Henry Blackaby, Holiness, p. 72

Saturday Links: Eldredge, Moore, Galli

Here are some of the articles/blog posts that I enjoyed this week.

Air Travel and Sanctification - John Eldredge

Half-Pure Religion and the Unpopularity of the Poor - Mark Moore

Making the Local Church a Hero - Mark Galli

Enjoy.

More Nuggets of Wisdom

Today I want to finish up with wisdom I have gleaned from the book of Proverbs.

A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash. (Pr. 15:14; NLT)

We live in an age where we have so much information at our fingertips. The sad reality is that most of us would rather feed our hearts the trash of entertainment rather than on God’s wisdom. I believe that if the ancients had the chance to evaluate our culture they would condemn us as fools because we have refused to take the time to educate ourselves.

Fear of the LORD teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor. (Pr. 15:33; NLT)

Since we are limited in our understanding we have to have the humility to defer to a greater authority. For the Christian we acknowledge that authority to be God. What I have discovered is that as I surrender my life God and follow Christ Jesus the greater I understand the world and my place in the world. Obedience to God provides me with the wisdom I need to live life.

The LORD demands accurate scales and balances; he sets the standards for fairness. (Pr. 16:11; NLT)

This reminds us that our faith in God is to influence every area of our lives. What is fair isn’t determined by what other people, but it is determined by God. One of the things that God demands from us is that we are accurate in our dealings with other people. Don’t try to cheat or mislead others, rather we are called to be honest and to live with integrity.

A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. (Pr. 17:27; NLT)

It isn’t about how long we can talk or how many pages we can write, but wisdom is about making things understandable. For me, the goal of preaching isn’t about filling up a certain amount of time, but making God’s Word understandable and applicable. A person who is wise doesn’t get angry when he is questioned or a different opinion is offered. Instead he remains calm and gives a full hearing to what is being said before responding to it. That is something I need to work on.

Loyalty makes a person attractive. It is better to be poor than dishonest. (Pr. 19:22; NLT)

In this culture of consumerism this one is very important to remember. We use to value loyalty, but no longer, yet, we still long for people to be loyal. We want our favorite player to remain loyal to our team rather than jumping ship for more money somewhere else. We want our spouse to remain loyal to us, rather than to be on the look out for something better. Loyalty will set us apart and make us people others want to be around. In that same light, people will value you if they know they can trust you. Riches may earn you favor from other people, but integrity will earn respect from others.

The LORD is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. (Pr. 21:3; NLT)

We need to be reminded that what God expects from us are not church attendance, singing praise music, giving, or devotional reading. Yes, these things are good things, and in many aspects they are essential things, but what God is after is a transformed life. It is through the transformed life that He is able to touch the lives of other people. The best evidence that God is working in the world is the visible difference He has made in our lives.

There are many other nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs, I have only highlighted a handful of them. I hope that I have reminded you that this book of the Bible is very useful in our desire to become the people that God created us to be. It offers us the wisdom we need to successfully live as God’s people in the world.

Nuggets of Wisdom

Today I would like to share a few of the proverbs that have stood out to me as I continue to read through the book of Proverbs.

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil. (Pr. 4:25-27; NLT)

Here we are reminded that it is important for us to keep our eyes on our goal and to remain on the path that leads to our destination. What is our goal? It could be phrased in different ways, but I think it is best described as becoming the person God created us to be, and that can only be accomplished through faith in Christ Jesus. We must keep our focus on Jesus and the way He wants us to live life.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. (Pr. 9:10; NLT)

This one has proven to be true in my life. The more I follow Jesus the more the world seems to make sense. I am not saying that I understand everything, but what I am saying is that what God is up to in this world continues to become clearer and clear. As we begin to understand what God is up to, then it is possible for us to join Him in what He is doing.

The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel. (Pr. 12:10; NLT)

You can judge a person’s character by the way they treat animals. This truth has been made more real to me over the past year because of my dog Barkley. The reason why I walk him and play with him, even when I don’t have the time, is because I want to provide for him a good life. A person pursuing the heart of God will treat all of creation with the right amount of respect.

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. (Pr. 12:24; NLT)

Being a leader takes work. Last Thursday, April 16, I took my nephew Alexander out for supper. I did this because I wanted to affirm the decision he made in February to follow Jesus. One of the ways I encouraged him was to point out that he was a natural leader (like his parents), and I told him that he needed to continue to work at being a good leader by providing a good example for other to follow and by reading. Good leaders aren’t just born, they are developed through hard work.

Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (Pr. 13:20; NLT)

The direction of our lives are often determined by the people we choose to associate with. You can’t hope to be wise and respected if you hang out with fools and scoundrels. If we hope to be mature Christian people, then it is essential that we spend time with people who are mature in their faith.

Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty! (Pr. 14:23; NLT)

It is one thing to dream and to boast about those dreams, but it is another thing to actually do the work to achieve those dreams. You gain no profit from a dream. Profit comes from the result of the hard work that is required in achieving that dream. I had better quit talking and get to working.

There are many more nuggets of wisdom contained in Proverbs (I will share some more tomorrow), and what I have been continually hit with as I have read through the book is who relevant they continue to be. These are bits of wisdom that generally apply to everyone regardless of the time or culture in which they live. We would all live better lives if we would take the time to apply some of this wisdom to our lives.

Essential for Wise Living

{Proverbs 2:1-8; ESV}

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

Today I started to read through Proverbs as part of my devotional reading in the morning. One of the key aspects of Proverbs is the idea of wisdom. Solomon describes this reality in Proverbs 1:2 when he says that the purposes of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline. I thought it was a good idea to gain a proper perspective of what wisdom means.

I did a quick word study on wisdom, and this is what The New Bible Dictionary (electronic edition) says about wisdom: Basically, wisdom is the art of being successful, of forming the correct plan to gain the desired results. Its seat is the heart, the centre of moral and intellectual decision (cf. 1 Ki. 3:9, 12).

A key part of wisdom then is understanding the destination. You can’t have a good plan for being a successful if you don’t know what it means to be successful. A good plan depends on understanding the goal.

When I played basketball for Nebraska Christian College (1992-1996) we were successful. We won the NBCAA Division 2 National Championship in 1993 and 1994 and held the number one ranking for much of 1995. One of the things Coach Lahm did at the beginning of each season is to have us understand what our goals where and what it took to reach those goals. So our goals were to win so many games, to win the conference, and to go to the National Tournament. In order to achieve those goals Coach identified different areas that we needed to focus on in order for us to be successful. We understood that we had to shoot a certain percentage from the free throw line, to out rebound the other team, and to keep the turn overs under 12 a game. If we did these things we would put ourselves into the position to win the game, and thus be successful.

That is what wisdom looks like in life. It is about identifying what the goal is, and then forming the steps that are necessary to achieving that goal. Wisdom understands that children don’t natural grow up to be responsible and God fearing people and that there are intentional actions that must be taken to make that goal a reality. Wisdom understands that a successful and life long marriage depends on more than just meeting the right person, but it requires intentional effort to develop the character needed to love and be faithful to your spouse.

The Christian realizes that ultimately the wisdom we need for life comes from God. We discipline ourselves to the study of God’s Word so we can know He has already told us, we cry out to God in pray to help us understand how the knowledge we find in His Word applies to our lives, and ask God for the strength and support we need to make the necessary changes to our lives. We cannot live the life God created us to life apart from the wisdom He offers to us.

A Joyous Feast

I want you to think about what event you would absolutely not miss. Everything else are side issues compared to experiencing this event. Perhaps it is the graduation of one of your children, the wedding of a granddaughter, or a dream vacation. We all have events and experiences that we want to be a part of that we would not let anything else get in the way of attending that event.

One of the experiences that I would drop everything in order to attend is the chance to watch the Iowa Hawkeyes play in a bowl game. If the opportunity came along for me to do that I would make the necessary arrangements to make it possible for me to attend. I wouldn’t miss that game for the world.

One of the ways we find out what is important to us is by identifying those experiences that we would not let anything else get in the away of our participating in. A person who loves football will make sure his Sunday afternoons are free and will make sure that nothing gets in the way of him and his remote. A dedicated golfer will golf in the wind and the rain and the extreme heat. Nothing except a closed golf course will get in his way. For many people family is important and they will drive hours for the chance to be with family. When we allow things to get in the way of certain events and experiences we are sending the message that these events aren’t all that important to us. Consider the message that is sent when you allow games, family gatherings, and work from participating in weekly worship services. It says that all those things are more important than worshiping God.

That is the message of one of Jesus’ parables about the Kingdom of God and heaven. Through the parable Jesus tells us that heaven isn’t very important to many people.

This is the setting of the parable. It is the last week of Jesus’ life. On Sunday He came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, a symbol of a king, to the triumphant shouts of the people. On Monday Jesus, in righteous anger, cleared the Temple of the money changers and the animal sellers.

Now it is Tuesday morning and a group of religious leaders have come to ask Jesus by whose authority has He done these things. In response, Jesus asked them a question about the authority John the Baptizer, but they refused to answer Jesus’ question. Therefore Jesus refused to answer their question. Instead Jesus told them three parables to illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. In the last of these parables Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a wedding banquet. Not just any wedding banquet, but the wedding banquet of the Prince. Not only would this be a big event, but it would be an event that people who were loyal to the King and loved Him would want to attend.

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there ca man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:1-14; ESV)

In the culture that Jesus lived in wedding feasts were a big deal. They typically lasted several days. But because the way weddings were done the actual day the feast was to begin was a mystery. Invitations would be sent out by messengers informing them of the upcoming party so they could make plans to attend. As the day drew near messengers were once again dispatched to tell people that the feast was ready and to come immediately. So while the exact time may have not been known, the guests knew what was happening.

The image of a wedding feast was a frequent illustration used to symbolize the fellowship between the Messiah and his people and often the image of the Bridegroom is used to symbolize the bridegroom (The Chronological Life of Christ: From Galilee to Glory; p. 163; Mark Moore)

I love this image of the Kingdom of Heaven. I love spending time with my family because of the fun and conversation that happens over the dinner table. When I think about heaven this is what I think about. I think of relationships, story telling, laughter, and the enjoyment of one another. What a glorious feast that will be to be able to listen to the stories of Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and the countless other saints who will be there. In a lot of ways I can’t wait for that day. Yet, we can experience a little bit of that right now as we focus on relationships with each other rather than being distracted by the things of this world.

As we look at this parable we realize that the invitation to come was extended to many people, but only a few accepted that invitation. Not everyone was part of the banquet. This parable reveals two types of people.

The first type of people we are the outsiders, those who failed to become part of the wedding banquet, because they had something that was more important to them. In this group there really are three subgroups that we can focus on. First, you have the group that was invited to the feast, but refused to come because they had other obligations. Take a moment and consider the message that is sent by those who insist that they have something more important to do than to attend the wedding banquet of the prince of the kingdom? If they loved and honored the king would they respond such a way?

The second subgroup we meet in the parable are those who were originally invited to the banquet, but they responded in a hostile manner by beating up and killing the king’s messengers. These people don’t just love something else more than the king, but they hate the king, and they aren’t afraid to openly express their hatred. They are sending a clear message to the king. They have been given an honor, and they have rejected that honor with an act of hostility.

How does the King respond to these individuals? He sends in his army and wipes them out and burns their village. Isn’t that a little harsh? Remember these people have shown disrespect and contempt for the King. They are treasonous and can’t be trusted, they are likely to side with the King’s enemies. They have to be put down.

Let’s make a little application. Who are these people who had been invited to the wedding banquet of the King, but rejected the invitation? Originally these people were identified as Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah. They had the Old Testament Scriptures, heard His teachings, and saw His miracles and they killed Him.

Today, I think it can be extended to people who live in places where Christianity has influence. The message of Jesus has been easily available to them and there are churches in every community and they still reject Jesus and are at times very hostile and nasty about it. What Jesus tells us is that one day people who reject the invitation for life and turn their back on Him will be punished, and they will be punished harshly.

There still one type of person who misses out on the wedding banquet. That person is the man who doesn’t wear the right clothes.

Kings in ancient times would would often provide wedding garments for their guests. This man showed his lack of respect for the King by not wearing the clothes the King had provided. The result is that he is thrown outside with all the other people who did not properly accept the King’s invitation. Instead of joy they experienced misery. Instead of laughter the experienced sorrow and fear.

How does this apply today? There are many people in the Church who identify themselves as Christians. They may even put on a good religious show for people, but they have not put on the new nature God has made available to us by trusting in Jesus by being baptized and living a life of faith. In other words their lives, aside of a show of religion, are not any different from the world. So while they enjoy the fellowship of the Church on earth one day they will be thrown out and will miss the joys of heaven.

I like what William Barclay wrote about this group of people in his commentary:

“It reminds us that the appeal of Christ is not so much to consider how we will be punished as it is to see what we will miss, if we do not take his way of things. Those who would not come were punished, but their real tragedy was that they lost the joy of the feast. If we refuse the invitation of Christ, some day our greatest pain will lie, not in the things we suffer, but in the realization of the precious things we have missed.” (p. 268; The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew Volume 2)

What precious things will we miss out on by refusing Jesus’ invitation? Let’s take a look at the second type of people we find in the parable: the banquet attenders.

The first thing that jumps out at us is that these are people who were not originally invited to attend, but since the people on the first guest list decided to disrespect the King and were punished the wedding banquet was empty. So the King sent word for everybody to be invited. His messengers went out to invite everyone that they could find to come to the wedding. These aren’t the nobles and well to do people of the kingdom, but the workers and beggars and the other low people on the totem pole. The King is more concerned about a full house than the prestige of the attenders. Everyone willing to submit to the King’s wishes, including proper attire, can come to the feast. In this way the wedding hall is full and the sounds of laughter and fellowship fills the hall. These people have the chance to be with the King!

How does that apply to us today? It doesn’t matter who we are or what we have done, what matters is whether or not we will accept the invitation to the feast. Will we trust Jesus? Will we repent? Will we make the necessary changes in our lives? Will we put on the garments that God has provided us through Jesus?

Each of the wedding attenders had to make choices, they were not automatically accepted based on the invitation they received, they had to decide that this is where they wanted to be and trust that the King would provide what they needed to attend. Are you willing to go to heaven on God’s conditions?

In conclusion of this parable Jesus tells His listeners: For many are invited, but few are chosen. I have a question for you: Who are the ones who are chosen? Looking at the parable we realize that those who are chosen are the ones who accept the invitation. Not everyone is willing to accept the invitation: some have more important things to consume their lives, others hate God, and still others aren’t willing to put their complete trust in Jesus. They are not worthy of heaven and what God is prepared.

The ones who accepted the invitation aren’t anymore worthy to attend than those who refused, and in some ways you could say that they are less worthy because they were not the original guests, but they accepted the gracious invitation. It was their acceptance that made them worthy of what was being prepared. Remember we are not anymore worthy than anyone else to go to heaven, but because we have trust Jesus we are made worthy of what God has prepared for us.

This is what I want you to remember today: The joy of heaven awaits those who accept Jesus’ invitation. We can’t earn our way into heaven, we can’t love the things of this world more than God and His kingdom and expect to go to heaven, we can’t hate God and work against Him and thing Heaven awaits us, and we can’t expect to go to heaven if we are trusting our own good works. No, the only way we can be assured of Heaven is when we accept the invitation God has extended to us through Jesus, and trust Jesus enough to live our lives by faith.

Heaven isn’t based on our earthly success, it isn’t based on a religious life, but it is based on our faith in Jesus Christ, on our following Him everyday of our lives. What are you willing to do to get to heaven? Are you willing to trust Jesus with your life? Because that is how we accept the God’s invitation to His joyous feast of heaven.

Sunday Quote: Pass on Faith

"A man does well to remember that his duty is not only to himself, but also to his children and his children's children. If in our day the Church were to become enfeebled; if the Christian ethic were to be more and more submerged in the world; if the Christian faith were to be twisted and distorted; it would not only be we who were the losers, those of generations still to come would be robbed of something infinitely precious. We are not only the possessors but also the trustees of the faith. That which we have received, we must also hand on." ~ William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, p. 139

Joining God

If Christians are honest about prayer we would admit that it is often a hit or miss enterprise. There are times when it seems that there are more misses than they are hits, and when God does answer our prayers (at least the way we think He should) we use that one hit as absolute proof that prayer works. So let us be honest for a moment, aside from anecdotal evidence, there really is no solid evidence that prayer does anything in this world. In fact, there are times when prayer seems to raise more questions than it answers.

For example, when my dog, Barkley (who is all of 20 pounds), got hit by a big SUV in January I thought he was going to die. As I rode the fifteen miles to the vet’s office I started to pray and I called a few friends and family and asked them to pray; it was a short time later that Barkley started showing signs of life, and then I knew that he was going to be alright. I am convinced that prayer saved Barkley’s life, but I can’t prove that it did. I have no idea what would have happened if we didn’t pray and so all I can go on is my feeling (hardly the stuff evidence is made of).

Here is the question this event raises in my mind: If I say that God saved Barkley’s life through the few minutes of prayer of faithful people, why didn’t God save my Uncle Tim from cancer based on the months and months of many faithful people? I don’t know, and from our perspective it makes no sense that God would save the life of a dog, but not the life of a person. Even for faithful followers of Christ Jesus there is a mystery to prayer that we cannot explain, and yet we still pray. Why is that?

Part of the reason is because we understand that prayer is an act of faith. Prayer is appealing to our Heavenly Father, who is unseen (Matthew 6:6), to intercede on our behalf. Yes, to the unbeliever this seems to be an act of lunacy (talking to an invisible friend), but to the follower of Christ Jesus it is a way of connecting with our Heavenly Father.

A second reason why Christians pray is because we understand that prayer is essential in ushering in God’s Kingdom. We discover this in the middle of the model prayer that Jesus gave to us; “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10; ESV). We pray because we want to join God in the work He is doing in bringing life to people, opposing evil, comforting people who hurt, and restoring creation.

As we pray a transformation takes place in our lives. We realize that for God’s Kingdom to come, for His will to be done, we, who are called by His name, must choose to do it. So followers of Christ give money to bring food, medicine, and water to people who desperately need it. Christians leave the comfort of their homes to live among the hurting and brokenhearted to provide hope and help for those who have neither. Christ Followers establish hospitals, food pantries, colleges, and other charitable organizations in order to help the most people as possible. Through it all, the Christian understands that the greatest need people have is for the Gospel of Christ Jesus, and so we spend time telling others about the hope found in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Christians pray, not because they want to avoid doing the hard work of ministry, but because they realize the task of making a real difference in this world is bigger than what they can do in their own strength. We pray so we can join God in what He is doing in this world and be part of ushering in His Kingdom of light and love. Ultimately prayer is not about asking for a miracle, it is about joining God in the work He is already doing in the world.

Truth: Not the Most Important Thing

I want to begin by saying that I do appreciate what Steve Deace tries to do on his radio show, Deace in the Afternoon, on WHO radio in Des Moines. There are very few people who are so firmly rooted in their conviction as Deace is. I applaud him for trying to bring a Christian worldview to the airwaves of Iowa. That doesn’t mean that I am fan, because I am not. It is my opinion that Steve is rude, childish, and arrogant, which doesn’t serve the cause of Christ very well.

That being said I want to point out that Deace made an error on his radio program today. It isn’t the first time he has made it, which has led me to believe that it is what he truly believes. His error is the belief that truth is the most important thing. I agree that truth is important. We can all agree that it would foolish to follow something we knew to be a lie. Truth is essential and we need to pursue it the best that we can. The problem is that there is one thing, one element in life, that is more important that truth. That element is love. Consider what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (verses 1-3; ESV)

The apostle Paul makes it clear that it doesn’t matter what we do, say, or understand, because if we don’t love then it doesn’t mean a thing. Love is the key. Don’t miss understand, life would be meaningless if we had love, but did not have the truth, and so this is not an either or thing, but it is a priority thing. When it comes to influence, people will forget the arguments that we make, but they will remember the time we pour into their lives. Love not only builds the bridge over which truth travels, but it also adds credibility to the truth that we teach. Think of it this way: Love makes truth more effective.

When Jesus dictated to the apostle John the message that was to be read to the church at Ephesus, He focused on this issue of love and truth. Revelation 2:1-7 reads:

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:1-7; ESV)

Jesus finds many good things about this church family located in Ephesus. They were hard workers, they did not tolerate false teachings, they endured hardships, and they hated the works of the Nicolaitans. This was a church family that fought hard for truth and correct doctrine.

Despite all the good things they were doing, Jesus found something that was very wrong. The problem was so serious that Jesus warned them that if they did not repent then they would be removed from His presence. What was wrong with the Ephesian Church? Their problem was that they had lost their first love. They weren’t worshiping God like they should and this flowed into the reality that they were not loving people the way they should. They stood for truth, but that truth was meaningless because it wasn’t founded on love. Jesus doesn't tell them to give up the truth, but to return to love. Again we see that it is the combination of truth and love. The two go together.

To love doesn’t mean that we accept everyone and that we don’t hold people to standards, nor does it mean that we don’t confront those who are wrong or speak God’s Word to the world. It does mean that we do it with a humble heart, a gentle spirit, and a compassionate attitude. We have to be very aware that our conduct and our tone influence the way the truth is heard. The follow of Christ realizes his/her entire life is an exhibit of God’s love and truth.

Truth is important, but it is not the most important thing. What gives truth its power are not facts and arguments, but love. We can have correct doctrine and sacrifice our lives for the cause of Christ, but if we don’t have love then it means nothing. There are many important parts of the Christian life: truth, holiness, integrity, faith, and hope, but the greatest feature of Christianity is love.

*I want to point out that I updated this on April 14, 2009. I wrote the original in ten minutes on April 13 so I could post something before I went to bed, and I don’t think I was very fair to Steve Deace (even though it is very unlikely he will see this), and I wanted to revise my initial thoughts.

Sunday Quote: A First Fruits

"The New Testament writers speak as if Christ's achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the 'first fruits,' the 'pioneer of life.' He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because He has done so. This is the beginning of the New Creation: a new chapter in cosmic history has opened." ~ C. S. Lewis, The Joyful Christian, p. 65

Some Saturday Links

I have a busy day ahead of me: a wedding this afternoon as well as finishing up my sermon for tomorrow. Here are three links to articles/posts that I enjoyed this week. Have a great weekend.

What should I do to be successful in following Christ - Randy Alcorn

The Resurrection - Alister McGrath

Easter, Unedited - N.T. Wright

Irrational Me

{Psalm 95:7-9; ESV}

For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

Psalm 95 was part of my devotional reading this morning. When I read these three verses I was reminded how foolish Israel was while they were being set free and led to the Promise Land. They had seen the miracles of God, they had experienced God at work in the world around them, and they still did not trust Him. They didn’t trust His power or His goodness. Israel had every reason to put their faith in God, but they did not.

Truth be told that when I look at my life I am little better. It is always: God what have you done for me lately, rather than trusting God based on past experience. From the Bible, to the example of other Christians, answered prayer, and other experiences I have every reason to trust God with my life, but more often than not I neglect to take that next step of faith.

This irrationality of behavior is not just seen in the realm of faith, but in every area of people’s lives. Humans are just not very rational in their behaviors. It is seen in the person who continues to smoke, even though they have been told repeatedly that smoking is harmful and it is seen in the person who turns to the government to fix things in spite of the all the evidence the government ruins everything it touches.

Here are Vox Day’s thoughts on this subject:

“You need only look around to see hundreds of examples of totally irrational human behavior every single day. Indeed, you need only spend a moment of honest introspection to find dozens of examples in your own life. Perhaps you bought an Internet stock in late 1999, or are dating a girl who cheated on her last boyfriend with you. The chances are good that you spent tens of thousands of dollars on a college degree that not only cost you five years’ worth of wages and work experience, but has nothing to do with your job now. You probably vote in presidential elections even though it is statistically improbable and logically impossible for your one vote to have any impact on the final result. And yet despite the irrationality of your activities, you will continue to vote, invest, love, and live because you are not a robot, you are a human being. Man is not a rational animal, he is a rationalizing one who uses his intellect to construct reasons in post facto defense of his irrational desires” (The Irrational Atheist, pp. 264-5)

We are irrational because we are complex creatures made up of experiences, beliefs, education, emotions, and desires. Left at the mercy of these things are tossed to and for the changing winds that make up life. That is why we need a guide to help us hold course, even during the most turbulent of times. The Bible provides us with just such a guide, and if we commit to following it we will discover that even though we have bouts of irrationality, that our course will be undoubtedly more straight than the rest of the world.

Challenging Assumptions

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about a Christian’s involvement in politics. There are a few basic realities that play a part in this dilemma. I am a Christian, and that means that first and foremost my allegiance is with God and that I am a citizen of His Kingdom. Building off of that reality is that my responsibility as a citizen of God’s Kingdom is to bring other people into that Kingdom by pointing them to Jesus. Any thing that gets in the way of this primary responsibility of a Kingdom citizen needs to be thrown away.

This is why politics, at least for me, is such a tough issue. The nature of politics is division, which is broken down into different political parties and different political philosophies. Politics, therefore, often de-evolves into an us against them situations where emotions run high and reason is thrown out the window. For some people just the mere mention that you are a different political party causes the hair on the back of their neck stand up. At those times it doesn’t matter what you say, the other person is on the defensive and ready to fight. You can’t talk about Jesus if the other person already has you pegged as the enemy.

That is why following Jesus and politics has been such a dilemma for me. I enjoy politics and I understand that there is much at stake when it comes to the way we are governed, but I have also experienced how politics erects a wall that cut short an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation about Jesus.

In light of the same sex union (I refuse to call it marriage, it cannot be marriage unless God recognizes it as such, and so I am not going to surrender this word to the world) decision that the Iowa Supreme Court handed down on last Friday I have once again gotten the itch to talk politics. I am especially interested in the Constitution and how it helps govern us.

As I have been doing some reading that has fueled my thinking one quote I came across has stuck with me. I found this on a website devoted to Thomas Jefferson quotes, so I don’t know if Jefferson actually said this or what the context was for it, but Jefferson reportedly said (wrote), “Each generation needs a new revolution.”

What does this mean? I don’t think that Jefferson is advocating a revolution like the American Revolution every generation, but a challenging of ideas and assumptions of the older generation. Not truths, the little I have read of Jefferson, I think he recognized that there were certain fundamental truths which guided the world, but the beliefs held by people that need to be changed.

Let me throw out some examples so you can understand what I mean. In the political realm one assumption that needs to be challenged and overthrown for liberty to survive is the assumption of Judicial opinion becoming law. That is how we have arrived at abortion on demand and now same sex unions. The Constitution is very clear on how a bill becomes law, and even if you accept that the Courts void an unconstitutional law (which I don’t), it still requires Congress to pass a new bill and have that new bill passed by the president (or governor). The way it is right now there is nothing to stop the courts from taking away our rights based on their opinions.

Another assumption that we must challenge is the concept of a two party system. Far too many people are living without representation because they have no representation, because neither Republicans or the Democrats (which could be a single party as far as I am concerned) truly represent what they believe. I am one of them. The one guy that is representing me that I like is Representative Steve King, but he has dropped the ball on the issue of same sex unions. We need at least a third party, if not more, to break up the political monopoly the two corrupt parties have on the government.

A third assumption that we need to challenge is the idea of an income tax. I am not opposed to taxes, but the way the government taxes through the income tax is a breach of our liberty. There is no need for an average citizen of a free country to free the government, but that is what happens each and every year with taxes and the IRS. We have to make sure the every t is crossed and i is dotted or face the threat of an audit. That is crazy, and the fact that I founders opposed such a tax should tell us something as well.

The list could go on and on: the Fed, illegal wars, the war on drugs, etc. Hopefully you get the idea. If we the people don’t start stand up to the government and their abuses of the Constitution then sooner a later the opportunity to bring about a peaceful revolution will be gone.

So the government doesn’t feel like I am just picking on it, let me mention a few assumptions that we as American Christians need to challenge if we hope to regain influence in the country that we live in.

First, is that we are not fighting a culture war. We have made enemies and allowed the Church to shrink by fighting this so called war the last thirty years. The culture war has been a disaster for the Church. It is time we have moved on and got back to doing the work Christ has called us to do: make disciples.

A second assumption is the idea of being relevant. Sure, we should seek to present the Gospel in a relevant way, but that doesn’t mean that we have to consume ourselves with the trying to be like world. We win a dying world to Christ Jesus, not though being like the world, but by being radically different from the world. Let us stop consuming the entertainment of this world and start focusing on the truth God has given us, and how that is to play out in our lives.

A final assumption is the notion that following Jesus is not a religion, but a relationship. Please, following Jesus is a religion. Christianity provides the framework for which we come to know God. There are certain obligation God expects of us (look at Acts 2:42-47) and these are to be done in the structure that He has established. We have too many Christians who have their own “personal” Jesus, but they have never had a really encounter with the risen Lord (so, one wonders, are they really Christians?). Being part of a local Church and participating in that community of faith is essential for all people following Jesus.

Each generation has to rise up and challenge the assumptions and false beliefs of the generation before it. Time is ticking away, but there is still time for this generation to rise up in revolution and reclaim liberty and truth. If we don’t do it now it we might lose our chance.

Do You Doubt?

{James 1:5-8; ESV}

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Doubt is a killer of prayers. According to James the person who doubts should not expect his/her prayers to be answered by God. This revelation is troubling to me because I find it difficult, even in the best of times, to remove all doubt from my life. Perhaps you have been able to overcome the doubt in your life, but I am positive that there are many other Christians just like me who struggle with doubt in their lives.

To be honest this is a passage that I struggled with because I know my tendency to doubt. I wondered if I could ever have my prayers answered. While reading through A Chain of Jewels from James and Jude I was encouraged to learn that my understanding of the verse may not be what James intended. Donald Fream, the author wrote:

The doubter is here at variance with himself, unable to decide whether or not, or to what extent, he should put personal confidence in God. This is opposed to the faithful man here, who has confidence in God to the extent he believes God knows and God cares; and with this confidence he is ready to surrender to God’s knowledge and care. The man of faith does not have to know all the answers himself, for he has confidence in God (p. 24).

The key to understanding this passage is focusing on the comparison between the faithful man and the doubter. The man of faith does not have all the answers. In fact there are many things he does not understand, but based on what he does know and the experiences that he has had he places his confidence and trust in God. Faith is not about having all the answers, understanding how God will work, or being 100% certain. Faith is about surrendered our lives to God and trusting Him to do what is best.

The doubter then is not one who simply does not understand or is uncertain about how things will work out, but is the person who has not put complete trust in God. They move back and forth between trusting in God and working their own schemes. They are unsettled in what they believe and the commitment they have made.

This understanding has proved to be a great help. I freely admit that there are many things about God and the Bible I simply do not understand. There are things I wonder about, such as how God created the world and how Jesus’ death takes care of all the sins of all the people who believe in Him, but I still trust God. The key is not our knowledge or our understanding, but our commitment to our Creator and Savior. Just because we don’t understand how something will work out doesn’t mean we are doubters if we trust God to do what is best.

Called to Influence

{Matthew 5:13-16; ESV}

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”

Jesus, by using the metaphors of salt and light, called His followers to influence the world. We influence the world and impact the culture not by exercising political power, but through the way we live our lives. I would suggest to you that the reason the Church has lost her influence in the United States of America is because the people of God have not lived as the people of God. Instead we have lived life on the fence, taking what we liked from Christianity and what we liked from the world, and merging the two together. The result is that we have a sickly faith that influences no one.

Jesus warned us what would happen if we were not committed to being agents of influence in this world. Salt, Jesus said, that has lost its flavor is good for nothing. Therefore a church that is compromised with the world is good for nothing. In Revelation 3 Jesus tells the church family at Laodicea, a church that lost her ability to influence people, that He is going to spit them out of His mouth because they are lukewarm and good for nothing.

Likewise,we don't light a light and then cover it up, but we put the light in a place where it can shine for everyone to see. Too many American Christians don’t want to stand out, and so we hide, do our best to blend in with the culture around us. We watch the same TV shows and movies, listen to the same music, pursue the same goals, and have the same amount of debt. No wonder the Church has lost her influence in the world! We, who claim to follow Christ Jesus, are no different from the rest of the world.

If we are going to influence the world it isn’t going to happen because we get more involved in the politics of this world (We have tried that for the last thirty years, and what has it gotten us?), or by seeking to be more relevant by telling people what they want to hear. It is going to happen when the people of God finally live like the people of God, and in the process show a dying world living in darkness that there is a better way to live.


I want you to consider something Henry Blackaby wrote:

“But my heart cry is to say it is crucial that we hold ourselves accountable to a life of holiness—that if we walk righteously, there will come a response from God. Our lives will be a highway over which God shall come” (Holiness, p. 90)

The reality that the Church has lost her influence in our culture leaves me to conclude that we, the people of God, have not lived lives of holiness. In other words we have not been the salt of the earth or the light of the world.

If we are going to be agents of influence in this world, salt of the earth and light of the world, then it will begin by changing the way we live our lives. We need to limit our TV watching, to get out of debt, to intentionally serve people, to reorder our priorities. Remember: We can’t influence the world if we live just like the world. What our country needs are people who set themselves apart from the world and follow Jesus. By following Jesus and being guided by the Spirit we become agents of change in this world. That is the life that Jesus has called us to live.

The Constitution, Same Sex Marriage, Judicial Opinion, and Law

On Friday April 3, 2009 the Supreme Court of Iowa ruled that the Iowa Law that essential defined marriage as between one man and one woman unconstitutional according to the Iowa State constitution. It was indeed an historic decision, and people on both sides of the issue are very emotional about the outcome.

Being a Christian and a Libertarian there are two sides of this issue that I have to consider. The first side of the issue is figuring out how the Church can best reach out to homosexuals with the Gospel. This is what I told my congregation on Sunday:

This ruling is one more piece of evidence that we are living in a culture that has rejected traditional Christian morals, morals which have been the foundation of our culture for a very long time. We have to stop and ask ourselves: Why is the culture rejecting Christian morality? Why are 3 out of 4 Christian youth leaving the faith once they leave home? Why has church attendance dropped in this country from an average of 75 people per week in 1998 to 70 people per week in 2008? Why do 67% of Americans say that religion has lost or is losing its influence in this country?

Besides asking those questions we have to think about how we are to reach out to homosexuals. The Church has done a very poor job in this area. We have either ignored them, and hoped that they would just go away, or we have made them feel that because they were homosexuals they were going to burn in hell. This should be a wake up call for us, because we have been called to reach out to all people and help them understand that their true identity is found in Christ Jesus. We have to help them discover life, the life God created them to live, without compromising God’s Word.

This is my main concern. I want people, regardless of who they are or what they have done, to find freedom, forgiveness, love, and life by following Jesus Christ. The Church needs to build bridges rather than erect walls when it comes to these very controversial issues.

The second side, and what I want to focus on today, is the constitutional issue. Our freedoms are protected by the Constitution. From whom are our freedoms protected? Our freedoms are protected from the government by the Constitution, so it is very important that we hold the government accountable to the Constitution, whether it is at the national level or the state level. When the government ignores the Constitution what results is the loss of freedom and eventually tyranny .

Through constitutional ignorance we have allowed the government to ignore the Constitution, and the result has been that our liberties and Constitutional protections are slowly taken away from us. A great example of this constitutional ignorance at work is seen in this historic decision by the Iowa Supreme Court which called Iowa’s marriage law unconstitutional.

In light of that ruling the government agencies are racing around to change documents so that the paper work will be ready for same sex couples to marry in Iowa. People have assumed, from the governor to the legislators to the news media to the average citizen, that now the law of the State of Iowa is that marriage is either between a man and a woman or a same sex couple. The problem is that no law stating that has been passed. All that has happened is that the court has ruled on Iowa’s current marriage law, and their opinion is that the Iowa law is unconstitutional.

If we were really following the Constitution the next step that is to happen is that Congress is to review the law in question. Upon their review of the law they can do one of two things: 1) they can say they disagree with the court’s opinion and affirm that the law is indeed constitutional or 2) they can agree with the court’s opinion and make the needed changes to make it constitutional.

Yet the process doesn’t end there. If Congress follows option number 2 and makes the changes, then the governor, or the president, can either reject and veto the bill because he thinks the original law is constitutional, or he can sign the new bill into law.

Once the new bill is law, if an average citizen has a problem with it, they can take it before the Supreme Court for a review. The Court can then give their opinion on the new law. This way a law is constantly under the threat of Judicial review. A judicial opinion isn’t under that type of threat, that is why it is so important for Congress to properly respond to the Court’s opinions, our freedoms are protected when a law has the potential of being reviewed.

If Congress follows option number 1 then the law, which the court has ruled unconstitutional, can once again be thrown into the lap of the court. This can go back and forth and back and forth, but here is where we, the people, can step in. If we agree with the court that the law is unconstitutional we can vote for candidates who agree with us and promise to change the law. After all our congress people represent us. When we follow constitutional procedure the voice of the people is heard, rather than the voice of special interest groups with money to spend.

The reason that same sex marriage is becoming legal in the state of Iowa isn’t because the voice of the people was heard on the issue, but because the Iowa State Congress is too gutless to follow through with their Constitutional responsibility. Judicial Opinion is not law, it is merely a recommendation about the constitutionality of a law. A recommendation that Congress can listen to or they can affirm the constitutionality of the existing law. Either way the ball should be back in the court of Congress.

The real tragedy of the Iowa Supreme Court ruling isn’t that homosexuals are given the right to marry (if that is the will of the people then it will be law), it is that the Constitution is ignored and a legal opinion, something the people have no say in, is on its way to becoming law. Not only does it become law, but it becomes a law that cannot be challenged, because there is no actual bill that has passed legislative procedure to challenge.

There is every reason to be sadden by the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision. Don’t be sad that a small group of people were granted a right, but be saddened that we have allowed the government once again to ignore the Constitution. Remember, by ignoring the Constitution the government cannot only grant rights, they can also take your rights away.

“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” ~ James Madison

* From now on I will not use marriage in relation to same sex unions. A union can only be called a marriage if it is recognized by God as such, and same sex unions aren't marriages in God's sight, regardless of what the State wants to call them.

Sunday Quote: Accountable to God's Word

"One of the great deterrents to revival and awakening is that we do not hold ourselves accountable. We read the Word of God but do not hold ourselves accountable to see it implemented in our lives." ~ Henry Blackaby, Holiness, p. 78

Jesus' Tears and Anger

{Luke 19:41-48; NLT}

But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to cry. "I wish that even today you would find the way of peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from you. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you. They will crush you to the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you have rejected the opportunity God offered you." Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants from their stalls. He told them, "The Scriptures declare, `My Temple will be a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

All during his ministry, Jesus challenged the people to repent and adopt a new way of thinking. Jesus challenged their thinking in two ways. The first way he challenged typical Jewish thinking was by insisting that merely being physical descendants of Abraham was enough. Jesus wanted them to know that physical heritage was of little value and what mattered the most was a person’s faith. The second way that Jesus challenged the belief of the Jews was by teaching that the Messiah was not an earthly king. The purpose of the Messiah was not to save Israel from the Romans, but to save all of humanity from sin. The Jews wanted to renew the kingdom of David, but Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God.

The fact is that the majority of the Jews did not listen to what Jesus was saying, because it went against what their religion had established. This fact caused Jesus great emotional pain, because he loved these people, but they would not turn from their evil ways. These first Century Jews were very comfortable with the religion that had been established for them, and not all of them were willing to take the step of faith and follow Jesus.

In this passage we see two different incidents that show the distress Jesus experienced. The first incident took place as Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem. Jesus looked down on the city and began to cry. The reason for Jesus’ tears came from His knowledge of what was going to happen to Jerusalem. In 70 A.D. the Romans brought siege against the city. The result of the siege was that the majority of the population died of hunger, and the rest died when the Romans demolished what was left of the city. This was the punishment God delivered because the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus looked down on Jerusalem, and knowing the tragedy of the future, cried over the city full of people whom he loved, but refused to accept Him as their Savior.

The second incident is Jesus clearing the temple. To some this is a very difficult passage, because Jesus seems to act out of character. We talk so often of the loving and compassionate Jesus, that reading about Jesus being angry and chasing men and animals just seems out of place for the Jesus we think we know so well.

Taking time to look at the context this incident makes more sense. Jesus was disturbed because the Jews did not recognize who he was, and the main reason is because of the Jewish religious leaders. These leaders had corrupted the Law and the prophets by adding to them and making the Law impossible to bear. The focal point of this corruption was the Temple, a place that was to be set aside for worship God. With the emphasis placed on sacrifices, the proper sacrifices, the religious leaders took advantage of people and made the outer courtyards a marketplace. Money was exchanged and animals we sold. The leaders made a profit, the common people were able to sacrifice, but real spiritual help was not offered. The sacrifices were meaningless to a God who desired daily obedience over countless animal sacrifices. Jesus was distressed because the Jewish leaders were more interested in making a profit than they were in being the Spiritual leaders Israel needed.

Is Jesus distressed with you? Does Jesus cry over your future, or does He rejoice because of your continued obedience? These are important questions to ponder.

Freedom from Fear

Growing up on a farm gave me opportunity to face a few of my fears. One summer I had to face two of my greatest fears at the same time: heights and rats. We had a big white rat infested barn and that summer I was required to go into the barn, climb a ladder, walk along a 2x4, descend into the right bin, and shovel oats into a bucket to feed the horse. While I don’t remember seeing a rat (though I made sure I tucked my pant legs into my boots to prevent any running up my leg) and didn’t come close to breaking my neck I still get chills thinking about it. The truth of the matter is that I allowed my imagination to make it worse than it really was.

Fear is a common experience that we all feel. We are afraid of different things and some of us carry around more fear than others, no one has been able to escape the grip of fear. Whether it is the fear of rats or the fear of public speaking or the fear of the dark fear is a part of our lives.

When we examine our fears we realize that some of them are very practical. For instance a fear of heights will make us cautious when we are high above the ground. A fear of drowning will help us take the proper precautions when we are out on the water. One of the benefits of fear is to help us identify dangerous situations.

That is probably why our irrational fears seem so rational to us. These fears make us think about the worst that can happen, no matter how improbable that outcome may be. The result is that we avoid doing things because we are afraid of consequences that probably will never happen. Thus we miss out on the experience of God working through us because we are too afraid to live a life of faith.

Fear has the ability to consume us and hold us as slaves. The chains of fear prevent us from following Jesus to the place He wants us to go. Consider what Erwin McManus wrote in his book Uprising; “You cannot walk by faith and live in fear. You cannot walk with God and not face your fears” (p. 89). Living in fear will hold us back from living the life God created us to live.

Jesus told His followers that He came to give people abundant life (John 10:10b). We like to claim that promise, but we often ignore what Jesus said right before that. He told us that there was a thief and he was out to steal, kill, and destroy our lives (John 10:10a). I believe that fear is one of the tools Satan uses to steal and destroy the life God has given to us. Fear is a life robber.

If we are going to live the abundant life that Jesus has promised us then we have to live lives of courage. How do we do that? How does a person live a life of courage as the fear of living alone for the first in 35 years becomes overwhelming and the pain of grief is consuming the heart? How does a person live with courage when the back account is empty and the fear of not being able to provide for their family sends them into isolation even from the very family they love? How does a person live with courage when talking to people causes a sense of dread that has them freezing up in even the most causal of conversations and prevents them from serving the way they know God has called them to serve?

I am afraid there are no sure fire remedies, but as a fellow prisoner of fear let me offer a few words of advice that have helped me as I have faced my fears.

I know that it sounds clichéd but I think the first and most important thing we can do when our lives are full of fear is to pray. The apostle Peter reminds us; 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6, 7; ESV). When we pray about our fears I don’t think we should ask God to remove our fears, but rather I think I we should ask God to provide us with wisdom and courage so we can manage and work through our fears. If we ask God to remove our fear then we are liable to be disappointed. God uses our fear to build our trust in Him and to develop our character. Instead of asking God to remove our fear we should ask God for wisdom and strength so we use our fear to become more like the people He created us to be.

A second piece of advice I would like to offer you is to develop friendships. One of the things I have noticed about the fear I have had in my life is that I have nurtured it by isolating myself from other people. It is when I am lonely and isolated from others that I become overwhelmed with fear. By isolating myself I allow fear to consume my life.

We need people. This is one of the truths Solomon came to realize as he pondered life. This is what he wrote:

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; ESV)

Making an effort to be with people has always been a source of encouragement to me. Even if I never tell them about the fear that is dwelling in my heart their presence brings hope and courage to my heart. When we have people by our sides it is much easier to face the fears that are haunting our lives.

One last word of advice that I would give is to remember the big picture. My fears grow and multiply when I focus on the right now. We all live in the immediate and by doing so we can forget not only what God has done in the past, but also the promise God has made for the future. We need to remember that this life isn’t all there is, there is more. Jesus said:

4 “But I tell you, my friends, never be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can't do anything more. 5 I'll show you the one you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after killing you. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him! (Luke 12:4-5; ISV)

One of the things Jesus meant by this is that we shouldn’t be fearful of the things right now because they are temporary. Once we are dead those things will cease to hold any terror for us. Instead of allowing our lives to be consumed by fear with the here and now we need to set our eyes on heaven. The hope of heaven should help us manage our fears.

Jesus came to give us abundant life, but we have an enemy who wants to destroy that life. Fear is one of the weapons in his arsenal to take away our life. When we succumb to our fears we are letting Satan steal our lives. God doesn’t want us to live in fear, but to live with courage and faith. Paul reminded Timothy about the nature of the spirit God has given Christians: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7; ISV). Fear is not part of God’s plan for your life.

Fear will always be a part of your life, but it doesn’t have to define your life. It is possible to face your fears if you are willing to be honest with God in prayer, be intentional about being with other people, and nurturing your hope for heaven. Don’t let fear rob you of life any longer.

Be Holy!

{1 Peter 1:13-16; ESV}

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, You shall be holy, for I am holy.

Becoming the person God created us to be isn’t easy nor does it happen overnight. It is the result of God’s grace and Spirit working in our lives as we continue to surrender our lives to Him. There is this mysterious mix of God’s power and our choices which come together to transform our lives. While we are powerless to be changed by our own effort, there are certain choices that God demands that we make.

One of those choices that we must make is found in 1 Peter 1:13-16. God calls us to be holy, just as He is holy. What does it mean that we are to be holy? To be holy means we that just as God is morally pure, upright, and sinless were are strive to live our lives in the same way. Yes, I realize that it is impossible for us to live holy lives, but holiness must be our goal, the direction to which we orient our lives.

I think too many of us ask ourselves the question: What can I get away with and still be considered a Christian? We view holiness as a line, and as long as we stay on right side of the line we will be fine, and so we spend our lives tight rope walking an imaginary line all the while wondering why we aren’t growing in our faith. The reason is because holiness is not a line, but it is a direction that we walk. If we are truly dedicated to holiness we will not wonder about what we can get away with, rather we will follow Jesus to the life God has prepared for us to live. Holiness is a characteristic of true life.

How do we follow Jesus in the direction of holiness? Peter provides us with four actions that help us on the journey of holiness. It is interesting to note that three of the four actions have to deal with our minds. This should remind us that holiness isn’t just about what we do, but that it begins with our thoughts and attitudes. Our character is the product of what we spend our time thinking about.

The first action that we are to do is to prepare our minds for action. Remember the call of God is not just to salvation, but also to service. This service, as Peter will point out in 1 Peter 2:9, includes being God’s priests. We are called to point other people to God, to pray on their behalf, and to serve them in the name of God. In order to do this correctly requires that we prepare our minds for the task before us. I would like to suggest two ways we can prepare our minds. The first way is to take the focus off ourselves and to place it on Jesus. The writer of Hebrews tells us to focus on Jesus as we run the race of faith (Hebrews 12:2), and so we have to keep in mind who Jesus is, what He taught, and what He did for us. This brings me to the second way we prepare our minds and that is by putting God’s Word into our lives. Too many of us have our minds filled with music, movies, and television shows that ultimately dishonor God. We need to fill our minds with what is good, pure, and truthful so we can be prepared for what lies ahead.

The second action Peter mentions is that we are to be sober-minded. This means that we need to choose to be clear headed. Not only do we have to be abstain from drunkenness, which clouds the mind, but we have to keep a proper perspective on things. Often we allow our emotions to cloud our thinking, and we make poor choices because of it. Being sober-minded requires us not only to keep from being drunk or high, but it also requires us to have a proper foundation for making decisions. That means that we allow God’s Word to guide and direct us rather than our constantly changing emotions. God’s Word will consistently point us in the right direction, while our emotions will have has being tossed back and forth by the wind of our desires.

The third action is that we are to set our hope on the grace of God. Our hope isn’t found in our goodness or knowledge, but in God’s wonderful and amazing grace. This is so very important because we can’t measure up to God’s standard of holiness. We can’t be holy as He is holy without help. That help is found in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the ultimate expression of God’s grace. We are only holy because of Jesus, and if we are going to become holy we have to follow Him. Thank God holiness doesn’t depend on us, because I would have given up a long time ago! My hope isn’t on my efforts, but in God’s grace.

The fourth and last action that Peter gives us as we strive for holiness is obedience. Part of obedience is staying away from evil. We are not to conform to the ways of the world, rather we are to be different. Part of not conforming is to have a different standard for living and for judging right and wrong. What is to be our standard? Our standard is to be God’s Word. I will guarantee that you will be conformed to standard of the world if you do not make an effort of know and obey God’s Word. Obedience is more than not conforming, it is also about completing the tasks given to us. If we are obedient children then we will love God and love people, we will serve our neighbors, we will worship God, and we will make disciples. In other words we will seek ways to give our lives away in service to God.

The reason most of us don’t live holy lives is because we are concerned with how close we can get to the line of sin without crossing, and in the end we stunt our spiritual growth. In the end we prevent ourselves from living the lives God created us to live. We are called to be holy, just as God is holy, and that requires moving away from the line and following Jesus as He leads us to true and everlasting life.

• Point to Ponder: Holiness is not a line, but a direction.
• Questions to Consider: Are your thoughts moving you toward holiness or toward sin? Is holiness a goal in your life? Why has God called us to be holy? What is a step you can take today that will move you towards holiness?
• Prayer to Pray: Holy God, thank You for being merciful and gracious. I haven’t been holy and I haven’t desired holiness in my life. Forgive me from being ungrateful of Your gift of life, and help me to prepare my mind for action, to remain sober-minded, to keep my hope on Your grace, and to be an obedient child. Guide me along the path of holiness….