I am sitting at home sick as I write this. I am suffering from some sort of seasonal bug. This gave me more time in bed this morning to cycle through the various news channels and I have come to realize that I am weary of political rhetoric that is nothing more than competitive banter for votes to help gain some of the most powerful positions in America. They present themselves as all-knowing. If you need an answer to life's problems, ask a politician . . . it seems as though they are full of answers. These answers however fail to identify and address the real problems of life. They are so busy "campaigning" that it seems they haven't taken the time to slow down and ponder the depths of the fallen human condition that ultimately is the cause of much of this nation's anguish and despair. It is also a main point of contention and division. Instead, they build their ideas and make their plans under the faulty assumption that they are are "the next saviors" of our nation.
The greatest problem in our nation is not foreign policy, the war on terror, or the economy. Our main problem is a spiritual one that affects all that we are (how we think, speak, & live) (Rom. 3:10;23;6:23). Why are politicians so afraid of speaking this truth? It is because they have their eyes set on the wrong prize. Their foundation is wrong and their goal is wrong (Judges 17:6; Prov. 14:12). Thus the result will be wrong and life with all of its technological advancement will continue to give way to the moral depravity that is the bane of all people everywhere.
The hope is not in governments, politicians, and political schemes that breed corruption. The Hope for us, our families, this nation and the world is Jesus (1 Tim. 1:1; Col. 1:27). I hate to disappoint all of the politicians but there is only ONE SAVIOR (Rom. 5:8; John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12). Jesus is the prize we ought to live for (Heb. 12:2; Phil. 3:14) and the one we will all give an accounting to (Heb. 9:27; Rom. 14:10; Rev. 20:11-15).
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Following Jesus
I recall playing the game “follow the leader” as a child. Whatever the leader did, we did. For the Christian, following our leader is a way of life. Jesus commanded us to make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that He commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). He also stated that our love for Him is measured by our obedience to His commands (John 14:15). When a rich man asked about eternal life, Jesus told him to sell all that he had, give it to the poor and follow Him (Luke 18:18-23). The Apostle Paul understood this principle when he wrote, “follow me as I follow Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1) and “. . . not I but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). In Philippians Paul clearly states that his life was consumed by Christ and the desire to live for Him surrendering all that he had.
So what is the point? Well there are several implications of being a true Christian.
The first is that we are not our own, we have been purchased by Christ (1 Cor. 6:19-20). This means that He is our Master and we are to seek Christ in all things. Stop dictating to Jesus and start asking what He wants. Stop asking Him to bless your plans and start obeying the plan He has already established.
The second is that we are to love God and others above ourselves (Matt 22:37-40; Phil 2).
This means we share our faith and our lives with others. We need to seek to be involved in the lives of others teaching them what it means to love and follow Christ. Start getting involved in the lives of others. Tell them about Jesus, meet their genuine needs, feel their pain, celebrate their joy, tell them the stuff they don’t want to hear but need to hear and hold them to it. Remind them constantly of God’s love by showing it.
The third is that we are to follow our leader, the Lord Jesus where He is leading and doing what He leads us to do. How do we know where or what that is? We pray, seek the scriptures, and pay attention. We often follow Jesus when it is convenient, but the truth is, that truly following Jesus most of the time is all about inconvenience, discomfort, and sacrifice.
There are many who claim to follow Jesus. Just like the rich man in Luke 18, they do “good things” and want to find a way to have eternal life while at the same time keep their stuff, schedules, priorities, wants, comforts, and conveniences. They want to be Christ followers without following Christ as leader. This may appear legalistic but Jesus referred to it as freedom. We are free from the sin that keeps us from following Christ and we are left with an abiding love for Him. Following Christ is less of a “have to” and more of a “get to”, this is the nature of grace.
Who or what are you following? What do you need to give up or lay down to follow Christ, loving Him and others? May we “be” the church that Christ has saved us to be so that we can “do” what Christ has commanded us to do.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
God Wins!
Pastor Rob Bell (Mars Hill Church, MI) has sparked new controversey with his book Love Wins. Although I have not read the book, I have watched interviews that Rob has done that deal with the contents of the book. One such interview can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg-qgmJ7nzA . In a nutshell, Rob has come to believe that there is no literal hell and that eventually everyone makes it to heaven because . . . well . . . God's love wins. Really?
Bell's theological belief seems to be a mixture of inclusivism and universalism. It is nothing new and comes in various shades and colors but the premise is the same. Everyone makes it. That's right, God -haters, fornicators, atheists, murderers, slanderers, liars,and adulterers and even cruel and harsh dictators. The reasons for this false belief gaining popularity are numerous. Ultimately though, they all relate to how we deal with truth.
With the rise of postmodern and post-christian thought and culture, truth has fallen from its perch as an absolute standard by which everything is governed and measured to a relative one (every individual and group or "tribe" as Rob calls them, has the freedom to define truth and experience for themselves). There is also the theological "problem" of evil, pain, and suffering and it begins with a question like, "How can God send people to hell who have suffered so much in this life?", or "How can God send someone to hell who has never heard the Gospel?". While these are important questions to ask, we do not have the freedom to define our own answers and call it truth. This however, is exactly what Rob and others have and are doing. They twist the Scripture and cheapen the gospel to accomodate what "feels good" and is what would be acceptable to the general public. After all, the alternative according to Bell is billions going to hell and a select few making it to heaven and well . . . that's just not right and God is not that mean, He's loving.
This whole "no worries" ideology is not based in scripture. It is true that the Scriptures declare that " . . .God is love" (1 John 4:8) and that "God loves the world . . ." (John 3:16). The Scriptures also declare that God is Holy (Isaiah 6, 1 Peter 1) and will pour out His wrath on the wicked (Rev. 16), and will cast those whose names are not found in the Book of Life into the lake of fire (Rev. 20). John 3 declares that except a person be born again by the Spirit of God he/she will not see the kingdom of God and that humanity is under condemnation apart from Christ. Paul in 1 Corinthians states that the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. God has many attributes as revealed in the Scripture: He is Holy, Just, Righteous, Pure, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Patient, Loving, Kind, Merciful, Angry, Wrathful, and Veangeful to name a few. Just because we struggle with what appears to us to be conflict in these attributes does not mean that there is nor does it give us the right to re-write scripture and re-define God in the way we choose for this is a violation of God's law (Exodus 20:1-6).
It is not love that wins but God who wins for the victory over sin has already been won by Jesus through His atoning work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. The Salvation of humanity from sin is not a mandate but an invitation and while the atonement satisfies the sin debt of all of humanity it must be appropriated by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Even though Jesus has paid it all doesn't mean that all will be saved and according to Romans 1 there are no excuses. We need to get back in our Bibles and not give in to false teaching in books like The Shack and God Wins that attempt to re-define God for us but offer a hodgepodge of contradiction, chaos, and no viable purpose for morality!
Bell's theological belief seems to be a mixture of inclusivism and universalism. It is nothing new and comes in various shades and colors but the premise is the same. Everyone makes it. That's right, God -haters, fornicators, atheists, murderers, slanderers, liars,and adulterers and even cruel and harsh dictators. The reasons for this false belief gaining popularity are numerous. Ultimately though, they all relate to how we deal with truth.
With the rise of postmodern and post-christian thought and culture, truth has fallen from its perch as an absolute standard by which everything is governed and measured to a relative one (every individual and group or "tribe" as Rob calls them, has the freedom to define truth and experience for themselves). There is also the theological "problem" of evil, pain, and suffering and it begins with a question like, "How can God send people to hell who have suffered so much in this life?", or "How can God send someone to hell who has never heard the Gospel?". While these are important questions to ask, we do not have the freedom to define our own answers and call it truth. This however, is exactly what Rob and others have and are doing. They twist the Scripture and cheapen the gospel to accomodate what "feels good" and is what would be acceptable to the general public. After all, the alternative according to Bell is billions going to hell and a select few making it to heaven and well . . . that's just not right and God is not that mean, He's loving.
This whole "no worries" ideology is not based in scripture. It is true that the Scriptures declare that " . . .God is love" (1 John 4:8) and that "God loves the world . . ." (John 3:16). The Scriptures also declare that God is Holy (Isaiah 6, 1 Peter 1) and will pour out His wrath on the wicked (Rev. 16), and will cast those whose names are not found in the Book of Life into the lake of fire (Rev. 20). John 3 declares that except a person be born again by the Spirit of God he/she will not see the kingdom of God and that humanity is under condemnation apart from Christ. Paul in 1 Corinthians states that the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. God has many attributes as revealed in the Scripture: He is Holy, Just, Righteous, Pure, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Patient, Loving, Kind, Merciful, Angry, Wrathful, and Veangeful to name a few. Just because we struggle with what appears to us to be conflict in these attributes does not mean that there is nor does it give us the right to re-write scripture and re-define God in the way we choose for this is a violation of God's law (Exodus 20:1-6).
It is not love that wins but God who wins for the victory over sin has already been won by Jesus through His atoning work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. The Salvation of humanity from sin is not a mandate but an invitation and while the atonement satisfies the sin debt of all of humanity it must be appropriated by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). Even though Jesus has paid it all doesn't mean that all will be saved and according to Romans 1 there are no excuses. We need to get back in our Bibles and not give in to false teaching in books like The Shack and God Wins that attempt to re-define God for us but offer a hodgepodge of contradiction, chaos, and no viable purpose for morality!
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