My wife's clock radio is set for 91.5 - Bott Radio Network. So every morning I hear some of the preaching that comes over the airwaves. But I also hear advertisements for businesses in the St. Louis area. Occasionally, I'll hear one of these business claim to be a Christ-centered, or Christian run business. I wonder, is this a good idea?
Why would a business promote itself as a Christ-centered business? Since these ads are on a Christian radio show, they may assume that Christians would trust that business more and be more inclined to do business with them. Okay. Maybe. Do we need them to claim this or is their presence on the station enough? Also, does this same business promote itself as a Christ-centered business when they advertise on a secular radio station?
Many Christian-owned businesses put the fish symbol on billboards or print advertisements. I think even most non-Christians in the US know what this symbol means. Is this a wise move?
What if it turns away non-Christians? That is a missed opportunity to witness and show the love of Christ by being a trustworthy business to a non-Christian.
And what about follow-through?. I've done business with one company that advertised on Bott Radio Network and I won't do business with them again. It's not that they displayed non-Christian behavior, but they just weren't that good at what they did. Was my expectation too high? Was my assumption that if this is a Christian run business I should expect high quality a bad one?
And what about that business who advertises as a Christ-centered business and not all their employees exhibit Christ-like behavior? What does this say to the non-Christian?
Here are some verses that tangentially address the vague point I'm trying to make.
Proverbs 10:2 - Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death.
Proverbs 15:27 - He who profits illicitly troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.
These two are pretty obvious. If someone is advertising as a "Christ-centered" business just to get Christian business, but they don't really live up to those values, then may God have mercy on them.
1Corinthians 9:14-15 - So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel. But I have used none of these things And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.
These verses are a more subtle, but where I would apply this to business is if a business advertises themselves as a Christ-centered business, they better deliver, both in terms of quality and behavior of their employees. Otherwise, it becomes an empty boast and the Gospel message is corrupted. So, why boast at all? A good quality product and Christ-like service / behavior will be blessed by God and thus they should not have to promote themselves as "serving the Master" (one way I've heard it). It should be obvious to anyone that does business with them.
But on the other hand...
Philippians 1:18 - What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Social Gospel
For my mother's birthday, we bought her a brood of chicks. No, she won't actually take physical possession of these baby chickens. Instead, we purchased them through Heifer International in her name to be given to a poor family in a developing nation. This family will raise the chicks and eat and/or sell the eggs from them.
This was actually a small gift to an organization that exists to help equip the world's poor with ways to produce food. A noble cause and worthy of a Christian's support. Right?
Let me tell you another story. When I was a new Christian, I went on a mission trip to a Central American country with an organization that called themselves a Christian organization. Their mission is to help families build houses and to feed children at the schools. The mission trip was pretty much a tour of what they do, though we did spend one day in the mountains delivering food to starving people.
We were able to give the Gospel in several of the schools we visited. But when we asked the president of this organization why they were not more evangelistic, his reply was that he had agreed not to be evangelistic so that they would not offend anyone.
Wait a minute! Offend someone? This supposed Christian organization is giving people new houses and food and they are afraid to offend someone by telling them about Jesus Christ.
This group has bought into the concept of the social gospel. They hang their hat on Matthew 25:34-40. But they ignore the five times, once in each Gospel letter and once in Acts, that Jesus tells his followers to go into all the nations and preach the Gospel.
This organization believes that by doing good, or in their words, "modeling the actions of Jesus" they will win souls to Christ.
One big problem. Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." People need to hear the Gospel.
for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:13-15).
People must hear the Gospel. Our question to this organization was what good is it to give them temporary earthly relief, but to allow them to suffer for all eternity in hell. That's not being a responsible Christian.
The point of all this? As a Christian, you need to be aware of where your money is going and what the mission of the organization is that you're donating to. There are some great organizations out there that combine physical comfort with spreading the Gospel - telling people about Christ. Organizations such as World Vision and Samaritan's Purse are two great examples.
People are not saved by what we do. What we do may earn us the right to tell someone about Jesus. But, we must tell them.
Therefore, go and tell.
This was actually a small gift to an organization that exists to help equip the world's poor with ways to produce food. A noble cause and worthy of a Christian's support. Right?
Let me tell you another story. When I was a new Christian, I went on a mission trip to a Central American country with an organization that called themselves a Christian organization. Their mission is to help families build houses and to feed children at the schools. The mission trip was pretty much a tour of what they do, though we did spend one day in the mountains delivering food to starving people.
We were able to give the Gospel in several of the schools we visited. But when we asked the president of this organization why they were not more evangelistic, his reply was that he had agreed not to be evangelistic so that they would not offend anyone.
Wait a minute! Offend someone? This supposed Christian organization is giving people new houses and food and they are afraid to offend someone by telling them about Jesus Christ.
This group has bought into the concept of the social gospel. They hang their hat on Matthew 25:34-40. But they ignore the five times, once in each Gospel letter and once in Acts, that Jesus tells his followers to go into all the nations and preach the Gospel.
This organization believes that by doing good, or in their words, "modeling the actions of Jesus" they will win souls to Christ.
One big problem. Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." People need to hear the Gospel.
for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:13-15).
People must hear the Gospel. Our question to this organization was what good is it to give them temporary earthly relief, but to allow them to suffer for all eternity in hell. That's not being a responsible Christian.
The point of all this? As a Christian, you need to be aware of where your money is going and what the mission of the organization is that you're donating to. There are some great organizations out there that combine physical comfort with spreading the Gospel - telling people about Christ. Organizations such as World Vision and Samaritan's Purse are two great examples.
People are not saved by what we do. What we do may earn us the right to tell someone about Jesus. But, we must tell them.
Therefore, go and tell.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
What Does Christianity Look Like?
To answer that question, first read this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373
Then, read this: http://deltackett.com/2009/01/08/cheering-for-the-underdog/.
"For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:35-40
Any questions?
Then, read this: http://deltackett.com/2009/01/08/cheering-for-the-underdog/.
"For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:35-40
Any questions?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Can You Be a Liberal and Be a Christian?
Last night someone said that she is a Christian, but her family calls her the unchristian Christian in their family because she is liberal. She did not detail her liberalness, but left it at that.
If someone claims to be a liberal and believe what liberal's believe, can they be a Christian?
First of all, let’s clarify what it takes to be a Christian.
Romans 10:9-10 says, That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
The only “criteria” for being a Christian is surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. It’s not who we are, what we’ve done, or how we think that allows us to be a Christian. It’s who Jesus is.
Okay, so becoming a Christian definitely has nothing to do with our politics. Once we are a Christian, we’re instantly changed to a conservative, right? I was, in many ways. But not everyone is going to have the same experience.
I’m a conservative. For me, this means I believe in limited government. I don’t believe in government entitlements (the church should support the poor). I believe in state’s rights, unless explicitly the Federal government’s domain as defined in the US Constitution. I believe in the right to bear arms – individuals can own guns. I believe in lower taxes. But, I pay my taxes and believe there is a need for taxes (I’m a flat tax proponent, myself, but that’s outside our scope here).
No where that I know of in the Bible does it say that the above list of beliefs are necessary for a Christian. You can believe in big government – David’s and Solomon’s governments were big. You can believe in entitlements – “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’” (Leviticus 23:22). You can believe in a stronger Federal government and a weaker state government (Caesar versus Herod). You can believe in high taxes. You should not believe in not paying taxes. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Romans 13:6. And you can be against individuals owning guns.
So far, doesn’t really matter.
There are two issues, though, that bear mentioning. Abortion and homosexual marriage. Can you support abortion and / or homosexual marriage and be a Christian?
Doing so doesn’t mean you’re not a Christian, but doing so also means that you don’t believe all of God’s Word is true.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Psalm 22:10.
God recognizes us as human beings from conception, not from birth. Therefore, killing an unborn child is murder. You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13.
“‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.’” Leviticus 18:22.
“‘If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.’” Leviticus 20:13.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Romans 1:26-27.
God considers homosexuality indecent and He detests it.
There are many more versus against these two issues.
But again, back to our original thought. Okay, so if one supports abortion and one supports homosexuality, does that mean they are not a Christian?
No, no, and no. It may mean they are in rebellion to God. It may mean they are a weak and still growing (aren’t we all) Christian. They may be an ignorant Christian.
Now, I believe that over time, the Holy Spirit will work on our thoughts and bring us around to seeing as God sees. But because someone, at the moment, doesn’t believe something WE believe, does not give us the right to judge their salvation. Actually, nothing ever gives us the right to judge someone’s salvation. Only God knows our heart.
In nearly all issues, we can disagree, but we should do so lovingly. We should accept anyone as a fellow person. We can reject their ideas, but we can’t reject them. And, we should not judge another unless we know we’re pure ourselves.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. " Matthew 7:1-5.
I’d love to hear what you think.
If someone claims to be a liberal and believe what liberal's believe, can they be a Christian?
First of all, let’s clarify what it takes to be a Christian.
Romans 10:9-10 says, That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
The only “criteria” for being a Christian is surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. It’s not who we are, what we’ve done, or how we think that allows us to be a Christian. It’s who Jesus is.
Okay, so becoming a Christian definitely has nothing to do with our politics. Once we are a Christian, we’re instantly changed to a conservative, right? I was, in many ways. But not everyone is going to have the same experience.
I’m a conservative. For me, this means I believe in limited government. I don’t believe in government entitlements (the church should support the poor). I believe in state’s rights, unless explicitly the Federal government’s domain as defined in the US Constitution. I believe in the right to bear arms – individuals can own guns. I believe in lower taxes. But, I pay my taxes and believe there is a need for taxes (I’m a flat tax proponent, myself, but that’s outside our scope here).
No where that I know of in the Bible does it say that the above list of beliefs are necessary for a Christian. You can believe in big government – David’s and Solomon’s governments were big. You can believe in entitlements – “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’” (Leviticus 23:22). You can believe in a stronger Federal government and a weaker state government (Caesar versus Herod). You can believe in high taxes. You should not believe in not paying taxes. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Romans 13:6. And you can be against individuals owning guns.
So far, doesn’t really matter.
There are two issues, though, that bear mentioning. Abortion and homosexual marriage. Can you support abortion and / or homosexual marriage and be a Christian?
Doing so doesn’t mean you’re not a Christian, but doing so also means that you don’t believe all of God’s Word is true.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Psalm 22:10.
God recognizes us as human beings from conception, not from birth. Therefore, killing an unborn child is murder. You shall not murder. Exodus 20:13.
“‘Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.’” Leviticus 18:22.
“‘If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.’” Leviticus 20:13.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. Romans 1:26-27.
God considers homosexuality indecent and He detests it.
There are many more versus against these two issues.
But again, back to our original thought. Okay, so if one supports abortion and one supports homosexuality, does that mean they are not a Christian?
No, no, and no. It may mean they are in rebellion to God. It may mean they are a weak and still growing (aren’t we all) Christian. They may be an ignorant Christian.
Now, I believe that over time, the Holy Spirit will work on our thoughts and bring us around to seeing as God sees. But because someone, at the moment, doesn’t believe something WE believe, does not give us the right to judge their salvation. Actually, nothing ever gives us the right to judge someone’s salvation. Only God knows our heart.
In nearly all issues, we can disagree, but we should do so lovingly. We should accept anyone as a fellow person. We can reject their ideas, but we can’t reject them. And, we should not judge another unless we know we’re pure ourselves.
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. " Matthew 7:1-5.
I’d love to hear what you think.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Is Speeding a Sin?
"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves." Romans 13:1-2
This is a question I've wrestled with since surrendering to Christ. I still have not totally resolved this issue. Is speeding a sin or would it be a sin if I am caught speeding and get upset or argue about the ticket?
What is speeding? If the posted speed limit is 60 and I go 61, is that speeding? Or do we rationalize and say that the cops really won't pull me over unless I'm going X (I've heard 4, 5, 7, 8) over the limit? Therefore, I'm only speeding if I've exceeded some mythical speed at which, if a cop were monitoring, I'd be pulled over.
Is it speeding if I go along with traffic? After all, if I'm slower than everyone else, isn't that a traffic hazard, thus causing a more dangerous situation than if I stay with everyone else? The Apostle Paul said, "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable All things are lawful, but not all things edify." 1Corinthians 10:23. Could speeding in this situation be profitable, as it causes a less dangerous situation?
If I'm speeding, am I resisting authority, as in the verse above? Or does the resistance to authority only come if I'm pulled over and argue with the trooper?
Colossians 3:25 says, "For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality."
Therefore, if I speed, knowing that if I get caught, I'll have to pay a ticket, and I accept that consequence, is that okay?
As you can see, I have lots of questions, but no answers. Not even an opinion. When I owned my RX/8, this was a much more burning question. Now that I have a crossover, it's still and issue, but my foot doesn't seem quite as heavy.
But, I will end with this, Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,"
Let me know what you think.
This is a question I've wrestled with since surrendering to Christ. I still have not totally resolved this issue. Is speeding a sin or would it be a sin if I am caught speeding and get upset or argue about the ticket?
What is speeding? If the posted speed limit is 60 and I go 61, is that speeding? Or do we rationalize and say that the cops really won't pull me over unless I'm going X (I've heard 4, 5, 7, 8) over the limit? Therefore, I'm only speeding if I've exceeded some mythical speed at which, if a cop were monitoring, I'd be pulled over.
Is it speeding if I go along with traffic? After all, if I'm slower than everyone else, isn't that a traffic hazard, thus causing a more dangerous situation than if I stay with everyone else? The Apostle Paul said, "All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable All things are lawful, but not all things edify." 1Corinthians 10:23. Could speeding in this situation be profitable, as it causes a less dangerous situation?
If I'm speeding, am I resisting authority, as in the verse above? Or does the resistance to authority only come if I'm pulled over and argue with the trooper?
Colossians 3:25 says, "For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality."
Therefore, if I speed, knowing that if I get caught, I'll have to pay a ticket, and I accept that consequence, is that okay?
As you can see, I have lots of questions, but no answers. Not even an opinion. When I owned my RX/8, this was a much more burning question. Now that I have a crossover, it's still and issue, but my foot doesn't seem quite as heavy.
But, I will end with this, Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,"
Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Peace in the Middle East?
Yesterday, Jimmy Carter was in town promoting his new book about achieving peace in the Middle East. President Carter is a good-hearted man. He’s done much good in this world. But is he on a hopeless mission?
The problem with Carter’s goal is it’s not Biblical for in the Middle East, there are two “nations” descended from two half-brothers. The nation of Israel is descended from Isaac. And the nation of Islam is descended from Ishmael. From the beginning, God told Abraham that Ishmael would be a “wild donkey of a man” and that “his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:11-12). Later, in Genesis 25:18, this is reiterated about Ishmael’s descendents. So, from the beginning, Islam and the Jews were enemies. There can be no peace between them.
Stack on top of the struggle between the Jews and the Arabs man’s fallen condition. We are born sinners and without Christ, we are slaves to that sin nature. Those who do not serve Christ, serve the enemy, whether consciously or not. And the enemy thrives upon chaos, rebellion, and strife. He will do everything in his power to pit man against man. Ephesians 2 shows us that those who do not follow Christ, follow the ways of the “ruler of the kingdom of the air,” who is satan. All of us, prior to Christ, gratified our sinful cravings. Without Christ we are slaves to lust, power, self-centeredness. Even with Christ, we constantly battle the temptation to fall back to our sinful selves (see Romans 7). Man, on his own, creates strife by his very nature.
Finally, with the first coming of Christ, further division came to the earth. And because not everyone will accept Christ (Matthew 7:13) there will always be that division. Christ Himself said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’” (Matthew 10:34-36). Because Christianity is diametrically opposed to the world, satan will do all he can to make Christian’s lives miserable. There will be no peace as long as there are Christians and non-Christians.
What can be done? Can we, at least temporarily, achieve peace in the Middle East. The only hope for true peace is the love of the one and only God. Our job is to love the Arabs and love the Jews and lead them to Christ. The more Christians in the Middle East, the more likely there will be peace. Unfortunately, this too is stacked against us. For the Bible is clear that the Jews will continue, for the most part, to reject Christ as Savior until the 144,000 witnesses, which is after the rapture. (See Revelation 7 and 14).
This doesn’t change our mandate, though. Christ commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. All the world includes the Middle East. So, either go and tell, or support those who do.
Peace between nations in the Middle East may not be achievable until Christ returns. But, peace in the heart of a believer is very much achievable. Pray for the Arabs and the Jews. Love them to Christ.
What do you think?
The problem with Carter’s goal is it’s not Biblical for in the Middle East, there are two “nations” descended from two half-brothers. The nation of Israel is descended from Isaac. And the nation of Islam is descended from Ishmael. From the beginning, God told Abraham that Ishmael would be a “wild donkey of a man” and that “his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:11-12). Later, in Genesis 25:18, this is reiterated about Ishmael’s descendents. So, from the beginning, Islam and the Jews were enemies. There can be no peace between them.
Stack on top of the struggle between the Jews and the Arabs man’s fallen condition. We are born sinners and without Christ, we are slaves to that sin nature. Those who do not serve Christ, serve the enemy, whether consciously or not. And the enemy thrives upon chaos, rebellion, and strife. He will do everything in his power to pit man against man. Ephesians 2 shows us that those who do not follow Christ, follow the ways of the “ruler of the kingdom of the air,” who is satan. All of us, prior to Christ, gratified our sinful cravings. Without Christ we are slaves to lust, power, self-centeredness. Even with Christ, we constantly battle the temptation to fall back to our sinful selves (see Romans 7). Man, on his own, creates strife by his very nature.
Finally, with the first coming of Christ, further division came to the earth. And because not everyone will accept Christ (Matthew 7:13) there will always be that division. Christ Himself said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’” (Matthew 10:34-36). Because Christianity is diametrically opposed to the world, satan will do all he can to make Christian’s lives miserable. There will be no peace as long as there are Christians and non-Christians.
What can be done? Can we, at least temporarily, achieve peace in the Middle East. The only hope for true peace is the love of the one and only God. Our job is to love the Arabs and love the Jews and lead them to Christ. The more Christians in the Middle East, the more likely there will be peace. Unfortunately, this too is stacked against us. For the Bible is clear that the Jews will continue, for the most part, to reject Christ as Savior until the 144,000 witnesses, which is after the rapture. (See Revelation 7 and 14).
This doesn’t change our mandate, though. Christ commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. All the world includes the Middle East. So, either go and tell, or support those who do.
Peace between nations in the Middle East may not be achievable until Christ returns. But, peace in the heart of a believer is very much achievable. Pray for the Arabs and the Jews. Love them to Christ.
What do you think?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Who Owns God's Word?
The other day, I was working on something that required a scripture verse. In my browser, I clicked on Favorites and found the link to the online version of the Revised Standard Edition Bible, hosted by the University of Virginia Library. But instead of getting the online Bible, a message was displayed that says:
"We regret that we are unable to host the Revised Standard Version of the Bible on our website any longer. We were recently contacted by the National Council of Churches of Christ (http://www.ncccusa.org/), who own the copyright for the Revised Standard Version of the Bible in the USA. They have asked us to remove the text from our website, and we have complied with their request. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
Hmmm.
The National Council of Churches of Christ. Certainly sounds like an organization that would be interested in spreading the Gospel of Jesus to as many people as possible. But because they "own" the copyright to a certain translation of the Bible, they don't want a public university to make available an electronic version.
What's wrong with this picture?
I poked around a bit on the website of the National Council of Churches USA and could not find an electronic version of the New Revised Standard Version. But you can certainly purchase a hard copy.
At the risk of violating their copyright on their website, here is part of the mission statement for the RSV and NRSV Bible translations:
"The purpose of this program ministry is to provide contemporary, ecumenical, accurate English translations of the Bible, and to promote the use of the Bible in public worship and education, and in private study and devotion."
To promote the use of the Bible in public worship and education, and in private study and devotion. However, only to do so if the NCC USA can make a profit.
Later in their mission statement they say: "to encourage the widest possible use of the NRSV and RSV in their various editions," Again, this is only true if those using "their" version of the Bible are paying for it.
The University of Virginia is a public university. It is not a Christian university. And they had an electronic Bible available. Wonderful! So, wouldn't you think an organization devoted to wide use of the Bible would applaud this university for going to the work of converting it into electronic form and making it available?
You should read the NCC's statement of faith. Does this jive with their actions?
Those on the board of the NCC should strive to be like Paul:
1Corinthians 10:33 - just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved
Apparently, they are deriving a different meaning from 2Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
This action by the NCC seems counter-productive to Jesus' words, when he said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14).
Our Lord told us to take the Word of God into all the nations. He didn't say we were to make a buck doing so.
What do you think? Am I overreacting?
"We regret that we are unable to host the Revised Standard Version of the Bible on our website any longer. We were recently contacted by the National Council of Churches of Christ (http://www.ncccusa.org/), who own the copyright for the Revised Standard Version of the Bible in the USA. They have asked us to remove the text from our website, and we have complied with their request. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
Hmmm.
The National Council of Churches of Christ. Certainly sounds like an organization that would be interested in spreading the Gospel of Jesus to as many people as possible. But because they "own" the copyright to a certain translation of the Bible, they don't want a public university to make available an electronic version.
What's wrong with this picture?
I poked around a bit on the website of the National Council of Churches USA and could not find an electronic version of the New Revised Standard Version. But you can certainly purchase a hard copy.
At the risk of violating their copyright on their website, here is part of the mission statement for the RSV and NRSV Bible translations:
"The purpose of this program ministry is to provide contemporary, ecumenical, accurate English translations of the Bible, and to promote the use of the Bible in public worship and education, and in private study and devotion."
To promote the use of the Bible in public worship and education, and in private study and devotion. However, only to do so if the NCC USA can make a profit.
Later in their mission statement they say: "to encourage the widest possible use of the NRSV and RSV in their various editions," Again, this is only true if those using "their" version of the Bible are paying for it.
The University of Virginia is a public university. It is not a Christian university. And they had an electronic Bible available. Wonderful! So, wouldn't you think an organization devoted to wide use of the Bible would applaud this university for going to the work of converting it into electronic form and making it available?
You should read the NCC's statement of faith. Does this jive with their actions?
Those on the board of the NCC should strive to be like Paul:
1Corinthians 10:33 - just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved
Apparently, they are deriving a different meaning from 2Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
This action by the NCC seems counter-productive to Jesus' words, when he said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14).
Our Lord told us to take the Word of God into all the nations. He didn't say we were to make a buck doing so.
What do you think? Am I overreacting?
Friday, February 6, 2009
Religious discrimination once again
Please read / watch the following statement from Senator Jim DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina:
http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=48bc4c72-c5d9-b14f-1de2-2178c89792da
Then, you can go to http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00047 to see how your senator voted on this amendment.
Here is the letter I wrote to Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri. I'd encourage you, if you oppose religious discrimination, to do the same.
Dear Senator McCaskill,
I am appalled that you would vote against Senator DeMint's amendment to remove religious discrimination from the economic stimulus bill. You live in a state that faith is extremly important and yet you spit in the face of those of faith.
You once again prove yourself an enemy of the state of Missouri.
You and so many other senators and representatives are using these difficult economic times to drive government spending through the roof and further endanger our country, putting us farther into debt as well as pushing a radical left agenda that most of this country does not agree with. Keep it up so that just like after Clinton's first two years, we can vote the democrats out of office.
If you truly want to stimulate the economy, then lower the taxes on businesses and provide other incentives for business to invest. That adds jobs.
The ACLU agenda in the stimulus is not only discriminatory and unconstitutional (by the way, have you ever read the constitution? Can you point me to the separation of church and state clause?) but is also anti-stimulus, as it might actually curtail further spending by a university to rennovate.
You don't represent this state. You represent those who would destroy our great state.
Sincerely,
Brian Lawrence.
http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=48bc4c72-c5d9-b14f-1de2-2178c89792da
Then, you can go to http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00047 to see how your senator voted on this amendment.
Here is the letter I wrote to Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri. I'd encourage you, if you oppose religious discrimination, to do the same.
Dear Senator McCaskill,
I am appalled that you would vote against Senator DeMint's amendment to remove religious discrimination from the economic stimulus bill. You live in a state that faith is extremly important and yet you spit in the face of those of faith.
You once again prove yourself an enemy of the state of Missouri.
You and so many other senators and representatives are using these difficult economic times to drive government spending through the roof and further endanger our country, putting us farther into debt as well as pushing a radical left agenda that most of this country does not agree with. Keep it up so that just like after Clinton's first two years, we can vote the democrats out of office.
If you truly want to stimulate the economy, then lower the taxes on businesses and provide other incentives for business to invest. That adds jobs.
The ACLU agenda in the stimulus is not only discriminatory and unconstitutional (by the way, have you ever read the constitution? Can you point me to the separation of church and state clause?) but is also anti-stimulus, as it might actually curtail further spending by a university to rennovate.
You don't represent this state. You represent those who would destroy our great state.
Sincerely,
Brian Lawrence.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hate our neighbors?
First, watch this video (about 5 minutes): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM
Last night we started our GIC - Global Encounter Celebration, which is our church's missions conference. This video was shown last night. It's a powerful statement. But the one line he says that really pierced my heart was the one about how much do we hate someone that we would not tell them about Christ.
While this is a convicting question, I don't think we Christians, when we don't share the Gospel, hate our neighbor. That's not the problem. The problem is, we love ourselves more than God.
We are commanded in Matthew 22:37 - to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
Then, Jesus says, "This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
Thus, this is the crux of our problem. First, we don't love God with all of ourselves. Second, we don't love our neighbor as much as ourselves.
It comes down to pride and vanity, manifested in fear. We are afraid of being bold, of looking like a Jesus freak to someone else. This fear is rooted in vanity and vanity is a form of pride.
Jesus said in John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command."
Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. And He repeatedly told us to spread the Gospel. Therefore, we disobey God when we don't tell others about Christ. Disobedience is bad enough.
But, fear rooted in vanity stemming from pride doesn't get any worse.
Proverbs 6:16-19 says "There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."
Notice #1 on God's hate list. Haughty eyes. AKA pride.
It's bad enough that we disobey God, but then we do it because of the #1 thing He hates. Ouch!
Don't think I'm preaching at you. This is really written for me. Conviction coursed through me last night during that video and during the sermon by Dr. John Avant. I have to do better at telling people about Christ. I can't let vanity / pride / fear stand in my way. That's not acceptible. It's not going to be easy for me. But I have to do it.
Penn was wrong. I don't hate someone because I don't tell them about Christ. I suffer from weak faith and I suffer from strong pride. What about you?
Last night we started our GIC - Global Encounter Celebration, which is our church's missions conference. This video was shown last night. It's a powerful statement. But the one line he says that really pierced my heart was the one about how much do we hate someone that we would not tell them about Christ.
While this is a convicting question, I don't think we Christians, when we don't share the Gospel, hate our neighbor. That's not the problem. The problem is, we love ourselves more than God.
We are commanded in Matthew 22:37 - to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
Then, Jesus says, "This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
Thus, this is the crux of our problem. First, we don't love God with all of ourselves. Second, we don't love our neighbor as much as ourselves.
It comes down to pride and vanity, manifested in fear. We are afraid of being bold, of looking like a Jesus freak to someone else. This fear is rooted in vanity and vanity is a form of pride.
Jesus said in John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command."
Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. And He repeatedly told us to spread the Gospel. Therefore, we disobey God when we don't tell others about Christ. Disobedience is bad enough.
But, fear rooted in vanity stemming from pride doesn't get any worse.
Proverbs 6:16-19 says "There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."
Notice #1 on God's hate list. Haughty eyes. AKA pride.
It's bad enough that we disobey God, but then we do it because of the #1 thing He hates. Ouch!
Don't think I'm preaching at you. This is really written for me. Conviction coursed through me last night during that video and during the sermon by Dr. John Avant. I have to do better at telling people about Christ. I can't let vanity / pride / fear stand in my way. That's not acceptible. It's not going to be easy for me. But I have to do it.
Penn was wrong. I don't hate someone because I don't tell them about Christ. I suffer from weak faith and I suffer from strong pride. What about you?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Giving Genorously
This weekend I witnessed amazing genorosity by the members of my church. Southern Missouri was hit by a devastating ice storm last week. A church in sourthern Missouri has opened their doors for the residents of their town to be a shelter and a feeding station. Our church partnered with them to help supply food, diapers, batteries, generators, etc. Sunday morning our pastor announced this partnership and asked us to give and by that evening a trailer-load of stuff had been donated. What a wonderful display of giving!
But why did it take an announcement by the pastor to bring out this generosity? Shouldn't we be generous to those in need all the time? I have heard it said and read it several places, that if everyone who attends a Christian church in THIS NATION were to tithe (Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:22) that the churches would have enough surplus to feed the poor of THE WORLD!
Why don't we give generously? Actually, tithing isn't even giving generously, it's the minimum God requires. And yet we don't even give that. Why not? Are we that selfish? That greedy?
How many times have you walked by a guy on the street begging and looked away, not giving him anything? I know I've done it plenty of times. Oh, there's been those rare occasions when I give something, but usually I don't. I just pretend he's not there.
James 2:15-17 says "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Is it that our faith is dead? But then, when the pastor of our church makes a plea, we respond. Maybe it's not so much selfishness as it is self-centeredness. Unless brought to our attention, we don't consider the things of God. We worry about our own lives. We're quick to respond when someone in authority reminds us. But left to our own devices, we pass by that homeless man. I'll bet if we're walking with a friend and he stops and gives something to the homeless guy, we would too.
One of my favorite Bible verses, though I don't follow it enough, is Philippians 4:8 which says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
I think this is the crux of the matter. Where are our thoughts? When we're walking past that homeless guy, are we thinking about the blessings God has given us and that we should pass some on to others, or are we thinking that this guy will just drink away whatever we give him? When we see a news story about some devastation, such as a tsunami in the far east are do we immediately grieve with those who grieve and wonder how we can help, or are we wondering what we'll be doing the next day and figuring it's the governments job to respond to the tragedy?
We need to do what the apostle Paul did in 2Corinthians 10:5 - "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"
We need to adjust our thinking. Christians should think like Christ. For if we have the Holy Spirit in us, if we are born again, if we've submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then we have been given the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16).
Where are your thoughts today?
But why did it take an announcement by the pastor to bring out this generosity? Shouldn't we be generous to those in need all the time? I have heard it said and read it several places, that if everyone who attends a Christian church in THIS NATION were to tithe (Genesis 14:20, Genesis 28:22) that the churches would have enough surplus to feed the poor of THE WORLD!
Why don't we give generously? Actually, tithing isn't even giving generously, it's the minimum God requires. And yet we don't even give that. Why not? Are we that selfish? That greedy?
How many times have you walked by a guy on the street begging and looked away, not giving him anything? I know I've done it plenty of times. Oh, there's been those rare occasions when I give something, but usually I don't. I just pretend he's not there.
James 2:15-17 says "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
Is it that our faith is dead? But then, when the pastor of our church makes a plea, we respond. Maybe it's not so much selfishness as it is self-centeredness. Unless brought to our attention, we don't consider the things of God. We worry about our own lives. We're quick to respond when someone in authority reminds us. But left to our own devices, we pass by that homeless man. I'll bet if we're walking with a friend and he stops and gives something to the homeless guy, we would too.
One of my favorite Bible verses, though I don't follow it enough, is Philippians 4:8 which says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
I think this is the crux of the matter. Where are our thoughts? When we're walking past that homeless guy, are we thinking about the blessings God has given us and that we should pass some on to others, or are we thinking that this guy will just drink away whatever we give him? When we see a news story about some devastation, such as a tsunami in the far east are do we immediately grieve with those who grieve and wonder how we can help, or are we wondering what we'll be doing the next day and figuring it's the governments job to respond to the tragedy?
We need to do what the apostle Paul did in 2Corinthians 10:5 - "We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,"
We need to adjust our thinking. Christians should think like Christ. For if we have the Holy Spirit in us, if we are born again, if we've submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then we have been given the mind of Christ (1Corinthians 2:16).
Where are your thoughts today?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Christianity Logical?
I recently finished reading Thinking In Pictures, a book by a Temple Grandin, a highly intellegent PhD who designs livestock equipment, for moving and holding livestock in slaughterhouses and on farms. She is also autistic. The book was a fascinating insight into how autistics think.
Grandin describes herself as a highly logical thinker, comparing herself to Data on Star Trek: Next Generation. No emotion, just logic. One of the last sections of the book was on religion and her beliefs. Something she said bothered me.
Grandin stated that she found it logical to believe that all religions are valid and all lead to the same place. She did not go on to say how much she studied other religions, though she made several references indicating she was familiar with Zen philosophy and she attends an Episcopalian church.
I am a computer programmer by vocation. And I believe if I wrote a computer program that took as inputs the parameters of each religion and then compared them to each other, they would not come out anywhere close to equal.
Judiasm and Christianity would align as far as the Old Testament, but non-Messianic Jews reject Christ as their saviour. Christ himself said He is THE way, THE truth, THE life and no one gets to heaven without going through Him.
Hindus have 300,000,000+ gods and goddesses. The way to Nirvana is by being a good person repeatedly. Christianity says only one life, no do-overs. And salavation is a gift from God. There is nothing we can do to earn it.
Muslims have a vengeful, angry god. The only way to guarantee heaven is by dying in a Jihad - killing those that don't believe what they believe. Christianity says all that call on the name of Christ will be saved. Again, there is nothing we can do. We can't be good enough to gain heaven and we can't be bad enough to be denied heaven if we surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
Buddhism, like Hinduism relies on the person to achieve the highest state. And like Hinduism, there are do-overs. But, in many flavors, there are no gods and in those where there are, they are capricious creatures intent on disrupting man's quest for enlightenment.
How can anyone logically say these are the same? That they all lead to the same path? They don't even describe the same destination, let alone the methods for reaching that destination.
Ecumenicalism is a cop out. The funny thing is, ask anyone that truly believes the fundamental teachings of each of the above religions and they will NOT say their religion is just like all the others. This type of belief is for people who don't know what to believe and are unwilling to do the research and make the committment.
Don't fall into this trap. All religions are not the same. Jesus in the true God and the only way to heaven. Submit to Him today and receive the peace of eternal security.
Grandin describes herself as a highly logical thinker, comparing herself to Data on Star Trek: Next Generation. No emotion, just logic. One of the last sections of the book was on religion and her beliefs. Something she said bothered me.
Grandin stated that she found it logical to believe that all religions are valid and all lead to the same place. She did not go on to say how much she studied other religions, though she made several references indicating she was familiar with Zen philosophy and she attends an Episcopalian church.
I am a computer programmer by vocation. And I believe if I wrote a computer program that took as inputs the parameters of each religion and then compared them to each other, they would not come out anywhere close to equal.
Judiasm and Christianity would align as far as the Old Testament, but non-Messianic Jews reject Christ as their saviour. Christ himself said He is THE way, THE truth, THE life and no one gets to heaven without going through Him.
Hindus have 300,000,000+ gods and goddesses. The way to Nirvana is by being a good person repeatedly. Christianity says only one life, no do-overs. And salavation is a gift from God. There is nothing we can do to earn it.
Muslims have a vengeful, angry god. The only way to guarantee heaven is by dying in a Jihad - killing those that don't believe what they believe. Christianity says all that call on the name of Christ will be saved. Again, there is nothing we can do. We can't be good enough to gain heaven and we can't be bad enough to be denied heaven if we surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
Buddhism, like Hinduism relies on the person to achieve the highest state. And like Hinduism, there are do-overs. But, in many flavors, there are no gods and in those where there are, they are capricious creatures intent on disrupting man's quest for enlightenment.
How can anyone logically say these are the same? That they all lead to the same path? They don't even describe the same destination, let alone the methods for reaching that destination.
Ecumenicalism is a cop out. The funny thing is, ask anyone that truly believes the fundamental teachings of each of the above religions and they will NOT say their religion is just like all the others. This type of belief is for people who don't know what to believe and are unwilling to do the research and make the committment.
Don't fall into this trap. All religions are not the same. Jesus in the true God and the only way to heaven. Submit to Him today and receive the peace of eternal security.
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