I wanted to thank everyone who has read my blog posts and who has taken valuable time out of their schedules to comment. It's been interesting, fun, and at times frustrating. I'm going to turn most of my free writing time back to my fiction, though, so it may be some time, if ever, that I return to this blog.

If you're interested in my fiction, go to http://www.fictionpress.com and search for my name. I have over twenty short stories posted and will be posting more in the months to come. However, my main focus will be on a couple novels, which hopefully, will show up one day in the market place.

God bless.

Brian.

Following The Bible

(Author’s note: This is a little longer than my usual blog. Hopefully, it’s worth your time to read.)

I believe most, if not all, of the problems our country faces are a result of our moving away from reading, understanding, and following the Bible. Back in the Old Testament days, God laid out many laws, some of them quite detailed, for what the Jews should and should not do. And violation of those laws often called for strict penalties. For example, the penalty for adultery was death. Deuteronomy 22:22 says, “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman.” Especially by today’s standards, this seems excessively harsh. But God had a reason, stated in the rest of the verse: “So you shall purge the evil from Israel.” Another excessively harsh punishment was the stoning of a rebellious son, one who is a glutton and a drunkard. Again, the penalty was stoning to death. And again, the verse in Deuteronomy 21:21 ends with “So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” But, there’s more, and I believe this is the important part. The verse ends with “and all Israel shall hear and fear.” How many stonings do you think it took before behavior changed?

Unfortunately for the Jews, they would live holy lives for a while, then allow evil to creep back in, get punished, go back to living holy lives, etc. This cycle continued until God finally had had enough and He allowed them to be repeatedly taken into captivity by other nations. Then it appears God gave up on the Jews and stopped communicating with them for over 400 years. After that, Christ came to earth and became humanity’s final hope of salvation. Christ became the fulfillment of the law, though this does not mean the law is abolished. Rather it’s summed up in the words of Jesus, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:38-39). By the way, Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and is telling us there is a preferred way that we should live.

Why would God be so harsh with his law and punishments? Leviticus 20:26 says, “You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples that you should be Mine.” God wants His people to be holy, blameless, righteous, even perfect (Matthew 5:48). We cannot be any of those if evil is among us, because “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals” (1Corinthians 15:33). And with the coming of Jesus, I believe that God desires for us to have a life of joy and peace and an abundant life: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10). Yes, Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. Yes, Christians are under grace and not the law. Yes, we have been given the freedom to do whatever we want. But not everything we do is beneficial (1Corinthians 6:12, 10:23). However, there is infinite wisdom behind the guidelines God laid out and there is great benefit to us if we adhere to the Bible – all the Bible.

Let’s look at some of the ills of society and see what God has to say about them and discuss why, in God’s mind, these are bad things for us.

The first one is an easy one: murder. God said, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). Pretty clear cut. An interesting side note, someone who was arguing for gay marriage said that the Old Testament doesn’t apply anymore. Really? Nowhere in the New Testament does it explicitly tell us that we should not murder. I guess it’s open season.

All of the Bible applies. Are we under the law still? No. We are under grace. Like I said above, Jesus gave us a commandment to love the Lord God with all of our heart, mind, and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Breaking down this commandment, we see that the first part – loving God completely – relates to the first four of the Ten Commandments, and the second part relates to the last six of the Ten Commandments. So, why did God tell us not to murder? By the way, He didn’t tell us not to kill. Murder is a specific act – willfully taking another person’s life without provocation or justification. Why did God throw this one into the mix? I know, obvious questions, but a good place to start. Imagine a world where it was okay to murder anyone we felt like murdering. Most of us would be hard-pressed to “have life and have it abundantly.”

What does God say should happen to someone who does murder someone else? “If anyone kills a person, the murdered shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses” (Number 35:30a). But wait, that’s not all God tells us about that. The verse goes on to say, “But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.” Today, we have many other means of linking a murderer to their crime, but even today, if the only evidence we have is one witness, we should not put that person to death for their crime. The Bible, and even the Old Testament, continues to be relevant for us today and we should heed The Word.

The second example, again another easy one, is “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). We’ll not dwell on this one, but again, imagine a world where it was okay to take anything we wanted without paying for it or without permission. It would not be a pleasant place to live. And what does God recommend as punishment for a thief? Interestingly, we’ve moved away from God’s system of justice in our country for lesser crimes than murder. But maybe we should reconsider. Here’s an example of what God recommends: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep” (Exodus 22:1). Going further in the verse, God says that if the stolen livestock is found alive the thief only needs to pay double. If the thief cannot repay, he is to be sold for his theft. I’m not advocating human trafficking, but what about having to work off the theft? We all recognize that we should not steal, but God’s Word also gives us, in my opinion, a much better system of justice. Rather than throwing a thief in jail where all he does is learn how to steal better, or worse, let’s make thieves repay for what they stole. Think about the many investment scandals we’ve recently had. Instead of throwing Bernie Madoff in prison, what about making him repay five times what he stole? Makes much more sense to me. Adhering to God’s word would make our world a better place.

Exodus 20:17b says, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.” Back in Old Testament times, and even carrying into New Testament times, the penalty for being caught in adultery was stoning to death. Why so harsh a penalty? Today, especially in Western culture, we have the mentality that if it doesn’t hurt anyone what’s the problem? If two consenting adults, why not? The prevalence of adultery in our society (you can look up the statistics) is indicative of the self-centeredness of humans. Sure, there may be two consenting adults, but there is always at least one other adult who is not consenting. The aftermath of adultery can be devastating to the other spouses and to the children. There are health risks such as communicable diseases. There are financial implications, legal implications, and of course mental and emotional damage.

What if a married couple just doesn’t get along anymore? I guess the answer depends on whether you want to obey God or follow your own ideas. According to God, work it out! God hates divorce. Love is not an emotion (see previous blogs), but a behavior. We choose to love or not. When two people get married, they make a commitment, and like all commitments, there are sacrifices that need to be made. We have to give our self-centered tendencies over to God. And becoming a Christian means giving up our life. Not necessarily in the physical sense of dying for our faith (though that can happen), but in the spiritual sense in that we no longer live for self, but for God (Galatians 2:20). I’ll leave as a homework assignment for the reader to look up all the statistics (and there are many) about the effects of divorce on children. And here’s another great verse: “One who if faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10). Do we really think we have faith in God if we can’t be faithful in the smaller things of life like marriage?

And speaking of divorce, this is another area where Christians have become just like non-Christians. According to George Barna, the divorce rate within the Christian church is around 50%, no different than outside the church. This is not God’s desire for us. The Old Testament has many passages about divorce, and Jesus spoke on this subject repeatedly. For example, Jesus said, “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matthew 5:32). According to the Bible, the only time we should contemplate divorce is when our spouse has been unfaithful. Even then, God would prefer to see us work it out and stay married (Read the book of Hosea). Why? Even the Pharisees questioned Jesus about divorce and indicated that Moses made provision for Jews to divorce. In Matthew 19, the Pharisees asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” Jesus’s answer was that God made husband and wife one flesh and “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” The Pharisees then asked why Moses had allowed for divorce and Jesus answered that is was because of their hard hearts. He then finished with the statement above from Matthew 5:32.

Why the hard line on divorce? Again, God doesn’t make up rules just so He can make our life difficult. He lays down these guidelines for our benefit. Jails are full of men and women who come from single parent homes. Check the statistics for teen suicide, teen alcoholism, homosexuality, delinquency, and drug use. Large percentages are committed by teenagers from broken homes. Bill Cosby has called this an epidemic in the African American community and has blamed crime on the lack of fathers in the home. God’s plan for the family is a man and a woman together, raising children. “Has not the one God made you? You belong to Him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15).

Finally, on divorce, I know many couples that are on their second, third, or more marriage and have children from multiple marriages. And in almost all cases, this causes strife. Does this mean all kids from broken homes will turn out bad? Does this mean all kids from intact families turn out good? Does this mean all blended families have issues? No to all of these questions, but the statistics show that the odds favor intact first marriages.

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;” 1Thessalonians 4:3-5. And, “Flee from sexual immorality.” 1Corinthians 6:18a. Finally: “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.” Romans 13:13. So what is “sexual immorality”? The literal translation of the Greek word in the New Testament is “fornication”, which means “illicit sexual intercourse.” In many contexts the word means adultery. The term can be broadened to include any sexual intercourse outside of marriage.

We’ve already covered adultery, so let’s now focus on pre-marital sex. Why would God counsel us against such a thing? After all, if it feels good, do it, right? Two people, having consensual sex. No one is getting hurt, right? God created sexual intercourse as a way for humans to reproduce. And He made it pleasurable. His Word instructs us about the proper time and place for sexual intercourse. And as in everything else we’ll discuss, He had his reasons. So what is wrong with sex outside marriage? Sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, emotional bonds established, then broken; these are only some of the complications of sex outside the bounds of marriage. In 1Thessalonians 4 quoted above, Paul tells us that God’s will for us is sanctification. This big word basically means “becoming like Christ.” To bring in a cliché, before we embark on any sexual exploit outside of marriage, we should ask ourselves, is this what Jesus would do? In all cases, the answer will be “no”.

Moving away from sexual relationships, let’s look at false idols. God gave us a commandment: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below” (Exodus 20:4). I really don’t think there are many people today, especially in the US, who are forging golden calves and calling them gods. However, look at verse 5, which says, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” Especially in the US, we can all think of examples where people, maybe ourselves included, bow down and worship someone or something other than God. Here are just a few examples: Television, actors, athletes, athletics, cars, money. The list could go on and on. In today’s world, an idol is anything that we put more faith in or put in the place of God.

Why is this a bad thing? The rest of Exodus 20:5 and verse 6 give us enough motivation. God says that he will “[punish] the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.” There are many implications to be drawn from this verse alone. If we, as adults, put our faith in something or someone other than God, it’s not only us that suffer, but our children. They learn from us, and according to God’s Word, the cycle can take several generations to break. But obeying God, putting Him first, can pass down many, many more generations.

On the practical side, God will never let us down. He is always faithful. “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all He does” (Psalm 145:17). People or stuff, on the other hand, will always let us down. We’ve all experienced this. The person we worshipped revealing a deep, dark secret. Can you say, “Joe Paterno.” Even the Apostle Paul experienced let down. In 2Timothy 4:9-10, he writes to Timothy, “Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica.” And Paul in Romans chapter 1 talks about how he himself has not been able to get to Rome as he’s wanted to, thus letting down his followers. We should put our trust in God, not other people. And what about acquiring wealth and not achieving happiness? Look at the stats of how many lottery winners have their lives ruined because of money. Things and people should not be worshipped. Only God deserves our worship and our faith.

Finally, let’s finish with the use of alcohol. By implication, we can relate to drug usage as well, but I’ll stick to alcohol because it is legal. Again, not everything that is allowed is beneficial. And in the Christian community, alcohol usage is a divisive issue. People have left churches because of that church’s stance on alcohol use. What does the Bible say about using alcohol?

Let’s approach from an obtuse angle and start with the controversy over alcohol use. Allowing this topic to be divisive goes against Biblical advice. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone…” (2Timothy 2:23-24). If you do have a strong opinion about drinking, don’t allow it to be divisive. Keep it to yourself.

But what about drinking alcohol itself? Proverbs 23:30-35 describes one who “tarries long over wine” and the effects this can have. Alcohol can be addicting. And the effects of an alcohol addiction can be devastating. Is it really worth the chance? Verse 32 says, “In the end it [wine] bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.” And Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.” Clearly, drunkenness is not encouraged in the Bible. Noah gets drunk and his daughters have sex with him. Not a good situation. There are other examples in the Bible and of course many in our lives where drunkenness leads to tragic consequences. Alcoholism, we all know, is devastating to both the individual and their families and discouraged in the Bible.

But, there seem to be examples in the Bible where people are encouraged to drink. John chapter 2, Jesus turns water into wine. At the last supper, Jesus and His disciples are drinking wine. And in 1Timothy 5:23, Paul instructs Timothy, “(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)” The argument in the church seems to always come down to social drinking. Not getting drunk, but having that one glass of wine with dinner or that one beer at the game. By the way, if someone “needs” to have that one glass of wine a night, they are a functional alcoholic. Anyway, there is a verse in the Bible I like to use in this situation to state my position. 1Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Apply this test to the examples above in the Bible. In all cases, the participants were bringing glory to God. When you are inclined to imbibe, think to yourself, am I bringing glory to God by drinking this drink? If yes, go for it. If not, you might want to rethink.

This list could go on and on. There are many things that we, as a society, accept, but when we examine the Bible we find that God disapproves. God gave us free will, thus we’re allowed to make our own choices. And when Christ came, thus fulfilling the law and ushering us into the age of grace, God told us that now, “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” (1Corinthians 10:23 – also see 1Corinthians 6:12). The New Testament is not a rule book. It’s a guide to an abundant life.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2Timothy 3:16-17).

Read the Bible. Follow the Bible. Though it’s an ancient book, it’s even more relevant today and will continue to be relevant tomorrow.

Christian Generosity

Recently, a man was talking to me about his daughter who works at a local restaurant. He said that his daughter hates to work on Sundays because the church crowd doesn’t tip well. This saddened me as just the opposite should be true. A Christian is called to a generous life in many aspects, including money, forgiveness, and time. We are called to have a generous spirit. This man went on to say that he told his daughter that he’ll tip excessively even when he gets bad service. When his daughter questioned why, the man said that he didn’t know if maybe the server was having a bad day and the big tip would brighten that day. Or maybe the server was always like that and receiving a bigger than usual tip may make that person stop and ask why. This man has a generous spirit, one that anyone who claims to be Christian should have.

The most obvious area of generosity is money. From anecdotal evidence it seems there are two types of people that are the biggest tightwads. The rich and Christians. Not everyone in these categories is a tightwad. And it’s a good idea to be frugal. But as Christians, what is our responsibility when it comes to wealth? Jesus said in Matthew 5:42, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” In the world, the usual way of doing business when loaning money is to charge interest. But, unless you’re a banker and you’re doing a loan as a business transaction for your company, we as Christians are not to expect interest from someone we loan money to. Deuteronomy 23:19 says, “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest.” Okay, most of us can do that. Loan money to someone in need and expect we’ll get that money back, right? Wrong. Not according to Jesus. He takes it a step farther. In Luke 6:35, Jesus says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” Lend expecting nothing in return? Yes, that’s what our Master said. We are to lend to those in need with no expectation of ever seeing that money again. And by the way, those in need includes the “ungrateful and the evil.”

Another aspect of living a generous Christian life is forgiveness. For so many people, forgiveness is difficult. We hold grudges. We want to get even. Someone does something we don’t like, and we never speak to them again. Oh, we’ll speak of them to all of our friends. We have no problem talking about someone behind their back, but we can’t bring ourselves to talk to them and work things out. Extending forgiveness is generosity. It’s selflessness. And it’s commanded. Jesus, in Matthew 6:14, said, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you.” Think about the inverse. If we don’t forgive others their trespasses, then God will not forgive us. We need God’s forgiveness. Without it, the only choice is where the worm never dies and there’s weeping and gnashing of teeth. Besides, holding a grudge hurts the bearer more than grudgee. The man in my opening story has the right attitude. When we get lousy service at a restaurant, instead of stiffing the server on the tip, let’s show true Christian forgiveness and love and give that person more. Maybe they’ll pay it forward to the next customer.

There are those Christians that have buckets of money to give, and they do so willingly, but God wants something else from them as well, something He wants from all of us. Our time. A generous Christian gives of him or herself. We need to come to the realization that our time is not ours anyway. God can call us home any time He wants. Our time is His time. And we should be generous with that time, giving it to God, using it for His kingdom. There are many Christians who hide behind their wealth. They will say that they give lots of money so that others can serve. This is a cop out. God calls the rich to give of their time as well as their money. Paul, writing in 1 Timothy 6:18, said, “They [the rich] are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” We cannot buy good works. Christians must be generous with their time and service. Good works does not get us into heaven, but once we’ve accepted the gift of salvation, we should be compelled to do good works. James wrote that we prove our faith by our works. Faith without works is dead. Those that have wealth cannot hide behind that wealth and those that don’t have wealth cannot hide behind their poverty. There are no excuses for the Christian. Service is mandatory. We must generous with our time.

Bottom line, the Christian is to have a generous spirit. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” What if I don’t feel like giving? Chuck Swindoll once said that we should obey first, and then the good feelings will come after. If God is calling us to be generous on a day we don’t feel like being generous, we need to take a leap of faith and obey and see if God doesn’t bless us. Jesus challenges us by saying that if we love Him we’ll obey His commands. Generosity, like love, is not a feeling, not an emotion, it’s an action. Therefore, regardless of how we feel, we can be generous, just like we can love. And the two go hand in hand. Showing generosity is showing love. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. But the second greatest commandment, according to Jesus, is to love our neighbor as ourselves. And a great way to show love to a neighbor is through generosity.

And if all of the above isn’t enough, chew on this. Proverbs 19:6 says, “Many seek the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.” Want more friends? Be generous.

Is Vegas the Problem?

I recently spent a week in Las Vegas. That was the first time I’d ever spent more than a few hours there, and I came away surprised, though I’m not sure why, at how spiritually oppressed I felt. I’ve been to some spiritually dark places before: India, Nicaragua, New York City. But Vegas wins the prize. Vegas seems to be everything that is wrong with our country. According to Neil Postman it is also a microcosm of where our country is headed. He said, “Today, we must look to the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, as a metaphor for our national spirity and aspiration...”

Maybe it’s because I was reading Radical by David Platt while there, but the thing that hit me the most wasn’t the rampant immorality, but the raging greed and gluttony. Of course, there’s the individual greed – the hope to hit it big for doing nothing but pushing a few buttons or betting on some cards. But what stood out even more than the greed of people looking to strike it rich was the greed of “corporate” America. This is personified in Las Vegas. Here are some examples. The first night there we ate at a nice steak restaurant. Granted, it was one of the best steaks I have eaten, but the 8 oz Filet Mignon was $55. That’s right. Something that costs around $12-$16 a pound in the grocery store was $55. While it was one of the best steaks I have had, it wasn’t three times better than what I can get at Texas Roadhouse.

We stayed at Caesar’s palace. The normal rate for the room I was in was over $300 a night. I received a conference special so only paid $195 a night. Simple room. One king-sized bed, a couple chairs, a desk, and an old tube-based television. In Phoenix, when I go for work, I’ve been staying at a brand new Hyatt in Gilbert for $125 a night. The rooms are ten times nicer than the one I had at Caesar’s Palace. Sectional sofa, nice desk, large screen HD television and free WiFi. Caesar’s Palace charges $15 a day for WiFi! Even the local Comfort Inn has free WiFi. My theory is that hotel management doesn’t want people to stay in their room, they want them in the casino gambling. Most hotels have free exercise rooms. Not Caesar’s palace. $25 a day to use their exercise facility. Again, I think it goes back to hotel management wanting people in the casino, not working out. You might as well drop that $25 on a game or two of 3 card poker instead of getting in shape. After all, you might hit a royal flush and win thousands. Of course, you’ll drop dead at 55 of a coronary.

The outrageous costs didn’t end at the restaurant or the room fees. Caesar’s Palace has a kiosk for printing an airline boarding pass. Most hotels have computers in their lobbies for this purpose. Most hotels charge nothing for them. Caesar’s Palace charges $5.00 to print a piece of paper. The ATM in Caesar’s Palace charges $4.99 for getting cash. This seems counter-intuitive to me. I would think a casino would make it as painless and cheap as possible to get cash.

There are a few free things around. The fountain show at the Bellagio is free. All two minutes of it. So is the pirate show at Treasure Island and the volcano at the Mirage. But most things cost. It’s $18 to tour the aquarium at Mandalay Bay. It was okay, but not worth $18. Bottom line, the casinos in Vegas are raking in money. A local tour guide said that the average casino clears $4 million a day. Take that amount and multiple it by the number of casinos, and the total profit is well over $200 million a day.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for capitalism, free market, and all that. But, stop and think about this. Just one day’s profit from the casinos in Vegas would feed the hungry of the world for a long time. However, I’m not going to hold my breath and wait for all the casinos to decide to give away one day’s profit so that children in Kenya can have a meal. And we shouldn’t wait for that to happen, because it’s not corporate America’s job to feed the poor.

Shortly after I returned, I read this passage from Isaiah: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke , to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. ‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:6-10.

Vegas doesn’t exist because of corporate America’s greed. It exists because of the individual American’s greed. It is each of us, including Christians, who feed the beast. We are the ones shelling out dollar after dollar gambling, drinking, and eating. We are the ones guilty of gluttony, especially gluttony of pleasure. And it’s not just in Vegas that this happens. At home we gorge ourselves on entertainment. We spend millions, even billions on things like video games, movies, alcohol, tobacco, even drugs. And let’s throw clothes, makeup, and other toiletries in there. We are a vain country. All the while, hundreds of millions of people around the world starve.

Lest you think I’m aiming this at the heathen population in America, think about this. According to a George Barna study a while back, if all those in America who claimed to be evangelical Christians tithed – that is gave 10% of their GROSS pay – the churches of America would have enough excess money to feed the starving, not of the US, but of the world. That’s right, evangelical Christians in America can solve the poverty problem worldwide. So, why is there still a poverty problem? Because evangelical Christians are not living any differently than non-Christians. Because we too are gluttons when it comes to pleasure. Instead of the $1.00 coffee at Denny’s we need to purchase a $5.00 coffee at Starbucks. Instead of a fuel efficient car, we buy fuel guzzling SUV’s and monster pick-ups. Instead of spending time outside chatting with our neighbors we sit inside playing $59 video games on $1000 televisions. Instead of taking our kids to the park and playing catch with them, we sign them up for sports teams or dance classes that cost us hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year. I recently attended a dance recital and many of the kids were in five or more numbers, with costumes at $80-$100 each for one, maybe two uses.

David Platt in his book, Radical, calls us to do something radical like go off to Africa and help the poor while sharing the Gospel. While Platt may seem to indicate this is the duty of all Christians, I’m a little more practical in that there is a need for some of us to stay where we are. But, here’s a radical idea that we all can try. What if we reduced our pleasure expenditure just enough so that we did actually tithe? According to Barna, that would be enough to feed the world.

Unfortunately, many American Christians continue to live in the now, trusting not in God, but in themselves and the all-mighty dollar. We need to trust in God to supply what we need. Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

There’s a radical thought. Trust God, fill up the storehouses, and wait for His blessings on our life. And His blessings are permanent and good. Whereas the blessings we get from our own pleasures are temporary and often hollow.

As sin-ridden and greed infested as Vegas is, it’s really not the problem with America. The problem with America is Christians that don’t obey God. You may not agree with David Platt and feel you don’t need to sell everything and move to some poverty-infested area of the world to help those people. But, you do need to do your part. Tithing is just the start. What else can we do without so that others can have what they need just to survive?

I’ll end with this scripture. No commentary. I’ll leave interpretation to the reader. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 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.” James 2:14-17.

Our Relationship With God

In our youth group, we have been doing a Bible study using the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. The book is about our relationship with God. In one session, we talked about loving God and being in love with God and what that looks like. The students offered up some good suggestions, like getting up ten minutes early so that we could spend time in prayer and maybe even a devotional. On the surface, this is a great idea. And we certainly encourage our students to form healthy routines like morning prayer and reading of the Bible. It's a starting point and it moves the student beyond just coming to church on Sunday and maybe on Wednesday evening. Getting into a routine like that, even if it's only five or ten minutes, brings us closer to God. But, it's not enough. We have to move beyond the daily routine.

As we were discussing ways to grow more in love with God, and as the students were suggesting morning routines like praying and reading the Bible, God spoke to me and gave me an interesting and convicting analogy. So, I challenged the students and said the ten minutes in the morning with God is good, but let's look at an earthly relationship. I'm married, so I'll use my wife and myself as an example. I decide I want to show my wife how much I love her. So, I decide get up ten minutes earlier each day and spend ten minutes with her. I talk to her. I get to know her. I learn what she likes and doesn't like and I tell her the things I need and want. Then, I go about my day, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch some television, do whatever I need to do around the house, then go to bed. Next day, same thing. Ten minutes with my wife, then the rest of my day spent doing what I need and want to do. And if you didn't pick up on it, the ten minutes I spend with my wife in the morning, is the only time I spend with her all day. What kind of marriage will I have if that is all I give her? Not much of a marriage. And what kind of relationship will we have with God if all we give Him is ten minutes a day? Even if that becomes habit and we do it everyday, how close can we really get to Him?

The students were a bit shocked at this. I think it hit home, so then I asked what else we can do. And one suggestion was that during the day, we should pray to Him more when we need to. Again, a good suggestion, and one that moves us beyond that routine relationship. But again, is it enough? Continuing my marriage analogy, I decide that the ten minutes a day is just not enough. Now, I'm going to call my wife during the day or talk to her during the evening every time I need something. During the day, I might call her up and say, “Hey, honey. Please stop at the grocery store. I need some more cereal.” That night at dinner, I might say, “Darling, would you please pass me the ketchup?” Later in the evening, I might say to her, “You know, sweety, we really need more money, so would you find a better job?” Is our marriage any better? I'm talking to my wife more. I spend ten minutes every morning with her. I talk to her other times during the day. I can't figure out why she just doesn't seem to appreciate our relationship.

We've moved from an obligatory relationship where we feel obligated to spend the first ten minutes of our day with God to treating God like a vending machine. Hey, I need this, so I'll drop in a prayer and out pops what I need.

Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We need to be in love with God. What does this look like? Does it mean that if we are really in love with God that we must surrender to the ministry or become a missionary? Maybe for some it does. But not everyone is called to be a preacher or a missionary. The body of Christ is made up of many parts and each of us needs to find where we belong (Romans 12:4-6, 1 Corinthians 12).

Being in love with God really should be similar to being in love with another person, only more so. Like when we first fall in love with that person. All we think about is him or her. We want to spend our every moment with that person. We call, send gifts, text. We can't get enough. This is what God desires from us all the time. He thinks about us all the time. We should think about Him all the time.

Again, the students offered up some great ideas. For example, talk about Christ to others. When we fall in love with someone, we want to talk about that special person to everyone. Shouldn't we do the same with God? What about telling our friends what God has done in our life or what He means to us? Shouldn't we want to introduce other people to God? We do that with our close human relationships, and we should do the same with God.

Finally, there is the matter of obedience. Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Back to the husband and wife analogy. If I truly love my wife, I will do the things that she asks me to do. I'll do the things that she wants me to do. Shouldn't the same be true of our relationship with God? We should do the things He wants us to do and asks us to do.

God wants the best we can offer Him. But often, the best we have to give, we give to others. We should give ourselves to others, but we have to remember what Jesus said when a lawyer asked Him what was the greatest commandment. Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). Notice, the greatest commandment is to love God first, then others. Are we giving our best to God? That is true love.

True Freedom

On Sunday, 9/11/2011, the tenth anniversary of the terrorist acts against the US, all across our nation, church services held some type of memorial to remember the events of that tragic morning. No doubt many of the pastors in those churches spoke about the freedoms we enjoy in our country. For example the freedom to worship God in public without threat of violence or imprisonment. Congregating in a church building at a set time is a freedom many Christians around the world do not have. Owning a Bible is a crime in many other countries. In our country the average household has several. Telling others about Jesus Christ can be punishable by death in many countries, yet we can stand on a street corner and preach or walk up to total strangers, hand out a tract and tell them about Christ. We can invite our neighbors over for a Bible study without fear of them turning us into the authorities and then being arrested, tortured or even executed. Yes, in the United States of America, we enjoy the freedom of religion.


The week prior, my wife and I were in Texas with our son Kyle, who was there speaking to various churches trying to raise support for his church back in Maple Ridge, Canada. He was scheduled to speak at a couple of churches on Sunday, 9/11. My wife mentioned he should say something about the freedoms that we have in our country. My son's reply struck a chord in me. He said what he'd like to preach about, but would only do in a church he wasn't seeking support from, was that we have the freedom in our country to ignore God, to turn our back on God, to deny the existence of God. And he's absolutely right. In our country we don't have to worship a god, whether the true God of the universe or some false god. We don't have to pray five times a day facing a certain way, making sure our bowing is in synchrony with everyone else around us. In our country it's okay to use the name of God in vain. It's okay to violate religious rules. Oh, and it's okay to not do any of the things mentioned above, like owning a Bible, meeting in a church building at a certain time, talking to others about Christ, or inviting our neighbors over for a Bible study, even if we ARE Christians.

In many countries, a person must profess a certain religion or risk being ostracized, tortured, beaten, even killed. And if the person does profess that religion, if they don't carry out the rituals perfectly, or obey all the rules, they can also be punished, even imprisoned. But not in our country. We can live our lives totally oblivious to the Truth, even blaspheme the God of the universe and not suffer any consequences. At least not from our fellow countrymen.

And yet, there are many people in our country who would take away the Christian's right to worship our God the way we feel led to. There are organizations that think any public expression of faith is “unconstitutional,” and would deny our rights to assemble in public or express our faith in public. These same organizations tend to align themselves with political ideology that would take away many other freedoms, ideology that says our government should tell us what to do, how to do it, and regulate every aspect of our lives. What these anti-religion organizations don't seem to take into consideration is that if they are not careful, the pendulum may swing too far their way and they many find themselves forced to behave in certain ways. Like many other countries, one predominant worldview could prevail and even be mandated. Then, we'll become just like those other countries.

And if Christians are not careful, we many find ourselves in the above situation because we take too much advantage of our own “freedom” to live our lives as WE want to live them. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.” We can legally live our lives as if Christ doesn't really make a difference. We can gather on Sundays, sing worship songs while thinking about what we'll have for lunch, listen to a message while texting our friends, shake some hands, act all “Christianny” and then live the rest of the week just like everyone else. This we can do in our country. This we have the freedom to do. At least so far, the government will not imprison, torture, or execute us for this. We have this freedom. But is this a freedom we really want to take advantage of? Is it a freedom that we should take advantage of? It may be lawful, but is it helpful when we Christians live life the way we want to live, rather than how God wants us to live?

What is Your Worldview?

Let's start with a short quiz. Of the situations listed below, which one or ones has to do with spiritual concerns?

a) An abortion doctor is imprisoned for murder because he delivered at least seven babies live and then killed them with scissors.
b) Certain organizations within our country are planning and plotting the destabilization of our country in order that they may insert their political and social agenda.
c) Hundreds of people see Jesus weeping in a rock under a highway overpass and a shrine is built where many come to see the phenomena.
d) The governor of Wisconsin is sent death threats because he supports legislation to reign in public union activity in the educational system of his state.
e) A mother systematically drowns her five children, one after another and the authorities call it postpartum depression.
f) At a conference on health, one speaker said that “schizophrenia is a healthy, valid, desirable condition-- not a disorder.”

Most people, I believe, would answer C. And those people would only be partially right. All of the above have to do with spiritual concerns. All are cases of spiritual warfare. All are cases of the enemy of God sowing confusion, chaos, and deceit. The way we view these events is called our “worldview”.

A worldview is how we view the world. Makes sense, right? When we see events unfolding around us, what do we believe to be the cause? Do we believe the world is a random happenstance, or was the world created by an all-powerful being? Do we believe that we all are here for a purpose or are we an evolutionary accident? Do we believe that people are innately good or are they born sinners and are innately self-centered? Do we believe that things happen for a reason or do they happen by chance? Do we believe that humans are the top of the food chain and all that happens is by our doing, or do we believe that there are forces much greater than us?

Think about your answer to all the above questions. Then, regardless of your worldview, try reexamining the scenarios above while considering these ways of looking at our world. Try to think of everything in this world as being involved in spiritual warfare. We have an enemy. His name is Satan. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

And Satan was the most powerful angel who decided he wanted to become like God and was cast out of heaven down to earth, where, for a season, he has been given the right to rule (see Revelation 12). Paul calls the devil “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). Who are the sons of disobedience? They are those on earth that have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. No, I'm not saying those without Christ are devil worshippers. But, unwittingly, those without Christ do the bidding of Satan by being susceptible to his manipulations. And Satan does everything in his power to confuse people, to breed chaos, and to deceive people. We see this in Genesis, where the serpent comes and deceives Eve, leading her and Adam to sin, thus introducing death into the world. John, in Revelation 12, calls the devil “the deceiver of the whole world.”

Try thinking of everyone as being innately evil, born with the propensity to do wrong. Psalm 51:5 says, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Thinking this way removes the confusion over seeing people who do something totally evil and unexplainable, like the woman who drowned her kids. Because we are all born with a sin nature, if we don't have Christ, the devil can prey on that nature and cause us to do things we “rationally” would not do. There is no good in us apart from what God gives us - “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). Therefore, without Christ, we can be manipulated to do evil, even if we are generally a “good” person.

Try thinking that we are here purposefully, that God created the universe and each and every one of us and that He loves us and wants none of us to die without Him thus spending eternity in hell. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now throw the enemy into the mix and you can see why the devil tries to confuse and deceive, as he wants as many souls as possible not to go to heaven. Try thinking this way, then re-examine the above scenarios.

I don't know about you, but often when I watch the news, talk to people, or hear of things going on in our world, I can only shake my head and wonder how people can be that way, how they can think the way they do and do the things they do. For example, one certain political philosophy has begun to align itself with Islam. This is the same political philosophy that heavily supports homosexuality and radical feminism. And they are embracing Islam, which teaches that women have no rights and that homosexuality is a grave abomination against their god. Does this make sense? Not on the surface. But from a spiritual sense it does as our enemy continues to try and confuse us and to reign chaos upon this world.

What should be our response? Do we condemn people when they do stupid, contradictory things? That would not be the response that Christ would have. We have to remember that people without Christ are under deception. They are slaves to their sin. Paul addressed the Galatian believers and said, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods” (Galatians 4:8). In Romans 6 and 7 Paul talks about those without Christ being slaves to sin apart from God. And in Titus chapter 3, Paul says those without Christ are “slaves to various passions and pleasures.” A slave is compelled to do the will of his or her master. Thus those without Christ do the bidding of the devil. For us that know Christ, the only appropriate response is to pray for those under the yoke of the enemy, and, if God gives us the opportunity, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. For their only hope is the grace of God.

Try viewing everything around you in spiritual terms. Try viewing everything as either bringing glory to God or fighting against God. By adjusting your worldview, you will begin to better understand the chaos and confusion around you. Try seeing everything through the eyes of Christ.

Self-Centeredness

I've become convinced that the single greatest problem in our world is self-centeredness. Back in the day of Christ, a man asked Jesus what was the greatest command. And Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord God with all your heart, and will all your soul, and with all your mind.” Then Jesus followed up with “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). Jesus put this second command in an interesting way. He didn't just say, “You shall love your neighbor.” He said to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, knowing that we are full of self-love, that we are self-centered by nature.

The other day, I experienced an incredible act of self-centeredness. I was leaving our parking garage at work. It happened that this was the time that many people were leaving that same garage. There were two booths with attendants taking tickets and payments. I selected one that only had one car in it. And I sat. And I sat. And I waited. And I waited some more. In the car ahead of me, the lady driving decided it was a good time to strike up a lengthy conversation with the woman in the ticket booth. She talked, and talked, never once looking back to see the line of cars stacking up behind her. She was totally self-absorbed with no concern of anyone else's time. Even the ticket booth attendant glanced several times at the line of cars. The lady in the car kept on talking.

For some reason, driving a vehicle brings out the worst self-centered behavior. Think about it. Texting while driving is a extremely self-centered act. Actually, doing anything distracting while driving is self-centered. It's dangerous, and doing anything that endangers others while driving, is self-centered. An accident generally involves more than one vehicle. Even if it only involves one vehicle, it still causes delays for everyone else on the road who comes upon that accident. And thus, if we purposely do something that puts us at a greater risk of an accident, we are being self-centered. I won't even go into speeding, cutting in front of others, and failure to use turn signals.

The Bible says, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4). Even things like excessive drinking, excessive gambling, smoking, and over-eating are self-centered acts. Alcoholics, drug addicts, smokers who contract smoking related illnesses impact more than just themselves. They impact others around them such as their family. These things also affect insurance rates and medical costs, thus they impact all of us. The addict is the ultimate self-centered person. They have nothing in mind other than satisfying their craving. There is rarely any thought of how their behavior affects others.

Are people capable of self-sacrifice? Sure we are. Thousands of people respond to natural disasters, such as the tornado in Joplin, MO, either by going and helping or by contributing money and things. For example, a local restaurant this past weekend did a fund raiser for those people. People lined up outside the door before the restaurant even opened. People can be others-centered. But, is that the way we live our life? For Christians, Jesus is our model of how to live. And He lived everyday for others. Do we even live an hour a day for others? I know, some of you are saying, hey, I'm a parent, I live everyday for my kids. Yes, and I've witnessed some of the most incredible acts of self-centeredness by parents on behalf of their kids. There are examples in the Bible, such as in Matthew 20:20-23, where a mother asks Jesus that her sons be allowed to sit on either side of Christ in heaven. What do you think her true motivation was? Was is really for her sons or for herself? And even if her motivation was directed at her sons, it's still a self-centered act as this woman gives no thoughts to others outside her immediate family. Self-centeredness is not always directed only at self, but can be directed at our immediate circle.

Even when we perform acts of kindness or acts of self-sacrifice, we have to check our motives. Why are we doing it? Are we trying to assuage a guilty conscience? Have we reached a point where we've been so self-involved that we do something for someone else just so we can relieve that guilt? Are we doing what we're doing because it's trendy? Are we doing what we're doing in order to look good? In Matthew 6:1, Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” I've seen this in the form of bragging, telling all about how someone helped out someone else. Maybe the motivation started out pure, but ended up being all about the person who was doing the helping out.

Why should we do things for others? Again, we should be modeling our life after Jesus. For a Christian, it should be a way of life. We should be others-centered because Christ commands us to be, and we should be following His commands because we love Him (John 14:15).

Chuck Swindol once said about obeying Christ, that we should just do it, and eventually, the joy will come. That's great advice as far as serving others as well. Let's start with serving others because we know we don't do it enough. Eventually, we'll find the true joy that God gives us in putting Him and others first and it will become natural for us.

Oh, and don't think I have this thing licked myself. As Romans 2:1 says, “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” This is one of the areas in my life that God continually works on. I admit, I have a long ways to go.

Religion Versus Faith

The other day, I participated in an interview and the interviewee said something that struck me and got me thinking. That's usually the way these things start for me, I hear something, read something, see something that gets me thinking about Christianity and voila, a blog pops out. Fiction writing is kind of the same way for me, but I digress.

Anyway, this person said that for him his religion comes first, his family second, others third, and himself last. A very noble, Christian thing to say. And by no means am I doubting his sincerity or judging him. I'm sure he meant what he said. What struck me, though, was the thing he put first, his “religion”. I would have expected either God or faith. That's what set me thinking, why did I expect something different?

We'll leave this interviewee out of the rest of this and concentrate on Christians in general. What is religion and what is faith? Colossians 2:20-23 says, “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations – 'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch' (referring to things that all perish as they are used) – according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

There are some key things being stated in this passage from Paul. Ritual, made up of rules, regulations, and laws that are “self-made religion” is the issue Paul is addressing. Religion is man-made. Faith is a gift from God (1Corinthians 12:9). Religion is something we can hide in to satisfy our conscience. A ritual we can perform to say, “See God, I'm following your rules.” Religion is something we wear on Sundays and then discard Monday through Saturday. And like Paul says, these things, “have indeed an appearance of wisdom”, but in reality they are not what God desires. Attending church is a good thing. But, when we attend church out of obligation, out of ritual it becomes “religion” in the sense Paul is talking about. When we say a rote prayer in church or at the dinner table or before going to bed without any true feeling behind it, we're engaging in ritual and it's meaningless.

Religion is what we do. Faith is what we are. We practice religion. We are a person of faith. If we have faith and we're not just practicing a religion, God should permeate everything we do. Paul goes on to show in Colossians 3 what true faith should look like. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2). “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5). “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” (Colossians 3:8-10).

Religion is something that is of the world. It is the set of rules and regulations that man has made in order to appear to follow God or a god. There are many religions in the world. All of them do the same thing. They try to achieve a holiness by following a set of precepts. God did not give us the law because he expected us to follow it. He gave us the law to show us that we could not follow it and that we need a savior, who is Jesus Christ. There is only one true faith (Ephesians 4:5).

James reinforces what Paul says about religion. In James 1:26-27, he writes, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Don't take James' words wrong and make a religion out of them by thinking that the way to God is to visit orphans and widows. That was an example. It's that last part that brings home James' point. To “keep oneself unstained from the world”. And regarding visiting orphans and widows, and doing any good work, for that matter, if we do these things out of obligation, they are part of our religion. If we do them out of love for Christ and because we feel compelled to do them, they are part of our faith, they are who we are. Religion says, “I believe in God” and we go on to do things, like bow to the east five times a day, to prove how religious we are. Faith says, “I am God's” and we do things from the love that is inside us. We do things because we love Jesus and we want to please our Father who is in heaven.

Do you practice religion or do you have faith in Jesus Christ?

Tattoos and God

I am amazed at the number of people who have tattoos these days. People I would never have suspected have one on their ankle or foot or on their shoulder, or other places. And with youth, it’s a big thing now, even Christian youth. Getting a tattoo has never been high on my bucket list. And I wonder how those who get a tattoo when they’re young will feel about it when they’re in their fifties, sixties, or seventies.

Regardless of personal taste, is getting a tattoo a sin?

Some would say that the Bible is pretty clear on the subject. Leviticus 19:28 says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” This seems pretty straightforward. God says don’t do it. Therefore, if we do something God says not to do then we’ve committed a sin. But this raises several questions for me.

Let’s first take the angle that getting a tattoo at all, for any reason, is a sin. I go to the tattoo parlor and allow the artist to burn into my skin a picture. I’ve committed a sin. If I come to my senses and confess and repent of that sin, is that it? The tattoo still exists. Do I sin every time I display the tattoo? Or is the sin done and over with since I did it, confessed and repented? Do I have to remove the tattoo in order to atone for the sin? Ah, but we can no longer atone for sin, since Jesus was the ultimate atonement. Or is the consequence just a constant reminder of my momentary rebellion toward God? Will the guilt I’ll feel at violating God’s command be my penalty? Sin has consequences so I guess if getting a tattoo is a sin, the consequence (besides the exorbitant price I paid for someone to mutilate my body) is that reminder of my sin.

Others would argue that the list of rules found in Leviticus 19 is part of the sacrificial law and that Christ came and fulfilled the sacrificial law. Since we now live under grace and not under law, those rules do not apply to us. Maybe. We certainly do not live under the sacrificial law. We don’t have to take a lamb to the priest and have its throat cut to atone for our sin. Is the list in Leviticus 19 part of the sacrificial law? I don’t know. As the title of my blog says, I’m not a theologian. That’s just too heavy of a subject to dive into.

I’d like to look at tattoos in a different light. The same light I look at a lot of things that I could or could not do.

First, how about a couple other scriptures from the New Testament. Oh, but before that, one more from Leviticus 19. In verses 1 and 2, “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”’”

I bring in this scripture because in Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

No matter what you think about the list in Leviticus 19, one thing is clear, verse 2 is still a valid command. However, that’s actually not why I bring that verse in. Here are a couple more verses to get our mind in the right place before I give my take on the whole tattoo thing.

1Corinthians 10:23-24 says, “’Everything is permissible’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible’—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.”

And, later in that same chapter, Paul says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” (1Corinthians 10:31-33).

Take a look again at the three sets of scriptures above. Be holy or perfect. Everything is allowed, but not everything is beneficial. Whatever you do, do for the glory of God. And for kickers, don’t do something that could be a stumbling block for someone else to come to Christ.

Let’s put this all together and relate tattoos to it. Here’s my question to you if you’re contemplating a tattoo. Why do you want this tattoo? God said, everything is permissible. Therefore, according to the New Testament, you can get that tattoo if you want to. But why are you getting it? Is it to bring glory to God? Or is it to show off yourself? Is it to honor God? Or is it to be cool? If it’s to honor yourself or to be cool, then it’s not getting the tattoo that’s the possible sin. It’s your attitude, your pride, your arrogance. That is the sin. This violates a direct command from God – a New Testament command - whatever you do, do for the glory of God. Willfully doing something that you know is not for the glory of God is a sin.

Can you get a tattoo for the glory of God? Steven Curtis Chapman and his family - both sons and his wife - all got tattoos to memorialize his five year old daughter who was killed in an accident. Is this honoring God? I really can’t answer that. God knows the hearts of the Chapman family, I don’t. On the surface, it certainly appears to be an honorable reason. Another example. Could you get a tattoo of, say, a cross, as a way to open doors to witness?

How about another set of scriptures from 1Corinthians, this time verses 9:19-9:23: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

I could envision a situation where a Christian, who hangs out with a certain type of crowd where tattoos are the norm, getting a tattoo himself or herself in order to fit in enough to make an impact on that crowd for Christ.

But what if another person hangs out with a crowd who thinks tattoos are evil? If this person gets a tattoo, they are possibly causing their friends to stumble and may be preventing them from coming to Christ or may be preventing them from growing in their Christian walk.

Are tattoos forbidden by the Bible? I’m not sure I’ve answered that question. I’m not sure I can answer that question. I hope the scriptures I’ve provided, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will allow you to answer that question for yourself. As for me, I’ll keep my skin free of tattoos and try to live my life for the glory of God. And, really, that’s the bottom line. Whenever we set out to do something, we should ask ourselves why we’re doing it. Is it to honor God or ourselves? If the former, go for it. That’s between you and God. If it’s the latter, beware. God doesn’t take kindly to idolatry. I’ll leave as a homework assignment for the reader to review Acts chapter 5 and the story of Ananias and Sapphira. They did something good, at least what most of us would think is good. They gave money to the common cause, but with the wrong motive. And what happened to them? Read the chapter and find out.

Until next time, do all for the glory of God.

Biblical Baptism

This year our church did a push for baptism. We had at least forty-four people come forward and be baptized that day. Praise the Lord. Some of these had even been baptized before, as babies. But they had not been Biblically baptized. So what is Biblical Baptism? Isn’t all baptism the same?

There are many traditions surrounding baptism and there are many beliefs about baptism that are not based on the Bible. For example, some denominations baptize babies in the belief that this washes away their original sin. Other denominations sprinkle. Some will sprinkle babies, some will sprinkle anyone. Some denominations don’t baptize at all nor encourage baptism in any way.

To start, let’s lay out the principles of Biblical baptism and then I’ll give the scriptural basis for each of these principles.

Baptism does not give a person salvation. Baptism does not wash away our sins. Baptism is to be done by full immersion in water. Baptism is only to be done after a person has accepted Christ. Baptism is one of two ordinances that Christ has commanded us to do, the other being the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is an outward symbol of the inward transformation we go through when we have been born again.

Ephesians 4:4-6 says, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

There is only one baptism and that is the way the Bible describes it.

Why baptize? For starters, we are commanded to do so by Christ. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” All throughout the book of Acts, we see stories of people being baptized.

And, Jesus himself was baptized. Matthew 3:13-17 says:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

This passage shows us that baptism is important. So important that Jesus himself asked to be baptized in order to “fulfill all righteousness”. This passage also shows that the act of baptism certainly does not give one salvation. Jesus was the son of God and God Himself. He hardly needed to be given salvation. Next, this passage shows that baptism is by immersion not sprinkling. For, Jesus “went up out of the water”. He was in a river to be baptized, not having some water dribbled over Him. Finally, this passage shows us the purpose of baptism. When Christ came up out of the water, “the Spirit of God descending like a dove” was seen, showing all that were watching that baptism is a symbol of our receiving the Holy Spirit.

Romans 6:3-4 confirms the symbolism and public profession of baptism. “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Picture the act of baptism. We are buried with Christ – submerged under water, then raised from the dead – raised out of the water, so that we may live a new life with Christ. Baptism is the outward representation of the inward transformation we go through when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is our public confession that we have accepted Christ.

Let’s turn more detailed attention to the order of things. There are several denominations that baptize babies. What is the purpose of this? Unfortunately, many believe that this secures the soul of the child to go to heaven. Others believe that this washes away original sin. Neither of these beliefs is Biblical. Throughout scripture we see that the order of things is believe in Christ first, then be baptized. Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Don’t be confused. This is not saying that you must believe and be baptized to be saved. It’s saying, you believe and then you’re baptized. This is confirmed in that the verse does not include not being baptized as a condition for being condemned. Only not believing in Christ and not submitting to His lordship can condemn you to hell. Also, we see many other passages where baptism follows salvation. As homework, check out the following verses: Acts 2:37-38, Acts 8:12-13, 34-39 (this one also shows full immersion – again, they came up out of the water), Acts 9:17-18 (here, the apostle Paul, several days after his conversion, is baptized).

I can understand some people’s confusion. Acts 22:16 says, “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” But, if you examine this passage carefully you’ll see that these are words that Ananias said to Paul AFTER Paul had already been saved. Again, Paul’s sin was taken away by the blood of Jesus Christ. Baptism followed that.

So, if you were baptized as a baby and have never been Biblically baptized, does that mean you are not going to heaven? Actually, if you’ve been paying attention, it has nothing to do with heaven or hell. The determining factor between heaven and hell is your acknowledgement that you are a sinner and that you, on your own, cannot get into heaven because if God were to judge you, He would find you guilty of breaking His commandments. But, if you’ve accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, and repented of your sins, then you are bound for heaven. Baptism, though, is something you should do in order to publicly confess that you are a child of God. Another verse that shows baptism is not necessary for salvation is in Luke 23:39-43:

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

This man died on a cross as Jesus did. He had no opportunity to get baptized and yet Jesus told him that the man would be in paradise with Jesus. Only belief in Christ and submission to Him as Lord is necessary for salvation.

What you do with this is up to you. If you consider yourself a follower of Christ and have never been Biblically baptized what does that mean? It means only that you are disobeying your Lord and Savior. Baptism is often the first act of obedience. My advice, find a church that baptizes Biblically and follow our Lord’s command.

Just an aside and strictly my opinion, but if a church is not following the Bible in an ordinance as important as baptism, I wonder if they are preaching the Bible and only the Bible and I suspect they are not following the Bible in other ways. Personally, I would not attend a church that did not baptize Biblically.

The Theology of The Little Drummer Boy

When I was little, one of my favorite Christmas shows was “The Little Drummer Boy”. This was long before I became a Christian, but even then, watching this show always brought a tear to my eye. While tiling my bathroom wall, this song came on my iPod and I really listened to the lyrics and thought, you know, those words are pretty good theology.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there is no little drummer boy in the Bible. All we know are that some kings from the East came and visited Jesus (we don’t even really know how many) and brought him some gifts. By the way, Jesus was around 2 years old when these kings came. It was not when he was in the manger.

Anyway, let’s start at the beginning of “The Little Drummer Boy”.

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum

In the Bible, Andrew is one of the first to meet Jesus. Immediately after meeting Jesus, he finds his brother Peter. John 1:40-42a says, “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.”

This should be our reaction as well. When we meet Jesus, we should be going out and bringing others to Him.

Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

This should be our attitude, to lay our finest gifts before Christ. Malachi 3:10 says, “’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty,‘ and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

If we bring God our best, He’ll bless us for that. But, here’s the big question, what is our best?

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

Like the little drummer boy, we may often feel that we have nothing of any real value to bring to Christ. We may feel that we’re not that talented, so there’s no place in ministry for us. We’re not rich, so we can’t lay gold, Frankincense or Mir at His feet. We have nothing to bring Him, nothing to give Him, nothing to do for Him, so we do nothing and go our own way.

I’d like to explore two answers to the question of what we can bring Christ. The first is given by the prophet Samuel in 1Samuel 15:22. “But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

The one gift that we can all give to Christ is our obedience. Christ said in John 14:21, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.” God wants us to love Him and we do that by following His commands. That is one gift that is worthy of The King that any Christian can bring.

I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
…
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

The little drummer boy, though, provides us with the second answer. One gift we can bring to Christ is to do our best for Him in no matter what it is. Think about it. Does God really need anything from us? No, He has everything. He created everything. Nothing we could give him, in the material sense, means anything to Him. But, God is our heavenly father, and He delights in His children when they do their best for Him. If you have children of your own, just think back to the delight you had when they drew a picture for you. Even if it was a bunch of scribbles, it was the best your child could do at the time and you were delighted. God is the same way. We’re not all called to be “great” as the world defines great. But, we are all called to do our best for the Lord.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,”

1Corinthians 9:24 says, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

It’s not what we can do that concerns God. It’s not how well we can do it. Rather, it’s the state of our heart when we do something. Are we working for God and are we doing our best? Psalms 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Like the little drummer boy, we may not feel that what we do is worthy of the God who created the universe, but if we humble ourselves and do our best and do what we do for God and not ourselves, then we too one day will stand before Christ and he will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21).

Our Fascination with the Supernatural

I admit that since I was a child, I’ve had a fascination with the supernatural. Vampires, werewolves, warlocks, dragons, wizards and the such. And America’s fascination with the supernatural seems to be at a peak. When I was a kid, it was “Bewitched” that was a favorite of many. This show portrayed witches as generally good people. Interestingly, the use of magic usually landed Samantha in trouble, though it was also magic that got her back out of trouble.

Today, such shows as “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “Charmed” are popular. The Harry Potter series of books and movies are hugely successful, as is the “Twilight” series. I’ve seen previews of an upcoming remake of “The Wolfman” as well. And of course, Dracula has been remade many times.

Even Christian stories such as “Lord of the Rings” and the Narnia series are rooted in the supernatural. Though, the Narnia series is a Christian allegory. However, if parents don’t explain the allegory to their kids, the kids probably won’t understand that Aslan, the lion, is a representation of Christ. One interesting fact to note, whenever a human performs magic in “The Lord of the Rings” bad things happen. Gandalf is not a human, he is a Mithra, or a race of angels. Anyway, I digress.

I’m not one of those who thinks we should ban or even protest movies such as Harry Potter or “Twlight”. I believe it is up to the parents to educate their children about the supernatural and to both know and decide what is appropriate for their children to watch. However, I do believe there are two major consequences that result from our glorification of things from the occult. And yes, magic, witches, warlocks, etc. are of the occult. They are not sanctioned by God. The Bible is pretty clear on God’s stance regarding the practice of witchcraft:

“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 18:10-13).

Therefore, when Hollywood or an author glorifies witchcraft, or makes witchcraft appear good, they are going contrary to the Bible. This, in of itself, is a problem, and thus parents should educate their children about what the Bible has to say about witchcraft.

Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Movies do this all the time – glorify evil. Our children need to be educated on what is good and what is truly evil.

It is this portrayal of evil as good that is the first danger of our fascination of the supernatural. We are raising generations of children who may believe that witchcraft is good, that divination is good, and that even traditional icons of evil such as vampires can be good. People are attracted to evil. I believe this is the sinful nature inside of us, but I also believe the media shares some of the blame. And by the media I include fiction authors, movie producers, and television producers. “Wizards of Waverly Place” may be a cute, entertaining show, but one consequence of this show is to demonstrate to children that witchcraft is okay, fun, and even useful.

The second consequence of our current portrayal of the supernatural is actually somewhat of an opposite effect. It’s the trivialization of the supernatural. Remember, God is supernatural. The Bible has many many occurrences of supernatural healings, miracles, and other events. And not just through Jesus, but also through his disciples. And witchcraft as well as conversing with the dead is real, as seen in 1Samuel 28 when Saul asks the witches of Endor to consult with the dead spirit of Samuel. There is a natural world and there is a supernatural world. But, we are so bombarded with fictional portrayals of the supernatural that many people may have a tendency to shake off the entire concept as fiction. This, unfortunately, includes God.

I believe the saturation of the supernatural in fiction has a numbing effect on people, leading them to disregard the actual existence of evil supernatural entities (demons) and the actual existence of good supernatural entities (God and His angels). Ignoring either the evil supernatural or the good supernatural can have devastating consequences.

So, what’s the answer? Total censorship! No, that’s not the answer. The answer, as usual lies in the Bible: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Parents, train your children in the ways of the Bible so that they know fiction from reality and so that they know what is truly evil and what is truly good. Of course, if one way you want to train them is by not allowing them to watch shows that glorify evil, then good for you, that is your prerogative. Another way is to watch these shows and movies with your children and explain to them what the Bible says and why what they are seeing is both fiction and dishonoring to God.

And for all of us, we need to read the Bible so that we’re familiar both with what God says about things such as witchcraft and speaking to the dead, and to learn about both the good supernatural and the evil supernatural. We need to educate ourselves and that education should come from the Bible, not from Hollywood. 2Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The way to fight the world and its portrayal of evil as good is to be equipped with God’s Word.

Our fascination with the supernatural is not a bad thing. God is supernatural. We should pursue the supernatural. It’s just that we need to pursue the right path to the supernatural and we need to learn to call evil evil and good good.

Idol Worship

Well, here I am out of a job again, so I have some time to keep my blog updated. Prayerfully, the out of jobness will be short-lived. And prayerfully as well, I’ll try to keep the blog updated even when I go back to work.

There has been a lot of things going on lately, fodder for my theological ravings. The one I’d like to focus on today is the Tiger Woods incident. Yeah, I know, you’re all probably sick of hearing about it. But allow me to say just one more thing about this incident.

America is guilty of a great many sins. For starters, all of us as individuals are sinners. We do stuff wrong all the time. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But there seems to be one great sin that so many Americans participate in, Christians and non-Christians alike, and that is the sin of idol worship. We even have a television program called “American Idol”. The Bible is very clear on idol worship – we’re not to do it. The first two commandments of the Ten Commandments are: “You shall have no other gods before Me” and “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Deuteronomy 5:7-10).

Throughout the Old Testament, God continually chastises the Hebrews for idol worship. And yet, in America, a country where over 90% of the people profess to believe in God, we worship many idols. Rock stars, television stars, movie stars, and yes, professional athletes.

Tiger Woods is one of those idols worshipped on the throne of the American Dream. He’s one of those men held up to children as an example that we can accomplish anything if we just work hard at it. That anyone in America can succeed.

Looking up to others that have succeeded is not all bad. But here’s the problem. Tiger Woods is a great golfer. No doubt about that. Maybe the greatest ever. But Americans don’t want to stop there. We want to form an image of Tiger in our heads that places him on a pedestal and makes him a paragon of human virtue. We can’t simply accept him as a great golfer and admire his golf skills, but we must also assume that he’s a great person. Maybe he is and maybe he isn’t. Obviously, he’s made some dumb decisions in his personal life. But haven’t we all? Now, I’m in no way condoning anything he did. But, what I’m trying to say is that just because Tiger Woods is a great golfer does not mean he’s a man to be emulated in all facets of life. He’s not perfect. As we’ve seen. But what really floors me is the vitriol that comes out of people because he messed up. And it’s all because of idol worship.

I don’t know Tiger Woods’ spiritual state. I don’t know if he’s a follower of Jesus or not. If not, then his behavior is to be expected. Lost people act like lost people. There should be no reason to expect him to live a virtuous life without the only One who can empower us to do so. And if he is a Christian, then he has God to answer to, not us.

Movie stars, rock stars, and athletes can be admired for the talents they possess. However, we should not expect them to live lives of perfection. I think our rage at a star who falls is really a reflection of our own guilt. We know that we cannot live perfect lives and thus project onto our “heroes” the ability to do so. Therefore, when that hero fails, as they all do, we’re let down, we’re angry, we’re confused, and most of all, we’re faced with the fact that man, us included, is fallen and that makes us uncomfortable. Americans are prideful and we don’t want to accept that we need a Savior and that we’re incapable of living like we want on our own. Paul said in Romans 2:1, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” We expect our heroes NOT to do the same things that we do. And when they prove themselves to be human, we get angry.

There is only one hero who lived a perfect life and that was Jesus Christ. If we worship Him, we will not be let down. He will never mess up. He will never sin. He never did sin. He lived a perfect life and gave Himself up for us so that we, if we believe in Him, and submit ourselves to Him, can have assurance of eternal life. And in Heaven, there will be no sin, therefore, no one will let us down.

Worship Jesus, not the latest star of Twilight or your favorite NFL quarterback or even the next American Idol, for Jesus will never let you down.

Oh, and one more thing that I find strange with us Americans. We expect our athletes, rock stars, and movie stars to be such virtuous people and we’re angry when they let us down. But when a politician messes up, that’s just par for the course. Our priorities are completely out of whack. And I believe there’s coming a day of reckoning. God will tolerate our idol worship only so long. Go back to the beginning of this and read Deuteronomy 5:7-10 again.