Tag Archive for 'Christians'

A Church Defined By What It Is or Getting Away From Check List Christianity

Published on January 17, 2010 in Christianity. 5 Comments Tags: , , , .

            I am tired of hearing Christians define themselves by what they are not or by what they are against.  It has always interested me to see how quickly people are willing to start conversations with the negative points.  I believe it is a mistake to allow ones’ self to be defined by negative moments or negative beliefs.

            Jesus did not spend a lot of time dealing with the things God hates.  He was constantly confronted with people who were sinners and yet, except when He was dealing with the religious leaders who were corrupting the Temple, Jesus always showed mercy to those separated from God.  We never see Jesus on the corner preaching the good news that God is angry with you and you are therefore going to hell.

            Do not get me wrong—I certainly believe in heaven AND hell.  I certainly believe that only those who believe in Jesus are going to be admitted into heaven.  Paul talked about becoming all things to all men.  He was looking at what he knew of the life of Jesus.  Jesus met those who were trapped in their sins by setting them free.  He did not need to spend time telling them what they had done wrong—they certainly knew what their sin was.

            We have been tricked into believing that sinners no longer know they are sinners.  Part of the reason for this is that modern man is so big at flaunting their sin and acting as if God is dead.  What we fail to realize is that man has always been that way.

            God convicts man of his sin.  He speaks in the heart of all men.  We have to remember that God has placed eternity in every man’s heart.  We do not need to convince man of the hole, we have to convince man that only God will fill it.

            We have spent our time being against abortion.  I am not against abortion, we are for life.  We are against homosexuality.  I am not against homosexuality, I am for heterosexual relationships.  We are against Islam.  I am not against Islam, I am for Jesus.  I am not against sickness, I am for health.

            Jesus is not anti-darkness—He is light!  Jesus is not anti-wickedness, he is righteousness!

            I think the reason Jesus never spoke on the issue of homosexuality is that He knew that if men would come into right relationship with God they would not behave in improper ways.  In the presence of God sin flees, not because someone is screaming against sin, but because sin does not exist in the same space as God.

            I think our approach to sin and dwelling on what we are not is the main reason we have a check list Christian culture.  We do not drink, unless we are in Europe where it is acceptable.  We have to wear the right clothes. We have to read the right version.  We have to attend the right services.

            In other words, check list Christianity does not worry so much about what we are as it does about what we look like.  I have known pastors who were adamant that they believed drinking was a sin—at least until we arrived in France and everybody, including the Christians was drinking.

            I am not arguing the finer points of Baptist theology here.  There are many reasons not to drink—but I daresay that no one at the wedding in Canaan was arguing about those finer points.

Maybe Its Time To Reevaluate Our Faith

Published on January 30, 2009 in Christianity. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

 

            We cannot continue like we are going.  Modern Christianity has lost its connection to historic, first century Christianity.  We have lost our way.  Maybe you are a skeptic and want more proof than my bold declaration that we have lost our way.

 

            I think that the proof is in the pudding as they say where I live.  And the pudding is to look at how we are changing our world.  From the time of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry through the end of the first century the Church of Jesus Christ, and of course the master himself, turned their world upside down.  They did it without modern communication.  They did it without written apologetics.

 

            There were no televisions to promote the word.  There was no radio ministry.  Shoot, even their newsletters had to be written on reed parchments.  It was not an easy time to communicate.  And forget about traveling.  To get from one place to another they either walked or rode a donkey or horse.  Nothing was easy for these guys and ladies, and yet, they turned the world upside down.

 

            What did they have that we did not have?  Nothing.  What do we have that they did not have?  Everything.  And therein lays the answer.

 

            Jesus was homeless.  He was also relatively unemployed; in fact, Peter found the money to pay the taxes Jesus owed in the mouth of a fish.  Clearly, Jesus did not have a strong mailing list to go to for help.

 

            Where were the intercessors when Jesus needed them?  Here He is, facing the lord of Hell on a daily basis, and His ministry is not fully developed by our standards.  Yet He managed to accomplish the most important goal of anyone in history.  An accomplishment that stands as the turning point of history—even now.

 

            The second most critical person in the history of Christianity is the Apostle Paul.  A quick look at his life, found in I Corinthians 4:11 “To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;”

 

            So now we are two for two.  The master and his top man are both homeless.  How many of our leaders are homeless?  How many of our leaders are hungry and thirsty?  How many of our leaders are poorly clothed and roughly treated?

 

            You got it—none!

 

            I am not saying that we all have to be homeless, hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, and roughly treated to be true Christians.  What I am saying is that there is something missing because the Church, largely on the Christian right, does not have any place for those who are homeless, just as Jesus was homeless. 

 

            It is time we returned to a simpler day.  A day when we placed less value on the things we owned or the size of the reserves in our ministry. 

 

            The problem is that we are not asking the right questions.  We are concerned with what looks right for the staid and set believers around us.  We are concerned with not offending people.  All the time we teach that Jesus was offensive to most everyone he met.  Some He offended into the kingdom.  Some He offended so much that they had Him killed.

 

            Instead of wondering how to keep up with the Jones it is time we learned how to keep up with the Jesuses of our world.

 

            The question we have to ask ourselves is:  How do I respond to those around me the way Jesus did?  How do I learn to appreciate everything in its proper place the way Paul did?

 

            Maybe instead of fighting to get to the top of the heap we should be fighting to get to the bottom of the heap.

 

            Maybe instead of believing God for a new car and a better house we should be believing God to show us how to live with less.  Maybe we should be praying for the prosperity Paul had—you remember, the prosperity of hunger and thirst and homelessness.

 

            Where are the television preachers showing us how to move down the ladder in God’s will, rather than spending years convincing us that God wants us at the top of the heap in the nicest clothes and best cars and mansions in this world?

 

            Maybe I am dreaming.  I am not there.  But at some point we have to come to grips with the truth of the Gospel and not just the parts that make us feel good.

Hello Congress, I Am Here For My Bailout!

Published on November 26, 2008 in Christianity, Dark Side of Christian Ministry and The Bigger Picture. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

            I have to confess at first I was against the bailout, but I have changed my mind.  So, like John Kerry I was against the bailout before I was for the bailout and that should make my views better received.  I think we should stop fighting Congress on the bailout and get together and put our names in the hat.

 

            The only thing separating most of us from the Wall Street crowd is the amount of bad debt.  So now we are going to be punished for not borrowing enough money to create real debt!  If only I had known.

 

            The problem is where does it stop.  This bailout program is a system for rewarding bad management.  Men and women who have run some of the largest companies in the world, taken out huge salaries and perks, are now being rewarded with our tax dollars.

 

            This problem is bigger than an economic issue.  It is a sign of the times.  Not a sign of tough financial times, but a sign of how devoid of morals we really are as a culture.  The problem is that capitalism like democracy only survives and thrives when it the people who are making the most money have a moral core that understands the end goal is not about money.

 

            Unfortunately, for us we now live in a culture that values money above everything.  Nothing is more important than the bottom line.  What we are now experiencing is the loss of faith in our national psyche.

 

            We have gone from being a nation filled with Christians who held great sway in the moral debates of our culture to a nation where Christian thinking is outdated and no longer a driving force in our national debates.

 

            The past couple of generations have seen us go from a nation that pays tribute to God—as a Christian God, to a nation that does not acknowledge God except as a source of profanity.

 

            Our lives no longer tell the tale of faith—even those proclaiming to be Christians.

 

            This is not a problem that we can blame on the removal of the Ten Commandments from our public schools and public buildings.  The removal of the Commandments was merely a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself.  Thus, the problem is not solved by simply placing the Ten Commandments back on the walls of our public institutions.

 

            The problem is much deeper.  We are a people who have lost their way.  Our word is no longer our bond.  Our faith no longer motivates our activities.  We separate God from our daily lives until there is a crisis and then we wonder why God is not faithful.

 

            The writer of Hebrews made it plain, if it seems God is not faithful the problem is not God, the problem is us.  Unfortunately for us, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes, and forever.

 

            Clearly the problem is the people of God, not the God of the universe.

Help Me Stand With Larry Keffer

Published on November 16, 2008 in Christianity, Europe and IHRG's Work. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

When American missionary Larry Keffer began street evangelism in Oslo, Norway he knew the cost would be great!  He knew that he could be arrested!  He knew that he could find himself in court and possibly even in jail! 

 

He went anyway!  And he shared his faith in public places.  He did this because he knows how important it is to continue to try and reach the world with the Christian faith.  Larry also knows the importance of bringing the Gospel message to Europe—the spiritually dark continent. 

 

In the midst of calmly sharing his message Larry was arrested.  I represented Larry at trial.  He was convicted because the Norwegian police law actually carries more weight than the right to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.  In America Larry might have been arrested, but as soon as we went to court he would have been found not guilty.

 

Now Larry has lost his case at the Norwegian Court of Appeals and we are preparing to take his appeal to the Supreme Court of Norway.  From there, if we lose we will go to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France in our quest for justice for Larry.

 

Stand with me as I stand with Larry in the courts of Europe.  Together we can make a difference!  Together we can keep the door open for the proclamation of the Gospel in Europe!

 

You can stand with Larry, the IHRG, and me by going to our website.  Your tax deductible gift will help keep the door open for Christians in Europe who are fighting to bring freedom.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Published on October 28, 2008 in Christianity and The Bigger Picture. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

            For years I have dealt with a variety of people who seem to enjoy fighting internally as much as they enjoy fighting the real enemy.  Let me begin by reminding each of us that our real enemy is not man or men, gay or straight, liberal or conservative.  Our real enemy is a spiritual force that seeks to destroy the souls of men.  As long as we waste all of our time fighting symptoms we will never cure the disease.

 

            Rather than delve into the weeds on this broad topic I want to narrow it down somewhat.  I work with a lot of people who want to spend a lot of their time fighting other Christians who do not believe the same on noncore issues.  In other words, many of us want to fight over the ten percent over which we disagree rather than celebrate the ninety percent on which we agree.

 

            I am losing my patience with these arguments for a number of reasons, but the main reason is this type of argument does not further the goal of the church.  We are here to be salt and light, to transform unregenerated man and culture into regenerated man and culture.  We are here to change the world, to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth rather than take the kingdom of earth to heaven.

 

            I do not think there are arguments in heaven over what version of the Bible we read.  I do not think there are arguments in heaven over what clothes we wear.  I do not think heaven cares about the length of our hair—for either men or women.  Do not get me wrong, I love to discuss these issues when they do not matter, but I believe when we lead with these issues we discredit the kingdom of heaven.

 

            One of the biggest time destroyers in the evangelical community for decades has been the role of the Catholic Church.  Let me start off by saying that I am not a member of the Catholic Church because I do not agree with some of their doctrine.  I do not, however, want to argue over the doctrinal differences between us here.

 

            I think there are more important matters that Evangelicals must consider in our war to discredit or destroy the Catholic Church; matters that should give us pause the next time we declare war on the Catholic Church.

 

            We need to remember, no matter how we feel about the Catholic Church they were the chosen vehicle for the church for nearly fifteen hundred years.  Before the Reformation began there was only the Catholic Church; and to a much lesser extent the Orthodox Church, making inroads into the cultures of the world of any significance.

 

            Regardless of what I think about the Catholic Church, God chose to use it as His tool on the face of the earth.  To believe otherwise is to question the sovereignty of God.  So, first of all we should show some respect for the history God has given us as a people.

 

            Next, the Catholic Church is an organization that reaches around the world.  You can go to any major and most other cities in the world and find a Catholic Church that is reaching into the community for some reason.

 

            Regardless of whether we agree with their doctrine, the Catholic Church still preaches the name of Jesus on a number of levels.  They continue to speak about Jesus to much of the world—places where the Evangelical Church has yet to turn its attention.

 

            There is great value in this.  I understand that there are many who believe we can only accept the discussions of Jesus that are completely inundated with proper theology.  I personally believe there is value in the moral codes and structures that cover the world which were created by the Catholic Church—moral codes which are, at their core, Christian morals.  These moral codes influenced our founding fathers, even the ones who were not Christians.

 

            Another value we need to consider is the stand the Catholic Church is making around the world as a Christian organization that is avoiding creating a complete vacuum for Islam and other anti-Christian belief systems around the world to fill.  We should not be deceived; the vacuum that would be left by the loss of a Christian moral code is not neutral.  Whether it is a moral code that does not believe in moral absolutes or an Islamic or Hindu moral code, it is a moral code that has spiritual significance and will change the face of the planet.

 

You might not realize it but there are more religions than Islam that are killing Christians right now.

 

            According to Voice of the Martyrs there are more Christians being killed because of their faith right now than at any time in the history of the world!

 

            Whether we believe it or not, we are in a battle for the spiritual soul of this planet.  Christianity has long been the dominate religion, but that is rapidly changing even in America.           

 

            The final argument I am presenting is without a doubt the strongest argument.  The Catholic Church is undoubtedly the strongest voice in the world on the issue of abortion and same-sex marriage.  While some Evangelicals have stumbled over these issues, the Catholic Church remains staunchly committed to a pro-life position without apology.  They are so firm that they have issued statements regarding the value of life during this election cycle in America where abortion is almost a nonexistent issue.

 

            At the same time, the Catholic Church is standing strong against the idea that God approves of the marriage of two men or two women.

 

            Mark my words, if we lose the voice of the Catholic Church on either of these issues we will see a free fall of the moral structure of the entire western world.  It is not an overstatement to declare that but for the stand of the Catholic Church pro-life and pro-traditional family values would not exist.

 

            Instead of being divisive maybe it is time for us to come alongside our brethren and thank them for keeping the Bible alive, standing for morality in a dark land, and proving to be worthy of the calling God gave them nearly two thousand years ago.

Fighting The Wrong Fight

Published on August 16, 2008 in Christianity and The Bigger Picture. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Sometimes it seems that we just fight for the sake of fighting.  It feels good and we are, after all, the do it if it feels good nation.  There is a bully in front of us, so we fight.  There is a moral dilemma in front of us, so we fight it.  There is sin in front of us, so we confront it.

 

Unfortunately when we are in the fight we often lose sight of the reasons we fight or the desired outcome.  The other problem is when we fight the outside problems of the world and its sin we often fail to fight or even recognize the inner sin that each of us carries with us.

 

If we look closely at the life and words of Jesus we will find that he seemed much more concerned with the inner issues each man and woman faces than he was with the outer problems that we want to spend so much time trying to correct.  Jesus was not concerned with the cleanliness of the outer man—he told the Pharisees that it was what was in a man’s heart that makes all of the difference.

 

When Jesus was confronted with the woman caught in adultery he responded in a way much different from our modern Christian mindset.  It is ironic that we are considered to be the people who represent Jesus to the world and we cannot repeat his compassion or passion properly.  At any rate, Jesus looked at this woman who was condemned by the law—condemned to death.  He did not condemn her.  He did not require her to repeat a prayer.  He did not give her a tongue lashing.  He did not give her penance to do.  He did not tell her that her freedom would be found in hanging out with some other people who said they were believers.

 

He drove away her accusers and then said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way.  From now on sin no more.”  That seems a rather simple approach to sin and the sinner.  This woman was an adulterer.  She deserved death according to the law and Jesus was unwilling to bring her to death.  She deserved shame for committing such an awful sin and Jesus was unwilling to condemn her and shame her.

 

Instead, he showed her love and sent her on her way confident that love was enough to change a heart and a life.

 

What a refreshing moment!  If only we could do the same, but we must fight sinners and tell them they are sinners and going to hell.  We must force them to change the rules they live by and live by our rules.

 

If only we, the saints believed in Jesus instead of our rules and regulations.