Forgiveness

I have probably written on the topic of forgiveness before, but since unforgiveness continually pops up in this life, I can never write enough about forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of those lessons that is painful to learn because it can only be learned by forgiving. You have to be sinned against in order to learn to forgive. In our human relationships, we are constantly being sinned against and sinning against others. Some sins are more painful than others. Some betrayals run deep. At some point we are all faced with the need to forgive.

There is a common misconception in the idea of forgiveness. I have noticed that us humans tend to see forgiveness as something we do for ourselves. We think that we need to forgive to keep ourselves from becoming bitter. We think we need to forgive to heal our own hearts. Although a true attitude of forgiveness will result in a healed heart, this is not the purpose of forgiveness. The purpose of forgiveness is to restore our relationship with God.

When we have an attitude of unforgiveness, our heart is sinning against God. Our heart is telling God that the sin someone else committed against us is worse than the sins we have committed against God. We put our pride ahead of God. We fail to see the correct perspective of our own sins. The absolute worst sin someone has committed against you cannot compare to the sins you commit against God on a day to day basis. This is a difficult realization to come to when you are on the path to forgiving others. No human wants to admit or even come face to face with the magnitude of the sin that we commit against God. However, when we have a heart of unforgiveness, we are sinning against God. The bitterness and discontent in an unforgiving heart comes because our heart is sinning against God. Unforgiveness affects our relationship with God. We cannot draw close to Him because we are not being honest about our own sinfulness.

Forgiveness is not easy. It is never easy to confront your own sinfulness so that you can put the sins of the other person in perspective. The Holy Spirit must give a spirit of conviction and humility to the person seeking to forgive. It is not a pleasant process, but it is a process that leads to a closer relationship with God. Only then can the heart begin to heal because the most special relationship is being restored. Only then can the Holy Spirit begin to reconcile relationships. Only then will the forgiver reap the benefits of the forgiveness. So yes, forgiveness is the only way to make yourself feel better, but it is not the purpose of forgiveness. Forgiveness has to flow from a heart of gratitude towards God for His willingness to forgive us when we have sinned against Him.

Driving Sin

I am a sinful driver. One of the side effects of being self-employed is that I now spend more time in a car. I like driving. I like the time to myself that it gives me as I think on life, pray, sing, listen to books on tape, or practice what I am going to say. God has used this time to point out some sins that I need to work on. One sin caught me off guard.

Integrity is firm adherence to a moral code or a state of being undivided. I have heard it explained that integrity is acting the same way in a group of people that you would in a room by yourself. There are not many people in this world who have this value. For me, as you can see from yesterday's post, I have been thinking quite a bit on what it looks like to love enemies (and friends). I have also been thinking about the quality of humility. One day as I was thinking on these things, I noticed that my driving was sinful because it was not exhibiting love or humility. I am a selfish driver.

I noticed this when someone else was a selfish driver. It is often so easy to point out the sins in others, but we often can recognize our own sin by seeing the sins of others. Someone cut me off. I was delayed probably less than two seconds as I had to slow down then pass the driver that decided that he should pull out in front of me. I was annoyed. The thought that popped into my head is "What makes him think that his time is more important than mine?" The wheels in my head started turning. I often do just that. I pull out in front of someone because I am valuing my time more than their time. I am showing a lack of respect for the person I am pulling out in front of or cutting off or running through a yellow/red light. If I want to be a person of integrity that values loving people and humility, I am going to have to start in my driving. There is no recognition for being a respectful driver. The other driver is not going to know that I am making a conscience decision to be respectful of his/her time. The other driver is not going to realize that I am valuing their time more than mine. I have decided that this is a good test of integrity for me. Plus, I fail at this test of integrity each and every time I am on the road. Old habits are hard to break. I am constantly having to pray that God will make me more respectful of other drivers by bringing this to mind. There is nothing more humbling than realizing that you are not a person of integrity because you fail to put the morals and values you claim to practice when no one is looking.

I pledge to make a conscience effort to be a more loving driver on the road. I pledge to try not to value my time above the time of the other drivers. I know I will fail at this almost daily causing me to realize my need for a Savior. I confess that for years I did not realize how sinful my driving was. It scares me to think that there are other areas of my life as simple as driving where I am unconscious of the sin. Because of this I am more thankful of God's grace and conviction as the little sins come to light to be dealt with.

Preschoolers and Missions

I have the privilege each Sunday of teaching 4-5 year olds in Sunday school. This can be a challenge since the curriculum ordered by the church leaves much to be desired and because the audience is 4-5. I decided a few weeks ago to try something new. Actually the idea is really, really old. Instead of reading just the watered down, sanitized version provided by Lifeway, I have started reading the stories out of the Bible. Sometimes I have to stop and explain a word or concept. Sometimes I quickly read through a concept I do not want to explain (i.e., the woman at the well's living with someone she was not married to). I have found this approach to lead to some of the biggest changes in how the 4-5 year olds understand the stories and apply them to their lives.

For example, I have several groups of friendships in the class where the friends were treating each other more like enemies. One Sunday I was tired of having to scold the children for the ways they were talking to their friends. One of the books in the classroom had pictures to go along with the concepts that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount about loving enemies. It was almost word for word from the Sermon on the Mount with a few words brought down to their level. I gathered the students and read to them about loving enemies. The children were surprised to see what Jesus said about loving enemies and that we are supposed to treat people the way that we want to be treated.

I have this thing against making children share because I believe that it teaches children an entitlement mentality, increases selfishness in the asker, and is not a realistic preparation for adult living because I, as an adult, do not have to share. To put this simply, I do not like whining children who are trying to manipulate the sharing system to get what they want instead of learning patience being rewarded for the behavior by forcing another child to share. Are there times to share? Yes. Should teachers think about forcing children to share or even teaching them to share? Yes. I prefer to encourage the children to give the other children an opportunity to play with the toy. If they do not want to, I do not force them to give. I have noticed that this approach actually results in more "sharing" but with the children learning how joyful it is to give.

Once I was finished teaching about loving enemies, I observed the children. My form of discipline that day was simply "Is that how you would want him/her to talk to you?" When a child would ask another child for a toy, I would ask the asking child, "Would you want him to ask you for the toy if you were playing with it?" Then I began to notice something strange. The child playing with the toy would give the other child more than the child asked for, a concept clearly taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. I also noticed that all of the children started talking to their friends better. Clearly, if we are to love our enemies, we are to love our friends. It was exciting to see this change. Plus the change has continued and some of the children are still talking nicely to their friends and getting along with everyone better.

This Sunday's lesson was the woman at the well. Again, I read the story to them from the Bible stopping to explain different things. At the end of the lesson we were discussing how the woman at the well would have been considered an enemy of Jesus and his people because she was a Samaritan. Something happened that I never anticipated. I was talking about Jesus showing love to His enemy by taking the time to talk to her and to share with her about who He is. One of the little boys said, "But if we have to tell our enemies about Jesus, we have to tell the whole world!" Yes, my dear friend, yes! You understand! Using God's word to teach led to four and five year olds understanding it is necessary to do missions. Of course one little girl made it clear that she is not going to the world with the message of God's love, and I hope to be able to remind her of that as I contribute to a mission trip to Africa in fifteen years so that she can see how God changed her heart. A simple lesson in loving your enemies led to missions. I am excited to see where God takes us next!

Countdown to 30: Day 1

Tomorrow I turn 30. Today I am still in my 20s. I am going to write today about one of my best decisions that I made in my first 30 years of life in one of the moments of extreme difficulty.

I got the phone call that Guy had been shot and killed at 5:24 p.m. on August 17, 2008. He had died approximately 30 minutes before I received the call. It is weird how you can remember dates and times like that sometimes. I also remember exactly where I was when he was shot and killed (and what I was thinking/praying about at the time) even though I did not know the shooting was occurring at that time. I remember exactly where I was at when I received the phone call - approximately 1 mile from the Turkey Creek and Meeker exit on I-49. I had just seen the exit sign when my phone rang. I basically had less than a mile to make one of the most important decisions of my life. I had to decide whether to turn around and go straight back.

I was prepared to make the decision. I do not think that I even considered continuing home at that time. I had already been through the hurricane with my kids. I had already missed one funeral. I had spent a week just being a sister to Birdie. Ironically, I had packed extra clothes to last through the weekend just in case - that was my thought as I packed them, although I did not have any clue what the "just in case" would be. There was no question that I was heading right back to New Orleans that night.

Many people have come and gone out of the lives of the kids at the Center. Everyone knows that it happens. The kids have gotten used to it. Although people promise to come back, and even make a few trips, eventually life happens and separates the kids from those whom they love. It seems inevitable. I think that the kids used to worry that I would do the same thing. Sure, I went in 2001 and 2002 and 2003 and 2004, but would I come back after the hurricane? I surprised the kids by remaining faithful to come see them. I had been away for over a year when I went in that week in April, but I also knew as I left that I could not possibly stay away that long again. When Guy's murder happened, I am sure that almost everyone would have understood if I did not turn around. I had to work the next day. It was not safe for me to go back when the boys were being targeted. It hurts too much to continue in this type of ministry. Almost everyone would have understood if I did not go back, and if I did not go to the funeral, and if I cancelled any future trips.

Galatians 6:9-10 says "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." I heard the versions mentioned in a sermon about a week and a half after Guy's death. I realized then that those verses were the reason I turned around that day, even if I was not thinking of those verses. I believe that God has a plan for the kids that I have invested so many years building relationships with. I believe that God has a plan for the Center and for each child that goes through the Center. I believe that I was able to convince more people of my love for them by going back that night. My actions spoke louder than any other words I had spoken to them in the previous seven years to that point. Yes, most of them would have understood if I did not come back, but I would have lost something in my relationships with them. I knew that there was a brother who needed me, but would never call me to let me know. It was up to me to be there because now he knows to call me and tell me he needs me. I would not trade in that type of relationship for anything. There is another boy who is currently sitting in a jail cell. I pray that God will remind him of His love because that boy knows I love him since I came back that night. It is easy to say I love you but harder to prove it. He knows I do, and I pray that it will lead him to God's love someday.

I cannot give up on the kids in New Orleans. God promises that we will reap if we continue to do good. I think that too often, we give up too easily. We want an instant reaping, but like growing a crop, it takes time for the seeds to grow. Weeds spring up fast and die quickly, but the fruit-bearing crop takes time. I do not know what God's plan is for the boys I love. I do know that if I had made the wrong decision that day in that split second when the decision was made that I would have missed out on one of the biggest blessings of my life - sharing in the day of little guy's birth! Ironically, I received the phone call that he had been born as I was less than one mile from the Turkey Creek and Meeker exit on I-49. Plus, his daddy had learned his lesson and called me because he needed me that day so I could share in his joy. I feel like I made a huge decision that day, which is strange because it was made without thinking about the consequences one way or the other. It was made without any thought of my own safety or potential heartache or really without any thoughts of myself at all. I am sure that the decision did not make sense to a lot of people, but often God causes us to make decisions that do not make sense so that He is glorified. I believe that God was glorified more by that decision than any other choice that I have made because His love was on display for all to see - both in New Orleans and outside. I just pray that God will continue to be glorified in my love for my kids and their kids for years to come!

Countdown to 30: Day 16

I have been listening to sermons my entire life (even in utero), but there is one sermon that sticks out as the most important sermon that I ever listened to. Today I want to share it as part of my countdown series.

The sermon was suggested by our youth minister at the time. It was back when I had bought or received as a gift my first mp3 player, but prior to the iPod days. I listened to the sermon for the first time in February 2006. I had been dealing with Hurricane Katrina for quite a while by then. Someone I knew had been murdered, and it was the first person I knew that was murdered that I can remember. It was a difficult time, but a great time for me sorting out what I believed about God and His plan. These were events that were difficulty brought on by something other than my own sin, so I needed to figure out how to deal with everything in a biblically correct way.

The name of the sermon is A Beliver's Response to Difficulty and it was preached by Dr. Rick Holland. I know nothing else about the person who gave this sermon. The focus scripture is Lamentations. Some things that stick out about the sermon even more than three years later are the truths about how God is never surprised by natural disasters or tragedies in our lives because He is sovereign. The believer's appropriate response is grief and rejoicing; sorrow and praising God. The sermon ends with a letter that a man who was to be executed for his faith wrote to his wife reminding her that his death was God's will and God's plan and that believers should be full of grace and courage in the midst of difficulty. I highly recommend listening to this sermon. Different sermons mean different things to different people depending on what they are going through at that time of their life. I am glad that I listened to this one when I needed to hear it most.

Link to download the sermon

If the link does not work, you can go here, chose the year 2006 and the category Lamentations.

Countdown to 30: Day 22

My grandfather died during my junior year of high school. Although I had known people who had died in the past, it was really the first time I dealt with grief in the context of the death of a person I was close to. I was old enough to understand the reality of death, and the pain that comes from the knowledge of knowing that I would not see him again in this life.

My grandfather was diagnosed with cancer around the same time of the Oklahoma City bombing. I do not remember if it was that day or the day before or if the news was broken to me and my brother only on that day. It was a pretty odd time though with the family sadness and the national tragedy overlapping. The next few months were filled with treatment and the realization that the cancer was terminal. Eventually he got to the point where he had to be hospitalized, and then basically slipped further and further away as he was unable to communicate. My family traumatized me by forcing me to go in to see him when he was so bad the day or two before he died. I swear that I have had a fear of hospitals since that time (parents – don’t force your children to do things like that please!). It takes a pretty big event for me to go to a hospital to visit someone, and I usually will not go to a maternity ward even to visit a new mother and baby. I will not go to a hospital alone, and I am a BIG baby when it comes to actually walking into a hospital. Just ask my boy in New Orleans who had to come downstairs and outside to coax me in to see his new baby in the freezing cold.

It is odd to lose a family member to cancer. As you watch the person waste away in pain, you actually reach a point where you are praying for them to die so that they do not have to suffer anymore. It was an incomprehensible feeling for me to have at the time, but it is the point that you come to. Since that time, I realize it is OK for us to pray for God to allow someone to be released from pain at the same time that you are praying for God to heal them. It is a good lesson in learning to pray that God’s will be done in a situation.

I would not say that each death of someone close to me since my grandfather’s death has been easier, but I have dealt with each death better as I have learned more and more about God and the comfort He provides in that situation. I have also learned to see God’s grace in death. God did not allow my grandfather to suffer long. His cancer was quick spreading. However, we had a chance to prepare for his death and say goodbye. My grandfather lived a good life. God allowed me to have a relationship with my grandfather who was a godly man and good example for me. God also allowed my grandfather to see how his faithfulness to God contributed to the spread of the gospel down to my generation. All these things are blessings that God has enabled me to see through the life and death of my grandfather, helping to shape my theology of death.

Getting to know the people of the Bible

On Friday, I was reading some blogs as a quick mind break at work like I do periodically to keep myself from going insane or consuming too much caffeine. As I read the different blogs, I thought about how the passion of the authors of the blogs comes through when I read them. Part of the reason that I can imagine the passion is that I have listened to sermons by many of the people who write the blogs I read and I have read their books. Due to this familiarity with their whole body of work (sermons and books), I can understand the passion that is coming through when they say what they say.

I also thought about how the same thing is true for the blogs of friends. I can read the sarcasm in what they are writing because I know their personalities. I often imagine them speaking what is written and that adds to the experience.

When I read fiction and nonfiction, I am often able to imagine characters coming alive. Good authors feed you enough details about the character that you get to know them and can understand the decisions the characters made. One of the best examples of this for me is Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. This is one of my favorite books of all time. The subtle description by Paton made me picture the main character as James Earl Jones. Jones just fit the description. I read the book probably about five times before I realized there was a movie, and that Jones played the main character in the movie. I have also found that the more works you read by a particular author, the better you understand books that you take the time to go back and reread.

I have started making it a point to write letters to some of the boys in New Orleans for various occasions. As I write the letters, I hope that the boys know me well enough to hear the love and concern and encouragement contained in the letters. Part of the purpose of a letter is to communicate feelings as well as news in the letters. My letters to New Orleans also contain communications of the gospel.

Taking all of this into consideration, the thought that hit me Friday was simply this: why do I not allow the characters, the authors, and God to come alive while reading the Bible like I do when I read all other types of literature or when I write letters. Part of this requires me to be familiar with the big picture of the Bible, understanding its main purpose, and reading it as a whole. When I read about a particular character in the Bible, I need to get to know that person. When I read a letter from Paul to a church or a person, I need to know something about Paul's life so that I can read his passion. I need to know something about the recipient so that I can understand Paul's love for them and the concern that he is communicating. Most of all, I need to listen to God's voice throughout all of the Bible and use it to understand Him more and more. Get to know Jesus through reading through the gospels. Understand why He made the decisions He made by reading through the Old Testament and seeing Him in every part of it. Everything I have been reading, secularly and religiously, for the past year probably led to the one thought on Friday afternoon. Simply put, the Bible and the God behind the Bible should come alive for us by reading the Bible just as our favorite characters from good books come alive. I am challenging myself to read this way for the next few weeks so that maybe this will become a habit for me. It definitely makes reading the Bible more enjoyable!

Why I prefer Christian hip-hop over Christian rock

As some of you readers know by now, I spent some time this week at Freedom Experience, which included a Christian hip-hop artist and a Christian rock band. I am not sure that my hearing will ever recover. I did not mind the Christian hip-hop, but I was not a fan of the Christian rock.

I believe that Christian music is most glorifying to God when it is teaching instead of entertaining. I think that music must be entertaining (to an extent) to glorify God because boring music, even if teaching, will not benefit the listener. Talent is also nice, but neither talent nor entertainment is the primary purpose.

Since teaching should be the primary purpose, I also want to point out that it should not take much to teach truth in song. However, the more truth that a song contains, the more potential you have to teach those around you the truth. I think that Christian music is important because it does teach truth to people who do not understand concepts until they sing about them. For example, many children are able to accept the reality of the Trinity as truth because of singing Holy, Holy, Holy as a child ("God in three persons, blessed Trinity"). Although it may be a concept not understood, it can be accepted as truth when it becomes part of the church conversation, even in song.

I think that both Christian hip-hop and Christian rock have the potential to teach through song. However, I think that Christian hip-hop may be a more effective medium to teaching truth through song. First, rap is a lyric driven music form with the beats taking a backseat to the words of the artist. Rappers are gifted at telling stories in a form that is catchy, quick, but packed full of truth. Second, if you listen hard enough, you can understand the rapper (usually without getting a headache). Although it is fast paced, and therefore hard for some people to catch what is said, many Christian rappers are presenting pure truth in a format that is gifted and entertaining. Third, that type of lyrical flow takes pure talent. I believe that it is a God-given talent, and I am pleased to see young men using that talent to glorify God. Fourth, many of the young men who are rappers are going to seminary or involving themselves in intense Bible study so that they can make sure that what they are presenting is true. These men are committed to biblical music and are concerned that their lyrics are true. This shows me that they understand that they can fulfill their purpose of glorifying God best by teaching through music.

I think that I have been listening to the wrong Christian rock bands, and maybe that is why I am not a huge fan of their music. First, I cannot understand them. The instruments are drowning out the lyrics (even the best secular rock bands know the importance of not allowing the instruments to drown out the lyrics!). The screaming instead of singing makes it hard to discern what is said. How can you teach if the audience cannot understand your words? Maybe I have not trained my ears to hear the words in Christian rock as well as I have in Christian rap, but honestly, the screaming gives me a headache. Second, there is a lack of depth in most songs. A song can be deep and filled with truth without many words (Just Give Me Jesus comes to mind - not Christian rock, but just an example of a simple, truth-filled song). Some songs are shallow with a lot of words (including some Christian hip-hop songs). Most Christian rock songs seem to be in the middle (number of words-wise), yet lacking in deep spiritual truths. I will confess that maybe I am missing the deep spiritual truth because I cannot understand what is being said. Third, I am sure that some do, but I do not hear Christian rock artists speaking things that indicate depth in their own spiritual lives. Part of teaching is training others to follow your example in being committed to learning more about God. I hear Christian rock artists talk a lot about experience (although the group this week did not - so this is not a complaint about their presentation), but not enough about the importance of God's word. Finally, most Christian rock artists incorporate very little of God's word into their music. The best way to convey truths about God is to include how God revealed Himself through His word.

I know that people can point to one or more of these points and say "What about ___________, they do not do this or they do that?" I think that the main point that I am trying to make is that Christians should be discerning in choosing music. Just as discernment is required when listening to teaching and preaching, it is required when listening to music. If there is something theologically incorrect in a song, we should train ourselves to catch it. We cannot allow entertainment to excuse us from the duty that all Christians have to discern. If the audience is more discerning, and encouraging musicians to teach truth over entertainment (but while remaining entertaining), then the quality of Christian music, hip-hop, rock, or otherwise, will improve to a level far above what we currently have available to listen to. I encourage believers to be active instead of passive listeners. Hold musicians accountable for what they sing. Encourage those singing truth. Finally, enjoy music because it is a gift from God.

More on yesterday's blog

Last night the pastor prayed for those will be eternally separated from a relationship with God unless they come to a saving knowledge of God. I think that this is correct. Even though persons in hell will be experiencing God's wrath and judgment, they will not have a personal relationship with Him. At least the wording was a step in the right direction!

What Hell is Really Like

Sometimes I hear preachers say things that get me all stirred up inside (in a negative way), and I do not feel better until I have said something about it. Fortunately my blog can be a place for me to express my views in a way that isn't criticizing a person, but a thought. Our church is in revival this week, and the preacher is passionate about the word of God and preaching expository sermons – two things I believe are completely essential for a pastor to be faithful to be faithful to Scripture (there is a place for thematic sermons, but that is another blog post). What this preacher said though that has me bothered came in a prayer he said at the end of his sermon last night. In the prayer he said something to the effect that he did not want anyone present to go to hell and experience eternal separation from God. In fact, that is what many Christians say. They mean well, but they are wrong. There are at least two reasons that it needs to be pointed out that they are wrong. Those in the church need to be careful how things are phrased.

First, hell is not eternal separation from God. Instead, it is being in the eternal presence of God's judgment and wrath. Those in hell no longer are in the presence of God's love, grace and mercy. In this world, the Bible makes it clear that all are in the presence of God's love, grace and mercy. In Matthew, Jesus says that God causes the sun to rise on the just and the unjust. Rain comes for the believer and non-believer. Believers and non-believers may receive food, clothing, and shelter. Believers and non-believers all have the ability to make moral choices. Believers and non-believers have the capacity for thinking and growing in knowledge. There is a restraint that God has placed on all humans that keeps us from being as bad as our sinful hearts desire to be. These are all examples of the love, grace, and mercy of our God. The other side of the loving, gracious, and merciful God is the wrath and judgment that He pours out for sin. In the present world, God restrains from pouring out the full cup of His wrath on the world and from allowing His full judgment to come on the world. We still see examples of His judgment and wrath. Just look all throughout the Old Testament, and we have commentary about periods of God's judgment and wrath during human events such as the flood, the defeat of Egypt, the conquering of the nations in Canaan, the exiles of the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel, etc. We even see the judgment and wrath today, although those are not popular subjects to talk about. In this world, it is clear that all humans see both sides of God's nature even if (as Romans says) they suppress the knowledge of God and fail to recognize the works of God.

Once this world ends, and once a person dies, eternity is spent either in heaven or in hell. We know from God's nature that He is love, grace and mercy, but also, because of our sin, He is rightfully full of wrath and judgment on sin. If those in heaven experience the eternal love, grace, and mercy of God, it also follows that those in hell experience the eternal wrath and judgment of God. He is still present, but the justified wrath and judgment are the attributes of God that those in hell will see for eternity. They will not be outside the presence of God. They will just be outside of the blessings of God. Quite frankly, that is a much scarier picture of hell than what is often preached. Those in hell will not believe that what is happening to them is unfair. Instead, they will be consciously aware that they have eternally offended the God of creation who is a holy and righteous God, and they will agree that they should be subjected to eternal punishment. Again, that is a much scarier picture of hell than what is often preached.

The second reason that we should not preach hell as an eternal separation from God should be motivated by our love for sinners. Many (maybe even most) sinners would love nothing more than to be separated from God. It is not a concept that scares them one bit. They have already built up a mental separation from God, and they cannot see how separation from God would be a bad thing. They do not have love for God, so why would it hurt them to be separated from God? They want to be separated from God and His holiness in this life, and the idea of eternal separation from Him in the next makes them feel that they will finally get what they want. They will not be motivated to accept Jesus' sacrifice for their sins because they think that they want nothing to do with God in the first place. The book of Romans makes this clear. Therefore, our love for sinners should motivate us to have the right concept of hell. All men know that there is a God, but they suppress the truth and trade it for a lie. All men know that they are sinners and that their sin is an insult to God. Therefore, it is necessary to explain the truth to them. Hell will not be eternal separation from God. Instead it will be the eternal wrath and judgment of God poured out on sinners. Man cannot get away from God. God's love or God's wrath will follow all men into eternity. If we truly love men, we will not preach hell as they want to hear about it (eternal separation from God), but we will preach hell as it really will be – the eternal pouring out of God's wrath and judgment on sinners.

Now my love for sinners requires me to give a short account of the gospel in case there is someone reading this blog who has not heard the gospel before, and does not want to experience the eternal wrath and judgment of God. God is a holy and righteous God. He requires man to live a completely perfect life and live up to His holiness. Those who cannot live a perfectly holy life are condemned to die an eternal death for their sins. Man was created holy and righteous by God, but man sinned against God. All men sin against God. It is not possible for any man to live a life without sin. Therefore, all men are condemned to experience the eternal wrath and judgment of God. All men are without hope in their own attempts to live up to God's standard. BUT GOD … some of the sweetest words that sinners will hear. But God knew that man would not live up to His standard, and sent Jesus Christ to live up to His righteous standard for us. Jesus was God and was man. As God, He was able to live up to the standard of God. As man, He was able to take our place and die our death as the punishment and judgment for our sins. Believers are able to experience God's eternal love, grace and mercy through eternal life because the judgment fell on Jesus. Sinful man must realize that he is worthy of eternal death, that he has sinned against a holy God, that his sins are filthy compared to the holiness of God, and that his only hope is to put his faith and trust in the life that Christ lived and the death that Christ died. Sinful man must realize that he needs the presence of God in his life in order to enable him to act in the manner that God desires. Sinful man must realize that he needs to surrender his life and actions to the authority of the Most High God. It is more than praying a prayer (although that is where new life often starts), it is living a life alive in Christ, able to do works of righteousness.

I have to admit that I, at one time, would describe hell as eternal separation from God. I really do not know when I came to the realization that hell is much worse than I was representing. I cannot remember a specific sermon or book or passage in the Bible that led me to the proper understanding. I think that my studies of the book of Romans probably played a large part in my clearer understanding. I know that the clearer (although probably not perfect since I am human) understanding of hell has been put in my mind and heart by being faithful to the study of God's word, which the Holy Spirit writes on our minds and hearts. I wish that hell was not as harsh as what I understand it to be, and the scariest thing is that hell is much worse than I can ever imagine. Therefore, I think that we should present it in the strongest language possible while remaining true to God's word. Our love for sinners requires it.

2008: God of this City

It seems like that for the past few years, there are certain songs that stand out almost as my theme song for the year. In 2005 and 2006, it was Casting Crowns "Praise You in This Storm" because of Hurricane Katrina.


In 2007, it was the classic hymn "It is Well" because of deaths that occurred that year. It is a great testimony to God's love and the hope that we have in Him when we are able to say, in the midst of crisis, that it is well.

2008 was an interesting year for me personally. In 2007, I had paid little attention to the people in New Orleans that I had come to love so much because I had things going on at home that prevented me from going to New Orleans for at least two trips that I had tentatively planned. In fact, 2008 started the same way. I didn't make it to New Orleans when one of the boys was murdered. However, I finally took time to go in April and I am so glad that I did. Although I was never really close to Guy, his murder really is the thing that I think will always stick out about 2008. I am so glad that I had just been to New Orleans and had just seen him when it happened. My relationship with so many people in New Orleans has forever been changed by this event. Other things happened as well, but this seems to be the one event where I could have easily decided to quit doing what I was doing and give up. Instead, there was a song that kept playing over and over in my mind. In fact, the morning after Guy died, I went out and bought the CD that had this song on it, and I played that song over and over again reminding myself of God's promises. Here is my song of 2008:

Chris Tomlin's "God of this City" is one of those songs that is a musical reminder of these verses in Galatians 6:9-10: "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." (ESV) This year I have had a chance to continue to do good to those who are of the household of faith. In the process, I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with others. Through it all, I have grown as a person. "Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."

Gervais Nicholas - died 01/12/2008


Guy McEwen - died 04/17/2008

Church Discipline

First of all, I am not sure why this is newsworthy on Fox News. The story (for those of you who might not click on it) is about a woman who is whining to the press that the church she used to attend, and that her children still attend, is about to publicly point out her sin to the church congregation. What baffles me is that she doesn't want her sin told to the whole congregation because of the embarassment that it might cause her children, but she has decided to talk to the media to make it national news on Fox News (and maybe others).

Church discipline is a sensitive matter in churches and should be left to the individual congregations. What this story does not inform the public is that it appears (at least from the church's website) that this is a conservative congregation which takes church membership very seriously. New members are required to attend a membership class before being accepted into the congregation. I am sure that this membership class informs prospective members about the discipline policies of the church since most do, especially in churches that take church membership seriously enough to have a new members class before being accepted as a member. Another thing that this article overlooks is that, although this lady may have informed those in the church that she will never attend there again, she is still a member of the church. Therefore, the church has a duty to its members, and this church believes that part of that duty is carrying out church discipline for matters addressed by Paul and Jesus. Paul makes it clear in Corinthians that those who are caught up in sexual immorality and refuse to repent should be treated as unbelievers. This combined with Jesus' instructions on how to carry out church discipline give this church a biblical basis for going through the stages of church discipline on this unrepentant member.

No one knows the full circumstances behind the church's decision to carry out discipline for this church member. A church is meant to be a place where believers are able to help each other in the struggle through sin, and the members should love each other enough to encourage someone not to continue to live in sin. Church membership should be limited to believers, and quite frankly, this woman is conducting herself as a non-believer. I am encouraged to see a church that is trying to carry out the duty of church discipline and that is loving its members enough to confront sin. This does not mean that what this church is doing is completely correct - we do live in a fallen world and most attempts by a church to fully conform to God's word will likely fall short. However, the letter written to this woman (which can be read through the news article linked above) seems to be in line with God's Word.

My prayer for this church is that God will use this situation to bless this church in the persecution that is sure to come in the next days and weeks. Somehow God is able to take persecution and turn it into triumph for His kingdom. I pray that this situation will be no different.

Although I did not read it close enough to know if I agree with everything, here is another opinion about this story.
Pyromaniacs: BREAKING NEWS: church dares to practice NT Christianity!

Random Thought # 9

I have come to the conclusion that it takes a stronger faith to realize that God could heal a person, but chooses not to for His glory, and to be at peace with God's will. Faith healers will tell you that you do not have enough faith if God doesn't answer your prayer for healing. However, I think that those who do have faith that God can heal them, but are at peace with God's decision to use the situation to His glory have a much stronger faith than many realize.

Blog on Questioning God

Here is an interesting blog about the appropriate way to question God. It is an interesting read.

Response to Complaints about Evacuees

I received this in my e-mail today, and I thought that I would provide a response but more from the Christian perspective than a secular prospective. Again, as I stated yesterday, I am not going to join the debate about whether FEMA payments are valid or any social issue like that. Instead, I am choosing to make a public response to her letter (since the letter was in the newspaper in Shreveport apparently). I would not do this except that the end of her letter appears to imply that she is a Christian.

First, here is the letter:

Dear Editor,

I am a nurse who has just completed volunteer working approximately 120 hours as the clinic director in a Hurricane Gustav evacuation shelter in Shreveport, Louisiana over the last 7 days. I would love to see someone look at the evacuee situation from a new perspective. Local and national news channels have covered the evacuation and "horrible" conditions the evacuees had to endure during Hurricane Gustav. True - some things were not optimal for the evacuation and the shelters need some modification.

At any point, does anyone address the responsibility (or irresponsibility) of the evacuees?
Does it seem wrong that one would remember their cell phone, charger, cigarettes and lighter but forget their child's insulin?
Is something amiss when an evacuee gets off the bus, walks immediately to the medical area, and requests immediate free refills on all medicines for which they cannot provide a prescription or current bottle (most of which are narcotics)?
Isn't the system flawed when an evacuee says they cannot afford a $3 copay for a refill that will be delivered to them in the shelter yet they can take a city-provided bus to Wal-mart, buy 5 bottles of Vodka, and return to consume them secretly in the shelter?
Is it fair to stop performing luggage checks on incoming evacuees so as not to delay the registration process but endanger the volunteer staff and other persons with the very realistic truth of drugs, alcohol and weapons being brought into the shelter?
Am I less than compassionate when it frustrates me to scrub emesis from the floor near a nauseated child while his mother lies nearby, watching me work 26 hours straight, not even raising her head from the pillow to comfort her own son?
Why does it insense [sic] me to hear a man say "I ain't goin' home 'til I get my FEMA check" when I would love to just go home and see my daughters who I have only seen 3 times this week?
Is the system flawed when the privately insured patient must find a way to get to the pharmacy, fill his prescription and pay his copay while the FEMA declaration allows the uninsured person to acquire free medications under the disaster rules?
Does it seem odd that the nurse volunteering at the shelter is paying for childcare while the evacuee sits on a cot during the day as the shelter provides a "daycare"?
Have government entitlements created this mentality and am I facilitating it with my work?
Will I be a bad person, merciless nurse or poor Christian if I hesitate to work at the next shelter because I have worked for 7 days being called every curse word imaginable, feeling threatened and fearing for my personal safety in the shelter?

Exhausted and battered,

Sherri Hagerhjelm, RN

My response:

Dear Sherri,

In your letter, you seem to indicate that you are a Christian and therefore, I am writing this response. There are many people that have voiced some of your same opinions. Therefore, since you published your "new perspective" in a newspaper, I am choosing to respond on my blog. Specifically, I am responding to the last sentence of your letter wherein you asked if it would make you a poor Christian if you hesitate to work in the next shelter. I do not know what you mean by "poor Christian," but I am of the opinion that if God has gifted you with medical capabilities, and there is a medical need, you would at least be a disobedient Christian if you fail to provide your services the next time that it is necessary. There are several reasons for me stating this.

Number 1: You spend a lot of time in your letter focusing on the individuals instead of viewing the individuals in a biblical way. Jesus indicates that we are to treat those that we minister to as if we are ministering to Him (Matthew 25, and more specifically verses 31-46). If Jesus asked for medication, we would give it to Him no questions asked, including the question about whether or not He can afford it. I do think there is a level of discernment you have to exercise though because you do not want to provide medication to an addict, but that is not the point of that statement. If Jesus asked for shelter, we would open our arms wide instead of questioning His motives. Stop looking at these people as people with an entitlement mentality and start looking at them through gospel eyes. Yes, they may have an entitlement mentality or be lazy or be unappreciative, but that is why our servant attitude and heart will be a witness to them. Be a suffering servant doing all of this for the glory of God instead of for the people that you are helping.

Number 2: You talk about being exhausted and drained. Again, I speak for most everyone that worked in shelters (including myself) when I say that you are not alone. However, there is a verse in the Bible that speaks directly to this issue. You will find it in Galatians 6:9-10, written by perhaps one of the most abused, exhausted, battered, and person in danger that ever set out to live and preach the gospel. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10. Preach to yourself in those times that you are feeling incensed, less compassionate, exhausted, discouraged by reminding yourself of those verses. The verses do not say to do good to only those who are of the household of faith or only those who deserve it or only those that are grateful, but to everyone. I know that I had to during the midst of serving in the shelters during Gustav and Ike. It is when you stop preaching to yourself that you fall victim to looking at these people individually, full of faults, instead of looking at them through gospel eyes, as referenced in number 1 above. I had to constantly remind myself not to grow weary in doing good. I had to constantly remind myself to view the people I was serving as Jesus or at least as someone who needs to hear the gospel through my actions and attitude. I had to constantly remind myself to smile so that the evacuees could see the joy that only God gives. I had to constantly remind myself that these people are people who are at the shelter because they do not know if they are going to have a home when they leave the shelter. Yes, they may have chosen the shelter route because of the free food, free medication, free trip out of town, but the evacuees still may be returning home to nothing. That kind of stress causes some people to be unable to provide care to their children. I have seen it with my own eyes with someone I now consider a close friend. I had to help care for her child because at that time in that type of stress she was unable to. I had to realize I had no right to complain because God had placed me in that position to be able to minister in that way. Was it frustrating at times? I would be a liar if I told you know. That is why it was necessary to preach to myself. This is a habit that all Christians should incorporate into their lives. I often fail in my attitude towards the evacuees, but by God's grace, there are moments that I am able to be an example of the gospel as well.

Number 3: Your concern for safety seems to hinder your willingness to share the gospel. One of the problems in the church today is that people are too concerned for safety. I should probably limit that to the American church since there are other churches around the world who are answering the call to sacrifice safety for the spread of the gospel every day, and are gladly giving their lives for Christ. Many in the church, myself included, are too afraid to put our safety on the line for the spread of the gospel. Start trusting God and His will for your safety instead of fearing what may happen. Should you die in this type of situation, your death may result in great things for God's Kingdom. Be willing to have Paul's attitude that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Realize that God may have called you to a situation where your safety was in jeopardy to get you out of your comfort zone and to show His provision in such times. Safety is not a valid concern when turning down opportunities to serve.

Number 4: Your "new perspective" lacks all everything that a Christian should be showing the world. The glory of God is proclaimed when the world sees that we Christians are willing to serve and sacrifice even when God calls us to serve and sacrifice to those in society that may not deserve it. Isn't that what the gospel is all about? Showing grace to the world because God showed grace to us when we did not deserve it? There is a church in my town that had their facilities damaged by the evacuees from Gustav, had situations go on during Gustav that would have justified their decision to no longer be a shelter, yet they opened their doors to evacuees in Ike. There is another church in my town that made the decision not to be a shelter, despite significant financial and people resources, not to mention adequate facilities to house evacuees. Which church is portraying the glory of God to the community and to the world? Isn't it the church that makes decisions that do not make sense? Be the example that the church who opened its doors even when it would have been justified in closing them instead of the example of making a decision that makes sense to the world. You may be justified in not volunteering in the future, but choose to be the type of person who is asked why you are willing to serve again so that you can explain the gospel to someone who needs to hear it.

This response is not meant to address what is wrong with FEMA or whether FEMA needs to change. Right now, FEMA and its regulations are as good as law (if they are not law already), so complaining about FEMA is not the way to change things. Instead, it is better for the time being to follow the law, and do it with a smile and attitude that comes only from Christ. Personally, I am glad that persons who were on medication for bi-polar depression in the shelter at our church could receive their prescription for free due to the FEMA rules because I am sure that we would have had our hands full if the prescriptions were not readily available. I am grateful for the presence of the guard even if I may think that it is sad that the guard is necessary. I am also grateful that God allowed me to participate in a ministry that is hard for me and requires me to rely so much on Him and His provision. I also pray that anything that I did in my service may be used by God to change hearts and lives, realizing that He is the only one who can provide that change.

I am sure that this response may seem harsh to you at this time. However, I pray that God will allow it to be a teaching situation in spite of the sin it may contain.

Exhausted, but praising God for the privilege of service,

Cyndia Hammond

Pierced for our Transgressions

Pierced for Our Transgressions is a very thorough examination of the doctrine of penal substitution. Fortunately, I do not think that I have encountered too many people who do not believe in the doctrine of penal substitution who also profess to be Christian. However, I enjoyed the book because it covered the doctrine from so many different angles that I at least have a resource to refer to that provides me with a biblical defense of the doctrine should I need to defend the belief.

In the first part of the book, the authors perform a survey of the Bible on the doctrine, pointing out many Scriptures that support the doctrine that Jesus Christ died in place of sinners through His death on the cross. The doctrine of penal substitution teaches that Jesus suffered the penalty of our sins when He died on the cross. After making a biblical case for the doctrine, the authors take the readers on a journey through church history to exam what church fathers have said about the doctrine up to the present time. The first part of the book was outstanding. I think that any resource that examines such a key doctrine so thoroughly is worth reading.

In the second part of the book, the authors take key questions and/or assertions made by opponents of penal substitution and respond using references to Scripture or just logic. The authors show their gift of apologetics during this portion, although I have to admit that I became disinterested in some of the arguments. I do think that this portion of the book is not only necessary, but an invaluable resource should someone find themselves in a position of needing to defend the doctrine.

Pierced for Our Transgressions is a difficult book to read. It is very textbook like in its writing style. However, I believe it to be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in apologetics or the issue of penal substitution. The book is well-thought out and put together. My suggestion for lay persons would be to read the first part of the book, and saved the second part for times when you need it.

Sound Doctrine Results in Good Deeds

I am participating in another Precept study.  This time it is a short, three week study over the book of Titus.  I am actually surprised that it is only a three week study.  There seems to be so much to learn in such a short book.  It seems to me that too many elders (pastors, overseers) in the modern church have not read the book of Titus (or the book of Ephesians for that matter).  It is clear that Paul is saying that sound doctrine results in good deeds.  You cannot teach those in the church how to engage in good deeds (meaning the deeds that God laid out beforehand and saved us to -- Ephesians chapter 2) without teaching sound doctrine.  For those of us that are more doctrinally minded, Paul has a word of warning as well.  You cannot have sound doctrine unless it is backed up by good deeds.  You have to have orthodoxy and orthopraxy.  You cannot have one without the other.  It is interesting to see that Paul told Titus to teach sound doctrine so that the people would live right.  He didn't tell Titus to give the people "how to" messages on how to live, but to show the people by example and set up leaders who would show the people by example.  Maybe that is our problem in the church today.  We teach people "how to" but we do not teach sound doctrine or have leaders that are examples of sound faith and good deeds.  I am looking forward to continuing to study the book of Titus (even if it means that I will be convicted of my lack of good deeds).

"Let My People Go!"

I recently read the story of Pharaoh and Moses, and several thoughts came to mind. I read the first plague, the second plague, the third plague, and by then you want Pharaoh to get it. I read the forth plague, and by then the magicians are starting to tell Pharaoh "Acknowledge that this is from God." Pharaoh continues in his stubborness. The thought crossed my mind, "Why can't Pharaoh get it? He is seeing God work in a mighty way, yet he continues lying to God." Then you get to the point where Pharaoh is trying to negotiate -- trying to bargain with God. Pharaoh refuses to see God's sovereignty and wants to retain control. Again, the thought crossed my mind, "Seriously. No one is that stubborn." (I will save the God hardening Pharaoh's heart for a later post!)
When those thoughts started going through my mind, the Holy Spirit started reminding me of Scripture after Scripture of "pharaohs" who followed the lead of the ancient leader of stubbornness rooted in pride. God was putting His power, might, sovereignty, control over nature on display for the nations of Israel and Egypt to see. There is no denying that God was at work. Even the Egyptians who do not worship God started recognizing that God was at work.

Isn't it the same way today? Can't we see God at work in nature? Look at nature. We cannot recreate the colors that God creates in nature. The Grand Canyon, mountains, lakes, forests, etc. We can see the force of nature that testifies to a powerful God behind the nature. Look at hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc. God's Word makes it clear that He has revealed Himself to all mankind through nature, most directly in Romans Chapter 1. How many people today see God at work in nature, and try to explain nature as something other than created by God? How many people today see God revealed in nature but take it for granted? Maybe they are afraid like the Egyptians, but they do not submit themselves to the Lord over nature.

Even the Israelites who worshipped God and saw God work in this mighty way seemed to forget God's power and might. The Israelites who watched God control nature in an act of judgment against the Egyptians did not trust God to allow nature to provide for them in the desert journey. Even though the prophets reminded the children of Israel about God's ability to judge for failure to repent and submit to His sovereignty such as God had shown in Egypt, the children of Israel became the hard hearted nation that was judged.

Even though we have the benefit of the Old Testament and New Testament, we still ignore God's ability to judge. We think that a loving God would not judge His people or any people (except maybe our greatest enemies -- always someone else). Even if we claim not to think that way, it is often how we live our lives. As I read the story of the plagues, I was convicted of the fact that I seem to ignore God's power, either to bring about good for His people or judgment on the unrepentant. The power of God is an awesome thing! Snakes, blood, frogs, bugs (two kinds), plagues on livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and last and greatest of all, death of the firstborn sons. God controls every aspect of nature for His glory and purpose so that He makes His name known. He still uses nature to accomplish His purpose. Nature is to remind us that this earth is fallen and under the consequences of man's sin. Nature groans for the day of redemption. All of nature is controlled by God and the negative aspects of nature are a result of the sin of man and a judgment on mankind. What a powerful God that we serve!

It is time for us as a church to start realizing that God is powerful, God still judges, and we need to examine our lives, repent, and lead others to repentance by our example. God still uses nature to judge mankind. It is time to bow our knees in recognition of God's power and judgment. God is still a God who judges those who commit sin, and the sins of the church (especially the church in America) will not continue to go unjudged forever. We do not want to be like the Israelites, but we are headed down that road.

Not only did Pharaoh fail to see the sovereignty of God, he lied to God. Part of what I like about this story is that Pharaoh seems to think that he is getting away with lying to God, even though God told Moses at the beginning of the story that Pharaoh would not change his mind. You can imagine Pharaoh thinking each time that he begs Moses to intercede on behalf of Egypt to end each plague, "I will fool God. I will tell Moses' God what He wants to hear so that I can manipulate God to get what I want." How many people in the world do just that? The health, wealth, and prosperity gospel seems to teach this -- if you just tell God what He wants to hear, He can be manipulated into blessing you with more earthly riches than you can imagine. Too many people make promises to God during times of hardship, only to go back on their word when things are going well again. Once the plague ends, back to business as usual leaving God out. Even regenerate Christians do this. Yet we see that God knew what was going to happen and brought it about for His purpose. God does the same today. He is not fooled by our lies to Him. He is not manipulated by our misrepresentations. The plagues and judgment became worse and worse on Egypt until the plague came that would not be released -- the death of the firstborn. We should take this as a reminder that God will only allow it to look like He is being manipulated for a season, then His longsuffering runs out and He judges. What a humbling thought! It should also be a source of encouragement for the church because God will judge the evil in this world. He is the God who sees and will have the ultimate say. We can endure suffering knowing that it will not go unpunished. Just as God told Moses the end, we know the ending as well -- God wins and the devil is bound and cast into the pit prepared for him, his angels, and the unregenerate.

Pharaoh decided he was going to bargain with God. God gave Pharaoh one command - let my people go three day's journey into the wilderness to the mountain of God to offer sacrifice to God. Pharaoh started out not willing to let the people go. Then he decided he would let the people go, but once the plague released, he went back on his word. Then the men could leave, but the women and children had to stay.Then he decided the people could sacrifice in the land of Egypt instead of going outside of Egypt to the mountain where Moses saw the burning bush. Pharaoh kept coming up with his solution instead of submitting to God's will. How often do we do this? We fail to realize that we do not have any bargaining power when it comes to God and keeping His commandments, but we try to negotiate. "I will follow this commandment, but not these that were written when times were different." "I will do this, God, but only if you give me this." "I will follow this commandment in this situation and that situation, but not all the time." "I promise that I will change once God shows me He exists by performing this sign, wonder, miracle, etc." "I promise that if you heal me, I will do whatever You require." God's Word makes His expectations clear. When He commands it, we have no bargaining power before God. There is no grey area with God. We are either following His commands or we are in sin. It is because of this that our sins are so numerous - we often do what is good, but we don't do what is most to God's glory or what He requires of us. One sin that is infinite for us is our failure to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, all our strength. Every second of our lives that we are not loving God in this way is sin because we are breaking the greatest commandment. What a humbling thought! Thinking of sin this way should keep us from sinning further by trying to bargain with God.

The Gospel is such great news! Looking at Pharaoh, we should learn lessons about human nature and ourselves that should make us more greatful for the Gospel. We sin more than we can ever know. Every act of our own before regeneration is a sin. There is no way that we can keep the commands of God. Without the Gospel, we would be hopeless. Yet, God has revealed the Gospel to us through His Son. God revealed His Son in the story of the plagues and Passover. A future post will address this issue.

Sorry that this post seems to jump from one topic to another without any real flow! My brain does that sometimes and I don't feel like editing it right now.

"Christian" Television

Our church has been having a conference called A Call to Discernment put on by Justin Peters.  I was a little nervous when I heard what the topic would be, exposing health, wealth, and prosperity preachers, in part because not all of the groups that believe in faith healing are the same.  Plus, if he was speaking truth without love, it would not be beneficial.  However, I have been impressed with his presentation so far, but maybe that is for a future blog.

This conference made me want to scan the "Christian" television stations last night to see what these "great men of God" were preaching (well, unfortunately, men and women).  What I saw was sickening.  One guy was teaching a prosperity gospel, and it was enough to make you want to turn him in to the Better Business Bureau, Attorney General's Office, or the IRS as a scam against the elderly and poor.  His story is titled Please Don't Repo My Car, and he tells of how he was going through financial difficulty, pledged to tithe, and things turned around.  Sometimes that does happen, and if he had stopped there, maybe it would not have been a bad lesson.  Instead, he talked about how God wants everyone to be rich, and that there is the person of Christ and the principles of Christ.  Many good Christians are living in the person of Christ, but missing out on the principles, which is that God wants all Christians to be rich.  Obviously he has not read the Bible in the way I read it.  Then he proceeds to say that you need to plant a seed like it says in the parable of the sower, and allow that seed to take root so that it will produce financial fruit.  I guess Jesus' interpretation of His own parable was incorrect.  The guy then tells you that he is a $1000 sower, God gave him that task, and so you are supposed to sow your $1000 in this guy's ministry.  Even worse, the target crowd seems to be those who are going through financial difficulty ("even if it is your last $1000").  Mind you, when he sowed his "seed," it was a $20 tithe on the $200 he was bringing in every week.  Much less than $1000.  I guess that he expects viewers to be too stupid to figure that out (and unfortunately, the ones who are sending him money are deceived).

The second guy I listened to also used the parable of the sower, and this one used Jesus' interpretation, but unfortunately, misquoted Jesus.  I guess that he was banking on the fact that viewers would not bother to look up the verse to verify whether it was quoted correctly (I had the Key study Bible handy and looked up the Greek word - he really did not expect that).  He basically was advising people that if they felt something was right in their gut, they needed to allow that thought to take root and produce fruit instead of not taking root, which would lead to giving up.  Now I have read the parable of the sower many times, and I am pretty sure that the ones who do not have roots are unbelievers instead of believers facing opposition in the church from leadership.  I am also pretty sure that Proverbs says that we are to listen to counsel instead of tuning counsel out.  I am also pretty sure that as a teacher of the Bible we are to teach the Bible instead of what Kenneth Copeland says (his source for lessons).  Apparently this guy now allows what Kenneth Copeland says to take root so that it is the fruit coming out of him and therefore God's word.

What is sad is that these guys sounded good.  It was exactly what too many people would want to hear.  They took verses here and there out of context, but the way they interpretted the verses seemed to apply.  I think that there are lessons to learn from this.  First, just because it is on Christian TV does not mean that it is Christian.  Yes, these guys were saying some good things couched in Christian terms.  Yes, there were lots of crosses and Christian music playing in the background.  Yes, the Bible was mentioned.  However, the messages being sent by the first guy was not Christian, and by the second guy was dangerous (although maybe not as heretical).  Second, people in our churches are probably watching these shows, and unfortunately, sending money to these "Christian" television stations.  Third, it is important to teach the truth in our churches, and to make sure that our people know how to read the Bible.  By knowing how to read the Bible, I mean being familiar with evaluating all Scripture in context, not just reading through a passage devotionally or because it is a good story.  Fourth, we need to warn those around us who are being deceived by this type of teaching.  If I am desperate, down to my last dollar, and hearing how to fix it from someone who is a smooth talker and receiving messages from the Holy Spirit, I may be tempted to listen to that type of message if I am not grounded in what I know to be true about the character of God.  

There is much more that can be said about this subject.  These are just two examples from watching an hour of Christian television.  I know that there are people who watch it every day of the week, every moment of the day, and I am concerned that they are being deceived.  What a sad example of attacks against God's faithful!

Doctrine and Application

I wrote this a while ago, but I am just now getting around to posting it.

While studying for my Sunday school lesson a while back, another reason to study and to teach doctrine occurred to me.  In reading Matthew 19-22, there are several examples of ways that the Saducees and Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus through their questions.  Every time that He was presented with the challenging questions, Jesus was able to answer in a doctrinally sound way.  You may be thinking, "Of course, He did.  He was fully God after all, and so all-knowing."  I think that no only was He proving His deity, I think He was setting an example for His followers to follow.  We are told throughout the New Testament to be like Christ.  I think this extends to the way that we answer the challenges of the world, including the difficult questions that we may be asked.

The only way that we are going to be able to answer in the way that Jesus did is if we know the Bible and have the Holy Spirit within us.  Therefore, it is important to learn as much doctrine as we can in order to be ready to give a clear, accurate defense to questions posed by those who are our modern day Pharisees and Saducees.  We have to have such a solid foundation that the hard questions don't shake us up.  I think that the ideal way to establish this foundation is in the same way that Jesus did, meaning starting as a young child.  We should be challenging our children by teaching them the truths of Scripture at a young age.  There are many ways to do this, but we need to stop using the excuse that children do not understand.  Instead, we need to be challenging children from a young age.  Most adults do not fully understand the doctrines presented in Scripture, and there are many mysteries that we have to accept by faith.  Therefore, we should be teaching children to accept the mysteries by faith young.  Plus, people learn more than we think that they are capable of learning when people are challenged.  

It seems that the church as a whole today wants to steer clear of doctrine because it isn't relevant or it doesn't meet people's felt needs.  However, many in the church cannot give a defense when questioned by non-Christians about things such as the doctrine of the Trinity, doctrine of the Church, and the doctrine of salvation.  Too many in the church are not firm in their convictions because they are more concerned about becoming better people than having a changed heart and mind.  They would rather focus on self and how God can make self better, instead of focusing on God and the things of God so that self becomes smaller and smaller (which, ironically, results in becoming a better person).

I am not saying that doctrine should be taught without application.  I just don't think that application should be taught without doctrine.  If doctrine is not put into practice, it is worthless.  It becomes too much head knowledge without exhibiting a changed heart and a faith that is alive.  However, application without doctrine is destined to fail because it doesn't necessarily spring from a changed heart and mind.  We need to be careful about teaching water and milk to those in the church.  2 Timothy 2:2 commands Timothy to teach faithful men who will be able to teach others.  This is a command that extends to all those in the church.  If we teach only water and milk, we aren't preparing faithful members who can teach others.  However, if we are not afraid to tackle the hard stuff and the doctrine, then we will be preparing faithful members to teach those they come in contact with, including the modern day Saducees and Pharisees.  We will be teaching our church members to be ready to give a defense just as Christ was ready to give a defense when presented with a challenge.  If the church does not know how to make a defense because it hasn't been taught doctrine, the leaders will experience greater punishment for failing to fulfill the commands in Scripture.  However, if the leaders and teachers in the church teach sound doctrine that equips the saints, the leaders and teachers will not be held accountable.  Maybe if more leaders and teachers understood this (or were qualified to teach in the first place), our churches would not be filled with spiritual infants.