I Can't Help It, I Was Born This Way

I had a discussion with someone (a non-Christian, though an educated one) recently about sin nature and specifically homosexuality.  It brought to my attention some interesting things which have been rolling around in my head.

You can read my thoughts HERE, at my other blog.

Blessings.

Stephen Hawking, Death, and Meaning

A post I recently finished on my new blog, found here.

Blessings

Faith Part 3

Our faith is not one which finds its foundation here in this life (at least we had better hope it is not).  Because, if our faith is limited by the temporal, by time, or anything else in life, we have lost sight of the Truth.  The truth that is found in Christ who now reigns in Heaven, and will soon be acknowledged by all men and Creation.  We have faith in the coming City of God, the Heavenly realm that follows our life here on Earth.  Our lives must be lived in reflection of that.  Our lives must be dedicated to the furthering of His Kingdom as we wait:  

²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  -Romans 8

Thus, as we look and long for the future life which Christ now prepares for us in Heaven, we are able to live a life overflowing with Joy, because our loss on Earth means gain in Heaven.  Because we have faith, we can hope in what is to come after this life:

¹³But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep,that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. ¹⁴For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  -1 Thessalonians 4

When we look around at those who do not have Christ in their lives, we see how little they have to live for.  In our own lives objects matter little, but we are focused on love for our neighbor and Creator.  Our faith brings us the hope that our time invested into those things will reap rewards we cannot fathom.

Peace and Joy

Faith Part 2

Those of us who are Christians say we have been saved by Grace through Faith:

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Faith is how we come to be saved from our sin, our disobedience, our fallen state.  When we understand who Christ is, what He did, and why, then we are halfway there.  But, the linchpin is found in our Faith.  Understanding does not provide salvation, as we know even the demons understand who God is, and shudder (James 2:19).  Faith is the key to Grace.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  (Romans 5:1-2)

Yet, it must be remembered that faith is not a passive thing.  It demands of us action.  Though we are not saved by works, works are expected of us in Faith and Love.  Let's finish the Ephesians section from above with verse 10.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

From James we as Christians are encouraged to prove our Faith through works, because if we really have Faith, then we really have Hope, and if we really have Hope, we really have Love.  

(James 2:14-17) What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Keep the Faith, but also the Love and Hope that must walk hand in hand with it.

To be continued...

Faith Part 1

After recently examining my life to see what example of faith I have set, I was ashamed.

Faith is a part of the Christian life which ought to be taken seriously by all of us.  There are three aspects to faith: Faith as a work of Grace and Salvation in our life, Faith in the works and miracles of God, and Faith that produces Hope in the future of things.

Christ lead His disciples to have stronger faith.  Likewise, I discover that I often need greater faith.  I often fail to see His strength and power over all things, I believe this is a result of a lack of faith on my part.  The disciples suffered from this as well when they let fear rule their hearts in place of faith.  For example when they are on the ship and the storm becomes great they despair, yet Christ controls the storm, saying just a word to calm it (Mark 4:40).  We often forget God is the God of the miraculous, and while we often pray for miracles, do we have faith in God to perform such miracles.  Faith like the woman in Mark 5:33.  She had faith that she only needed to touch the hem of Christ's robe for a miracles.  He is that powerful and I know I forget this, I forget I'm talking to the One who commanded the laws of nature and physics order themselves at the beginning of time.  And that is part of our problem, we talk to God.  We are told to have faith, to be still and know He is God (Psalm 46:10).

We are told Christ left His hometown because of their lack of faith.  Let us not be like those in Christ's hometown, for how awful it would be for Christ to leave us due to our lack of faith.  Instead, if we even have the faith of a mustard seed nothing will be impossible (Matthew 21:21).  The Holy Spirit will provide you with an understanding of the miraculous and Faith, but we must trust Him.

To be continued...

Spiritual Bankruptcy

As many Americans struggle to pay off loans, and business file for bankruptcy, they find themselves joined by another group, churches.  Some might say American churches need to take a lesson in economics.  However, is misunderstanding how business works the real reason record numbers of churches have foreclosed this year?  No, the root of the issue goes much deeper than that.


Many churches who find themselves in dire economic situations partook in the super church craze.  As congregations grew, churches moved to build larger and more extravagant church buildings.  Many installed cafés, workout rooms, etc.  Now I am definitely for Christians fellowship with eachother, but are plasma screen TVs necessary for that fellowship?  In an effort to make themselves more attractive, churches have turned themselves into beautiful locations of social gathering.  Now banks have grown wary of churches asking for loans.  They have seen those who represent Christ's name behave no differently than the rest of the world.  Churches build extravagant worship centers only to have the congregations disappear (and the money with them).  

Luke 14:   ²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

Churches ought to attract visitors with their love, honesty, and good will, not large TVs, imported carpeting, and gym memberships.  In this modern culture of materialism, the church has lost sight of what is truly valuable.  Instead they continue marketing themselves as cool, with the times, and entertaining.  They soften the message of Truth and speak only of happiness in order to obtain more members.  Christ addresses these types of churches with some harsh words in Revelation 3:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵ I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶ So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spew you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

A church is not a building.  Yet, today many congregations wish to define what they believe by the building they have.  Must they be reminded that the early church had no buildings to meet at and drink coffee?  Instead, they secretly worshiped in their houses, hiding in small groups from the Roman guards. Brothers and Sisters, do not define yourselves with things, but rather with the love of Jesus Christ "who made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant... he humbled Himself."  Forget the cafés, multi-million dollar facilities, the gymnasiums, prosperity doctrine, TVs, and thousands of members.  Jesus had none of that.  His disciples had none of that.  The early church had none of that.  It is a sign of your desire to be of the world, and it has become a distraction from your call to servanthood.


Wall Street Journal:  Article 1   Article 2

Can't Steal Love and Forgiveness

A church in Spokane Washington was robbed this past week (see articles here & here).  Police say the thieves made away with thousands of dollars of equipment including sound boards, computers, TVs, microphones, and hearing impaired devices.  Now many people will react by saying, "that's disgusting who could do that?"  But, that is what sin is, disgusting.  The same can be said about what you said about someone at school, or what you thought about your neighbor's wife, or how you ignored the need of a friend.  All sin is disgusting in God's eyes.  What those thieves did is no worse than what we do every week in churches across America.  We tear one another down, teach falsehood, etc.


The response the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church has been praise-worthy.  Instead of accusing and judging those who looted the church, he has opened his arms to them.  "The church isn't the equipment or the pews or the building it's the people," said the pastor.  That is exactly right.  The family of God is not material goods, nor a building where people meet, but the people themselves.  The pastor of Redeemer Lutheran has a clear understanding of Matthew 6:19-21:  

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

 Redeemer Lutheran has invited those very same thieves back next Sunday with an understanding that people who do wrong as that, need a Savior like all of us.  Jesus Himself gave us guidelines to forgive as we have been forgiven:

  “‘Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 

¹⁰ your kingdom come, 

your will be done, 

   on earth as it is in heaven. 

¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. 

¹² And forgive us our debts, 

   as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

¹³ And lead us not into temptation, 

   but deliver us from the evil one.’"

-Matthew 6:9-13

 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”  Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  -Matthew 18:21-22

A real understanding of the commands Christ has given us, allow us to see that Love and Forgiveness cannot be taken from us for they are gifts from above.  Let us remember to forgive those who have done us the greatest wrong, just as God forgives the greatest sinner.  

Blessings.

Faithful Endurance

Our Christian brothers and sisters in China continue to encounter persecution.  Yet as they endure torture, jail time, and even death, they remain steadfast.  Despite, or rather, as a result of the persecution they have received, the church there continues to grow.  Their numbers have been reported to be greater than 100 million.  They are considered the most unified organization of people in the nation.

If you compare and contrast the Chinese church with the American Church what do you see?  I see a difference in fervor.  The Chinese church stops at nothing, enduring persecution to spread the gospel.  I see a difference in unity.  The American church has been fractured beyond repair.  The thousands of denominations within protestantism prove this point handily.  I also see a greater sense of orthodoxy in China.  Due in part to both the trails and the unity they have there, the purity of faith the Christians in China have should be an example to us as we struggle with churches fracturing over fundamental doctrinal issues.

What can we learn from the Chinese?  We can learn, patience, perseverance, Love, hope, faith, and more.  They live out Romans 12:

 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. ⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."  ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Continue to pray for the Chinese church, for their growth, endurance, and faithfulness.  But, let us also pray we can adapt lessons from them and apply them to our lives, enduring all for Christ, because:

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  -James 1:12

Stop Planning Your Life

"What will you do when you graduate?"  


That is a question I hear a lot.  My sincere response is: "I don't know for certain."  


None of us know the future.  I could die tomorrow.   Death is a very real possibility when any of us step into a car.  Yet, we behave as though we are able to have some control over our situations, enabling us to plan our lives years into the future.  We plan for school, for work, for family, for retirement.  When do we plan to let God lead us?  When I say I know what I would like to do after school, I am inherently saying I know what will happen between now and then.  I am saying, I can do fine without following God, but following myself.


I am so arrogant, so foolish, and so head-strong, when I plan my life, when in truth, my life is so brief.  I am spitting in the face of the best possible Planner, of the Creator, of my Savior.

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.  -James 4

My life is a "mist," something that dissipates quickly.  Why do I care if I can plan my life, if God has it in His hands?  When I try to take it from Him, I declare myself to be the Alpha and the Omega, the All Knowing One!!!  What a sin.  The worst sin.


What I ought to do, is let him plan, lead, and provide.  

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  -Philippians 4  

By declaring ourselves Christians we proclaim Christ as the center of our lives.  Do we behave as such?  Are we concerned about the physical when it was created through Him?

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  -Matthew 6

Therefore, let us acknowledge Him in everything.  Not claiming Him as simply our co-pilot, but the manufacturer, road constructor, pilot, and everything else.  We are simply here for a moment to serve, not plan our lives.  Let us help one another in remembering that.

Blessings.

Count It All Joy

In a recent article by the Houston Chronicle, which can be found here, a christian couple from Houston are being told by city officials that they will be required to shut down their food outreach to the poor.  Bobby and Amanda Herring have been feeding the homeless in Houston for over a year, that is until this past month when police informed them that permits are required to feed the homeless.  Apparently city laws require anyone publicly producing food to obtain a food dealer's permit.  The requirements include a licensed food preparer and approved location for the preparation of that food.  [All the requirements and laws can be found here, here, and here.]

I can only imagine the heartbreak the Herrings are now experiencing after having worked with the homeless in Houston.  Now that the city of Houston has told the Herring "thanks but no thanks" for the work they have down within the community, they must choose their next move.  This cold shoulder to people who have actually taken action to help those who are in need may come across as silly, unproductive, or perhaps hypocritical.  But, I urge you not to think of the wrong that has been done to the Herrings or the homeless by the city of Houston, but rather encourage people like the Herrings and perhaps the Herrings themselves to press onward.  Though we may encounter trails of many kind, we must "remember the poor"(Galations 2) for "when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed"(Luke 14). 


In a situation the Herrings are experiencing we must remember James 1 where we are told: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  Instead of giving up on living out our lives for Christ when early things get in the way, let's press even harder.  Encourage one another to keep the faith, keep persevering with an understanding of what the true future holds.


Blessings.

Persecution

John 15:18-20  ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

Today in the Middle-East, Christians are being arrested, and likely face sentences of death.  This may seem shocking to us in our western culture of "anything goes."  However, this is a more common situation than many of us realize.  Many in Africa, Asia, and the Middle-East are enduring a physical manifestation of hatred and attacks for their faith.  This should cause two reactions from us:  1. Support through prayer.  Too often do people think we ought to pray for our brothers' and sisters' hardships to disappear.  Instead we must pray for their strength to endure, a continuation of their faithfulness for which they will be richly rewarded.  2. An examination of our own lives is in order.  If our fellow family members in Christ are suffering for the truth, is it simply because of the difference in government and society, or a difference in message?  Let us not fail to continue to press onward here, for when is easy to speak the truth, it is also easy to forget to stay on our guard.  


Whether it is our brothers and sisters enduring hardship, or us, we must encourage one another.  This world is only a preface to what comes after.  Pain and suffering are temporary, "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13). 

Blessings.

Modern Pharisees

In an article by CNN, which can be seen here, readers are told of the plans one church has to picket the funerals of those who died this past weekend at the attempted assassination of U.S.  representative Giffords.  Westboro Baptist Church has come to be more known as a "hate group" than a church.  This is likely because they have behaved more like a hate group than any church ever should.  Routinely they attend high-profile funerals or political events to make their stance on sin painfully clear.  The group has now decided to attend the funerals even of the innocent such as the nine year old girl who died this past weekend at the shooting.  So, what's next for this "church?"


My advice would be to stop calling themselves a Christian church.  As Christians we are told to take upon ourselves the same nature Christ did, which was that of a servant, humbling ourselves before others, loving our enemies and those who hate us (Philippians 2, Matthew 5).  I do not see this attitude amongst those in the Westboro Church.  Instead I see hypocritical and pharisaical attitudes of hate and judgement.  They attack those who have sinned... Don't you know, people of Westboro, you too have been found sinners!  Yet while you were still separated from God by your sinful nature, Christ died for you (Romans 5).  Only through Christ have you been found pure, and this not of yourselves, but as a gift from God Himself (Ephesians 2).  So, Christ tells us not to judge, for we will be judged in the same way (Matthew 7).


Christ came not to save the righteous, but sinners (Matthew 9).  He reached out to the lost and the Pharisees attacked Him for "eating with sinners" (Luke 19).  With love Jesus told the adulterous woman to turn from her sins.  Nor did He condemn the thief who hung on the cross next to Him, instead He forgave. 


This is not to say there is no wrong in sinning, but that we as Christians should reach out in love to those who are hurt and lost.  To help them turn from their sin.  To be patient and kind.  To love those who hate us.  To forgive as we have been forgiven.  


It is my hope that those at the Westboro Baptist Church will see this, and instead of spending money and time condemning the lost, would instead put all their efforts toward taking upon themselves the very nature of a servant.  If they will not, it is time they stop calling themselves a church... for that is not what they are.  They are not tarnishing their own name, nor ours, but Christ's.


To those who lost loved ones in the shooting this weekend, our prayers are with you all.  May you find peace in Christ Jesus.


Blessings.

Truth Suppressors

Is it really possible for people to become better?  Central Michigan University thinks so, at least that is what one newspaper article claims.  Ryan Berlin of the Morning Sun reports, "Officials at CMU want people to make ethical decisions and become better people."  Also in the article is a quote from provost Gary Shapiro: "Let's treat people with respect, let's not get carried away in the moment, treat others the way you want to be treated, these are the kind of things that we would like to be represented in the university."  A very interesting approach to say the least, but does it sound familiar to you?  

In Matthew 7, Jesus summarizes the law and the prophets with the following: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  It would seem that CMU is on the trail of the teachings of Christ.  But not so fast.  If the University truly wishes to help people become better, are they going achieve it through instituting the "doing unto others" philosophy.  After all, Jesus Himself promotes it as a simplified version of the law and the prophets.  

Let us be careful of non sequiturs as we approach the situation.  First, we must know what makes a good person, or if such a thing exists.  Scripture tells us that a "no one is good, not one," (Romans 3:10) and that all have sinned (Romans 3:23).  Instead we are told that humankind is made up of "truth suppressors" (Romans 1).  We cannot find goodness if we wanted to (Ecclesiastes 7:20), but who do we have to blame, what causes our inability to reach truth and goodness?  Our nature is evil in its very essence (Galatians 5:7).  Simply "doing unto others" doesn't undo that nature that inhabits the depths of our mind and soul.  That that behaviour may be desirable, it does not make good people.  

What then?  What delivers us from our truth suppression into a state of actual goodness?  Paul provides the answer in Romans 6, saying we are no long bound to our old selves, no longer slaves, no longer suppressors of Truth, but actually good through the Grace of the Savior.

Doing unto others is a behaviour to be commended, yet it it doesn't make a good person, only Jesus can do that.

Blessings.

Marriage and Jesus Christ

The sermon in church today revolved around marriage.  It caused me to think about how fantastic marriage is.  Not because of the value people place on it, but because it is a clear covenant of the relationship between us and God.  Matthew 22 describes the kingdom of heaven as a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.  The union spoken of is the relationship between the church and Christ.  In that relationship, Christ is perfectly masculine and the church, purely feminine.  That is not to say Christ is manly and the church female, but rather the masculine and feminine are eternal and permanent adjectives while the others are temporal.  C.S. Lewis describes this vital difference in "That Hideous Strength."  "The male you could have escaped," writes Lewis, "for it exists only at the biological level.  But the masculine none of us can escape.  What is above and beyond all is so masculine that we are all feminine in relation to it."  


Marriage reflects the relation of the masculine and feminine.  Husbands are told to "provide for his own, and especially for those of his household," 1 Timothy 5:8.  This reflects Christ providence for us.  On Him we depend for all things.  Scripture also commands "Husbands to love [their] wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, " Ephesians 5:25.  In this way, marriage symbolizes Christ as our head, just as the husband is the head of the household, and the church as the bride submitting and respecting Christ, just as the wife does before her husband.


Since Adam and Eve, God has blessed us with His gift of Marriage.  The earthly physical marriage is merely a reflection, a representation of that which is far greater than our understanding, but also far greater than our highest hopes.  Dr. Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said this of marriage:  "In so many beautiful ways, marriage points to the very character of God."  In our modern society marriage is being attacked and forgotten.  This is ultimately an attack on the church and Christ, as marriage itself sets an example of the future togetherness of us with our Saviour.




Lewis, C.S. "That Hideous Strength." New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1996.

Mohler, Albert. The Case for (Early) Marriage. Monday, August 3, 2009.