The Panas Perspective

Prayer: Getting Emotional with God?

2011-11-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Last week during a prayer meeting, a mature Christian got emotional and exclaimed that she was finally free to worship God with all of her heart. Later a young man started singing and dancing, "There is Freedom." It was quite the scene and you could sense some were comfortable there, others weren't. On my drive home, I contemplated the experience, and asked this question, "Lord, why are so many of your people not free to share their emotions to you?" He laid these on my heart.

1. Some Christians aren't free because of their difficult past

2. Some aren't free because they are "conditioned" by their denominations

3. Some aren't free because of they are concerned what others will think

4. Some aren't free because they harbor resentment against Me (God)

5. Some aren't free because they don't feel comfortable intimately conversing with Me

6. Some aren't free because they don't believe I (God) really listen to them

7. Some aren't free because they don't really believe prayer with Me works

8. Some aren't free because they disdain others expressing themselves in prayer

9. Some aren't free because they are walking in unconfessed sin

10. Some aren't free because though there is remorse, there is no repentance

Now, of course, there are many other reasons we could list, but what about you? What, if anything, hinders you from expressing yourself emotionally to God? Ultimately, God wants your heart, and He wants you to have the kind of relationship with Him where you can be free to be yourself and trust Him.

We were meant to be emotionally free to share with Him. We were meant to express ourselves freely like my two little boys. They are not afraid to show emotion to their dada, good or bad, because they know that no matter what's happening in their lives, that they are deeply LOVED by their father.

Likewise, you must come to know, if you don't already, that God feels the same about YOU! Only far more so! He loves you more than your imagination can fathom. He has shown that to the world by the death of His son so that He can have a relationship with you in heaven. You need to know you are uniquely one hundred percent loved for who you are. You are loved for being you.

Praying for freedom and the confidence to express yourself freely.

2 Trick or Treat or Not

2011-10-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

Every Year around this time, the discussion of Halloween starts to heat up among Christians.

Some Christians opt to avoid Halloween altogether because portions of its mixed up history prick their conscience. The influence of ancient Celtic and Druid customs, make some see this holiday as blatantly evil. There are many in the church who see it as "Satan's holiday."

Others see it as a truly Americanized holiday, not specifically Christian but essentially “American” like Thanksgiving, and have no conscience about participating. This is how I grew up, in Tacoma Washington, as a non-Christian kid, who saw Halloween as an excuse to dress up like Superman, Green Lantern, or Franco Harris and get some free candy to boot. My only concern was not getting my bag snatched. Tough neighborhood!

However, there are others choose to to draw various lines in between when it comes to Halloween. For example, some don’t go out and actively participate, but they remain in their homes and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and show hospitality to their neighbors and community. Like Motel 6 they decide to "leave the light on."

Lastly, there are others who gather together to go to the pumpkin patches, or search for the local harvest parties, that rid themselves of the dark questionable elements of Halloween. These parties offer inflatables, hot dogs, candy galore, and an opportunity to socialize in a warmer climate together as a family with others. The goblin and ghosts costumes are replaced by Bible verses and the fashionably disappointing garbs of David and Goliath.

So what should you do? You should come to your own conclusions based on God's word, godly counsel, your heart, and your head. For those who have shunned Halloween because you were simply told it was evil, you should ask yourself are those views imposed or truly what you believe, what your conscience confirms.

For those who have always participated and never bothered to weigh its appropriateness, your should employ godly wisdom, discernment, and seek God regarding what is best for you and your family. Inevitably, our abstinence or participation in regard to Halloween should not be derived from fear, misinformation, or pressure, but rather from a sincere love of Jesus.

If you do participate, whatever degree, remember that every festival our culture promotes is another opportunity to rub shoulders with people who may not know Jesus. Some people, like me, can take my kids Trick or Treating, and redeem Halloween together with unchurched families. Others, humbly admit, while it would be permissible for them, it is not beneficial for their spiritual progress. In the end, just make sure you you're not just blindly following the crowd; but rather following your own godly convictions.

The reality is that every holiday, whether it is Halloween, Christmas or Easter, has pagan origins at its roots. Ultimately, you must make the decision if that day will be something that you will reject, receive, or redeem because of your love for Jesus.

Whatever you do, have fun. Trick or Treat. twitter.com

Hell: A Conversation with Jesus

2011-09-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Machele and I had dinner with a couple and eventually our conversation steered toward Christianity. The genuine concern revolved around the implications of those who do not believe the gospel of Christ. For good reasons, they did not think God would judge "good people," religious or not. Such a judgment that warrants hell, in their eyes, would be unjust.

One thing is true when it comes to Jesus. He spent a lot of time addressing the topic of hell. Yes, he was a great moral teacher, and a faith healer, and someone who had no problem showing compassion to others—but he also talked about hell, a lot! Jesus, spoke about hell more than all the biblical writers combined. Luke 16:19-31 is one of these conversations, where once again, he addresses this unpopular, yet significantly important issue.

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.

6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers7—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

It is obvious from this text, that hell is not a place where anyone wants to end up when he or she dies. Yet, as unpleasant as it seems, there are features about hell, which Jesus mentions here, that Christians must be willing to share if pressed. In light of the recent media attention on hell, the first thing that needs to be communicated is that the Bible teaches hell is a literal and physical place.

1. Hell is a Literal and Physical place

The idea of hell is so repulsive that many conclude that it does not exist, it is a made up belief by the early church to win Christian converts. Rob Bell, an evangelical pastor of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently wrote a book called, Love Wins, (Note: He just resigned from his pastorate 9-22-2011) to argue that hell is not a real place, but rather a state of being, caused from the hardships people experience in their lifetime (i.e. their own personal hell). In the end, he concludes, that everyone will go to heaven because Love Wins.

However, this is not what Jesus is describing in this text. Instead, he is talking about a real destination that is a physical location. He goes on to illustrate that hell consists of anguish and a permanent separation from God. In other biblical passages, Jesus mentions hell as a place associated with eternal fire and even outer darkness (Matthew 18:8-9, 22:13-14).

Now a growing number of scholars agree that Jesus is using metaphors to project an

alarming mental image associated with hell (Fire & darkness). Nevertheless, whether these images are literal or figurative, the more important issue revolves around his depiction of being separated from God. In the book of James, the apostle teaches that everything that is good comes from God, every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Without God, then, hell is a place that lacks the good things in life. Imagine living in a place where, eternally speaking, there is nothing good; no love, no peace, no comfort, no charity, etc., etc. Such is the life of a real person, in a real place, according to Jesus and the Scriptures.

Several years ago, my best friend asked me to do a memorial service for his father, whom he stressed was not a Christian. While performing the eulogy, although I tried my best to comfort the people, in good conscience, I offered no hope that my friend’s dad was in heaven. Eventually, during the sharing time, one or two friends tried their best to communicate their belief this man was in heaven. I know why they did it of course; they wanted to bring comfort and assurance to the people.

Nevertheless, ultimately, their attempts were misleading, despite the good intentions, according to Jesus. In reality, he teaches that heaven, like hell, is not an idea or a concept, whose purpose is to bring comfort to others during hard times. Instead, both are real places, where real people choose to go based on their willingness or unwillingness to trust Jesus, the Christ, as their Savior.

2. Hell is not what God wants for us, it is something we choose
Many times, our culture gives God a bad rap here, which is not fair from a biblical perspective. If hell is true, many reason, then God is wrathful and lacks the compassion and justice to love. He does not really care for people based on what He will eternally put them through after they physically die. However, Jesus refutes this popular belief by showing in the Bible that God is in the rescuing business, he actually sent Jesus as a 9-1-1 response because He deeply cares about people, despite their sin.

John 3:17-18

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

1 Timothy 2:3-6

³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Both these passages teach that at the very heart of God is the desire that all of humanity be saved. However, God does not force us to choose Him; He allows us to make our own decisions about Jesus, which is why the text concludes that ultimately condemnation lies in our court.

According to Jesus, God has gone out of His way so that everyone, every nation, tribe, and tongue, can have a relationship with Him in heaven. But here is the reality, many do not want anything to do with Jesus, or what many refer to generically as “religion.” What does this mean? In hell, inevitably, people get what they want, no religion. That is, no God, no Jesus, and definitely not their followers.

I admit this sounds harsh, but I am trying to clearly communicate what Jesus says about this unpopular, yet important issue. Namely, that condemnation is not God’s fault; instead it is all on us. For whatever reason, some think it is worth the gamble to rely on their own accomplishments, instead of trusting in those belonging to Jesus. When you study the "hell passage" in Luke, you can surmise the rich man does not really want anything to with heaven, God, or His goodness.

There is no repentance. Not once does he show remorse for his actions. Not toward Abraham (i.e. God, the Father), nor toward Lazarus.

He still has a sense of entitlement. He wants Lazarus to be his servant. His thinking is the same as it was when he was alive on earth; the focus revolves around his needs and concerns.

He does not ask to leave Hades, only for Lazarus to come visit him. I suspect it is because he really does not want to have anything to do with the folks on the other side, which includes God, Jesus, and their followers.

He finds fault with God’s plan of salvation. He says the Bible is not enough to keep his family from avoiding hell. God needs to do more, come up with a better plan. He proposes that Lazarus go to his father’s house, allowing his household to see him come back from the dead.

It is the same in our culture today. Religious Pluralists, for example, find God’s plan for salvation in Scripture too narrow, too exclusive, and too inadequate. Like the rich man, they have a better plan, one that allows more people to become saved. The irony here, of course, is that inevitably, God grants this request in Jesus, whom the Bible teaches rose from the dead.

From a biblical perspective, we have to be fair here; it is not God's fault, He has done everything He can to save us, with one exception. Inevitably, He does not force you to choose Jesus; in the same way; that He does not force children to love their parents. With parenting, one only hopes that based on their sacrifice, their actions, and their commitment, that their children will love them back.

Tying it all Together
Maybe, you have harbored a wrong perception of God when it comes to this conversation about hell. Before I was a Christian, I did, without question. I hated the reality that Christians I knew held this damnation theology over my head. Ultimately, they made me feel that just because I went clubbing, or watched a certain type of movie, even listened to secular music, that I was in danger of going to a place where it is eternally hot and you're without sunscreen. As a result, I was more concerned about holding fast to my pride than I was to being open to the possibility that some of the things they said were true (that is, about Jesus, not the other stuff).

My hope, is that you will take some time to reflect on what has been said, even talk to God, because there is no question that in the Bible, hell was a big conversation with Jesus. In the end, you talk repeatedly about the things that are most important to you. With Jesus, this reality was not to hate on you, but to warn you so that would never be a part of your reality. Remember, God's desire is that everyone be saved, which definitely includes you or anyone else that hasn't accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But He will never force you to choose Jesus.

Make this about Jesus, not about me or about you.

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Epilogue: Popular Objections

#1 What about those who have not Heard of Christ This is a great question, especially if there is genuine concern behind it. Ultimately, we must think through this issue on two levels, the first one being what theologians refer to as general revelation. General revelation teaches us that God has revealed Himself through His creation. In other words, we should believe in God from all we see around us, the sun, the mountains, the stars, the trees, the water, the animals, etc., etc. This is the gist of what the Apostle Paul says in this very important section in Scripture.

Romans 1:18-20
¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Frankly, God’s signature is present through all that He had made in creation. We did not create this beautiful canvas of life that permeates our planet and the cosmos. In the end, there is no excuse to deny the reality of God’s obvious and blatant intelligent design.

Unfortunately, there is an educational fraternity, in our public school system and college campuses, who collectively work hard to convince us otherwise. Nevertheless, on the fist level, men and women are without excuse here, everyone from the academic elite to the tribal member that lives in a remote third world country. So we must first answer the question, are they suppressors of the truth, or does creation prompt them to acknowledge God?

On the second level, special revelation, focuses on what information God revealed specifically about Jesus. Here of course, is where this topic can get complicated because the argument is hypothetical. Nevertheless, the Scriptures address this issue from a knowledge-based standpoint. Below is a parable by Jesus, which focuses on the degree of punishment a non-believer experiences during the end times.

Luke 12:47-48
⁴⁷ And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. ⁴⁸ But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Here, Jesus teaches, there are degrees of punishment administered by God based on how much information you know. What the nature of the lighter punishment is I do not know. Nevertheless, I trust that given His wisdom, His knowledge, His ability to know the secrets of the heart, God will judge rightly. What this means practically is that we should just let God do His job. I would not want His job—but thankfully He is the most competent to render such a true decision.

However, this is not an argument anyone should use as the basis for them rejecting Christianity since ultimately; God holds each of us responsible for what we believe or reject about Jesus. Would you choose not to eat food because you read about someone starving in a third world country? Now, you may conclude that such poverty is unfair, and it should not exist, but ultimately you would eat because your survival depends on it.

Ultimately, as previously mentioned, God’s desire is that everyone be saved, which is why He sent His son to die for humanity’s sin, including the uninformed. Inevitably, we need to let God do His job; He is the most qualified to render a perfectly righteous and truthful judgment.

#2: What about those who worship different religions?
Contrary to popular opinion, religious pluralism is not a new development. There have been competing religions since the days of Cain, who established the first secular city without God. Inevitably, the reality of other religions proclaiming their god as supreme is one of the primary reasons why God instituted the Ten Commandments with Moses at Mount Sinai. He was tired of His people blending in with other religious beliefs and adopting the idea of religious pluralism.
Deuteronomy 5:6-10
⁶ “ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ⁷ “ ‘You shall have no other gods before me.

⁸ “ ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁹ You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

At the core of competing religions is the idea that your god is better than mine. Likewise today, competing religions express the same message, often marginalizing or rejecting Jesus as Savior. For example, Islam accepts that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, he was born of a virgin, he performed miracles, but it denies that Jesus is the son of God who died for the sins of humanity.

On the other hand, Judaism acknowledges the existence Jesus and that he healed the oppressed, yet rejects him as being the Messiah that will establish his kingdom on earth.

In a similar way, Buddhism acknowledges the life of Jesus, but insists one must still go through a series of reincarnations before they can ultimately be enlightened enough to realize that their religion turned out to be right.

Consequently, all the religions cannot be right because they disagree on the nature and purpose of Jesus. If the Bible is true, and Jesus is the son of God, then to suggest there is another way is to marginalize the relationship between the Father and the Son.

Generally, religious Pluralists never consider their argument from God’s perspective if Christianity is true. If Jesus is truly His son, then emotionally this cost God something. Looking at this from another perspective, imagine having your child sacrificed for the good of humanity, only to find out that most people have rejected him or her. How would you respond as a father or mother? Would you have compassion and come up with an alternative plan? If you are honest, which is what we are aiming for with the non-Christian; you would never accept such people into your home.

#3: How could a loving God punish me forever for a finite sin
In my opinion, this secular question is the toughest one because of our intrinsic belief that the punishment must fit the crime. At first glance, there appears to be a great chasm based on the finite crime of rejecting the son verses the magnitude of the infinite sentence. In retrospect, imagine someone receiving the death penalty because he or she was caught chewing gum in class. It seems preposterous.

One reason this appears to be the case is because sin is marginalized by folks in our culture. It does not seem to be the ultimate deal breaker, and besides, it is fun. Seldom do we ever consider that from God’s perspective that sin is just that, a big deal, for a God who gave us our very existence.

Yet despite the human perspective of sin, God knew that sin had to punished for the sake of divine justice. Consequently, He sent His son to do what we could not, that is, to live a perfect and pleasing life to God. In the end, the reality of hell only heightens the love of Jesus because he died for your sins and accepted God’s punishment on your behalf. In a sense, Jesus experienced the rich man’s torment for you because he did not want you to partake of hell. He also fulfilled the rich man’s request in order to offer you and your family more assurance.

In the end, you must ask what God is the most loving. One that gave up everything important to Himself for your personal welfare or one that lets you do whatever you want, and still saved you? One example shows tremendous sacrificial love, while the other shows a shallow form of love that is passive.

The Bible and Cultural Relevancy

2011-09-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:1-2

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

When I became a Christian, I faced the reality that much of what I believed about life was defective. Prior to conversion, my focus was on doing what I wanted, not what God wanted me to do. I viewed life through my lenses, and pretty much agreed with what my prevailing culture had to say about sex, homosexuality, Republicans, and that as long as you tried to make the world a better place, you would be good with God. The arguments seemed logical and quite convincing. However, the moment God called me there was a fresh desire to see the world differently, not from my perspective, but God’s.

That is what Paul is getting at here when he exhorts us not to be conformed to patterns of the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. The Greek word for “world” is not the one used to describe our planet (kosmos); instead it conveys the idea that the various ages (ion) have shaped the way we view and think about our world. Ultimately, Paul wants us to experience a divine transformation in the way we think about culture and ourselves.

Today if you ask a non-Christian what their view on the Bible is, the primary objection will revolve around the cultural practices it mentions. Rarely do people focus on Divinci Code conspiracy theories or manuscript controversies. What people are most offended by are the biblical teachings on lifestyle, especially if it infringes on theirs. Frankly, a growing number believe the Bible is regressive, intolerant, and oppressive to a growing number of people in our culture. Sadly, a growing number of Christians are also beginning to question the validity of the Bible based on the same reasons. Cultural perceptions on slavery, sexuality, sexual orientation, and the role of women have played a role in shaping the way Christians view the Bible. How should we engage the culture in lieu of this reality? Here are some suggestions.

1. Admit that we have failed in two ways when confronting cultural objections
When it comes to issues like the role of women and homosexuality, Christians in general have taken one of two roads. First, there is a tendency not to even address it in the course of a dialogue. In many cases, there is a desire to remain on good terms with others….so much so….that ultimately the Bible is ignored for the sake of peace and wanting to be liked. Many Christians have shallow relationships because of conversations that have never been brought up.

On the other hand, some Christians come across with this self-righteous demeanor with their tone and body language, while making eternal denouncements as if they are John the Baptist. These folks are the “Bible thumpers” and they like to beat people up in the name of Jesus. Seldom is this technique effective…..you can pretty much count on not having another conversation.

Non-Christians need to know up front how we have failed when it comes to addressing the hot cultural issues. Such a confession serves to disarm emotion that has been built up against Christians, without them even knowing it. It is hard to engage someone from a Christian perspective because you are “messing with peoples’ lives.”

We need to implement the parable of the Good Samaritan and realize we are to love people despite their race, their sexual orientation, or their religious beliefs. Loving people does not mean we omit what the Bible says regarding cultural practices, nor does it mean we come at people with this Jonah-like self-righteousness. Instead, we love people by respectfully investing our time and being willing to address the deeper issues that matter most to them. Inevitably both parties will grow from this experience.

2. Encourage them to Consider the Possibility the Bible does not teach what they
might think.
Many non-Christians believe the Bible teaches that women must be barefoot and pregnant, homosexuals are going to hell, and that the Bible promotes slavery. Most have not read the Bible carefully, yet they carry these beliefs based on what they heard from others…who probably have not read the Bible either.

For example, many believe that God promoted and accepted polygamy as an alternative lifestyle in the Old Testament. In some parts of Utah, Colorado, and Arizona, there are many people who bank on this misunderstanding and make a living collecting teenage wives. HBO even has a name for it, BIG LOVE.

However, God never condoned polygamy, anthropologists have concluded that two norms shaped the ancient world, polygamy and primogeniture, which left the inheritance to the older son. As we read the OT, God reveals consistently that cultural norms do not always produce the best results. For example, if you study the effect of polygamy in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon, it becomes clear not one person benefited from this type of arrangement. In fact, this lifestyle, lead to hardship, jealousy, hatred, favoritism, and in one case, the rejection of God Himself.

It is also interesting with regard to primogeniture, that in the cases of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, significant patriarchs in the Old Testament….that God choose to give the inheritance to the younger son, once again, demonstrating that cultural norms do not influence God when it comes to discerning the reality of His will.

The Old Testament is mostly a narrative that aims to show the reader through story the result of both good and bad decisions by God’s people. Getting back to the issue of polygamy, not once is there a positive outcome. Consequently, after reflection, the reader concludes, “That’s too bad; all the hardship could have been avoided if he would have stuck to one woman, had he followed the one man-one woman model that God established in Eden.

3. Encourage them not to Read Scripture through their Cultural Blinders.
One example where this happens is when a Non-Christian discovers the Bible seems to advocate slavery. For example, in Ephesians 6:5 Paul instructs slaves to obey their masters. Automatically, cultural blinders bring to mind the slavery we read about in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, where Africans were kidnapped against their own will and brought to England and America to become slaves.

However, this is not what happened during the first century Roman Empire era. The slavery discussed in the Bible involved indentured servant hood, not forced slavery. Murray J. Harris a professor of New Testament exegesis and theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School wrote a book called The Slave of Christ, where he reveals the basics of slavery in the Roman Empire. Here are some key distinctions. 

Slaves were not distinguishable by race, religion, or clothing
Slaves were often more educated than their masters
Slaves made the same wages as freed men and could purchase their freedom
Slaves were not slaves for long. The average term was ten years and people were given their release by their late twenties or early thirties.

Now this arrangement does not describe the slavery we know about in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries where a slave was identified by race, had no rights over his or her body, had no access to education, and most likely would never be freed.

In addition to slavery, non-Christians must understand that not all women were barefoot and pregnant in the Bible. Deborah was a judge that led Israel to an unlikely victory over the Canaanites, Esther was a queen who risked her life to preserve the Jewish Race, Lydia was a wealthy business women who became the first Christian in Philippi and opened her home as a church to other believers (Acts 16:40). We must not read things into the text based on what we perceive the Bible says. Instead, we must study the seek and seek to understand the historical context, and then we can draw out the principles for our culture.

4. Challenge their perceptions on what the Bible teaches about sin
I had a neighbor one time that used to joke when I tried to fool him, “You know where liars go!” Everyone that heard that jest knew exactly what he meant, namely that liars go to hell. Likewise, there are those who believe that certain sins will provide the exact outcome, including homosexuality. So, does the Bible really teach gays will go to hell?

Admittedly, this is a sensitive subject in our culture today. Nevertheless, if pressed on this issue, non-Christians need to understand that the Bible lumps homosexuality with other sexual sins like pornography, fornication, adultery, and incest. The Bible does not teach that one goes to hell because of their sexual orientation; it teaches that destination is reserved for those who want nothing to do with Jesus as their Savior, those that reject Jesus. In the end, it must be communicated that just as a heterosexual does not go to heaven because he is heterosexual; so a homosexual does not go to hell because he or she is gay.

In the end, it boils down to what you believe about Jesus. Keep pressing them here because they need to understand that without Jesus, even the person who is charitable and solves world hunger is not good enough to make it to heaven on his or her own accomplishments. Do not let them leave preoccupied with one particular “bad” sin in the Bible; instead make sure they know that Jesus died for all sin, homosexuality merely being one of an infinite many.

Final Thoughts
Now people may still object that homosexuality is not sin, but an alternate lifestyle. However, here is the problem. Who makes the rules? Who determines what sin is and what it is not? Inevitably, without God, a culture makes these decisions, one that deems itself more knowledgeable and progressive. In the end, non-Christians must realize we believe that truth should be constant and not subject to the evolutionary change that occurs with cultures throughout the ages. You may be labeled as narrow and close-minded, but you just have to respectfully communicate that while you understand their perspective, ultimately, you feel that the Bible represents the best option when it comes to trusting what is true. In the end, your goal is not to convince them; it is simply to engage them, even challenge them, with some of the cultural issues that people struggle with in our society. Use the Bible to bridge the cultural gap, not widen it with your presentation.

Sharing Jesus in a Postmodern Culture

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today as Christians, we must face a hard reality. We live in a culture where our faith is marginalized the moment we announce our spiritual orientation. We must face the reality that our culture has deep embedded beliefs about Christian deficiencies which result from a postmodern misunderstanding of the Christian faith. Consequently, like the Starship Enterprise, there are "defense shields" activated almost instantly when it comes to engaging our postmodern culture in a conversation about Jesus.

Some of these "defence shields" spring forth because of their distaste for Christian doctrines like the exclusivity of Christ, stereotypes involving sexual orientation,
and claims such as the Bible represents the absolute truth of God's revelation to humankind. Over the last quarter century, spurred on by a disillusionment with modernity, the reality of globalization, and the the role media plays on popular culture, the nation has become increasingly more postmodern in orientation. Today, our culture perceives the world differently. Relativism has replaced absolute truth, religious pluralism has replaced exclusive religious truth claims, and stories involving personal experience have replaced the meta-narrative. When we share our faith it almost seems like we are speaking a different language.

Furthermore, methods once effective for evangelism have become increasingly ineffective, mainly because our culture is no longer connected to a Christian heritage. Consequently, our approaches to evangelism must change in such a way that we engage in ways where we can have more of an effective dialogue with our culture. So how should we contextually engage our post-modern culture for Jesus in a more effective way? Here are some ideas that must be in place if we are to build bridges with our culture.

1. We must not Possess the Heart of Jonah

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah remember, did not want God to spare the Great City of Nineveh from God's wrath because of its brutality and wickedness, which is why he disobeyed God and sailed in the other direction. Jonah wanted no part of his assignment; his heart was willfully hardened against that culture.

Later, after God disciplines Jonah, even though he successfully preaches against Nineveh, his heart was still not changed. Here we discover that he would rather die than see the wicked city of Nineveh repent and be forgiven. You see, Jonah was not just mad at Nineveh, he was also mad at God because of the very thing we should be grateful for in life, His character. He knew God was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love, and willing to relent form sending disaster if the Ninevites would fess up and repent of their wicked ways.

When it comes to our culture, we must ask ourselves this question: Do I have a heart for my culture like Jonah's? Many Christians do not like some of the practices of their culture and look down on them with Jonah like self-righteous indignation. Many Christians could care less if God spared them because they do not spend much time giving them much thought, much less praying for them. Many have intentionally removed themselves from their cultural context because what is important to God is not really so important to them.

How can this be happening in the Christian sphere where we are supposed to be the salt and light to our contemporary culture? Frankly, the gospel has not really penetrated the hearts of such Christians in a profound and deep way. They have failed to grasp that without the Gospel of grace they are no better off than the Ninevites in God's eyes, no matter what deeds they do in life. In the end, many Christians will never make a cultural impact for Jesus because like Jonah, their hearts are hardened against their respective cultures.

2. We must Recognize that Sharing the Gospel is a Process

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Have you ever studied how Jesus shared his faith? He did so by leaving the walls of the synagogue and connecting with his cultural context. The above passage verifies this reality. For Jesus, evangelism was more than a conversation; it was a process where he invested his time into the living situation of others. If you studied the passage above, you are aware that the Jews purposely avoiding going thru Samaria because they despised that culture. Yet Jesus not only engages this region, but he stays two nights. Ultimately, his one discussion with a woman led to a city hearing about him.

Evangelistic crusades, personal evangelism courses, and tracts, generally aim to lead one to Christ and build on what you already know (or have forgotten) about Christian doctrine. However, as mentioned, in general, the postmodern culture has little familiarity with Christian ideas because many are not affiliated with a Christian heritage. Furthermore, this type of evangelism is more of a one and done technique. In other words, it is more of a one-time attempt to lead people to Jesus. Ultimately, whether it is successful or not, both parties move on and never really establish a relationship. In the end, instead of being like Jesus, Christianity presents itself more like Amway.

Sharing our faith is a process, not a conversation. I recently talked to one of my favorite baristas, only to discover that she had no idea what Christianity was all about in the big picture. She was a brilliant conversationalist and filled with enthusiasm, yet she was stumped on how to engage me in this topic. It is not her fault, she is a beautiful person, but it does serve to remind me that many people are not exactly sure what being a Christian is all about in life. One conversation would never bridge the gap; this would have to be an ongoing process. In the end, our culture has encountered too many salesmen, they are not looking for another conversation to convince them, they are looking to be included in an ongoing dialogue, which revolves around becoming part of their community.

3. Communication: We must not Forget to Touch all the Bases

When I was in six grade, I hit my first home run in hardball. As I circled the bases, my teammates were cheering, especially when I jumped into their arms after touching home base. I always wanted to hit a home run and experience what it felt like to be a hero to my peers. Unfortunately, once the other team retrieved the ball, they threw it to the third basemen and appealed to the umpire. My home run was nullified because I forgot to touch third base. In a similar way, Timothy Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, New York, mentions that when we share Christ with the postmodern, we often forget to touch all the bases. Here are the bases he mentions that are essential for communication purposes.

a. Intelligibility means to perceive clearly, what one believes. We accomplish this primarily by asking questions and listening to what others believe about God and salvation. Therefore, instead of defending our beliefs, we need to process their worldview, which will establish the groundwork for us to engage in spiritual matters.

Several Christians have mentioned they tend not to ask secular folks what they believe because they do not feel like they can confidently engage them on their own perspective. However, what I am advocating here is simply to clarify their beliefs based on their own responses. There is no need to defend your position, nor challenge the views of the postmodern. In the end, we just have to make sure that we are speaking the same language, that we intelligibly understand each other’s position.

Many people consider it a failure when you do not preach the gospel in the first setting. They believe that every time you share you must tell people that they are sinners going to hell, that Jesus died on the cross for them, and that they need to repent and believe in him. The problem with this is that until people’s minds and worldviews have been prepared, they hear you say “sin” and “grace” and even “God” in terms of their own categories. By going too quickly to this overview you guarantee that they will misunderstand what you are saying.

b. Credibility is a way of helping non-Christians understand that the worldview they hold is another personal belief they have embraced. One example is the postmodern notion that all (religious) roads lead to God. “I just can’t believe there is only one true religion, one way to God.” Notice that is not an argument—it’s just an assertion. There is almost no evidence they can muster to support the statement. It is really an emotional expression, but it is so widely held and deeply felt that for many—it automatically means orthodox Christianity cannot be true.

You have to go after them and show people that all their doubts about Christianity are really alternate faith-assertions, which cannot be proven. You have to help them uncover the faith assumptions that skeptics smuggle into their doubts. It will make them begin to think. If you do not do this, people’s eyes will just glaze over as you speak. They will tune you out. Nothing you say will sound plausible to them.

Credibility is established when we can show others the very claims they make against us, namely being exclusivists, is the same belief that permeates their thinking in religious matters. We do not do this with scorn or self-righteousness, we present this way humbly by asking them to contrast what they think about Christianity verses what position they advocate. If done well, then the playing field is more even and lays the groundwork for the next step in the discussion.

c. Plausibility means you enter deeply into their own hopes, beliefs, aspirations, and longings, and you try to connect with them. This is “contextualization,” which makes people very nervous in many circles. To some, it sounds like giving people what they want to hear. But contextualization is showing people how the lines of their own lives, the hopes of their own hearts, and the struggles of their own cultures will be resolved in Jesus Christ.

Contextualization is the process through which we find answer to these questions. When I talk to someone who insists that no one’s view on spiritual reality (faith) is superior to others, I always respond that that is a view of spiritual reality and a claim that the world would be a better place if others adopted it. Everyone unavoidably has “exclusive” views. To insist no one should make a truth claim is a truth claim.

So the real question is not Do you think you have the truth? (Everybody does.) The real question is: Which set of exclusive truth claims will lead to a humble, peaceful, non-superior attitude toward people with whom you deeply differ? At the center of the Christian truth claim is a man on a cross, dying for his enemies, praying for their forgiveness. Anyone who thinks out the implications of that will be led to love and respect even their opponents.

What am I doing in the above paragraph? I’m taking a major theme of my secular culture—namely, that we live in a pluralistic society of conflict and diversity, and we need resources for living at peace with one another—and I’m arguing that the claim of religious relativism is not a solution, because it is an exclusive claim to superiority masking itself as something else.

Instead I am pointing out that Jesus’ dying on the cross best fulfills the yearning of our pluralistic culture for peace and respect among people of different faiths. This is contextualizing—showing the plausibility of the gospel in terms my culture can understand. We have to do this today.

d. Intimacy means leading someone to a personal commitment. The problem with virtually all modern evangelism programs is that they assume listeners come from a Christianized background, and so they very lightly summarize the gospel (often jumping through stages one to three in minutes) and go right to the last stage, stage “intimacy.” But this is no longer sufficient because there is too great of a chasm between the two worldviews. People have too many objections and presuppositions toward the Christian perspective. Trying to lead people to Christ in the scope of one conversation does not address the deeper embedded issues that are present within the culture against Christians.

An Intriguing Story
A good way to conclude this discussion is to ponder what happened in 2009 at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, established by James D. Kennedy, the founder of Evangelism Explosion. After he passed away in 2007, the church hired Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham as Kennedy’s heir apparent. Both of these men, of course, represented the evangelism methods that were effective in the modernistic culture of the seventies and eighties (Evangelistic crusades and personal evangelism).

However, Tchividjian, recognized that such approaches would not fare well contextually in Ft. Lauderdale's postmodern culture, which led him to promote a missional approach for his church. Inevitably, his methodology caused quite a rift in the church and many, led by Kennedy’s daughter, passed out petitions for Tchividjian to be ousted as pastor. In the end, the church voted to keep Tchividjian on board because they recognized the church needed to move forward in the midst of a new and changing culture.

Likewise, we must recognize that just because evangelism methods worked in the past does not mean they will be successful in our postmodern context. In the end, we must make sure that we are tracking and speaking the same language so we can share the gospel in a more productive and effective way.

Pluralism & the Exclusivity of Christ

2011-08-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

1 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:1-6).

If you ask a non-Christian what is the most troubling claim that a Christian makes, in most cases it will revolve around the exclusivity of Jesus. That is, the idea that Jesus is the only way to God—and without him—there is no eternal salvation. In fact, yesterday, I was reading that two major surveys, one by the USA Today, the other by The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, stated that 52 to 57 percent of evangelical Christians now believe that eternal life is not exclusively reserved for those that accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

All this serves to illustrate that people struggle with the idea that belief in Jesus is the only way to heaven. Ex- evangelists, Christians, agnostics, people from other faiths, you name it; they wrestle with the implications of this fundamental doctrine. However, the passage we just read leaves no room for gray areas according to Jesus when it comes to the path to eternal life. No one, he says, no one, can come to the Father except thru him. Ultimately, the only defense here is to suggest the text has been altered or that the biblical writer did his best to express his limited understanding of Jesus and eternal life. In another passage, Peter, one of Jesus’ original disciples, reiterates this claim to his prevailing culture, when he says, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4;11-12).” Consequently, though such a statement may be challenged in a public forum, biblically the claim is evident, only Christ has the authority to grant eternal life.

I have many non-Christian friends who believe such a statement is arrogant, uninformed, unenlightened, ignorant, and promotes intolerance and division among people, especially those from different religious expressions. Many people like a famous pastor in Grand Rapid Michigan, see this as a toxic doctrine that presents God as wrathful instead of being all-loving. I have actually had people tell me that if the exclusive claims of Jesus are true, they do not want to have anything to do with God.

The Shift: Religious Pluralism
Today, the popular approach taken by our secular culture is to suggest that Christianity is just one path, among many, that leads to God and eternal life. Theologians, who like to use big words, refer to this as religious pluralism. The idea behind the term is that God is too big for the finite mind to know Him, and each religious expression, is an attempt from a cultural perspective to know God or the Ultimate Reality as best they can. In the end, our culture believes, that what God cares most about is that we obey his or her commandments and make a difference in our respective communities and in the lives of others.

Part of this prevailing mindset is the reality that we live in a changing culture. No longer is America restricted to Christian expression, it has also become a melting pot for other faiths like Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Paganism, Mysticism, etc., etc. Many argue that religious expressions are geographic in nature and we must be open to other faiths outside our prevailing culture. No one can claim to have the corner on truth because this would reveal the ultimate evidence of ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

One prominent religious pluralist is a British theologian named John Hick. Hick identifies himself as a Quaker, and claims that salvation is not founded on a set of beliefs about the atonement of Christ, but rather on the impact one has on the lives of others. In his travels, Hick has spent extensive time with other religious communities like Muslims, Jews, Hindi's, Buddhists, etc., and has experienced firsthand how a particular religious expression can and has transformed many lives for the better. Consequently, Hicks would concur that to suggest that Christianity has the corner on God is to deny how God or the Ultimate Reality has transformed the lives of other people from varying faiths. Consequently, Christianity, like Islam, Judaism, and the other expressions are humankind's best attempt to grasp the Divine in their respective culture.

The Ultimate Parable
Perhaps the best visual when it comes to comprehending religious pluralism is to reflect on the parable the three blind men and the elephant. In this parable, one blind man feels the trunk of the elephant and concludes that the creature is long and flexible like a snake. The second blind man disagrees, and says it is thick and round like a tree trunk, as he wraps his arms around the elephant’s leg. Finally, the third blind man disagrees with both and says, the creature is large and flat, as he presses against its side. The moral of the story, of course, is that each blind man could feel only a part of the elephant; no one could envision the entire animal. In a similar way, the Ultimate reality is beyond our comprehension, religion, like the blind men, only have a piece of the truth.

So how should we respond to this increasingly prevailing argument in our culture? An argument, I might suggest, most of us would embrace, had it not been for our faith in Jesus. Four things come to mind as we look to engage this issue of religious pluralism. 1. Respect 2. Belief 3. Transformation 4. Humility

1. Respect
There is nothing more important than for a dialogue like this to be done with humility and respect. It is important to realize that when you claim Christ holds the truth to eternal life; you will come across as someone who is narrow-minded and thinks they are more enlightened. People will perceive you as arrogant to some degree and not very tolerant of the religious expressions of others. Some might even consider you dangerous and an obstacle to promoting world peace. Consequently, the worst thing you can do is to make this discussion personal and make someone feel marginalized for not holding to your position.

I know a young woman who has failed in this area several times and has lost the respect of her family members. Inevitably, her tone rises and she usually concludes by telling them they are wrong and will eventually end up one day in a place that is exceptionally hot. This kind of approach is the complete opposite of the posture that we are supposed to take as Christians.

2 Peter 3:15-18

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.

Three key words here are holy, gentleness, and respect. In your heart, honor Christ as holy. Remember, this is his message, not yours. Make sure that others see that your awe for Christ is more important than defending your argument. Secondly, make sure your disposition is one of gentleness and respect. We must respect others and recognize that every person, despite philosophical and religious differences, is made in the image of God. Each person, the agnostic, the atheist, the moral, the religious, is valuable to God and they always feel that way.

Peter goes on to say, even if you persecuted for your beliefs, make sure you continue to respect them so that your behavior will not be something that will add fuel to the fire. As Christians, we must make it our aim to communicate the message without becoming defensive. We are not here to win an argument, we are here to share the hope that we have in Christ in a respectful way to God’s image bearers.

2. Belief
Secondly, others must realize the very thing they accuse you of, making an exclusive truth claim, is exactly what they are doing if they are honest. Here is what I mean. Let us use the example of the elephant and the three blind men. The main flaw in the parable is that it is shared in a way where the storyteller has privy to the truth. In other words, while the blind men do not see the whole picture, the narrator does. The story comes from someone who is not blind to the truth. How can you know that each blind man only sees part of the elephant unless you claim to be able to see the whole animal? How can you possibly know that no religion can see the whole truth unless you yourself have the superior, comprehensive knowledge that you just claimed that none of the religions have?

The other argument you will hear is that what Christians believe is inherently cultural. In other words, the reason we believe Christianity is based on the fact we were born in a region where the predominant religious expression is Christianity. Had we been born in Morocco, we would be Muslims, had we been born in India, we would be Hindi, had we been born in Thailand we would be Buddhists.

Suppose we concede that point for arguments sake. In retrospect, the same can be said for the religious pluralist. Had he or she been born in Cambodia, they would most likely be of a religion that represents their country, in this case, Buddhism. The point is simple; one cannot say all religious truth claims are historically conditioned, except the pluralistic one I am making now. The reality is that we all make truth claims and we have to be able to step back and recognize what we deem as enlightened or true, is in essence someone else's personal belief.

By now, the flaw is obvious. Skeptics believe that any exclusive truth claim in spiritual matters cannot be true, but again, this rejection itself is simply a religious belief. It assumes God is unknowable, or that God is loving and would never condemn any sincere person for their religious convictions. If we are honest, such truth claims are un-provable and faith assumptions. Other faith assumptions include, the world would be a better place without religion, there is no such thing as absolute truth, and that people would get along better if they just adopted their particular view, like religious pluralism. In the end, this does not prove that Christianity is right, but what it does is even out the playing field because it reveals the very thing Christians are accused of, namely having a claim to religious truth, is the same thing that is true for our prevailing culture.

3. Transformation
Thirdly, we must not be ignorant into thinking that one's religious belief, or commitment to do good to others cannot transform lives. We cannot assume that only people who adhere to Christianity are transformed and can make a difference in our culture. As mentioned earlier, John Hick uses this argument to validate his belief of religious pluralism. Other religious expressions have played a key role in transforming the lives of others so that they are influential in their community.

I know Muslims that have been transformed and do wonderful works by giving alms to others. I have met Buddhists who are serious about denying pleasure and have become better people. I have met atheists who make generous contributions to financial institutions so people can receive scholarships.

There are people in other religious affiliations who give more of their resources than we do. There are people of religious faiths who are more devoted to their devotions than us. There are people of other religious orientations who are not Christians but are kinder than us. Many do a better job at loving people more.

What we cannot do is assume that they are not genuine, or that they are trying to trick us into believing their religion, or that it is up to us to prove we are better as people than they are in this life. The reality is that people have benefited in their spiritual endeavors. Does this prove religious pluralism is true, of course not. What it does reveal is that life is better when we seek to live more selflessly.

In the end, where we get in trouble is when we try to compare ourselves to others and try to show them by our lives we have been more transformed than they have. In reality, we must understand we will never convince someone that Christianity is true based on the good works others see in our lives. Instead, people must understand it is not based on what we have or will accomplish, but rather on what Christ has accomplished on the cross. This brings us to our last point.

4. Humility
I was recently engaged in a Bible study in a coffee shop with a man named Travis, who accused our group of being ignorant and self-righteous because we read in John 1:1 that stated Jesus was God. Later, we looked at John 14:6 where Jesus stated that no comes to God except through him. He responded by saying, that Christians like us, are frustrating to talk with because we are so arrogant and close-minded. He ultimately concluded that he was a better person than many Christians were, and that he believes God would accept him in heaven on his own merits.

As I listened, it dawned on me that Christians should never convey such a self-righteous demeanor. In reality, there is nothing in our accomplishments, or in our intelligence, or in our devotions, or whatever else, which would warrant God finding favor with us so we can have eternal life. The fact of the matter is that we are completely dependent on the accomplishments of Christ, like his sinless life, his death on the cross as our substitute, and that after three days God raised him from the dead. My Christian faith is completely dependent on believing in the accomplishments of Jesus, not my own. In reality, a person like Travis should become aware that he is more self-righteous than we are because he believes he can earn heaven, apart from Christ. We must share our faith with that kind of dependent humility.

In the end, we have to avoid going around in circles when it comes to debating the exclusivity of Christ. We are never going to convince someone by trying to win an argument. However, as mentioned, we could actually alienate ourselves from being an effective witness for others if we become defensive or belligerent. You probably never convince the other person that the exclusivity of Christ is true. Likewise, they probably will never will convince you that religious pluralism is true. In the end, one conversation is just a step in the process to get each other thinking outside their respective paradigms. The goal really is to point out that if they are honest with themselves, and we are honest, we both hold to beliefs that cannot be proved.

In the end, the only way a person will believe the claims of Christ is if God shows them to be true. Nevertheless, in order to do this, it is wise to lay a good foundation. Do not become defensive, do not come across as arrogant, share about Jesus, and make sure they understand that you are completely dependent on Christ when it comes to eternal life. Let us give others a reason to consider the message of Christ and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

With Travis, the great thing was that despite his ridicule, despite his discrediting us, he came back to join us for another study. He mentioned he was down on his luck and that he had been thinking about us throughout the week. He did not change his views, but he felt comfortable enough to seek us out for fellowship. Had we acted differently the first time, had we become defensive, had we marginalized him, he would have never came back to join us. We are grateful we treated him with gentleness and respect.

Jesus, Culture, Irrelevancy & the Church

2011-08-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Today Christians face a daunting reality. As it has in Europe, the church is declining in numbers and influence in the United States. It seems everywhere one drives, he or she cannot help but notice the multitude of churches with FOR SALE signs. Such snapshots project a mental image of another holy institution that has become extinct and irrelevant to its culture.

To add to this reality, are the various scandals, that like a branding iron, have left a hurtful impression on our hearts. In the past decade for example, there have been sexual scandals involving young boys, hypocrisy among leaders who opposed same sex marriage, and even the imprisonment of pastors who did nothing as sick members died because of destructive dogma that rejected medical treatment.

For many centuries our culture has tried to convince us the church is no longer relevant. Key historical tenants like the inerrancy of Scriptures, the exclusivity of Christ, and biblical texts that speak against relational practices (i.e. divorce, pre-marital sex, homosexuality) are no longer regarded as true, but rather rejected as a primitive way of viewing life. The consensus is simply, "They did the best to understand the Divine, however, today, our culture is more advanced, more progressive, and more informed to simply know better."

How our prevailing culture feels about the church is nothing shocking; but what is surprising is that more and more Christians are feeling the same way based on the way they live their lives. Inevitably, though they still reluctantly attend services, tomorrow is almost a forgone conclusion that their names will soon disappear from the membership directory. So what has happened? How have we become in many circles, irrelevant to our culture?

Our lives indicate a Disbelief in the Inerrancy of Scripture

At the heart of the inerrancy of Scripture is the reality that the Bible represents God's revelation to man without error. It is quiet remarkable that with the thousands of NT manuscripts and fragments for example, there is over a 95-98 percent agreement when these texts are placed side by side for comparison purposes, despite most of these texts being from diverse geographic locations and time periods. Those that specialize in this field are confident that what we read in the Bible is almost exactly how the original autograph read. In the end, the differences are minor, which include copyist errors, and translating certain phrases and clauses.

However, Christians tend to focus less on what the Bible says and more on their "divine experiences." In many ways, the communal God of the Bible has been replaced by ones "personal" Yahweh. Quite frequently we live as if God is not the true God, we are, or as if His guidelines pertaining to morality are not the right ones, our is, or as if the Scripture is secondary to our personal experience. I recently spoke to a divorcee, who told me her pastor husband told her that "God told me to divorce you." How someone like him could justify such a ridiculous statement in light of God's heart on the issue in Scripture is beyond me. Yet, it serves to show that it is not uncommon for personal experience to trump what the Biblical text teaches. When we do not live our lives as if the Bible is inerrant, we make God's regulations in Scripture relevant to the majority, yet irrelevant to ourselves due to "special circumstances." As CS Lewis once remarked, one cannot rely on experience to navigate them across the ocean; they need a compass. Likewise, we must follow and submit to God's perfect map when it comes to living out our Christian lives.

Imagine a Jesus who did not back up what he taught by using the Scriptures. Imagine a Jesus who parsed out what the Bible taught in favor of what he believed. Such a Jesus would soon become irrelevant to a culture that thirsts for God's truth.

Our Lives Indicate a Disbelief in the Exclusivity of Jesus
Our culture has a hard time with the claim of Jesus that he is “the way, and the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)." To mainstream society, the exclusiveness of such a claim seems arrogant and disrespecting of others and their spiritual convictions. Such a claim our culture feels is intolerant and divisive when it comes to relationships simply because it tears people apart, rather than bringing them together. Yet, no one wanted to bring people together more than Jesus. Remember, he left the comforts of heaven to offer reconciliation of all peoples to God. He died for such reconciliation. John 3:17 says that Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. Consequently, at the heart of the mission of Jesus was the hope to reconcile humankind through his propitiation offered to God.

Yet, the church has in many ways, failed to model the driving passion of Jesus, who left the Ideal Gated Community to become a part of the prevailing culture. The heart of Jesus was to love and engage his culture, and he taught his followers to do the same. Unfortunately, most Christians do not share the same kind of heart for their respective communities. Rather than engaging the culture for Jesus, many choose primarily to focus on their own needs because their hearts are not big enough to include non-Christians in their life.

Imagine a Jesus who lived within the walls of the synagogues, spent most of his time with his followers, and never engaged his culture because he did not agree with their practices. Imagine a Jesus who did not come to share the hope of God with those outside the church, but rather preached to the choir. Imagine a Jesus who kept his spiritual convictions to himself because he wanted to be liked. In the end, such a Jesus would become increasingly invisible and irrelevant to his culture.

Our Lives Indicate, a DIsbelief in Biblical Relational Practices
When it comes to biblical compromise, it seems no area is more evident than with issues dealing with relationships and sexual sin. Several years ago, I remember feeling sick to my stomach when it was revealed that a prominent pastor in the Colorado area, who was a key spokesman in opposing gay marriage, was discovered on television, by the very male masseuse, he had been having a sexual rendezvous with for the past five years. The pastor later resigned once it became public.

In addition to this hypocrisy, the church is faced with some other troubling realities, such as the divorce rate exceeding fifty percent, and the reality that in mainline churches, not only is same sex marriage embraced, but many gay clergy are ordained and ministering from the pulpit. Many Christians feel uncomfortable discussing sexual inconsistencies in the church, but the Bible speaks loud and clear against such practices. Illegitimate sex was a big deal with God and should be a bigger deal with us. Not engaging in masturbation, pornography, and premarital sex, should be ideals we are determined to keep at all costs because it is such a major concern with God.

Imagine a Jesus who taught God's ideals for sexual relationships, but failed to practice them himself. Imagine a Jesus who had to apologize continuously for his lack of self-control with other women. Imagine a Jesus who had burned bridges with females and friends because he bought into the view which teaches that sexual expression is a biological necessity. Such a Jesus would be unconvincing as a teacher and irrelevant among his culture, especially the women.

Miscellaneous Stuff
There are several other reasons the church has become increasingly irrelevant in its culture. For example, many Christians today have no real heart for discipleship. For many Christians, if not most, Sunday is their one day spiritual excursion. Moreover, if some in the church are not being fed, they will simply be forced to take their talents to another church.

In addition to Sunday Christians, there is seldom a drive for personal sacrifice. Sacrifice to some degree of your time, your finances, of your preferred lifestyle, even personal habits. The reality is that about the only thing the majority of Christians are willing to sacrifice is getting up early Sunday morning to go to church. The reality of the situation is that we are more committed to our idols than we are to serving Jesus.

According to the Church Pew, the average person spends about five hours a night watching television. Though sobering in and of itself, additional data reveals that people also spend an additional 2.5 hours involved in some other media portal like MP3 players, video games, or the internet. In contrast, the average follower of Christ spends five paltry minutes in daily prayer, which includes praying for their meal.

Imagine a Jesus who would rather watch television than pray to the Father. Imagine a Jesus who felt it was an inconvenience to study his Bible on a daily basis. Imagine a Jesus who spent most of his time on the internet, or playing video games, or not wanting to give a tithe because it is too much of a sacrifice. Such a Jesus would become spiritually and socially irrelevant because of the way he spends his time.

The reality is that Jesus taught there is a cost for following him, namely you must be willing to lose your life before you really find it.

What's the Point?

The point is not to bag on Christians, but to stand face-to-face with the reality that the church has become increasingly irrelevant in our culture. Jesus did not die so that we could live lives that do not reflect the very essence of a Christ follower. No, Jesus sacrificed so that we could make a difference in our culture like he did. He wanted us to be lamps that were not covered but shined in a culture that did not know about Jesus. He wanted us to be effective witnesses and not to lose what he termed, our saltiness. As Christians, our lives should resonate with the flavor of Jesus. Does yours?

In order to make a difference, we must evaluate our lives, and if need be, confess and repent that we have not been living the life. In the end, Christ died for the church because it possesses great value when its focus is on loving people and the Father. I do not know about you, but I am tired of losing my focus. Now is the time to make sure when we look thru the camera lens, we see Jesus, not ourselves.

LeBron, Ourselves, & Losing Well

2011-07-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

No one likes to lose. Losing is one of the worst feelings you can ever experience. No one wakes up in the morning and makes plans to lose.

Unfortunately, at some point in life, you must lose. It may involve a job opportunity, a potential relationship, a friendship, an activity / sporting event, even a bet. They key to personal growth is how you handle losing. You must eradicate the intrinsic desire toward becoming a sore loser.

During the 2008 NBA playoffs, LeBron James and the Cleveland Caviliers had the best record in the National Basketball Association. Everyone was anticipating an NBA final, pitting Lebron James against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. The media, televsion commercials, and sports radio programs were making a lot of money marketing this dream matchup.

Unfortunately, everyone forgot about Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. During the Eastern finals, Lebron's team was beaten soundly in six games by a better overall team. After the game, what made headlines was not so much that Orlando won the series, but instead that LeBron refused to shake hands with the winning team. It seemed afterwords, all the discussion revolved around one question. Was LeBron James wrong for not shaking the Magic player's hands? Ultimately, LeBron defended his actions by stating that he hates to lose and the last thing he wanted to do was congratulate the winning team. So what happened? LeBron did not lose well. His desire to win outweighed his desire to demonstrate sportsmanship.

This year of course, was "the decision" in which LeBron James joined the Miami Heat in his quest to be a champion. With Dwane Wade & Chris Bosh on board, James predicted he would not just win a championship in Miami, but that he would win five, six, or seven of them. Ultimately, the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. In the process, the pressure was so intense for James, that he did not perform up to his superstar billing. He was good, but he had to be great for the talented, but undermanned Miami Heat to win. In the end, James once again did not shine as his team lost the championship. He did not give the Dallas Mavericks the credit they deserved for their victory. Instead, he focused on his disappointment on his own individual performance.

Providentially, God provides these experiences so we can learn from them. Ultimately, it is not whether we win or lose, the important thing to Him is that we continue to develop our character. How do we handle success? How do we handle failure? From the big picture, a person like LeBron James makes millions of dollars on the basketball court and off. From the big picure, God has been good to him and bestowed him with amazing physical ability. One day when LeBron stops thinking too highly of his "talents" and letting the critics get the best of him, he will realize that although winning is important for his legacy, the best thing that happened was that he lost from a maturity standpoint. Ultimately, such a setback will not only make him a better basketball player, but more importantly a better person.

Unfortunately, often, many of us do not realize this at the time because we are involved in the "heat of the moment" in life. But make no mistake about it, God wants us to take a step back from life and be grateful for our successes and failures because they have made us who we are. He wants us to be thankful for what we do have, not just focus on what we don't.

Great men in Scripture lost, Job, lost his children and possessions, Joseph lost his father when he was sold by his brothers, David, lost his infant child, and even Jesus lost the respect and support of his countryman as he was found guilty and sentenced to death on the cross. However, what separated these men was how they handled themselves during those very hard seasons in life. They lost well and God rewarded them. They did not blame God, or others, or make excuses. Instead they continued to be faithful because they knew that in God's sovereignty, good things were in store for those who continue, despite setbacks, to live by God's standards. Ultimately, their stories move us because when all hope seemed lost, God rewarded them for weathering the storm.

When you lose well, you already show yourself a winner.

Singleness: An Extreme Makeover

2011-05-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

I've been reading and thinking thru topics relating to singleness. Not that I am looking, I am happily married. Very Happily Married

But I find myself surrounded by single people lately, seeking advice that would prove helpful in their pursuit of that godly spouse. Sadly, I have witnessed many singles make bad decisions. Very bad decisions.

I want to share five things that I learned being a single man for many years. My hope is that these insights will prove helpful.

1. Singleness is a Gift
In 1 Corinthians 7:7, the Apostle Paul says, "I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another." What he is saying is that I am glad I am single and I wish you were single like me (Try preaching that from the pulpit and getting everyone to shout in unison, "amen"). However, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul recognizes that people are at different stages in life and each person has their own gift from God. Some are single, others are married.

The problem of course is that many singles don't look at their "singleness" as optimistically as Paul. In fact, church culture often makes them feel at times like they have not quite arrived, especially if the singleness lingers on for a LONG time. When that happens, people start to think, "I wonder why that person is not married yet, there must be something wrong with him or her."

However, the reality is that singleness is an incredible stage in life that may or may not last. Don't ruin it by moping or crying, "Why Lord?" Don't spend ALL your time going "poaching for prospects" while missing out on the moment to make a difference for something beyond yourself. Rejoice, and use your "gift" to be a blessing to God and others. You have the opportunity to do things now that you might not be able to do later.

Think of the gifts you have enjoyed most in life. Most of those where good for a season or two and then were replaced by something else. Remember, that the gift of singleness has been bestowed on you for your enjoyment. It is not a spiritual gift like the gift of prophesy, or teaching, etc., for the the simple reason that your "gift" status can change.

But until it does, don't spend all your efforts on trying to change your status. Instead, thank God for the opportunity to use your gift to make you into a more complete and selfless person. In the end, this will make you a more attractive future prospect.

2. Too much social involvement with singles will stunt your growth
Don't get me wrong, it is nice to have folks you can identify with as you live out your singleness in community. However, the problem comes when your single friends revolve around everything you do. There is a theory regarding support groups, I find very true. You cannot stay in them to long because your growth will stunt, which can lead to you becoming unhealthy. Singles ministries should be for a season or two, not three, four, five and six, especially if your desire is not to serve in the ministry but to take from the group. Unfortunately, the way western oriented churches are set up, you almost feel obligated to fellowship with those in the same stage of life.

When I lived in Portland, I spent some time in a second generation Chinese church, mostly professionals. Many successful from a career standpoint. What I discovered is that this young group, spent time together, married or not. They ate together, they attended functions together, they ministered together, even played "strange games together" (Jack, I'll save that for another blog). It was the first church where I felt free to sit with anyone, regardless of social status. That's how a church should be. Unfortunately, most churches sit together with their little "Amish" groups, which takes away much needed diversity of fellowship.

Later, when I became the director of a twenty and thirties singles group, I worked hard with our leadership team to involve our singles with other ministries, like 50's and better, children's ministry, helping widows, and having dinners for six, with godly established families.

So if you are single, spend time with singles, but not all your time. Initiate relationships with young marrieds, strong families, and even widows who are looking for conversations of significance. Make sure your fellowship is diverse so that you can view life from different demographic perspectives.

You may not understand now, but you will later. You want to be well rounded and not one dimensional as a single.

3. Too many Fridays and Saturdays are motivated by selfishness, not service
I spent most of my Friday and Saturday nights on the phone, exploring my social options. In the process, many others would invite me to do things with them; but I would never commit because I was looking for the best social situation for me. Translation: Where will the good-looking girls be tonight?

It never crossed my mind to spend some of these nights loving on people and doing something for Jesus. For me, I considered myself the "sun" and I wanted the weekends to revolve around me.

Ironically, the very best date I had was as a non-Christian. I was invited to help this beauty throw a party for homeless children in the Tacoma area. Through a local sponsor, we purchased sleeping bags, gifts, food, and played games throughout most of the evening. Seeing the smiles on the faces of these precious children made me feel beyond jubilant.

Afterwards, my date wanted to go out for a drink which would usually lead to laying a foundation for a romantic evening. However, I politely asked if we could call it an evening because I had been so moved by the serving experience. I did not want to tarnish the selfless evening. I wanted to bask in the good we did for those children who were homeless. It was truly a wonderful Saturday night.

So, brainstorm ways with each other on how you can share the love of Christ with others. Babysit the kids of married couples so they can have a night out together. Work in the soup kitchen for a season or volunteer with some project in the community. Ultimately, of course, you will want to spend times just hanging out with your single friends, I just encourage you not to spend all your Friday and Saturday nights just focusing on what you can get out of the evening, like I did. Serve God with others and trust God to bring that special person into your life. Who knows? You may even meet them as you involve yourself on those nights, serving others.

4. God must become bigger in your life
Why do Christians sleep with each other? Why are Christians struggling with pornography? Why do Christians think of each other, acting out lustful fantasies? Many will provide different answers. "I am in love with this person." "I am longing to connect intimately with someone." You have to find a release for sexual tension." However, I find at the core of these addictions is the reality of selfishness and the presence of a very "small God" in their lives.

For example, most every Christian knows pre-marital sex is something God does not want them to engage in with others. The problem arises when we begin to doubt God and wonder if He will ever bring that significant other in our lives. Often, as the years go by, and you are still searching, selfishness begins to grow and God becomes ever-so-slowly less of a priority in your life.

I had a ten-year period that romantically was about as dry as the Sierra desert. During this dry and crumbly season, I was so tempted to revert to my past by going clubbing and finding someone who did not share the same godly ideals that I did. Thankfully, though opportunities presented itself, I was able to crawl to God and ask Him to cleanse my heart. I was able to see that even one simple rendezvous would set my life back even farther, possibly many years. I would not be ready for the "one" God had for me. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be emotionally available. So do you.

I have discovered that Christians who are engaged in pre-marital sex are often afraid to cut it off with their partner because they fear the rejection of their partner, or because they are too selfish to give up that source of pleasure that is available at their beckon. However, the truth of the matter is that they do not really believe that God can bring them that standard of beauty they have always really desired.

God wants you to trust Him. He wants to reward you for your obedience in this area. Yes, initially this could lead to heartbreak, however, He wants you to be willing to go through that period so He can prepare you for the person He has in mind for you. But you must believe God can deliver the goods. You must believe that He will reward you for your commitment to excellence, your commitment to His standards.

5. Work on becoming more "attractive" while you are single
How many times have you heard a single give you a wish list on what he or she is looking for in a spouse? Dudes do this all the time, bless their souls. The question that must be asked is whether that particular godly man or woman would be attracted to me. If I want a godly Proverbs 31 woman, does my life demonstrate the kind of integrity and hard work it would take to land such a person.

One of my favorite love stories in the Bible revolve around Ruth and Boaz. It is a great story because both had worked on themselves to the point where they were "attractive" to each other when they met. Ruth, of course, left her country, her god, her family to care for a godly woman who had lost two sons and a husband. Her character and reputation was on display for all to see throughout Israel.

Boaz, on the other hand, had built quite a reputation among the people as being a good man. He had his own business, own home, he treated people well, and it was easy to see he loved God. He was older than Ruth, which meant he was single for a long time until that point, but he had worked on his estate so that when Ruth came into his life, he was ready because he had laid for himself a great foundation.

Now, Ruth did have some features that others would not find quite attractive. She was a widow, a foreigner, and someone that came from a nation that represented ungodliness. Yet to Boaz, everyone would be measured by Ruth's standard of beauty because of the way she served her mother-in-law. On the flip-side, Boaz was an older man, he was a Gentile, and his mother, Rahab, was a former prostitute. Yet, to Ruth, Boaz was her standard of beauty because of the fact he went out of his away to provide for Ruth and her mother-in-law. Likewise, you must make sure before you pursue that relationship that your potential spouse is your standard of beauty, no matter what unfavorable characteristics others may see in them.

So instead of making this wish list about what you want in a husband or wife, take a good look at yourself and ask whether you would be attractive to that kind of person. If you want a man that is a godly leader and loves Jesus, would that man be attracted to your own spiritual life and the way you treat people? If you want a girl who is beautiful inside and out, have you worked on your own devotional life and physically taking care of yourself? There is a lot of work singles must do individually before they will be ready for God's best. Don't focus on whether they are attractive enough for you, make sure you are attractive to the kind of person you desire to have for a spouse. Be honest with who you are and where you are at in life. If you commit to this in advance, you will have a much smoother transition when you finally meet your standard of beauty.

Final Thoughts
As a husband I live with the reality that my wife is my standard of beauty, she is the epitome of true beauty in my life, every other girl is compared to her. It is also immensely important that Machele knows she is my standard of beauty, she doesn't have to second-guess. If I were staring at other girls, involved with pornography, or spending too much of my time with someone of the opposite sex, she would not feel that way, she would have questions, even concerns in the back of her mind. In the end, I am not a perfect husband, but I do what I can to make sure she knows she represents true beauty in my life. I hope that whether you are married or single, you share that same conviction.

Singleness: An Extreme Makeover

2011-05-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've been reading and thinking thru topics relating to singleness. Not that I am looking, I am happily married. Very Happily Married

But I find myself surrounded by single people lately, seeking advice that would prove helpful in their pursuit of that godly spouse. Sadly, I have witnessed many singles make bad decisions. Very bad decisions.

I want to share five things that I learned being a single man for many years. My hope is that these insights will prove helpful.

1. Singleness is a Gift
In 1 Corinthians 7:7, the Apostle Paul says, "I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another." What he is saying is that I am glad I am single and I wish you were single like me (Try preaching that from the pulpit and getting everyone to shout in unison, "amen"). However, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul recognizes that people are at different stages in life and each person has their own gift from God. Some are single, others are married.

The problem of course is that many singles don't look at their "singleness" as optimistically as Paul. In fact, church culture often makes them feel at times like they have not quite arrived, especially if the singleness lingers on for a LONG time. When that happens, people start to think, "I wonder why that person is not married yet, there must be something wrong with him or her."

However, the reality is that singleness is an incredible stage in life that may or may not last. Don't ruin it by moping or crying, "Why Lord?" Don't spend ALL your time going "poaching for prospects" while missing out on the moment to make a difference for something beyond yourself. Rejoice, and use your "gift" to be a blessing to God and others. You have the opportunity to do things now that you might not be able to do later.

Think of the gifts you have enjoyed most in life. Most of those where good for a season or two and then were replaced by something else. Remember, that the gift of singleness has been bestowed on you for your enjoyment. It is not a spiritual gift like the gift of prophesy, or teaching, etc., for the the simple reason that your "gift" status can change.

But until it does, don't spend all your efforts on trying to change your status. Instead, thank God for the opportunity to use your gift to make you into a more complete and selfless person. In the end, this will make you a more attractive future prospect.

2. Too much social involvement with singles will stunt your growth
Don't get me wrong, it is nice to have folks you can identify with as you live out your singleness in community. However, the problem comes when your single friends revolve around everything you do. There is a theory regarding support groups, I find very true. You cannot stay in them to long because your growth will stunt, which can lead to you becoming unhealthy. Singles ministries should be for a season or two, not three, four, five and six, especially if your desire is not to serve in the ministry but to take from the group. Unfortunately, the way western oriented churches are set up, you almost feel obligated to fellowship with those in the same stage of life.

When I lived in Portland, I spent some time in a second generation Chinese church, mostly professionals. Many successful from a career standpoint. What I discovered is that this young group, spent time together, married or not. They ate together, they attended functions together, they ministered together, even played "strange games together" (Jack, I'll save that for another blog). It was the first church where I felt free to sit with anyone, regardless of social status. That's how a church should be. Unfortunately, most churches sit together with their little "Amish" groups, which takes away much needed diversity of fellowship.

Later, when I became the director of a twenty and thirties singles group, I worked hard with our leadership team to involve our singles with other ministries, like 50's and better, children's ministry, helping widows, and having dinners for six, with godly established families.

So if you are single, spend time with singles, but not all your time. Initiate relationships with young marrieds, strong families, and even widows who are looking for conversations of significance. Make sure your fellowship is diverse so that you can view life from different demographic perspectives.

You may not understand now, but you will later. You want to be well rounded and not one dimensional as a single.

3. Too many Fridays and Saturdays are motivated by selfishness, not service
I spent most of my Friday and Saturday nights on the phone, exploring my social options. In the process, many others would invite me to do things with them; but I would never commit because I was looking for the best social situation for me. Translation: Where will the good-looking girls be tonight?

It never crossed my mind to spend some of these nights loving on people and doing something for Jesus. For me, I considered myself the "sun" and I wanted the weekends to revolve around me.

Ironically, the very best date I had was as a non-Christian. I was invited to help this beauty throw a party for homeless children in the Tacoma area. Through a local sponsor, we purchased sleeping bags, gifts, food, and played games throughout most of the evening. Seeing the smiles on the faces of these precious children made me feel beyond jubilant.

Afterwards, my date wanted to go out for a drink which would usually lead to laying a foundation for a romantic evening. However, I politely asked if we could call it an evening because I had been so moved by the serving experience. I did not want to tarnish the selfless evening. I wanted to bask in the good we did for those children who were homeless. It was truly a wonderful Saturday night.

So, brainstorm ways with each other on how you can share the love of Christ with others. Babysit the kids of married couples so they can have a night out together. Work in the soup kitchen for a season or volunteer with some project in the community. Ultimately, of course, you will want to spend times just hanging out with your single friends, I just encourage you not to spend all your Friday and Saturday nights just focusing on what you can get out of the evening, like I did. Serve God with others and trust God to bring that special person into your life. Who knows? You may even meet them as you involve yourself on those nights, serving others.

4. God must become bigger in your life
Why do Christians sleep with each other? Why are Christians struggling with pornography? Why do Christians think of each other, acting out lustful fantasies? Many will provide different answers. "I am in love with this person." "I am longing to connect intimately with someone." You have to find a release for sexual tension." However, I find at the core of these addictions is the reality of selfishness and the presence of a very "small God" in their lives.

For example, most every Christian knows pre-marital sex is something God does not want them to engage in with others. The problem arises when we begin to doubt God and wonder if He will ever bring that significant other in our lives. Often, as the years go by, and you are still searching, selfishness begins to grow and God becomes ever-so-slowly less of a priority in your life.

I had a ten-year period that romantically was about as dry as the Sierra desert. During this dry and crumbly season, I was so tempted to revert to my past by going clubbing and finding someone who did not share the same godly ideals that I did. Thankfully, though opportunities presented itself, I was able to crawl to God and ask Him to cleanse my heart. I was able to see that even one simple rendezvous would set my life back even farther, possibly many years. I would not be ready for the "one" God had for me. I wanted to be ready. I wanted to be emotionally available. So do you.

I have discovered that Christians who are engaged in pre-marital sex are often afraid to cut it off with their partner because they fear the rejection of their partner, or because they are too selfish to give up that source of pleasure that is available at their beckon. However, the truth of the matter is that they do not really believe that God can bring them that standard of beauty they have always really desired.

God wants you to trust Him. He wants to reward you for your obedience in this area. Yes, initially this could lead to heartbreak, however, He wants you to be willing to go through that period so He can prepare you for the person He has in mind for you. But you must believe God can deliver the goods. You must believe that He will reward you for your commitment to excellence, your commitment to His standards.

5. Work on becoming more "attractive" while you are single
How many times have you heard a single give you a wish list on what he or she is looking for in a spouse? Dudes do this all the time, bless their souls. The question that must be asked is whether that particular godly man or woman would be attracted to me. If I want a godly Proverbs 31 woman, does my life demonstrate the kind of integrity and hard work it would take to land such a person.

One of my favorite love stories in the Bible revolve around Ruth and Boaz. It is a great story because both had worked on themselves to the point where they were "attractive" to each other when they met. Ruth, of course, left her country, her god, her family to care for a godly woman who had lost two sons and a husband. Her character and reputation was on display for all to see throughout Israel.

Boaz, on the other hand, had built quite a reputation among the people as being a good man. He had his own business, own home, he treated people well, and it was easy to see he loved God. He was older than Ruth, which meant he was single for a long time until that point, but he had worked on his estate so that when Ruth came into his life, he was ready because he had laid for himself a great foundation.

Now, Ruth did have some features that others would not find quite attractive. She was a widow, a foreigner, and someone that came from a nation that represented ungodliness. Yet to Boaz, everyone would be measured by Ruth's standard of beauty because of the way she served her mother-in-law. On the flip-side, Boaz was an older man, he was a Gentile, and his mother, Rahab, was a former prostitute. Yet, to Ruth, Boaz was her standard of beauty because of the fact he went out of his away to provide for Ruth and her mother-in-law. Likewise, you must make sure before you pursue that relationship that your potential spouse is your standard of beauty, no matter what unfavorable characteristics others may see in them.

So instead of making this wish list about what you want in a husband or wife, take a good look at yourself and ask whether you would be attractive to that kind of person. If you want a man that is a godly leader and loves Jesus, would that man be attracted to your own spiritual life and the way you treat people? If you want a girl who is beautiful inside and out, have you worked on your own devotional life and physically taking care of yourself? There is a lot of work singles must do individually before they will be ready for God's best. Don't focus on whether they are attractive enough for you, make sure you are attractive to the kind of person you desire to have for a spouse. Be honest with who you are and where you are at in life. If you commit to this in advance, you will have a much smoother transition when you finally meet your standard of beauty.

Final Thoughts
As a husband I live with the reality that my wife is my standard of beauty, she is the epitome of true beauty in my life, every other girl is compared to her. It is also immensely important that Machele knows she is my standard of beauty, she doesn't have to second-guess. If I were staring at other girls, involved with pornography, or spending too much of my time with someone of the opposite sex, she would not feel that way, she would have questions, even concerns in the back of her mind. In the end, I am not a perfect husband, but I do what I can to make sure she knows she represents true beauty in my life. I hope that whether you are married or single, you share that same conviction.

2011-04-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

To our dear friend Diane Povis who has gone to be with the Lord. May your memory live on. You were both a lover and a warrior.

That song we just sang was Diane’s favorite worship song. As you know it is called White Horse. The Scriptures teach that in the last days Jesus will return to earth riding a white horse, with eyes flaming, a robe dipped in blood, a sword in his mouth, a crown of jewels on his head, and he will bring an army with him on white horses, wearing white robes, to wage war against the nations that reject him.

Honestly, it is an image we typically don’t associate with Jesus. We think of him as a lover! We imagine him holding lambs or children, showing compassion for the outcast, and healing the sick. Those images are true…but there is more to Jesus! He will also come as a warrior to wage war and judge those who opposed him. The Bible says that in the end, everyone will bow their knee and confess him as Lord.

We just can’t think of the portraits of Jesus we have seen with a perfectly trmmed beard and flowing hair parted down the middle that looks as if it has just been blow-dried. We need to broaden our mental pictures of Jesus to include the double-edged sword in his mouth.

I’m not surprised White Horse was one of Diane’s favorite songs because She was also a lover and a warrior! She did not just see Jesus as a Good Samaritan who helped the oppressed and downtrodden, she saw him as a warrior who would one day come back with a sword in his mouth as a hero. Diane lived her life as a lover and a warrior!

Ask Nick, her son, who ticked her off one day so much that she kicked him out of the car and told him to walk home, and all Nick could do was to throw rocks at the fleeing car and walk home in despair. There was never any question that as a lover Diane loved Nick with all her heart—but she also was a warrior and knew that sometimes he needed a kick in the pants to get his attention—a dose of tough love so that he can grow into the kind of man she envisioned for him. A man who stands for truth and fears God! She wanted her son to be a lover and a warrior for God. Like she was!

Yes, Diane was a lover.

One time I visited her house and she was reclined on a hospital bed in the middle of her living room in sheer misery because of the pain in her arm. Yet, she still had the love in her to ask me if I had seen the back yard. Surprised I said "no" because I wanted her to stay put. But she motions for us to help her out of the bed and for Shirley, her mom, to find her shoes and hat. I told her "no its okay Diane I can see it another time; you need your rest"—but you all know that didn’t stop her. She wanted to show me the backyard because she wanted me to see its beauty.

Not wanting to wait for her mom to find her shoes—she motioned for me to follow her, as she feebly walked and showed me the backyard in her bare feet. The backyard was beautiful. The pond, the fountain, the flowers, the bench, the serene beauty. As I took it all in…she motioned me to keep following her because there was more backyard beyond the fence. And there was; past the fence was an open range that was so breathtaking it looked like a perfect place to store white horses. Though she was suffering as a warrior, she wanted me to experience the beauty as a lover.

But she was also a warrior!

Remember she had cancer over three years ago, went toe to toe with it, and won. A sweet victory over the gamma gun! She was bound and determined to give it a go again!

Bring it on!

For over a month she had an arm that was so puffed up it looked like a prosthetic. Yet though the pain was intense and her arm almost dead because of a lack of circulation, she was determined to keep on fighting. When the doctor discovered she had more cancer—she cautioned her about undergoing more chemo. Diane was told there was only a twenty percent chance of beating the cancer. No one wanted to see her go through chemo again. But Diane was determined to keep on fighting. That's what warrior's do!

Later, when they took her off the respirator; the hospital staff decided to shut off the monitor because they did not want the family to see the vital signs. But the family insisted. They turned the monitor back on and all the vital signs were displayed

in the color pink.

The nurses had never seen anything like that before. Vital signs were supposed to be blue and green. But not Diane’s; hers were pink, like a beautiful carnation. Most of you are aware her favorte color just happened to be pnk. I think our lover and warrior was telling us everything is allrght. A message from heaven.

Diane lasted around twenty hours without the respirator. It should have been a couple minutes or at most a couple hours. She lasted 20 hours! She was a fighter to the end. Well she doesn’t have to fight anymore. She has entered God’s rest.

She is in the presence of Jesus now and there is no more pain in her arm; no more cancer in her lymph nodes and breast; no more piercing pain to pester her. She has is now staring face to face with Jesus, our blessed assurance! Diane, the lover and warrior is with Jesus. And though she is resting in the arms of Jesus she is still fighting! She is fighting for you! She wants to see you again…every one of you. You all know there was nothing more important to her than her family and friends.

But here is the reality. There is only one way you will see her again. You have to make sure your heart is right with Jesus, her lover and the warrior! You see, God doesn’t just let everyone into heaven. You have to follow His rules.

If you come over to my house I won’t let you in if you don’t follow my rules. You have to respect my wife. You have to be polite to others. You have to respect the fact that in my house we talk and pray to Jesus. If you refuse these rules; you are not welcome into my home! It is the same with God. The Bible tells us if you want to go to heaven—you have to follow God’s rules. If you want to see Diane again—which she wants very badly—you have to put your trust in Jesus, the lover and the warrior. Those are not my rules; those are God’s. Here’s how you do that! Three things.

You have to confess your sin. Admit to God you tried to live your life without Him. Ask forgiveness.

You have to understand what Jesus the warrior did for you on the cross. He lived a perfect life for God in the midst of severe persecution. He took your sins and placed it on himself and died God rewarded him by raising him from the dead.

Lastly, you have to trust that Jesus died and was raised from the dead so that you could go to heaven. You have to trust in the lover who died for you and the warrior that conquered death. That is how you can enter God’s house. Those are His house rules. Diane is in the presence of Jesus because she put her trust in Jesus and followed those rules. You can bet she is hoping you will do the same if you haven’t. I know I will see her again because the Bible tells me so--you see, Jesus is referred to as our blessed assurance. I hope you find the same confidence Diane and I have discovered in him.

It would be nice to see Diane again. I can see her grateful and relieved that she trusted Jesus and doesn't have to experience the pain that has bogged her down this past year.

I can also see her asking Jesus to take her to the stable where all those white horses are lodged. I can see her telling him, “I want to ride one of those white horses. I want to ride that one with the fluffy mane.” I can see her telling Jesus, “I want to be with you when you go back down to judge with those burning eyes, that crown of jewels on your head, that sword in your mouth, and that blood stained robe. Yes Lord, yes Lord, I want to ride one of those white horses because as you know, though I am a lover, I am also a warrior!"

Heartbeat: Our Unexpected Loss

2011-04-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

My wife and I were going to have another baby. Our hope was for a baby girl--but the most important thing was that he or she would be healthy. Then things took a turn for the worse.
Machele started bleeding and in a few days would have a miscarriage. We were both numb and in a state of disbelief. One day earlier, Machele had an ultrasound and saw our baby's heartbeat.

My mom would later say technology is both a blessing and a curse. In her day, there was no opportunity to see the baby's heartbeat so early in a pregnancy. As a result, after my mom's miscarriage, she was not as emotionally connected.

Not knowing what to do I just decided I was going to serve Machele. I definitely hurt; but not to the extent that I hurt for my wife. You never realize how much you love someone until you hurt for them.

I think this is why Jesus loved us so much. He hurt for us because he knew we could not make heaven by ourselves.

You hurt for people you love and I was hurting for my precious wife.We decided to name our lost child because of Machele's bond. For all those who argue that a baby isn't a baby at such an early stage, I just have one thing to say

THERE WAS A HEARTBEAT

There was life and that precious heartbeat made us happy.

So what is the name of our unborn child? I suggested we call him or her, "heartbeat."

So as we continue to heal please remember us in your prayers. But don't feel sad for us. Be grateful to God that he granted us an opportunity to see life. Although the life was short-lived....we know that one day we will be with him or her forever in heaven.

We wll discover if t was a boy or a girl.

In the end, we move forward and thank God for the opportunity to experience, the heartbeat

The Poetry Book

2011-03-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

The other day I checked the mail, and to my surprise, received back what I referred to as The Book. This book had been lost for quite some time, mysteriously finding its way home from of all places, Las Vegas, Nevada.

I have never been to Las Vegas, the book has!

It has traveled from Tacoma, to Seattle, to Portland, and many other stops along the way. The Book spoke of many things, the main one, love. But it was often, love, that had gone wrong.

One was hard to forget, it was entitled, Desirae's Hex from Hell, that spoke of a man who could not get this self-titled woman off his mind

no matter what he did.

Another, was called, Exit 14--a freeway metaphor, that spoke of two cars geting "damaged" because they insisted on staying in the fast lane, where accidents tend to happen.

Lastly, there was one just prior to my conversion, it goes like this.

The Drifter's Cafe'

Late at night across the pier,
on top of the ocean to the docks rear

Overlooking the glitter of isolation bay,
is the home of the heartless, the Drifter's Cafe

It's where the glamorous meet and superficial dine,
as they search for riches and trophies so fine.

And inside there's a doorway which leads to a hall,
where the customers share stories, their tales so tall.

Explaining to each other how their lives turned out right,
while ignoring the fact why they're present tonight.

Their secrets passed like a shooting star,
an attempt to explain just who they are.

But when the evening fades and it is time to go.
You realize how much of that person you know.

There's a number and a name that yearns for change,
but the parking lot is so empty--the correlation so strange.

There's no lights no glitter just a dive on the bay,
with a run down sign that reads "The Drifter's Cafe"

Today as I The Book, it makes me aware of what once dominated my thoughts. I was always searching for that relationship that that would define me. That would redeem me. That would validate me. For many years, I remained in that place.

Then Jesus rescued me.

What I discovered was that the one relationship I needed was not with a woman. Today that divine relationship is still in tact.

It is stronger

More meaningful

More significant

I have come a long way, God used The Book to show me how far.

Oh, by the way, today, I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful children. God has been good.

In the end, there is only one relationship that will change your life, it is not with the man or a woman you may envision--instead it is with Jesus.

He is, the real Exit 14.

My hope is that you will take it.

Two Kinds of Humilities

2011-03-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever become defensive when someone criticized you or did something unjust?

Has your mind ever become preoccupied with the injustice done to you?

Have you ever put someone in their place because you wanted to show them you were right?

I've had many of these experiences and have never felt good, whether or not I was able to persuade someone to agree to my point of view. In fact, sometimes I just cry out to the Lord and ask him why I feel so bad when I am obviously right in my stance. If you have ever been there, it is not good place to be.

Several weeks ago, the Lord impressed upon my heart to ponder Philippians chapter 2:6-7. There, we are informed that Christ made himself nothing. Now it is easy to get distracted here and become consumed with theological debates pertaining to the nature of Christ. But these debates lesson what the author is trying to communicate.

The fact is that Christ came to earth to serve others and be obedient to God to the point of death on the cross. He did not consider himself better than anyone. He did not go around crying "woe is me because of the injustice!" No, Jesus lived the kind of life that did not get off track and sidelined by personality conflicts. He knew his calling and would let no one hinder it, despite how horribly he was treated.

His humility was different than mine.

I have what I describe as a moral humility, one that is more concerned about my standing before others. I have the humility that once it is questioned; it can become defensive.

The reality is that many of us have this moral humility as opposed to a Christ-like, one. The difference is that I am often "trapped" in my humility, while Christ was free to minister. In the end, Jesus demonstrates the apex of his humility when he stares down from the cross,

bloodied,

nailed,

stabbed,

mocked,

spit on,

and listening to the choir sing in perfect harmony, "Crucify him!"

Yet,

he does not yell at them for the injustice,
he does not curse them,
he does not set out to prove his innocence.

Instead he looks at them with compassion, and then looks to the Father, and says, "Forgive them Father, for they do not know what they are doing."

So how was Jesus able to reach a level of humility that we cannot comprehend? He simply considered himself, nothing.

If you want the kind of freedom Christ experienced, that will be an important behavior to model. We must learn to consider ourselves nothing.

If we can develop that mindset then we will be free to serve God and not get sidetracked by how people feel about us in life. I don't know about you; but that is where I want to live. Ultimately, like John the Baptist once proclaimed, "I want to decrease so he can increase." The Scripture teaches us that Christ did not consider equality with God something to be gained, but made himself NOTHING, taking on the form of a servant. Being obedient, even unto death (Philippians 2:8-11).

May we also strive to transform our humility from the moral one to Christ-like.

Sufferng Well for Jesus

2011-03-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

As I meditated on Paul's imprisonment in Rome, I was reminded of a time I went

to jail.

My car had been hijacked a week earlier and the thief ripped out my key ignition.

When I finally got the car back, I had to use the end of a spoon handle to start my car. Well, one of these “spoons” happened to be in my sink when I accidently spilled some

"Liquid Draino" on it.

One day later, I was parked on the wrong side of the road to check my mail. Then he came.

The cop from hell.

He gave me a lecture and then noticed the discolored spoon in the passenger seat. Instantly, his nostrils flared. His next words.

GET OUT OF THE CAR, NOW!

I had no idea why, but I thought, I was on Candid Camera.

Really.

I searched frantically for the cameras!

As I got out the car, he ordered me to the ground and placed his knee on my back. I was handcuffed, I was jerked me up like a rag doll, I was read my Miranda rights.

Then he started calling me “druggy boy.” Where are the drugs, druggy boy? "You've got to be kidding," I said. He wasn't. He called two backup units.

Really.

When the officers arrived, he jubilantly raised my spoon in the air and loudly proclaimed “I got another one.” He then drove me to the station, handcuffed me to a bench, and locked me up in a 9 x 9 cell.

Really.

After being interrogated for an entire hour, the captain said, "Your story checks out. Sorry for the inconvenience. You are free to go pending the lab results from the spoon."

Have a nice day.

Looking back, I realize that I was not a very good witness for Jesus. I did not seize the opportunity to advance the kingdom. I was too focused on me.

My injustice

My humiliation

My reputation

My pending lawsuit

Unlike Paul, my focus was me, NOT Jesus.

The hardest thing to do during suffering, during those dark periods in our lives, during those times when the weight of the world is on our shoulders, is to see beyond our earthly predicament and look at it through the lenses of God's providential hand.

When you suffer well, you have the attention of others,

Friends.

Relatives.

Acquaintances

Strangers

Oppressors

It is the best time, as Jesus said, "to let your light shine."

Don't be like me. Be like Paul. Look at hardships, inconveniences, persecution, as an opportunity to glorify Jesus.

Suffer well for Jesus!

What the Church can Learn from Coffee Shops

2011-03-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

In case you have wondered, the coffee shop pictured here is known as the Red Horse. This is one of my favorite spots in Corvallis because the people that work here make it a point to learn your name. There are times when I think I am entering the bar in the old TV sitcom Cheers. Instead of hearing "Norm" I am greeted with "Hi Kene" time and time again.

There is something pleasant about going to a local establishment in your community and they all seem to know you by name. As I write this I cannot help but ponder that is the way the church ought to be.

Like the Cheers bar, it should be a place where everybody knows your name. They say the most pleasant sound to the human ear is when your hear someone call your name, especially for the first time.Yet it strikes me that there are many new comers who have come to church and have wanted to connect, yet despite going week after week, they have come to the conclusion that people still do not know "my name." I have heard it said time and time again that the hardest thing to do at a church is to connect with the people.

In some cases the churches are too big and one gets lost in the shuffle, or else they are small and appear to be "in-house" and steeped in their own tradition. So, what is it that the coffee shop is doing that we are not and how can we learn from them?

I think we can start where they begin. Each one of us should make it a point to go out of our way to learn a new comers name. Then we make it a point to commit it to memory and every time we see that person we greet them with the proverbial "Norm!" After this we can commit ourselves to remembering what they do. If we really want to be an inviting church we can take some time to learn about their occupation. One of the most influential presidents was Teddy Roosevelt. In his biography you come to discover that whenever he made an appointment with someone, whether a political leader or a servant in the White House, he researched their occupation so that he would be able to make them feel comfortable by asking questions pertaining to what they do for a living.

The reality is that many times we want to share "knowledge" so much that we neglect to learn and listen to others. But the most important thing is to get people to talk about themselves. That is what makes them feel important in an unfamiliar place.

Ultimately, making it a point, like committing someone's name to memory will open the doors for people not only to come back; but also to bring others. I am an example of this reality as I write this blog sitting at the table in the coffee shop where everybody knows my name.

In the end, communication should never be fifty / fifty like some suggest. At the very least it should be sixty / forty so that we are proactive and the initiators. If it is up to me to start the conversation when I am new, then chances are I might not come back because it was hard enough just to walk in the door. The thought of being anonymous another week just adds to the anxiety all over again. We as Christians can't allow that to happen, so let's be diligent to pay attention to new folks. The hope of every guest who's looking for change and finally visits a church is that it will be their last stop. Let's do everything we can to make this a reality.

Heaven & Hell: Hard Conversations

2011-03-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

The Book is called, Love Wins. The author of course, is Rob Bell. One thing I appreciate about Bell is that he likes to push the envelope and stretch us to think through our Christian tradition. He wants to challenge the status quo and make us think outside the box for Jesus. He really wants us to re-engage in a conversation that we thought was finished a long time ago.

A conversation we don't like having because of the implications it could have on our family members, friends, aquaintences, even that obnoxious co-worker, who always says bad things to the boss about you.

Do only a select few make it to heaven?

Would a loving God really allow those who did not believe in Jesus to be punished in hell for an eternity?

Tough questions, hard conversations.

In Love Wins, Bell addresses these issues and refers to the traditional view as "misguided" and "toxic," doctrines that have subverted the message of Jesus, which revolves around love, peace, forgiveness and joy.

Again, it's a hard conversation.

So, has Bell uncovered truths in Scripture that most of Christendom has missed? Is he a modern day Martin Luther, who will reform the church and its traditional interpretation of heaven and hell?

I realize many would side with Bell, including some Christians, and say his arguments are convincing. But most would base their beliefs on how they feel, and not view the Bible as the inerrant, inspired, and the revealed word of God, like Bell claims it is. I can respect those folks because they won't use Scripture as a prooftext for their position. They just don't believe it!

Not Bell. He tries to convince us it teaches universalism.

I want this to be true? It is a message my "itching ears" wants to hear.

But is it true?

Bell thinks so, and here are some verses he uses in Scripture to support his basic premise that most everyone will make it to heaven. Remember the book is called, Love Wins for a reason. His argument can be summed up in a few words. All, means all. Everyone.

All will be made alive in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Therefore, just as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. (Romans 5:18)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, (Titus 2:11)

That's it. Everyone is going to heaven. On the surface, this reading sounds pretty convincing. All should mean all. The problem is that it usually doesn't. It could mean:

All humanity.

All Christians.

All men.

All women.

The only way you know is based on the context.

I learned that the hard way when I saw a BBQ put on by a local hospital at a county fair. I was told all were welcome. As I was about to grab a plate, there was a sign that said, Welcome all Good Samaritan employees. Oops, all did not mean me. Had to put my fork back.

The moral of the story is to know the context.

All made alive in Christ refers to all those who have trusted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, which means Christians.

The justification for all men, means salvation is available to all, but does not mean everyone is automatically saved. In the end some accept; others reject Jesus.

The grace of God bringing salvation to all people, once again, means it is available to all people regardless of their age, gender, or social stautus. It does not mean everbody will be saved on the planet. It means God does not discriminate

Bottom line: Know your context. All doesn't always mean all. Bell knows that. It just didn't fit in with his argument.

Is Jesus the Only Way?

Bell really stradles the fence here. He agrees, well sort of.

Quoting 1st Corinthians 10:4, Bell states, that Jesus manifested himself as a rock, literally, during the time of Moses. He ignores the possibility that Paul the apostle was using this as a spiritual metaphor, describing how Jesus was present with the Israelites as a source of refreshment and ultimately one of judgment (vs. 9).

What's Bell's conclusion? Christ does not have to be a man, or a set of religious Christian beliefs. Instead he can manifest himself as anything, an energy, a spark, electricity, a force, peace and joy, a white light in a near death experience, or something good from another religion. Of course, this opens the door for Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or other folks from different religious backgrounds. It opens the door to good atheists.

Bell's belief is nothing new, it is known as Christian inclusivism. The idea simply stated, means that good people are Christians and they may not even know it. Billy Graham, now believes the same thing. You can check him out here.

Again, I love the idea of everyone going to heaven despite their religious convictions. But as much as I like it, is this what the Bible teaches?

John 3:16 states, For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in him will receive eternal life (John 3:16).

Seems pretty straightforward. The belief is in him.

Not a force.

Not a religious system

Not a good person

Not a rock

My "Itching ears" wants to hear something else, but Scripture says otherwise.

Now in the end, this narrows the list significantly.

Hell: Eternal Punishment or not?

Okay, now things are really getting hot, okay bad analogy.

Bell devotes an entire chapter on the reality of hell. He concludes hell is real, but not like Christians have understood it from Scripture. For him, hell is the present reality of suffering people.

Children that have lost limbs because of war.

Women who have been physically and emotionally abused.

People that have experienced devastating personal setback.

In fact, he goes on to say that Jesus never spoke about hell in a future context. Instead he was talking about the city dump and animals gnashig their teeth as they wrestled for food.

What about passages that suggest people will suffer eternally? Bell says, the Greek word, aion, was translated wrong, it it better understood as age, or period of time. Consequently, people may experience hell in this life for a period of time. People may experience judgment from God for a period of time. But in the end, it will be all good. People will come to Jesus. Love Wins.

But here's the problem. What do you do with John 3:16, which also uses the same Greek word? Bell doesn't say, but if you applied his hermeneutical approach, it would read that Jesus will give believers in him, life, but only for a period of time.

Another thing Bell mentions is the idea that people will have a second chance to accept Christ after they die, completely ignoring Hebrews 9:27, which states, we live once and then face judgment. He even quotes the great reformer, Martin Luther, being open to the possibility based on a letter he wrote to a colleague. What he doesn't mention is what Luther writes next to complete his thought, namely,

"No one, however, can prove that he does do this.....But whether he gives faith or not, it is impossible for anyone to be saved without faith. Otherwise every sermon, the gospel, and faith would be vain, false, and deceptive, since the entire gospel makes faith necessary." (Works, 43, ed. and trans. G. Wienke and H. T. Lehmann [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1968], 53-54; WA 10.ii, 324.25-325.11)

So is eternal punishment a primitive fear tactic used to make others feel guilty? Maybe for some, like the "burn or repent" sandwichboard guy, but I don't think most Christians focus on that conversation with others.

Instead they want to focus on the love of Christ. The forgiveness of Christ. The peace of having Christ in their lives.

Final Thoughts.

I admit, the traditional understanding of heaven and hell is....

Hard to swallow.

Hard to chew.

Hard to digest.

It is not a fun conversation. It is not something my itching ears wants to hear.

I like Rob Bell. I like his heart to reach a gargantuan amount of people for Jesus. I like his desire that heaven will be grossly populated. I like he doesn't want to fathom a literal hell where people suffer eternally.

But what I don't like is that he is moving even further away from the fundamental biblical teachings of Christianity. The teachings men and women gave their lives for as martyrs because of their refusal to deny Jesus and his teachings. What I don't like is that he selects certain verses, and ignores their context, repeatedly throughout his book.

Yes, he still claims to be a Evangelical Christian, but my sense is that it is only because he does not want a clean break at this stage in his ministry.

The doctrines that he calls misguided and toxic, unfortunately are part of the package. If someone were given a chance at life, even though they would eventually die, wouldn't they choose life?

The issue is how one looks at Christianity? I choose to present it as one filled with love, hope, forgiveness, and peace.

How do you look at your own life? Do you choose not to live because you are going to die? No, you live. You don't focus on the negative. It is there. But so is beautiful life ahead.

In the end, the focus on the Christian message should be....

To live.

To love

To worship

To acknowledge the works of Jesus, the Christ, the Savior.

Why?

Because Love has Won!

A Wife for Life

2010-11-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

There she was; the most beautiful woman I had ever known, both inside and out. Perfect smile; striking beauty; humble disposition; and a true desire to grow closer in her relationship with Jesus, the Christ. After "hanging out" and graduating to various realtional levels, such as "going on a date" to "dating" to the public declaration of boyfriend and girlfriend, I stood at the entrance of the the northern cave at Silver Falls with one goal in mind. I wanted to ask her hand in marriage.

I gave her a poem, it described how one year prior, God impressed on me--under the exact waterfall--that she would be my wife. It mentioned how I argued with God. "I'm not going to marry her! Can't You see she is not interested in me? This is all pretend. Wishful thinking! You're not really talking to me. I think I am going crazy!"

So she took the poem from my hand, paused, then moved her eyes as if she were contemplating that literary masterpiece. Afterwards, in a very polite way, she said, "Thank you; that was nice." "That was nice," I thought. "What kind of response was that?" I knew she hadn't read it. If she had, she should have been moved like volcanic rock sliding down a mountains back. I expected more awe in her countenance; more wonder; more amazement. More joy!

So I proceeded to my next step, valiantly enduring the "that was nice" dagger. Bending down on one knee, I utterred the often repeated, yet never-forgotten phrase, "Will you marry me?" Quietly I prayed, "Lord please, no pause." I have never been good with pauses. In my experience, pauses were equivalent to clearing one's throat, so they could say "no" with more accuracy and clarity. It was just a masquerade; a way of figuring out how to tell someone nicely their offer had been rejected. I remember having a coffee mug years ago that read, "Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell and making them actually look forward to the trip." So I prayed, "Please God, no pause this time; I can't take it!"

And when I had finished my petition; she smiled, gazed into my eyes, and spoke the words that are to this day embedded in my mind. "Yes," she said, "I would love to marry you." God had been right; I had been wrong. So I left that day with a child-like smile and more importantly, an apology. "Sorry Lord for not believing You." It was definately my bad.

And today as I reflect on that Easter Sunday at Silver Falls, I am thankful because God has brought me A Wife for Life. She is my forever friend, confider, lover, and of course, mother, of my beautiful children. I love you Machele, my beauty, Happy Thanksgiving!

Your husband,

Kene

The Shack

2009-08-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

General Overview
By now, you have probably heard of or read the book, The Shack, written by William P. Young. It is really quite a gripping story that deals with a Father's pain over the murder of his six year old daughter as well as his negative perceptions about his dad, the church, and in particular, God the Father. It is also a book about the Trinity and Young seeks to illustrate how each person in the Godhead is distinct and unique as they work together to accomplish good in the lives of others. Throughout the book, it is Young's desire to bring the Godhead down to a tangible level. Instead of God the Father being holy and awe-inspiring, He takes on the form of a large African American woman named Papa, who is loving, has a sense of humor, and oh yeah, loves to throw down in the kitchen (i.e. cook). Jesus is cast as his typical mid-eastern Jewish self, who Mack has a natural liking too, and the Holy Spirit takes on the form of a thin Asian woman named Sarayu, who is the highly esoteric and creative one of the bunch. Ultimately, it is these "forms" that allow the Godhead to be approachable to Mack, the main character in the story.

The Shack as Metaphor
If you do any research on Young, you will discover that the Shack is meant to be a metaphor for the place in our lives where the wounds are deepest, whether emotionally, physically, or relationally. His theme is that we must go back to the source of our pain to deal with our "stuff" that prevents us from moving forward in life. Mack's whole interactions cover a three day period in a secluded cabin in Eastern Oregon, the very place where his daughter was murdered. The whole experience begins with a note from God to come meet him at "The Shack" some three and a half years after his daughter was murdered.

A Fiction Novel or Theological Treatise
The book is described by Young as a Fiction Novel and is not meant to be taken literally. While the portrayal of the Godhead may be troubling to many, I want to put that issue aside because I recognize that Young was trying to use imagery to make the Godhead approachable (Whether this is right or wrong is another debate). He has gone on record stating he used creative license to make God more tangible to his readers, particularly God the Father. He does not believe in goddess worship or that God the Father is male or female. Young emphatically proclaims God the Father is Spirit (John 4:24). So I will give him grace and the benefit of the doubt.

Having said that, it is pretty apparent, though the genre is fiction, this is a book about theology. Throughout the novel Young deals with heavy topics such as the Trinity, the atonement of Christ, the nature of sin, the question of evil, gender roles in the church, and hierarchy within the Trinity just to name a few of the heavyweight contenders. Young states in his interviews (go to Youtube), that Mack is really a story about himself and how he dealt with his own personal issues, such as sexual abuse as a child, the deaths of key people in his life, using religion as a coping mechanism, and the healing that was necessary to sort through his three month affair on his wife.

Ultimately, it took the latter event to bring him to the point where he was ready to share his story, some eleven years later. I think it is also important to mention that Young does not attend a local church because of his dissatisfaction with the corporate body and its theology as a whole. So as you can see, this book is more than just a fictional novel, it is a personal account in allegory of his own healing journey. With that being said, there are some problems with his theology in some key areas. Now I recognize this book is not a text on systematic theology, but since he does not hold back his views on some important issues, namely God the Father, I think it is important to wade through them using Scripture as the ultimate grid.

Theology and God the Father
Like I mentioned, Young is not advocating goddess worship and he would be the first to tell you God is neither male nor female. However, lost in his description of the Father is a sense of awe that occurs whenever the Father is present in a vision or an encounter (Isaiah 6:1-8). Lost is that recognition of mankind's utter sin in the presence of a omnipotent, omniscient, and utterly holy God (Isaiah 6:5). In Scripture it is made clear that no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). Even victims who lost everything, including children, like Job, had this sense of absolute awe when confronted with the Father's presence (Job 42:5-6). I realize Young was trying to depict God as approachable and deeply concerned for His children, but he strips the Father of His majesty in the process.

The second area worth noting is the idea that God has no expectations for his children because of His desire for a free flowing relationship. In his interview (Check it out on YouTube), it became apparent his definition differs from what one normally understands this word to mean. Young was referring to expectation in the sense that his children cannot be responsible for standards (or expectations) they are not aware of (which is still debatable). However, even that questionable definition is not explained adequately in the book. Any reader would conclude Young is talking about expectations in the sense of standards God has for His creation. As a result, the reader is left to assume that relational love must be divorced from expectations and standards according to God the Father. Anyone who knows the Bible realizes God commands us to be holy (Leviticus 11:44) and to be imitators of Him (Ephesians 5:1). Those constitute expectations as far as I am concerned.

The third area that bothers me theologically is this insinuation that God the Father was somehow crucified on the cross with Jesus. In the story, Papa, has scars on her hands, which symbolically suggests that God was on the cross with Jesus. In the early church this was known as Patripassianism, which was designated as heresy because it taught that God the Father, like Jesus, was incarnate, and died on the cross. Young uses 2 Corinthians 5:19 in his defense which states God was "in" Jesus reconciling the world to Himself" as his proof text for his position in his interviews (Did I mention You Tube). However, after numerous explanations of the implications of God the Father being incarnate, Young finally admitted that he did not think God the Father was incarnate. However, the depiction of Papa having scars on her wrists suggests that God was indeed on the cross, even if he calls it "imagery." A better way of expressing this idea would have been to merely have Papa explain to Mack that when Jesus hung on the cross, a crucified bloodied man, it cost her something emotionally (Did I just say her).

The fourth area of theological concern was the notion that God the Father submitted to the decisions and will of humans. This idea was proposed because Young presents Papa as loving and one who wants her children to come to Him freely with no compulsion. While God may grant us freedom to make decisions it does not mean that He submits to us. God doesn't submit to anyone! Instead God allows our decisions, whether good or bad to accomplish His purposes (Genesis 50:19-20). Ultimately, in the end, we will reap the positive benefits of our decisions or in the worst scenario, the negative ones (Matthew 25:46).

The fifth area worth mentioning is the idea that there is no hierarchy when it comes to God the Father and the Trinity. Young goes on to say that all hierarchal structures are associated with sin. According to Him, the relationship that is working properly will automatically submit to each other. Unfortunately for Young, biblically, the Scripture is filled with hierarchical structure. Among other things, it teaches that God the Father ordains things from the foundation of the world, according to His purposes (Ephesians 1:4), that Jesus was sent by the Father to accomplish His will (John 20:21), and that the Spirit was sent and proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). Furthermore, not only does Scripture teach there is a hierarchy between the Father and the Son, it also trickles down to angelic beings (1 Thessalonians 4:16), to leadership in the church (1 Timothy 3:1-13), to our personal relationships between husbands, wives, children, and even those in the workplace (1st Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-6:9). In short hierarchical structures do not imply sin or that one person is better than another, it merely allows for roles to be fulfilled and for leaders to step up and lead.

Lastly (I'm getting tired here), Young has Papa teach him that there is no need to punish sin because sin is its own punishment (page 122). The idea being proposed is that God the Father is finished punishing people for rebelling against Him because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. In his interview, Young tries to skirt this issue by suggesting he did not mean God doesn't judge; only that He no longer punishes. But is this true? Does Scripture not teach that God punishes those He loves? Does it not say that such discipline is a sign that we are legitimate children to Him? (Deuteronomy 8:5; Hebrews 12:6). Young's theory is a nice sentiment, but it is not biblical.

Final Thoughts
In a nutshell, there are some serious problems in this book when it comes to Young's theology. I could mention others like the hint of universalism pertaining to the atonement, the minimization of sin, discouraging believers from becoming like Jesus, and not having a very high regard for God's revelation in Scripture just to name a few. But my chief concern was focusing on Young's portrayal of Papa as God the Father. What Young did was present God the Father as being incarnate, not concerned with standards, not a punisher of sin, not the leader within the Trinity, not concerned with gender roles in marriage, and one who is submissive to human agents.

This is not God the Father as presented in Scripture, instead it is the God that humans want to make in their own image. It is the God they always wanted because it allows them to be free of standards and appears to be more, shall we say, politically correct. You don't have to change God the Father into a large African American woman to learn that He is love (1 John 4:8), that He wants us to confront our "shacks" and forgive others (Matthew 18:21-35), that He deeply cares about His children (John 3:16), and that He is righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love (Jonah 4:2). Everything on His character, His nature, His attributes is clearly portrayed in the Scriptures. If there is a lesson to be learned here it is that we must be sure to present God the Father for who He is according to the Bible so there are no faulty perceptions, both among Christians and non-Christians.

Now many reading this blog may come to the conclusion that such a critique is nit-picky and that it should not take away from the message of the book. But when God the Father is presented in such a shallow way, we must examine this in light of the Scriptures because it is our ultimate gauge of truth. How far will one go to ignore theology just for the sake of a good story? How far is one willing to dilute biblical teachings to recommend a book they liked to others? For example, the Mormons have similar books of inspiration that speak of God's great love and compassion; yet they teach that man has the ability to become his own god and govern the universe. So again, how much will we compromise when it comes to theology for the sake of selling or recommending a book? In the end, we must be careful that we don't excuse the truth about God for the sake of grace. In the end, He is both truth and grace.

Football Season: Putting on your Helmet Right

2009-08-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Training Camp has begun and I find myself getting a little excited about the football season. Last year was extra special because my STEELERS took the title.

But have you ever noticed people can become a little intense when it comes to supporting their teams? You see it all the time from painting faces, going shirtless in fridged weather, pelting others with beer and pretzels, and booing everytime a play doesn't go your way. I have even seen fans cheer when an opposing player gets cloberred.

There is no doubt football season is an exiting time of the year--but sometimes we become so consumed by this form of entertainment that it is easy to make their world become a central part of our own.

I know some people who can't stop talking about football. I know some people whoose emotional state is dictated by how their team performs. During the Superbowl last year one of my good friends would not talk to me for a week because his team lost the game to my STEELERS. The funny thing is that he isn't even an Arizona Cardinals fan.

There are two scientific terms for this according to Sigmund Freud, perhaps the most well known psychiatrict in the history of the world. One is called Repression, which is essentially stuffing or holding onto your feelings so they are stuck in your subconscience. (not being able to let go of the fact that the Seahwaks lost). The other is known as Transference, which means transferring your feelings to another like-minded object (i.e. Projecting the image that the Seahwaks are in fact the Cardinals). This is what happened to not one, but many of my friends during the Superbowl. They were devestated when the STEELERS proved victorious once again.

In the end Football is just a game and it cannot help you with your lot in life. The players in most cases don't know you and if they did they wouldn't really care. What they care about is their world. In the end, we have to monitor what we allow to dictate our lives. We need to make sure that what we are really passionate about really matters in life.

Ultimately, that is where God comes into the picture. He wants you to be passionate about Jesus! If your going to paint your face do it in the name of Jesus. If you are going to consume your mind, do it so that it focuses on Jesus and how to play a part in bringing other people to Christ. God cares about what occupies our mind. So don't live out your life being consumed by athletes who don't know you or care about you; instead be consumed with someone who does, namely Jesus Christ.

This doesn't mean don't watch football, that would be nuts. It just means enjoy football for what it is, simply entertainment. Take a step back and recognize that it is pretty silly in the scheme of things to let a football team occupy your heart of worship. Everybody must worship something or someone. Just make sure you don't spend your time worshipping the creature (i.e. humans), make sure it is the creator.

In the meantime....Go STEELERS!