In Acts 5, we read where the apostles were jailed for having preached openly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. During the night, the Lord set them free and they returned to the temple square to resume their preaching.
The Sanhedrin Counsel had them brought back in to answer the charge that they were preaching in defiance to the Council's order to refrain. The apostles answer was line-drawing, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29)!
Around the world, Christians are drawing that same line in the face of imprisonment and/or death in places like Iran, Syria and China. In this country I have been following cases where our servicemen are facing possible court martial action for expressing their views on traditional marriage as a part of their faith.
You and I are not likely (yet) to face criminal prosecution for expressing our faith publicly, but we may very likely face peer pressure to keep a lid on our views. We certainly can face employment sanction for expressing Christian views at the workplace, and we probably ought not be preaching on our employer's dime. However, their are times when it is our right to express our faith in the marketplace, such as in the parking lot or during breaks.
Here's the question: When you do have the right to speak out regarding matters of faith but peer or marketplace pressure is exerted to prevent or silence you, will you obey God rather than man?
Jus' Askn.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
I'm No Saint
To excuse their less than righteous behavior, many offer what they feel to be an unarguable and acceptable reasoning, "I'm no saint." That line is usually followed by "but," which precedes some kind of qualifier like, "I'm as good as the next guy" or "I'm not so bad."
The notion being advanced is that following God's will is so difficult to understand and/or follow that only a special kind of human, "saint," could possibly follow it. The rest of us, weak-minded and/or weak-willed sort, will just have to be satisfied with our equally poor life choices.
Really? Is God's will that difficult to discern or accomplish that we should just give up and give in to the mediocre spirituality that so many have come to accept or worse, accept our base desires as directive? Really?
Listen to Moses as he challenged that thinking in the ancient Israelites: "What I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach" (Deut 30:11). And listen to Jesus' call: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me....For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30).
Understanding and following God's will is not too difficult for He has provided us the Spirit to direct and deliver us: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (1 Cor 10:13).
Yes, we will stumble and choose poorly at times, but we can choose better and our spiritual life can increase daily by His power within.
Jus' Sayn.
The notion being advanced is that following God's will is so difficult to understand and/or follow that only a special kind of human, "saint," could possibly follow it. The rest of us, weak-minded and/or weak-willed sort, will just have to be satisfied with our equally poor life choices.
Really? Is God's will that difficult to discern or accomplish that we should just give up and give in to the mediocre spirituality that so many have come to accept or worse, accept our base desires as directive? Really?
Listen to Moses as he challenged that thinking in the ancient Israelites: "What I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach" (Deut 30:11). And listen to Jesus' call: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me....For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt 11:28-30).
Understanding and following God's will is not too difficult for He has provided us the Spirit to direct and deliver us: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (1 Cor 10:13).
Yes, we will stumble and choose poorly at times, but we can choose better and our spiritual life can increase daily by His power within.
Jus' Sayn.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Prayers of The Righteous
As Christians, we believe in the power of prayer, even if we don't r actually pray all that often. When we're facing a difficulty, we tend to up our game a bit, however. We pray for ourselves and we pray for others.
But when we're in a big bind or really sick, we up the ante and call on someone we think has the ear of God, we ask our preacher to pray. If we're in a hospital, we're likely to ask for the chaplain. There may be someone else, but it is because we feel he/she is more righteous than us.
You likely have heard or may have quoted, what you thought was James 5:16, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Actually that is only half of the passage. The first half reads, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."
The prayer of the righteous, which we covent in times of duress, does not come from an ordination or a license or a degree. The prayer of the righteous comes out of a willingness to confess. James says confess to and pray for one another for healing, as those humbled, honest and authentic prayers come from righteousness and will be heard.
Jus' Sayn.
But when we're in a big bind or really sick, we up the ante and call on someone we think has the ear of God, we ask our preacher to pray. If we're in a hospital, we're likely to ask for the chaplain. There may be someone else, but it is because we feel he/she is more righteous than us.
You likely have heard or may have quoted, what you thought was James 5:16, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Actually that is only half of the passage. The first half reads, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."
The prayer of the righteous, which we covent in times of duress, does not come from an ordination or a license or a degree. The prayer of the righteous comes out of a willingness to confess. James says confess to and pray for one another for healing, as those humbled, honest and authentic prayers come from righteousness and will be heard.
Jus' Sayn.
Friday, September 27, 2013
What, Me Worry?
Perhaps you remember the fictional cover boy of Mad Magazine and his tag line: "What, Me Worry?" Many Christians seem to have adopted a similar notion that we should have no cares, no anxiety, no worries.
Perhaps you would agree and, if so, likely you would point me to Scriptures like Matthew 6:25 , “Therefore I tell you, do not worry..." Or Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious..." You might argue that these passages seem plain enough that we are not to worry or be anxious.
I would agree that we need not worry, but the very fact that we are being instructed not to worry or be anxious tells me we have worries and anxiety in the first place. If we didn't, there would be no need for the Lord to address those concerns.
Rather than deny we have anxiety over some things or feel guilty for having any worries, we are told to redirect our fears: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7). If we had no worries, we would have nothing to cast.
It's OK to own up to your fears, worries and anxieties, but it is wrong to own them. We are to transfer ownership to the Lord, who will defeat them.
Jus' Sayn.
Perhaps you would agree and, if so, likely you would point me to Scriptures like Matthew 6:25 , “Therefore I tell you, do not worry..." Or Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious..." You might argue that these passages seem plain enough that we are not to worry or be anxious.
I would agree that we need not worry, but the very fact that we are being instructed not to worry or be anxious tells me we have worries and anxiety in the first place. If we didn't, there would be no need for the Lord to address those concerns.
Rather than deny we have anxiety over some things or feel guilty for having any worries, we are told to redirect our fears: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7). If we had no worries, we would have nothing to cast.
It's OK to own up to your fears, worries and anxieties, but it is wrong to own them. We are to transfer ownership to the Lord, who will defeat them.
Jus' Sayn.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Bearing Fruit
You confront her about the bruises on her cheek and she confesses it was her husband, then she quickly adds, "but he's really a good husband." No he is not! I know this, not by judging his heart but rather by judging the fruit of his relationship with her: Bruises! A good husband does not beat his wife, a bad husband does.
She doesn't make sure her kids are up on time for school, she doesn't see to it that they have clean clothes, she doesn't even fix them breakfast because she's hungover again, "But she loves those children more than anything." Not! A mother who loves her children more than anything does everything she can to insure that nothing gets in the way of providing for their needs. A mother who loves her self more does less for her children.
A bad husband may have feelings for the wife he beats, but not truly love her. A mother who chooses alcohol over her children's welfare may have feelings for her children, but she doesn't really love them. Love is not a feeling, it is a choice - a choice to seek the greatest good of another. And the evidence or fruit of that choice is easily seen.
Listen to what the apostle James had to say, "let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" (1 Jn 3:18). Love is not words or feelings, it is action: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 Jn 3:16). Do you get that? Do you see that love and sacrifice for another go hand in hand. Good husband, loving mothers, real friends go to the mat for the ones they love and that fruit is as plain as apples on a tree.
Jus' Sayn.
She doesn't make sure her kids are up on time for school, she doesn't see to it that they have clean clothes, she doesn't even fix them breakfast because she's hungover again, "But she loves those children more than anything." Not! A mother who loves her children more than anything does everything she can to insure that nothing gets in the way of providing for their needs. A mother who loves her self more does less for her children.
A bad husband may have feelings for the wife he beats, but not truly love her. A mother who chooses alcohol over her children's welfare may have feelings for her children, but she doesn't really love them. Love is not a feeling, it is a choice - a choice to seek the greatest good of another. And the evidence or fruit of that choice is easily seen.
Listen to what the apostle James had to say, "let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth" (1 Jn 3:18). Love is not words or feelings, it is action: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 Jn 3:16). Do you get that? Do you see that love and sacrifice for another go hand in hand. Good husband, loving mothers, real friends go to the mat for the ones they love and that fruit is as plain as apples on a tree.
Jus' Sayn.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
The Answer
When I was a young preacher, I thought I had to have the answer for everyone's problems. I studied hard, dug deep for biblical insights, filled a personal library with the books I read on theology and psychology, took every faith-based seminar I could, earned enough degrees to be a thermometer - I was the answer man; so I thought.
As a maturing minister, I came to believe that people didn't need me to provide the answer, rather they needed help finding the answer. So, I began to point them to the Truth and the Spirit of Christ found in the biblical text, in faith-based concepts and in life's experiences. I sought to point them to the Answer: Jesus.
As a grey-haired chaplain, I have finally come to understand that I am not to have the answer nor point to the answer, I am to be the answer. I am to roll up my sleeves, step into the muck another finds himself in and let the Spirit of Christ minister to him through me. As The apostle John put it, "This is how love is made complete among us...in this world we are to be like Jesus" (1 Jn 4:17).
Do you remember WWJD - what would Jesus do? It really was the answer and it still is. We are to be disciples and disciples follow in the steps of the Master - they do what Jesus would do. When someone is struggling, don't just tell them what to do or where to find help, love them like Jesus and get in there with them, helping them along the way.
Jus' Sayn.
As a maturing minister, I came to believe that people didn't need me to provide the answer, rather they needed help finding the answer. So, I began to point them to the Truth and the Spirit of Christ found in the biblical text, in faith-based concepts and in life's experiences. I sought to point them to the Answer: Jesus.
As a grey-haired chaplain, I have finally come to understand that I am not to have the answer nor point to the answer, I am to be the answer. I am to roll up my sleeves, step into the muck another finds himself in and let the Spirit of Christ minister to him through me. As The apostle John put it, "This is how love is made complete among us...in this world we are to be like Jesus" (1 Jn 4:17).
Do you remember WWJD - what would Jesus do? It really was the answer and it still is. We are to be disciples and disciples follow in the steps of the Master - they do what Jesus would do. When someone is struggling, don't just tell them what to do or where to find help, love them like Jesus and get in there with them, helping them along the way.
Jus' Sayn.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
A Living Sacrifice
When the apostle Paul tells I'd that we are to "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1), just what is he really saying? How does one offer self as a living sacrifice?
To understand this call, we first must wrap our minds around the biblical concept of sacrifice, which is a far cry from what we tend to think of as sacrifice.
Sacrifice, in modern usage, normally means anything we do that is burdensome or costs us something in time, effort or money. We sacrifice part of our day to help a friend. We sacrifice part of our paycheck to a good cause. We offer some of our talent for a worthy project.
The problem is, however, biblical sacrifice is not something done partially. You couldn't cut off just one leg of your lamb and put it on the altar - sacrifice required you to give it all. Once sacrificed, you could not reclaim it, it belonged to God. Acceptable sacrifices were not leftovers or what one could easily spare - acceptable sacrifices were the best of your flock.
Here's the deal: to be a living sacrifice, your life is given to God in full with no expectation of reclaiming it. It is not acceptable to offer part of your time or efforts or resources, all are laid upon the altar, released to the Lord.
Your life is no longer your own to live and give here and there as you decide. Leftover funds or extra time are not acceptable - all you have and all you do are now to be used for His glory. "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord" (Col 3:17). How you talk, how you work, how you play, how you eat...is to reflect His glory. A sacrificed life is not your own.
Jus' Sayn.
To understand this call, we first must wrap our minds around the biblical concept of sacrifice, which is a far cry from what we tend to think of as sacrifice.
Sacrifice, in modern usage, normally means anything we do that is burdensome or costs us something in time, effort or money. We sacrifice part of our day to help a friend. We sacrifice part of our paycheck to a good cause. We offer some of our talent for a worthy project.
The problem is, however, biblical sacrifice is not something done partially. You couldn't cut off just one leg of your lamb and put it on the altar - sacrifice required you to give it all. Once sacrificed, you could not reclaim it, it belonged to God. Acceptable sacrifices were not leftovers or what one could easily spare - acceptable sacrifices were the best of your flock.
Here's the deal: to be a living sacrifice, your life is given to God in full with no expectation of reclaiming it. It is not acceptable to offer part of your time or efforts or resources, all are laid upon the altar, released to the Lord.
Your life is no longer your own to live and give here and there as you decide. Leftover funds or extra time are not acceptable - all you have and all you do are now to be used for His glory. "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord" (Col 3:17). How you talk, how you work, how you play, how you eat...is to reflect His glory. A sacrificed life is not your own.
Jus' Sayn.
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