I'm going to come right out and say it, I love Duck Dynasty! Finally, we have a reality show that is wholesome and does not involve crazy women (or men) trying to find love, teenagers pregnant, or Honey Boo Boo. We finally have a show about a family that is not dysfunctional. They are not seeking fame and fortune. They are allowing America to take a peek into their lives and have a good laugh while doing it.
The most important aspect of Duck Dynasty that I love so much is that they are not ashamed of their faith nor their values. As we all know Phil Robertson, a.k.a. the Duck Commander, is coming under a lot of heat for comments he made in an interview with GQ magazine. You can read the Fox News story about it here:http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/12/18/phil-robertson-suspended-after-comments-about-homosexuality/
Twitter and Facebook started blowing up last night over this controversy. Representatives from both sides have chimed in and I felt like it was my turn to give my perspective on the whole situation.
1. I respect Phil Robertson for saying what he said and the way he lives for Christ unashamed. It may not be politically correct what he said, but aren't we all getting a little tired of having to be politically correct all the time? It's like we have to walk on egg shells every time we have a conversation with anyone. And, the comments he made were about his faith and his opinion on things. Everyone has a right to their opinion. Just because you don't agree with it, does not mean that you have to hate the person. Phil was speaking the truth that he knows from the Scriptures.
2. As Christians, we have to be wise in how we handle this whole situation, especially through social media outlets. We can get very upset and make a big stink about this or we can take a different approach. We have to remember that the One we follow was silenced for what he believed was right. He spoke the truth with love and conviction and he was crucified for it. The leaders of his day did not agree with him and wanted him silenced. Therefore, they went to the utmost extreme to make sure that it happened. They even got the national government involved. The Phil Robertson situation should come as no surprise to us. Jesus said that the world would hate his followers. If we are accepted by the world, then we should reevaluate how we are living. If we want to follow Christ, then the world is not going to accept us because the world did not accept him. So, we can be a squeaky wheel and play the martyr or we can look to Christ for strength to endure and wisdom to know how to continue spreading the Gospel.
3. The church in America needs to change. This may sound contrary to what I have said above, but it's not. We have spent too long trying to attract people to church. That is the model that we live by. Because of that, we have fallen into the trap of compromise. We like when our churches are full because it makes us think that we are a successful church. But, when something controversial comes up, we are tempted to compromise because we don't want anyone to leave. Phil Robertson does not care about the show. He has said so himself in interviews. He does care about the platform the show gives him to preach the Gospel. The church in America should start caring less about the show and more about the Gospel. We are going to upset people if we preach the Gospel that Jesus preached. But, it's not our message or our ideas; it's Jesus' message. He told us to go into the world and preach the Gospel. The apostles died for this message. They didn't care about the show. They cared about Jesus and his Gospel.
Jesus did not die for us so that we could be comfortable. He died for us so that we could live. Life is not easy nor is it comfortable. Life with Christ will never be easy nor will it be comfortable. Thank you Phil Robertson for reminding me of this. I hope and pray that it will remind all us as well.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Is it time for the sinner's prayer to go?
I grew up in Arkansas in a conservative Southern Baptist Church. We had an altar call every Sunday. We would sing "Just As I Am" the whole time people were responding to an altar call (yes, sometimes that would mean all seven verses and then start over at the top!). I did not quite understand what was going on when I was young, but I began to figure it out when I got older. I saw that as people coming to Jesus. They would go to the altar and be led in a prayer called the sinner's prayer. It was a prayer where you confessed that you were a sinner and needed Jesus to come into your life. You would ask Jesus to come into your heart to be your personal Lord and Savior. I would see this done at youth camps that I would attend when I got into college. I even led some people in this prayer or at least was involved in it.
As I have grown older, I began to discover something that went against everything I thought I knew about coming to Jesus: the sinner's prayer is not found in Scripture. I know, shocking right. I remember a student of mine at a Christian school I taught at asked me where it can be found in the Bible and I had to break the bad news to him. So, if this prayer is not found in Scripture, then why are we still using it? Also, if Jesus never told someone to ask him into their hearts, then why are we still doing that?
By stressing the sinner's prayer and asking Jesus into our hearts, we have created a false sense of security. We have made the Gospel and following Jesus easy when they are anything but easy. We teach people that you can say a prayer and be saved. That's it. But, is that what the apostles died for? Is that what people are still dying for today?
I remember going to youth retreats where the speaker would end his message by having everyone bow their heads and close their eyes. Then he would give the invitation and have everyone who wanted to respond to raise their hand. He would also keep stressing that everyone's heads should be bowed and eyes closed. At the time I thought these were amazing God moments, but now I get uncomfortable with them. The reason being is if coming to Jesus is so awesome, then why are we making it private? Why do are we creating an atmosphere where people can hide when they come to Jesus? Jesus said in Luke 12:8-9, "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God." Now, I know that responding to an altar call with no one looking is not quite the same as denying Christ; however, it does start a person's relationship with Christ under an umbrella of secrecy and perhaps even embarrassment that could carry over into that person's living for Christ.
When we push people to answer an altar call, lead them in a prayer and tell them to accept Jesus into their hearts, we are giving them a false sense of security that they are saved no matter what they do. We have turned the Gospel into fire insurance. We have taught people that the Gospel will get you out of hell and that's it. That is not the Gospel.
Jesus told people throughout his ministry to follow him. He did not lead them in a prayer nor did he tell them to accept him into their hearts. He told them to pick up a device of shame and torture and follow him. Luke 9:23 says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." This is what it takes to follow Jesus. This is an everyday decision to do this. We must be willing to identify with shame and suffering in order to follow Jesus. This is the only way we are going to experience the abundant life that is found only in Jesus.
If we want to see people save and changed by Jesus, we need to stop using the sinner's prayer as our only tool. We have to be willing to show these people how to follow Jesus. We have to be willing to build relationships with them so that they can grow in their faith. We have to make them disciples not converts. Converts will fall away, but disciples will endure. To know Jesus is not about just saying a prayer and asking him into our hearts; it's about giving up ourselves to know him. Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Paul didn't just ask Jesus into his heart; he embraced Jesus as his life! Let's lead people to the life giver. Let's take away the umbrella of secrecy and embarrassment and let's lead them to the One who rejoices over His children. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Is this the God we want to lead people to? If so, then we have to preach the real Gospel. We have to preach the Gospel that says identify with the suffering of Christ so that you can have the best life ever. Let's stop cheating people out of the real Gospel.
As I have grown older, I began to discover something that went against everything I thought I knew about coming to Jesus: the sinner's prayer is not found in Scripture. I know, shocking right. I remember a student of mine at a Christian school I taught at asked me where it can be found in the Bible and I had to break the bad news to him. So, if this prayer is not found in Scripture, then why are we still using it? Also, if Jesus never told someone to ask him into their hearts, then why are we still doing that?
By stressing the sinner's prayer and asking Jesus into our hearts, we have created a false sense of security. We have made the Gospel and following Jesus easy when they are anything but easy. We teach people that you can say a prayer and be saved. That's it. But, is that what the apostles died for? Is that what people are still dying for today?
I remember going to youth retreats where the speaker would end his message by having everyone bow their heads and close their eyes. Then he would give the invitation and have everyone who wanted to respond to raise their hand. He would also keep stressing that everyone's heads should be bowed and eyes closed. At the time I thought these were amazing God moments, but now I get uncomfortable with them. The reason being is if coming to Jesus is so awesome, then why are we making it private? Why do are we creating an atmosphere where people can hide when they come to Jesus? Jesus said in Luke 12:8-9, "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God." Now, I know that responding to an altar call with no one looking is not quite the same as denying Christ; however, it does start a person's relationship with Christ under an umbrella of secrecy and perhaps even embarrassment that could carry over into that person's living for Christ.
When we push people to answer an altar call, lead them in a prayer and tell them to accept Jesus into their hearts, we are giving them a false sense of security that they are saved no matter what they do. We have turned the Gospel into fire insurance. We have taught people that the Gospel will get you out of hell and that's it. That is not the Gospel.
Jesus told people throughout his ministry to follow him. He did not lead them in a prayer nor did he tell them to accept him into their hearts. He told them to pick up a device of shame and torture and follow him. Luke 9:23 says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." This is what it takes to follow Jesus. This is an everyday decision to do this. We must be willing to identify with shame and suffering in order to follow Jesus. This is the only way we are going to experience the abundant life that is found only in Jesus.
If we want to see people save and changed by Jesus, we need to stop using the sinner's prayer as our only tool. We have to be willing to show these people how to follow Jesus. We have to be willing to build relationships with them so that they can grow in their faith. We have to make them disciples not converts. Converts will fall away, but disciples will endure. To know Jesus is not about just saying a prayer and asking him into our hearts; it's about giving up ourselves to know him. Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Paul didn't just ask Jesus into his heart; he embraced Jesus as his life! Let's lead people to the life giver. Let's take away the umbrella of secrecy and embarrassment and let's lead them to the One who rejoices over His children. Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Is this the God we want to lead people to? If so, then we have to preach the real Gospel. We have to preach the Gospel that says identify with the suffering of Christ so that you can have the best life ever. Let's stop cheating people out of the real Gospel.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Fatherly humility
I had a rough day last week. I completely lost my cool with my family. I said things out of anger that I did not mean. It eventually got to point where I had to walk away from the situation. I walked out the door to cool off. I was going to drive away, but I knew that was not going to be a good decision. So, I decided to sit outside in the dark to collect my thoughts. I eventually came back inside, defeated and humiliated. How can I be a husband, a father, and a pastor if I struggle with this?
Eventually it was bed time for our boys. Whenever I put my oldest son, Caedmon, to bed we spend a little time in prayer before we read books. I wanted him to pray that night because I was still not in the mood to do it (I know it must be shocking that a pastor was not in the mood to pray!). So, Caedmon prayed and he did the most amazing thing: he led me in prayer. And, not just any prayer, but the Lord's prayer. He is six years old and he knew it by heart! Talk about a very humbling experience.
That night, like many nights and days as a father, God taught me a valuable lesson of fatherhood, humility. A father who is not humble enough to learn from his kids is not cut out to be the best father he can be. The pressure is to have all the answers for our kids. After all, they look to us as the superheroes and the braniacs who can do anything and know everything. So, woe be to us if we ever make a mistake. And if we do make a mistake, then we are the worst failures ever. I mean every other parent never makes a mistake right?
Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." I don't want to be a father who is puffed up on pride. I don't want to fall and be destroyed because then I would really be useless to my family. I would rather humble myself before them and allow God to use them to teach me a thing or two about following him.
My six year old Caedmon is a boy after God's own heart. He is loving and forgiving. He is gracious and merciful. He is the kind of person I want to be. He is my hero at times because he teaches me so many things about the heart of God. He shows me how to live a godly life. If that makes me weak in the eyes of the world, then may I be the weakest weakling ever. I would rather find my strength in my King and the way I am going to do that is through humility.
So, fathers be humble enough to admit your mistakes. Be humble enough to learn from your kids because we do not know everything. And, be humble enough to look up to your kids at times.
Eventually it was bed time for our boys. Whenever I put my oldest son, Caedmon, to bed we spend a little time in prayer before we read books. I wanted him to pray that night because I was still not in the mood to do it (I know it must be shocking that a pastor was not in the mood to pray!). So, Caedmon prayed and he did the most amazing thing: he led me in prayer. And, not just any prayer, but the Lord's prayer. He is six years old and he knew it by heart! Talk about a very humbling experience.
That night, like many nights and days as a father, God taught me a valuable lesson of fatherhood, humility. A father who is not humble enough to learn from his kids is not cut out to be the best father he can be. The pressure is to have all the answers for our kids. After all, they look to us as the superheroes and the braniacs who can do anything and know everything. So, woe be to us if we ever make a mistake. And if we do make a mistake, then we are the worst failures ever. I mean every other parent never makes a mistake right?
Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." I don't want to be a father who is puffed up on pride. I don't want to fall and be destroyed because then I would really be useless to my family. I would rather humble myself before them and allow God to use them to teach me a thing or two about following him.
My six year old Caedmon is a boy after God's own heart. He is loving and forgiving. He is gracious and merciful. He is the kind of person I want to be. He is my hero at times because he teaches me so many things about the heart of God. He shows me how to live a godly life. If that makes me weak in the eyes of the world, then may I be the weakest weakling ever. I would rather find my strength in my King and the way I am going to do that is through humility.
So, fathers be humble enough to admit your mistakes. Be humble enough to learn from your kids because we do not know everything. And, be humble enough to look up to your kids at times.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
All Hallow's Eve
It's that time of year again. Time for all of the spooks to come out. It's time for parents to get their kids dressed in costumes that probably won't last the night in order to go around their neighborhood to collect candy that the kids really don't need. It's also that time of year where Christians wage their battle against Satan and all of his demonic forces. It's Halloween time!
My wife and I grew up celebrating Halloween. I remember wearing the masks that you could not breathe out of and walking around my neighborhood to get candy. I would also go with my cousin around my aunt's neighborhood to get candy as well. It was double Halloween for me! So, since we both grew up celebrating Halloween, we wanted to keep the tradition alive with our kids. We have taken our kids out Trick or Treating for the last seven years. My wife does an awesome job making costumes for them every year. They always look great!
The reason I bring this up is that there are some Christians who will look at Halloween as a pagan holiday that invites the forces of Satan to wreak havoc on the world. Now, I will agree that there is some crazy stuff that goes on every Halloween, but is it any worse than what goes on any given day in our crazy, fallen world? Probably not.
We live in a society that is increasingly viewing the Church and Christianity as ancient and outdated. They are looking at Jesus as a cool guy, but someone irrelevant to their lives. Christians are seen more for what they are against than who they are for. We spend more time being the moral police or shutting people out than we do making disciples. We refuse to acknowledge that Halloween exists, yet we will put on harvest parties where we allow the kids to dress up in their costumes as long as the costumes are not scary. I'm not saying those parties are bad. Our church used to do one every year and it was awesome! What I'm saying is that it is time to stop taking such hard line stands against something that is not inherently evil.
We view Halloween as a pagan holiday, but it's origins are not pagan. All Hallowed's Eve first appeared in the fourth century when the Church would remember those who had died for the faith. They would commemorate these saints, so that others could see what it took to follow Christ. Over the centuries people began to add other elements to this and it turned into the holiday we know today. Many of the things that we are familiar with like pumpkins, costumes, and trick or treating are fairly modern ideas (appearing within the last half century).
Since we live in a post-Christian society, we have to stop acting like we live in a Christian one. We have to stop preaching that America was founded on Christian principles. We need to live in the culture we are surrounded by. We are still called to be holy. We cannot let the culture force us to compromise the Gospel, which some churches have done. But, we can use cultural norms as bridges or tools to communicate the Gospel. For example, the last two years my church has done a Trunk or Treat in our parking lot. People from our church dress up and decorate the trunks of their cars to give out candy to neighborhood kids. It's been a great success the last two years and we have a lot of fun doing it. The purpose of it is to give kids a safe place to go trick or treating and to show families the love of Christ.
If you are anti-Halloween, you obviously have your reasons and convictions and I totally respect that. The purpose of this blog post is to challenge all of us to rethink the way we do things as Christians. We need to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out if our actions are leading others to Christ or pushing them further away. I'm not saying that dressing up in costumes and giving out candy is going to lead someone closer to Christ. But, if we are going to reach a post-Christian society, then we have to rethink the way we do things. We need to start using any avenue or tool to bring people to Christ rather than pushing people away from Him.
Halloween is not the devil's holiday. He is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (I Peter 5:8) EVERY DAY not just on certain holidays. Therefore, let us use Halloween as an opportunity to preach our King rather than our enemy. Let us preach Christ more on Halloween than we do Satan. Satan doesn't need that much attention, but our King deserves it all because of what he did for us and the world.
My wife and I grew up celebrating Halloween. I remember wearing the masks that you could not breathe out of and walking around my neighborhood to get candy. I would also go with my cousin around my aunt's neighborhood to get candy as well. It was double Halloween for me! So, since we both grew up celebrating Halloween, we wanted to keep the tradition alive with our kids. We have taken our kids out Trick or Treating for the last seven years. My wife does an awesome job making costumes for them every year. They always look great!
The reason I bring this up is that there are some Christians who will look at Halloween as a pagan holiday that invites the forces of Satan to wreak havoc on the world. Now, I will agree that there is some crazy stuff that goes on every Halloween, but is it any worse than what goes on any given day in our crazy, fallen world? Probably not.
We live in a society that is increasingly viewing the Church and Christianity as ancient and outdated. They are looking at Jesus as a cool guy, but someone irrelevant to their lives. Christians are seen more for what they are against than who they are for. We spend more time being the moral police or shutting people out than we do making disciples. We refuse to acknowledge that Halloween exists, yet we will put on harvest parties where we allow the kids to dress up in their costumes as long as the costumes are not scary. I'm not saying those parties are bad. Our church used to do one every year and it was awesome! What I'm saying is that it is time to stop taking such hard line stands against something that is not inherently evil.
We view Halloween as a pagan holiday, but it's origins are not pagan. All Hallowed's Eve first appeared in the fourth century when the Church would remember those who had died for the faith. They would commemorate these saints, so that others could see what it took to follow Christ. Over the centuries people began to add other elements to this and it turned into the holiday we know today. Many of the things that we are familiar with like pumpkins, costumes, and trick or treating are fairly modern ideas (appearing within the last half century).
Since we live in a post-Christian society, we have to stop acting like we live in a Christian one. We have to stop preaching that America was founded on Christian principles. We need to live in the culture we are surrounded by. We are still called to be holy. We cannot let the culture force us to compromise the Gospel, which some churches have done. But, we can use cultural norms as bridges or tools to communicate the Gospel. For example, the last two years my church has done a Trunk or Treat in our parking lot. People from our church dress up and decorate the trunks of their cars to give out candy to neighborhood kids. It's been a great success the last two years and we have a lot of fun doing it. The purpose of it is to give kids a safe place to go trick or treating and to show families the love of Christ.
If you are anti-Halloween, you obviously have your reasons and convictions and I totally respect that. The purpose of this blog post is to challenge all of us to rethink the way we do things as Christians. We need to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out if our actions are leading others to Christ or pushing them further away. I'm not saying that dressing up in costumes and giving out candy is going to lead someone closer to Christ. But, if we are going to reach a post-Christian society, then we have to rethink the way we do things. We need to start using any avenue or tool to bring people to Christ rather than pushing people away from Him.
Halloween is not the devil's holiday. He is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (I Peter 5:8) EVERY DAY not just on certain holidays. Therefore, let us use Halloween as an opportunity to preach our King rather than our enemy. Let us preach Christ more on Halloween than we do Satan. Satan doesn't need that much attention, but our King deserves it all because of what he did for us and the world.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
A challenge from an American pastor in Iran
One year ago, a man named Saeed Abedini was taken off of a bus in Iran and put under arrest for spreading the Gospel. He had travelled to his homeland to open an orphanage for the children of his people. What started as a diplomatic mission went downhill quickly. He was put on trial, found guilty and sentenced to eight years in the infamous Elvin prison, a prison known for its brutal treatment of prisoners. He has been separated from his family for one year. He has a wife and two young children in Idaho because he is an American citizen.
Today, people gathered all over this country and held prayer vigils for this pastor. The people of God joined together to plead on Pastor Saeed's behalf. I could not make one of the vigils, but I prayed here at my home. I pray for him everyday that God would free him, but while he is there that he would be light for the kingdom. My oldest son, Caedmon, prays for him as well. He can't believe that he has been in prison for that long.
The reason I tell this is because his story has challenged me. I sit and write this at my iMac computer with iTunes playing my music in my comfortable home in Massachusetts. I have everything I need. I have my family, clothes to wear, food to eat and so many extras that we are having a garage sale this Saturday to get rid of stuff. I am blessed by God and am thankful for what He has given me. However, what am I doing for the kingdom on a daily basis?
Pastor Saeed is hurting physically, emotionally, and perhaps spiritually at times. But, if you read the letters he has sent, his faith has not wavered. He still continues to live for Christ despite the conditions he is in. He still wants to be a light for Christ and spread His Gospel no matter what. He wants his wife and kids to continue to be a light for Christ.
I get so caught up in my own business that I forget to be that light for Christ. I think about my to-do list everyday. I think about what I need to get done because of the other commitments I may still have later that day or that week. I go to church and preach that we need to spread the Gospel, but what am I doing to spread the Gospel. Now, I know I'm a little hard on myself. I know that there are things I do on a weekly basis that further the kingdom of God. However, Pastor Saeed's story has inspired me to do even more.
How important is the Gospel to us? We live in a consumer driven society. We want the latest and greatest all the time. Old means outdate and obsolete. Therefore, ideas like being born again, redemption, repentance, etc. are concepts that may seem old fashioned. Even the Gospel becomes old because we want "relevant" messages that teach us to be a better person. We want messages that help us financially so that we can add more stuff to our already cluttered lives.
As I'm writing this, I am listening to the song "How He Loves" by David Crowder. A line in the song says, "If grace were an ocean, we're all sinking." The Gospel should never be boring to us. It should never be seen as outdate or obsolete because it is so deep and rich. It is beautiful. It's exciting. It brings hope, mercy, love, forgiveness, restoration, redemption, etc.
Pastor Saeed sits in a prison cell in Iran because he loves Jesus. He loves the Gospel so much that he was willing to go anywhere and do anything in order that people would hear it. I'm tired of wasting my days checking off to-do lists. I'm ready to be passionate about Jesus and the Gospel again. I don't want another self-help message. I want the Gospel because I don't get it yet; it's too deep. I want more and I want to do more for my King who did everything for me.
Today, people gathered all over this country and held prayer vigils for this pastor. The people of God joined together to plead on Pastor Saeed's behalf. I could not make one of the vigils, but I prayed here at my home. I pray for him everyday that God would free him, but while he is there that he would be light for the kingdom. My oldest son, Caedmon, prays for him as well. He can't believe that he has been in prison for that long.
The reason I tell this is because his story has challenged me. I sit and write this at my iMac computer with iTunes playing my music in my comfortable home in Massachusetts. I have everything I need. I have my family, clothes to wear, food to eat and so many extras that we are having a garage sale this Saturday to get rid of stuff. I am blessed by God and am thankful for what He has given me. However, what am I doing for the kingdom on a daily basis?
Pastor Saeed is hurting physically, emotionally, and perhaps spiritually at times. But, if you read the letters he has sent, his faith has not wavered. He still continues to live for Christ despite the conditions he is in. He still wants to be a light for Christ and spread His Gospel no matter what. He wants his wife and kids to continue to be a light for Christ.
I get so caught up in my own business that I forget to be that light for Christ. I think about my to-do list everyday. I think about what I need to get done because of the other commitments I may still have later that day or that week. I go to church and preach that we need to spread the Gospel, but what am I doing to spread the Gospel. Now, I know I'm a little hard on myself. I know that there are things I do on a weekly basis that further the kingdom of God. However, Pastor Saeed's story has inspired me to do even more.
How important is the Gospel to us? We live in a consumer driven society. We want the latest and greatest all the time. Old means outdate and obsolete. Therefore, ideas like being born again, redemption, repentance, etc. are concepts that may seem old fashioned. Even the Gospel becomes old because we want "relevant" messages that teach us to be a better person. We want messages that help us financially so that we can add more stuff to our already cluttered lives.
As I'm writing this, I am listening to the song "How He Loves" by David Crowder. A line in the song says, "If grace were an ocean, we're all sinking." The Gospel should never be boring to us. It should never be seen as outdate or obsolete because it is so deep and rich. It is beautiful. It's exciting. It brings hope, mercy, love, forgiveness, restoration, redemption, etc.
Pastor Saeed sits in a prison cell in Iran because he loves Jesus. He loves the Gospel so much that he was willing to go anywhere and do anything in order that people would hear it. I'm tired of wasting my days checking off to-do lists. I'm ready to be passionate about Jesus and the Gospel again. I don't want another self-help message. I want the Gospel because I don't get it yet; it's too deep. I want more and I want to do more for my King who did everything for me.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Lessons from the Baptizer
My oldest son graduated from kindergarten tonight. I was so proud watching him walk in his cap and gown. I couldn't help but picture him 13 years from now when he will be wearing a cap and gown graduating from high school. As I watched him go through the ceremony, he blew me away in a moment that many would not have noticed, unless of course you are his dad.
The time came for the end of the year awards. My wife is the administrative assistant to the school and I already knew that he would not receive an award. He missed highest academic achievement by a fraction of a point. I also knew how he took losing. He is like his daddy, we don't like to lose. So, I was wondering how he was going to take not receiving an award. This is the moment that completely blew me away. Two of his friends won the highest awards, highest academic achievement and Christian Spirit. When each of their names were announced, I watched my highly competitive five year old son throw his hands in the air and rejoice along with his friends! I was completely blown away because this was not like him. He cried once when he didn't when a raffle after all. So, instead of bawling tears of utter disappointment, he poured all his energy into rejoicing with his friends.
It's interesting that this happened tonight because it reminded me of John the Baptist when he said in John 3:30, "He must become greater; I must become less." John the Baptist has come up a few times this past week. I take that as a sign that God wants me to pay attention. As human beings, we are naturally going to struggle with jealousy. We want to be the ones in the spotlight. We want to be the ones who succeed. But, is this how we are to be as Christians? We are to strive to become less so that Jesus is more in us. This is the example I want to give to my son, but he tonight, he gave me the example to follow and I need to be humble enough to learn from him.
We live in a world where more and more people feel entitled to something. They feel as though the world owes them something. When parents act this way, children will follow in their footsteps. Even as Christians, we act like this. We feel entitled to respect from the world. But, Jesus said the world would hate us because it hated him first. Parents we need to model Christ to our kids. We need to model the one who took off his outer robe and washed his disciples dirty feet. We need to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist who desired to fade away into history rather than make a name for himself.
My prayer for the next generations is that they will desire obscurity over celebrity. I pray that they will be thankful for what comes their way rather than desire what they feel they are entitled to. Father's day is a few weeks away. It is a time to celebrate dads and all we do. My prayer for dads is that we will be like the Baptizer who desired humility. May we rejoice over the success of others, rather than desire our own.
Thank you John for living out the Gospel. Thank you Caedmon for teaching your dad a lesson from the Baptizer.
The time came for the end of the year awards. My wife is the administrative assistant to the school and I already knew that he would not receive an award. He missed highest academic achievement by a fraction of a point. I also knew how he took losing. He is like his daddy, we don't like to lose. So, I was wondering how he was going to take not receiving an award. This is the moment that completely blew me away. Two of his friends won the highest awards, highest academic achievement and Christian Spirit. When each of their names were announced, I watched my highly competitive five year old son throw his hands in the air and rejoice along with his friends! I was completely blown away because this was not like him. He cried once when he didn't when a raffle after all. So, instead of bawling tears of utter disappointment, he poured all his energy into rejoicing with his friends.
It's interesting that this happened tonight because it reminded me of John the Baptist when he said in John 3:30, "He must become greater; I must become less." John the Baptist has come up a few times this past week. I take that as a sign that God wants me to pay attention. As human beings, we are naturally going to struggle with jealousy. We want to be the ones in the spotlight. We want to be the ones who succeed. But, is this how we are to be as Christians? We are to strive to become less so that Jesus is more in us. This is the example I want to give to my son, but he tonight, he gave me the example to follow and I need to be humble enough to learn from him.
We live in a world where more and more people feel entitled to something. They feel as though the world owes them something. When parents act this way, children will follow in their footsteps. Even as Christians, we act like this. We feel entitled to respect from the world. But, Jesus said the world would hate us because it hated him first. Parents we need to model Christ to our kids. We need to model the one who took off his outer robe and washed his disciples dirty feet. We need to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist who desired to fade away into history rather than make a name for himself.
My prayer for the next generations is that they will desire obscurity over celebrity. I pray that they will be thankful for what comes their way rather than desire what they feel they are entitled to. Father's day is a few weeks away. It is a time to celebrate dads and all we do. My prayer for dads is that we will be like the Baptizer who desired humility. May we rejoice over the success of others, rather than desire our own.
Thank you John for living out the Gospel. Thank you Caedmon for teaching your dad a lesson from the Baptizer.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Above Average
I grew up pretty average. I was the only child of an average, middle class, American family. I went to school, got pretty good grades, played sports, and went to college. I grew up in Arkansas in an average American town. My parents had friends who were pretty average, but I loved them like family. All in all, average was a part of my life.
As I grew older, I realized I didn't want to settle for average. The men in my life were the average guy. They did the average guy things. The picture of an average guy that was painted for me was a man who went to college, got married, worked to make a comfortable living for his family, came home to a home-cooked meal, sat in front of the tv till it was time for bed. That was the picture I had in my head. That's what I thought it was to be a man.
As I grew older, that image began to change not by me, but by God. God was showing me what it meant to be above average. He was showing me what it meant to be a better man. Not to say the men in my life were not great because they were. I have a great dad and other "uncles" who were great influences in my life. But, God was molding me into something different.
The old mentality of a man was the provider of the family. A man did not show emotion. A man did not enter the kitchen except to eat. A man did not stay at home with the kids because a man had to bring home the bacon. I know men who still live like this today. But, don't you think it's time to rethink the definition of manhood?
My wife, Allie, and I got married almost nine years ago. When we were planning our wedding ceremony, we decided to wash each others' feet to symbolize our servant hearts towards each other. It was a special time in our ceremony, but it was not something to leave their at the wedding altar. It was something that we were going to take with us in our marriage. We truly wanted to serve each other.
From day one, I took it upon myself to wash the dishes after each meal. My wife is an awesome cook and I told her that if she was going to cook the meals, I was going to clean up the meals. For nine years I have done this because I want to serve her.
Almost six years ago, we had our first child, a son named Caedmon. He is such a joy and so smart. He is very musical and has a heart for God at the young age of 5. That being said, he was a horrible sleeper. He was up at all hours of the night and we did not get a lot of sleep. My wife loves to sleep. She would sleep till noon everyday if she could. I, on the other hand, do not require a lot of sleep. So, to serve my wife, I let her sleep in whenever she can. I get up with Caedmon and our other two boys every day. I want her to be able to get the rest she needs because I want to serve her.
When we moved to Massachusetts eight years ago, we moved into the parsonage of a church. It is an old house and the laundry is in the basement. It is a typical old basement: dark, dank, and scary looking. My wife did not want to go down there, ever. So, I took it upon myself to do the laundry because I wanted to serve her.
My wife works full time, so I am the one who stays home with our kids. I have changed many diapers, fed them many bottles, and hauled them in and out of our minivan, which I like to call it the "manivan" since I am the one that drives it.
Now, I do not say all of this to brag about what I do as a husband and a father. I don't even do all of this stuff right. I am still very selfish and do not want to serve my family a lot of the time. But, I say this to brag about my God who showed me a better way to be a man. The world says a man should be the provider and not get involved with the household stuff. The husband is the one that sits around and watches tv while his wife cleans the house and talks to her when he needs a refill for his drink. A father is the one who plays with the kids, but can be hands-off when it comes to raising them. A father is the disciplinarian, but doesn't want to let his guard down too much when it comes to showing emotion towards his kids.
In John 13, Jesus is having the Last Supper with his disciples. During the meal, he took off his outer garment, filled a basin full of water, got down on his hands and knees, and washed the feet of his disciples. He started with Peter and Peter was shocked. Then Jesus said to him in John 13:7, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter and the others did not get what Jesus was doing, but they did understand later. He wanted them to serve. This was the King of Kings, the God of the Universe, the Savior of the world washing their feet. I did not understand what washing my wife's feet would entail when I did it almost nine years ago, but I am learning what it meant.
For too long the image of men has been one where we are the ones being served and not doing the serving. Jesus showed us that we need to be serving without expecting to be served. Men, let us change the stereotype of a man. Let us be like Jesus who took off his outer robe and served his disciples. Let us serve the people in our lives. Let us serve the women in our lives. Let us serve the kids in our lives. Let us not be afraid to show and express emotion. Let us strive for above average because average is not going to change anything. Jesus was the above average man who changed the world and he wants to change us into above average men.
As I grew older, I realized I didn't want to settle for average. The men in my life were the average guy. They did the average guy things. The picture of an average guy that was painted for me was a man who went to college, got married, worked to make a comfortable living for his family, came home to a home-cooked meal, sat in front of the tv till it was time for bed. That was the picture I had in my head. That's what I thought it was to be a man.
As I grew older, that image began to change not by me, but by God. God was showing me what it meant to be above average. He was showing me what it meant to be a better man. Not to say the men in my life were not great because they were. I have a great dad and other "uncles" who were great influences in my life. But, God was molding me into something different.
The old mentality of a man was the provider of the family. A man did not show emotion. A man did not enter the kitchen except to eat. A man did not stay at home with the kids because a man had to bring home the bacon. I know men who still live like this today. But, don't you think it's time to rethink the definition of manhood?
My wife, Allie, and I got married almost nine years ago. When we were planning our wedding ceremony, we decided to wash each others' feet to symbolize our servant hearts towards each other. It was a special time in our ceremony, but it was not something to leave their at the wedding altar. It was something that we were going to take with us in our marriage. We truly wanted to serve each other.
From day one, I took it upon myself to wash the dishes after each meal. My wife is an awesome cook and I told her that if she was going to cook the meals, I was going to clean up the meals. For nine years I have done this because I want to serve her.
Almost six years ago, we had our first child, a son named Caedmon. He is such a joy and so smart. He is very musical and has a heart for God at the young age of 5. That being said, he was a horrible sleeper. He was up at all hours of the night and we did not get a lot of sleep. My wife loves to sleep. She would sleep till noon everyday if she could. I, on the other hand, do not require a lot of sleep. So, to serve my wife, I let her sleep in whenever she can. I get up with Caedmon and our other two boys every day. I want her to be able to get the rest she needs because I want to serve her.
When we moved to Massachusetts eight years ago, we moved into the parsonage of a church. It is an old house and the laundry is in the basement. It is a typical old basement: dark, dank, and scary looking. My wife did not want to go down there, ever. So, I took it upon myself to do the laundry because I wanted to serve her.
My wife works full time, so I am the one who stays home with our kids. I have changed many diapers, fed them many bottles, and hauled them in and out of our minivan, which I like to call it the "manivan" since I am the one that drives it.
Now, I do not say all of this to brag about what I do as a husband and a father. I don't even do all of this stuff right. I am still very selfish and do not want to serve my family a lot of the time. But, I say this to brag about my God who showed me a better way to be a man. The world says a man should be the provider and not get involved with the household stuff. The husband is the one that sits around and watches tv while his wife cleans the house and talks to her when he needs a refill for his drink. A father is the one who plays with the kids, but can be hands-off when it comes to raising them. A father is the disciplinarian, but doesn't want to let his guard down too much when it comes to showing emotion towards his kids.
In John 13, Jesus is having the Last Supper with his disciples. During the meal, he took off his outer garment, filled a basin full of water, got down on his hands and knees, and washed the feet of his disciples. He started with Peter and Peter was shocked. Then Jesus said to him in John 13:7, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter and the others did not get what Jesus was doing, but they did understand later. He wanted them to serve. This was the King of Kings, the God of the Universe, the Savior of the world washing their feet. I did not understand what washing my wife's feet would entail when I did it almost nine years ago, but I am learning what it meant.
For too long the image of men has been one where we are the ones being served and not doing the serving. Jesus showed us that we need to be serving without expecting to be served. Men, let us change the stereotype of a man. Let us be like Jesus who took off his outer robe and served his disciples. Let us serve the people in our lives. Let us serve the women in our lives. Let us serve the kids in our lives. Let us not be afraid to show and express emotion. Let us strive for above average because average is not going to change anything. Jesus was the above average man who changed the world and he wants to change us into above average men.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Happy Birthday, Superman!
Seventy-five years ago today, a strange visitor from another planet made his debut in the pages of Action Comics #1. That visitor looked like a man, but he had powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. He could leap tall buildings in a single bound (he didn't fly till a little later), he was faster than a speeding bullet, bullets bounced off of his chest, etc. His name was Superman and he has become an American icon over the last 75 years of his existence. The Superman "S" is one of the most recognizable symbols in pop culture today. And, this is who I idolized when I was a kid.
I loved Superman. I don't remember the first time I saw him, but whenever it was I was mesmerized. I loved his costume and his cape. I remember putting on a red towel when I was a kid and running around the house, pretending I could fly. I grew up watching Christopher Reeve dawn the blue suit with the red "s" and save the world time and again. I even watched George Reeves in the classic Superman television show. Anything that was Superman, I wanted. Superman was the character that hooked me on comic books, which I still collect today.
Two days ago, Boston (my adopted hometown) was rocked by two explosions set off by a madman. Chaos ensued at the Boston Marathon which is supposed to be a great time celebrating runners and their accomplishments. As I watched the news, I could not help but think, "I wish Superman were here. He would find the person responsible and bring him to justice." You see, when I was a kid, Superman was a hero. As I have grown older I have realized what mesmerized me about Superman. It wasn't his costume. It wasn't his powers. It was his heart to always do what is right. He pursued justice. He wanted to do right by everyone and that was why he was always known as the "Boy Scout."
We still need heroes today. None of us are strange visitors from another planet (although some of us might be strange). But, that does not mean that we cannot be heroes. Most of us may not find ourselves in situations where we will have to save somebody's life. But, most of us are in situations where we can lead them to the One who can save them. For too long, we have sat idly by and let the institutional church handle all of the spiritual matters. We take our kids to Sunday School and trust the teachers to teach them about God and following him. We take them to church and hope they don't make too much of a scene while the preacher is delivering the message. Then, throughout the week, we get back to our daily routine. We don't give them an example to follow. We spend time with people outside of the church with no intention of leading them to Christ. We get so caught up in our routine that we forget that we were saved to be Christ's ambassadors.
People are losing hope in our country. People are losing hope in our world. I remember when Superman died. He died in Superman #75. He was killed fighting the monster Doomsday who wanted to destroy anything in his path. Superman sacrificed himself for everyone else. When he died, the other heroes did their best to take his place, but it wasn't the same. People were losing hope. But, suddenly, Superman returned. He returned triumphantly and instilled hope in the people of Metropolis once again.
We read these stories and are amazed by them. We forget that a story very similar happened in our history and reality. Superman is a fictional character who rose from the dead; Jesus was a real person who died on a cross and rose from the dead. People compare Superman to Jesus and call Jesus their superhero. But, Jesus is greater than Superman. Jesus is God himself. Jesus was not defeated by some monster. He willingly gave up his life for us on the cross and then triumphantly rose from the dead. This is the message of true hope. We can hope beyond hope that an alien from Krypton will be rocketed to our world to be our Savior or we can trust in a real Savior who came to give us hope. He came to give us a new life.
In the wake of tragedy, this is the message we need to be teaching and LIVING! You see, it's not enough to talk about it. Talk is cheap. We need to live our lives for Christ. This means, every day and not just on Sundays. We need to step up and lead people who are looking for answers to a true hero who rose from the dead. We need to lead them to a strange visitor from another place who became like one of us in order to die for us.
I loved Superman. I don't remember the first time I saw him, but whenever it was I was mesmerized. I loved his costume and his cape. I remember putting on a red towel when I was a kid and running around the house, pretending I could fly. I grew up watching Christopher Reeve dawn the blue suit with the red "s" and save the world time and again. I even watched George Reeves in the classic Superman television show. Anything that was Superman, I wanted. Superman was the character that hooked me on comic books, which I still collect today.
Two days ago, Boston (my adopted hometown) was rocked by two explosions set off by a madman. Chaos ensued at the Boston Marathon which is supposed to be a great time celebrating runners and their accomplishments. As I watched the news, I could not help but think, "I wish Superman were here. He would find the person responsible and bring him to justice." You see, when I was a kid, Superman was a hero. As I have grown older I have realized what mesmerized me about Superman. It wasn't his costume. It wasn't his powers. It was his heart to always do what is right. He pursued justice. He wanted to do right by everyone and that was why he was always known as the "Boy Scout."
We still need heroes today. None of us are strange visitors from another planet (although some of us might be strange). But, that does not mean that we cannot be heroes. Most of us may not find ourselves in situations where we will have to save somebody's life. But, most of us are in situations where we can lead them to the One who can save them. For too long, we have sat idly by and let the institutional church handle all of the spiritual matters. We take our kids to Sunday School and trust the teachers to teach them about God and following him. We take them to church and hope they don't make too much of a scene while the preacher is delivering the message. Then, throughout the week, we get back to our daily routine. We don't give them an example to follow. We spend time with people outside of the church with no intention of leading them to Christ. We get so caught up in our routine that we forget that we were saved to be Christ's ambassadors.
People are losing hope in our country. People are losing hope in our world. I remember when Superman died. He died in Superman #75. He was killed fighting the monster Doomsday who wanted to destroy anything in his path. Superman sacrificed himself for everyone else. When he died, the other heroes did their best to take his place, but it wasn't the same. People were losing hope. But, suddenly, Superman returned. He returned triumphantly and instilled hope in the people of Metropolis once again.
We read these stories and are amazed by them. We forget that a story very similar happened in our history and reality. Superman is a fictional character who rose from the dead; Jesus was a real person who died on a cross and rose from the dead. People compare Superman to Jesus and call Jesus their superhero. But, Jesus is greater than Superman. Jesus is God himself. Jesus was not defeated by some monster. He willingly gave up his life for us on the cross and then triumphantly rose from the dead. This is the message of true hope. We can hope beyond hope that an alien from Krypton will be rocketed to our world to be our Savior or we can trust in a real Savior who came to give us hope. He came to give us a new life.
In the wake of tragedy, this is the message we need to be teaching and LIVING! You see, it's not enough to talk about it. Talk is cheap. We need to live our lives for Christ. This means, every day and not just on Sundays. We need to step up and lead people who are looking for answers to a true hero who rose from the dead. We need to lead them to a strange visitor from another place who became like one of us in order to die for us.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
T-ball, here I come!
Recently, I became a manager. I became the manager of the Instructional League Red Sox. My son, Caedmon, is playing this year for the first time. I have worked with him in the yard for the past couple of years. He does pretty well hitting the ball and I am excited to see him on the field for the first time.
I grew up with a love for the game. My dad instilled that love into me. He always loved baseball and he passed that love down to me. I played all my life and was blessed enough to play through college. I always said that I would never coach my kids' baseball teams. I would rather sit back and watch. However, while talking with my best friend about this subject, my perspective changed. He used to share the same perspective on coaching his kids, but he realized that if God has blessed us with the knowledge, experience, and talent to play the game, it would be dishonoring to him to not share that with young, aspiring ball players.
So, I decided to volunteer to be the manager for Caedmon's team. We have not started yet, but we will soon and I feel a little overwhelmed at times about it. But, at the same time, I am excited to pass down what I know to a new generation of ball players.
There is another, deeper element to all of this as well. These kids are at an impressionable young age. They are growing up in a world that is constantly changing and not necessarily for the better. We live in a world where there is no guarantee that young boys will grow up with a great fatherly example. There are young men who are growing up not knowing how to be men. We live in an age where the age of adulthood is becoming older and older. We are seeing young men who are having a hard time launching into independence because they don't know how. We are seeing young men who are living like children rather than adults.
I think one of the reasons for this is because fathers have either been absent, indifferent, or lazy. We have fathers who are pouring themselves into their jobs to the point that they are neglecting their families. I have seen men in church who are sitting back and letting their wives be the spiritual leaders of their families. Men, we are making the same mistake that Adam did. We are sitting back and letting Satan grab a hold of our families. This needs to stop.
Recently, for Valentine's Day, my wife bought me a piece of wall art. It is black with three phrases written in white: Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly with your God. She bought this for me because she said this is the kind of guy I am. Wow! I was humbled by this because all I can see our my mistakes. This is the kind of man I am striving to be and this is the kind of man that God wants his male followers to be.
We live in a society where the differences between men and women are more blurred than ever in our country. We need men who are willing to be all about truth and justice. We need men who are not going to sit idly by and let the world raise their kids for them. We need men who will humble themselves before God and be the spiritual leaders that they have been saved to be. We need to grow up, men. We need to grow up in the Lord and start being an example of what it means to be a godly man. We need to start passing down what we know to the younger generations. We need to invest our time in our kids and other kids so that we can show them how to follow Jesus.
I grew up with a love for the game. My dad instilled that love into me. He always loved baseball and he passed that love down to me. I played all my life and was blessed enough to play through college. I always said that I would never coach my kids' baseball teams. I would rather sit back and watch. However, while talking with my best friend about this subject, my perspective changed. He used to share the same perspective on coaching his kids, but he realized that if God has blessed us with the knowledge, experience, and talent to play the game, it would be dishonoring to him to not share that with young, aspiring ball players.
So, I decided to volunteer to be the manager for Caedmon's team. We have not started yet, but we will soon and I feel a little overwhelmed at times about it. But, at the same time, I am excited to pass down what I know to a new generation of ball players.
There is another, deeper element to all of this as well. These kids are at an impressionable young age. They are growing up in a world that is constantly changing and not necessarily for the better. We live in a world where there is no guarantee that young boys will grow up with a great fatherly example. There are young men who are growing up not knowing how to be men. We live in an age where the age of adulthood is becoming older and older. We are seeing young men who are having a hard time launching into independence because they don't know how. We are seeing young men who are living like children rather than adults.
I think one of the reasons for this is because fathers have either been absent, indifferent, or lazy. We have fathers who are pouring themselves into their jobs to the point that they are neglecting their families. I have seen men in church who are sitting back and letting their wives be the spiritual leaders of their families. Men, we are making the same mistake that Adam did. We are sitting back and letting Satan grab a hold of our families. This needs to stop.
Recently, for Valentine's Day, my wife bought me a piece of wall art. It is black with three phrases written in white: Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly with your God. She bought this for me because she said this is the kind of guy I am. Wow! I was humbled by this because all I can see our my mistakes. This is the kind of man I am striving to be and this is the kind of man that God wants his male followers to be.
We live in a society where the differences between men and women are more blurred than ever in our country. We need men who are willing to be all about truth and justice. We need men who are not going to sit idly by and let the world raise their kids for them. We need men who will humble themselves before God and be the spiritual leaders that they have been saved to be. We need to grow up, men. We need to grow up in the Lord and start being an example of what it means to be a godly man. We need to start passing down what we know to the younger generations. We need to invest our time in our kids and other kids so that we can show them how to follow Jesus.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Why do we pursue the substitute when we can have the real thing?
Idolatry is still such a problem. We provoke the Lord to jealousy when
we go after idols. They do nothing for us, yet we still go to them as
though they have power to help us. We act like they have power to
overcome our lives for us. We worship them as though they are going to
reciprocate somehow. We thank them as though they provided for us. We
serve them as though they were our masters. But, all this does is lead
us further and further away from the One who has the power to overcome
our situations. It takes worship from the One who will respond to that
worship with loving kindness. It takes our energy to serve from the One
who first served us by dying for us and is are true Master. The
Corinthians were coming from a background of idolatry. Paul was trying
to show them the freedom they now had in Christ. They did not have to
go after worthless idols anymore. They now served the Living God who is
real and is powerful. No longer did they need to go to the table of
demons because they could go to the table of the Lord. Why do we choose
the garbage when we could have a feast? Why do we take the substitute
when we could have the real thing? This is the human condition. We are
so prone to turning to the tangible because we think the tangible
things of this world have power. But, the only power they have is the
power that we give them. The power that God has was given to Him by no
one. He is all-powerful and always has been. He is the One that can
overcome our human condition and make us new. He is the One that can
deliver us from our tendency to turn to the idols of this world. We
were prone to wander, but He is prone to deliver. We are prone to turn,
but He is prone to pursue. One of the greatest truths about God that
is often overlooked is that He is a God who pursues us. He does not
leave us alone. He pursues us with a passion because He wants to
deliver us from a life of idolatry. He wants to deliver us from the
lives of substitutes. He wants to give us the real thing; Himself.
This is true love. This is a love that conquers all. This is a love
that never fails. This is a love that we and the world desperately
needs.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Just a prayer away?
Growing up Southern Baptist in Arkansas, I became accustomed to altar calls. I grew up with them every Sunday that I was in church. I grew up singing "Just As I Am" while people made their way down to the altar to commit their lives to Christ or rededicate their lives to Christ. I would see the pastor and deacons pray with these people and then they would be ushered off into another room with one of the leaders of the church. Then they would be brought out and everyone would be told what decision they had made. Most of the time it was to join the church, but there were times when someone would make a decision for Christ and the whole church would clap. But, then when the service was over, everyone would go get some lunch and go home. End of story.
As I have grown older, I have reflected a lot on this time of my life. I have wondered to myself, "Is this how one follows Christ? Is this what the Bible commands us to do? Is this how Jesus did it?" To be a Christian, is it really as simple as saying a "sinner's prayer" and then joining a church? I almost feel like a heretic to even question this. I have been to countless evangelism events and services and seen the speaker have everyone close their eyes, bow their heads, and raise their hands if they want to accept Jesus. I have always wondered why it had to be private? Aren't we taught in Scripture to not be ashamed of Christ or the Gospel? Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him while he was at his tax collector's booth in the middle of everyone. I have led people in the sinner's prayer in order to be saved. But, is this it? Is this what the Gospel teaches us? Is this the Gospel?
It seems anti-climactic. It seems like a cheap way out. It doesn't quite live up to the call of Jesus found in the Gospels. Jesus called people to follow him. Not one time does Jesus lead someone in a prayer. I had a student ask me one time where the sinner's prayer was found in the Bible. I had to tell him the truth: it's not. The sinner's prayer is something we came up with to make it easy for someone to accept Jesus into their hearts. I think we are missing something.
For too long, we have been teaching a Gospel that is a little watered down. The gift of grace through Jesus Christ is easy. I don't want to make it seem like it's not. However, it's not just about saying a prayer or even accepting Jesus into our hearts that makes us a Christian. If you read the Gospels closely and even the letters of Paul, Peter, and John, there is never a time where any of them lead someone in a prayer or tell people to accept Jesus into their hearts. The only statement that alludes to accepting Jesus into our hearts is found in Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." I can see where maybe we got the idea of a sinner's prayer and accepting Jesus into our hearts from this verse. However, Paul is not leading a prayer where someone accepts Jesus into their hearts. Like Jesus, Paul did not preach a Gospel where one could simply say a prayer to be saved. Paul preached a Gospel that was all about denying ourselves. He preached a Gospel that was all about considering our old life rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. Jesus preached and taught of a better life for all who would believe. When a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, he looked at those who brought her and said that if any of them that had not sinned could cast the first stone. All of them left and Jesus looked at the woman without condemnation. He told her to leave her life of sin. He did not lead her into a prayer. He did not demand she ask him for forgiveness. He saved her because he knew she had faith in him.
This is the Gospel that needs to be preached today. This is the Gospel that is going to lead people from a life of darkness and destruction to a life of light and life. This is the Gospel the world needs. We don't need another prayer that will promise us the world. We need a Gospel that gives us a Savior who wants to save us and give us a new life. We need a Gospel that gives us a Lord who wants to be in control of our lives because, let's be honest, we make a train wreck of our lives. We need the Jesus of the Gospels not the Jesus of the altar calls. We need the King of Kings who is passionate about us. We need the Love of our Souls who wants to rejoice over us with singing. We need the Lion of Judah who will ferociously protect from and attack anything that is harmful to us, including our sin. This is the Jesus I want to follow and this is the Jesus I want to preach.
As I have grown older, I have reflected a lot on this time of my life. I have wondered to myself, "Is this how one follows Christ? Is this what the Bible commands us to do? Is this how Jesus did it?" To be a Christian, is it really as simple as saying a "sinner's prayer" and then joining a church? I almost feel like a heretic to even question this. I have been to countless evangelism events and services and seen the speaker have everyone close their eyes, bow their heads, and raise their hands if they want to accept Jesus. I have always wondered why it had to be private? Aren't we taught in Scripture to not be ashamed of Christ or the Gospel? Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, to follow him while he was at his tax collector's booth in the middle of everyone. I have led people in the sinner's prayer in order to be saved. But, is this it? Is this what the Gospel teaches us? Is this the Gospel?
It seems anti-climactic. It seems like a cheap way out. It doesn't quite live up to the call of Jesus found in the Gospels. Jesus called people to follow him. Not one time does Jesus lead someone in a prayer. I had a student ask me one time where the sinner's prayer was found in the Bible. I had to tell him the truth: it's not. The sinner's prayer is something we came up with to make it easy for someone to accept Jesus into their hearts. I think we are missing something.
For too long, we have been teaching a Gospel that is a little watered down. The gift of grace through Jesus Christ is easy. I don't want to make it seem like it's not. However, it's not just about saying a prayer or even accepting Jesus into our hearts that makes us a Christian. If you read the Gospels closely and even the letters of Paul, Peter, and John, there is never a time where any of them lead someone in a prayer or tell people to accept Jesus into their hearts. The only statement that alludes to accepting Jesus into our hearts is found in Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." I can see where maybe we got the idea of a sinner's prayer and accepting Jesus into our hearts from this verse. However, Paul is not leading a prayer where someone accepts Jesus into their hearts. Like Jesus, Paul did not preach a Gospel where one could simply say a prayer to be saved. Paul preached a Gospel that was all about denying ourselves. He preached a Gospel that was all about considering our old life rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. Jesus preached and taught of a better life for all who would believe. When a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, he looked at those who brought her and said that if any of them that had not sinned could cast the first stone. All of them left and Jesus looked at the woman without condemnation. He told her to leave her life of sin. He did not lead her into a prayer. He did not demand she ask him for forgiveness. He saved her because he knew she had faith in him.
This is the Gospel that needs to be preached today. This is the Gospel that is going to lead people from a life of darkness and destruction to a life of light and life. This is the Gospel the world needs. We don't need another prayer that will promise us the world. We need a Gospel that gives us a Savior who wants to save us and give us a new life. We need a Gospel that gives us a Lord who wants to be in control of our lives because, let's be honest, we make a train wreck of our lives. We need the Jesus of the Gospels not the Jesus of the altar calls. We need the King of Kings who is passionate about us. We need the Love of our Souls who wants to rejoice over us with singing. We need the Lion of Judah who will ferociously protect from and attack anything that is harmful to us, including our sin. This is the Jesus I want to follow and this is the Jesus I want to preach.
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