This is a post that has been on my heart for a few weeks now. I have gone back and forth in my mind about whether or not I should write it. But, I can't get it out of my head, so here goes.
I have serious issues with the Gospel of the Highly Favored. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the Gospel of the Highly Favored (my title) is a message that has us at the center and God as the one who shows us His favor in the form of material things like new houses, promotions, new cars, more money, etc. Some have called it the prosperity gospel to use perhaps a more familiar term. There are a few pastors/leaders who are proponents of this gospel. I have heard some of their teachings and read some of their thoughts on their message and why they do what they do. And, to be honest, I have yet to be swayed by anything they say. The more I read, the more I disagree.
It finally came to a head a few weeks ago. I felt that it was my responsibility as a pastor to speak against false teachings that may be out there about who God is and what His word says. Now, I'm no expert on the Scriptures. There are men and women far more versed than me on what God's Word says. However, I do know that what comes out of the "highly favored" teachers mouths is not the Gospel that is found in the Scriptures.
Yesterday I listened to one of these teachers. I listened to a youtube video while I was working on some things. It was a 27 minute long message that he gave to his church. For 26 minutes he told story after story with some Scripture mixed in. The Scriptures were taken out of context to support his ideas. The last minute he finally mentioned Jesus. You read that right. For 26 minutes he rambled on not once mentioning Jesus, the cross, the resurrection, or a new life. He took the last minute to do that. But, you know what? The Jesus he mentioned was one that wanted to give you a new house, new job, promotion, more money, etc. The Jesus he told people to invite into their hearts was not the Jesus of the Bible; it was a Jesus of this teacher's own design.
Now, I'm not saying that God will not bless us with material things. I'm not saying that we are not highly favored by God. But, we are not highly favored in the way that this teacher talked about. Here's an example from Scripture of why this type of teaching is wrong. In Mark 10 there is a story of a rich young man who comes to Jesus to justify himself. He asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to follow the commandment. The rich man confirmed he had done that since he was a boy. But, then Jesus had something else for him. He told the young man, "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me" (Mark 10:21). The rich young man thought he was already favored by God because he was rich and had followed the commandments. Well, he was partially right. He was favored by a god, his money. His money was his god and that is why Jesus told him to sell everything and give it away. And, what was the man's reaction to this? He walked away sad. He couldn't sell everything he had because he loved his money too much. Jesus offered him something better, but the rich young man was too content with his material possessions.
Now, here is where it gets interesting and how it relates to the prosperity teachers of today. The disciples couldn't believe what had just transpired. They said, "Who then can be saved" (Mark 10:26)? Now, why would they ask this? To the Jews of the first century, a man who was rich was highly favored by God. They thought that those people had an automatic ticket to heaven because their wealth showed how much God loved them. But, Jesus squashed that idea quickly. He said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God...With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:25, 27). Jesus wanted the people to know that to be highly favored by God is to know the One he sent. That's it. It's not about worldly wealth or possessions. It's about having a new life that is characterized by forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, and living for Him so that you might lead others to Him.
The Jesus the above teacher from youtube taught was a Jesus for the rich young ruler. The rich young ruler would go to that church. He would love it because it would justify his attitude and love for his money. But, according to the words of Jesus, he would be just as lost as he was in the first century.
In Psalm 44, the sons of Korah express their frustration over feeling abandoned by God. They use the words "rejected", "humbled", "devoured", "scattered", "reproach", "crushed", etc. Does this sound like a people who feel highly favored by God? They feel rejected by God, but read how they end this Psalm, "Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love" (Psalm 44:26). They didn't ask for a new house or a new car (they didn't have cars back then). They asked for God's salvation. They acknowledged his unfailing love for them. They were satisfied with that.
The Gospel of the Highly Favored is no Gospel at all because the word "gospel" means "good news." The Gospel of the Highly Favored does not bring hope. Here's why: let's say you watched one the above teacher's telecasts. Let's say that everything sounded great to you because you were down on your luck. Your whole life could defined as "hard times." You needed a breakthrough and this teacher promised a God who would do that for you. So, you prayed the 5 second prayer at the end of the telecast to accept this Jesus into your heart. Now, let's say your situation did not get better. Let's say it got worse. Let's instead of a promotion, you lost your job. Let's say instead of a new car, your car got repossessed. Let's say instead of a new house, you are evicted because you can't make rent and are now homeless. Where does that leave you? Do you still want that Jesus you just prayed to? That Jesus you thought you were accepting was a Jesus who was going to change your situation. You thought that Jesus was going to make this life way better, but instead it got worse.
Let's compare this to the Jesus of Scripture. The Jesus of Scripture promises suffering. The Jesus of Scripture says the road is narrow. The Jesus of Scripture says that if you want to follow him, you have to take up your cross daily and follow him after you deny yourself first (Luke 9:23). The reason he says this is because he also says this world is not our home. The Jesus of Scripture promises fulfillment and satisfaction, but he won't do it the way the world does it. He wants to be the one who satisfies us. He says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Before that he says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).
Jesus did not come to change your situation here. He may do that. And, you might be blessed financially because of him. But, your situation here is not his main goal. His main goal is to change you not your situation. He wants to make us all children of God (John 1:12-13). And, when we are children of God, God sees us like he sees Jesus, perfect. He loves us like he loves Jesus. He shows us grace upon grace. He shows us his unfailing love and never ending mercy. I'll take that over being "highly favored" here because all the things we know here, we can't take with us. But, we can always take Jesus with us.
The Gospel of the Highly Favored (again, my title) is not the Gospel. It's not life-changing. It's not eternity changing. It won't even change you. So, if there is no real power in it, why listen to it? Why support those who teach it? I'd rather deny myself, take up my cross, and follow the real Jesus.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Monday, December 21, 2015
Making Memories with Star Wars
I'm sure by now that most of the country and a lot of the world has seen Star Wars The Force Awakens. It was an amazing movie and definitely worth the wait after I first heard it was being made about two years ago. This post is not about the movie itself, but how this movie was about making memories with my boys.
When I was young, Star Wars was already out and making a lot of money for that time period. I vaguely remember seeing Return of the Jedi on the big screen. My mom took me because I was very much into Star Wars. I have shown my kids all of the movies (of course I showed them the original three first and then the prequels. What kind of a dad do you think I am?). I wanted to share Star Wars with them hoping they would enjoy it as much as I have throughout my entire life.
When the tickets to the new movie went on sale, I was tempted to get tickets opening night, but the time would not work for my kids to go because I wanted them to experience Star Wars on the big screen. So, I decided to wait a couple of days so that we could all go together. I am glad that I did.
They had so much fun watching the movie and as I am typing this, my two youngest are pretending to be characters from the movie. I love hearing them acting as though they belong in a galaxy far, far away. I love the fact that I could make memories with them that hopefully they won't forget.
Now, I know some people have not seen Star Wars nor do they like it. And, that's okay. What this post is about is not necessarily about Star Wars, but about making memories with my kids. We live in such a fast-paced world. We are always plugged in and I have a tendency to stare at my phone way too much. I feel like that my kids are going to forget what my face looks like and think that my face is the back of my phone. I challenge myself to spend less time with my phone and more time making memories.
Now, you may say, "How does watching a movie constitute making memories?" It's not about the movie; it's about sharing something together. It's about finding common ground and reliving it over and over. It's about talking about it after the movie is over and reminiscing about our favorite parts. Kids will love whatever their parents love because kids want their parents' approval and love. My kids don't have to like everything I do, but I always want them to know that no matter what, they have my love and approval. And, the only way they are going to do that is through time spent together making memories that will last.
I hope that this new year that is coming, we can all unplug a little more and spend more time with those we love and care about. Let's spend time making those memories together. We can share them through our social media tools, but let's make the memories first.
Thanks Star Wars for reminding me of this.
When I was young, Star Wars was already out and making a lot of money for that time period. I vaguely remember seeing Return of the Jedi on the big screen. My mom took me because I was very much into Star Wars. I have shown my kids all of the movies (of course I showed them the original three first and then the prequels. What kind of a dad do you think I am?). I wanted to share Star Wars with them hoping they would enjoy it as much as I have throughout my entire life.
When the tickets to the new movie went on sale, I was tempted to get tickets opening night, but the time would not work for my kids to go because I wanted them to experience Star Wars on the big screen. So, I decided to wait a couple of days so that we could all go together. I am glad that I did.
They had so much fun watching the movie and as I am typing this, my two youngest are pretending to be characters from the movie. I love hearing them acting as though they belong in a galaxy far, far away. I love the fact that I could make memories with them that hopefully they won't forget.
Now, I know some people have not seen Star Wars nor do they like it. And, that's okay. What this post is about is not necessarily about Star Wars, but about making memories with my kids. We live in such a fast-paced world. We are always plugged in and I have a tendency to stare at my phone way too much. I feel like that my kids are going to forget what my face looks like and think that my face is the back of my phone. I challenge myself to spend less time with my phone and more time making memories.
Now, you may say, "How does watching a movie constitute making memories?" It's not about the movie; it's about sharing something together. It's about finding common ground and reliving it over and over. It's about talking about it after the movie is over and reminiscing about our favorite parts. Kids will love whatever their parents love because kids want their parents' approval and love. My kids don't have to like everything I do, but I always want them to know that no matter what, they have my love and approval. And, the only way they are going to do that is through time spent together making memories that will last.
I hope that this new year that is coming, we can all unplug a little more and spend more time with those we love and care about. Let's spend time making those memories together. We can share them through our social media tools, but let's make the memories first.
Thanks Star Wars for reminding me of this.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Prayer, What is it good for?
Recently I was visiting my parents in Arkansas. Every time I go to Arkansas, I always have to go see my brother from another mother, Ryan Johnson. We just hang out and talk. We also have to geek out on the latest trailers from movies and even watch a Seinfeld episode or two. We share a common love for Seinfeld. One of our favorite episodes is the Marine Biologist. If you have not seen that episode, you are missing out on one of the funniest television episodes in tv history. In that episode, Elaine is meeting a famous Russian writer with her publishing firm. She tells Jerry about it and they begin talking about Leo Tolstoy. Jerry tells Elaine that Tolstoy's original title for his book War and Peace was War, What is it Good For? Elaine thought he was joking, but he convinced her that he was telling the truth. Later, Elaine is upset with Jerry because she made a fool out of herself in front of this Russian writer because she insisted that what Jerry had told her was true.
Prayer has become like this Seinfeld episode, at least in the eyes of the world. After the incidents in San Bernadino yesterday, some public figures were criticized for tweeting prayers for the victims of the shootings. The headline from the New York Daily News said, "God Isn't Fixing This." It was critique of public officials who are perceived to do nothing but offer up prayers to a God that more and more people don't believe in. The growing consensus is becoming, "Prayer, what is it good for?"
This really made me stop and think this morning as I was reading through social media and reflecting on the changing culture around us. It made think about how I pray and how we are praying as Christians. I thought to myself, "Are we praying to safe?"
Take the refugee controversy for example. We pray for these refugees, but are we praying that God will use us as the Church to be a part of ministering to these refugees? We pray for horrors in our world, but are we praying that God would use us to be a voice of hope and peace?
I think one of the reasons that more and more people are viewing prayer as a negative and powerless thing is because we our prayers are powerless. We pray from a distance and ask God to keep us at a distance. We don't want to be part of the front lines because we like our safe lives. But, is that what we are called to be? Are we called to be safe?
I just finished a book about the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The book also talked about their time in World War I and how those times shaped their great works The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Those stories inspire us because they tell of tales of courage in the face of hopelessness and despair. They tell tales of a lion named Aslan who is not safe, but good and tales of a hobbit who carried a great burden to save the world. What is also so great about these tales is that they are tales of the Christian faith. But, the faith they tell of is not a safe faith. It is a faith that is willing to take action. It is a faith that prays that the great God of the Scriptures will use us to bring hope and peace to a fallen and dark world.
I believe in that God. I believe in praying to that God. I believe in praying that God would use me to be part of His expanding kingdom even if it means that safety is left behind. If we don't start praying to that God with the attitude of "God use me no matter what," then people are going to keep asking the question, "Prayer, what is it good for?" and the answer will be "Absolutely nothing."
Prayer has become like this Seinfeld episode, at least in the eyes of the world. After the incidents in San Bernadino yesterday, some public figures were criticized for tweeting prayers for the victims of the shootings. The headline from the New York Daily News said, "God Isn't Fixing This." It was critique of public officials who are perceived to do nothing but offer up prayers to a God that more and more people don't believe in. The growing consensus is becoming, "Prayer, what is it good for?"
This really made me stop and think this morning as I was reading through social media and reflecting on the changing culture around us. It made think about how I pray and how we are praying as Christians. I thought to myself, "Are we praying to safe?"
Take the refugee controversy for example. We pray for these refugees, but are we praying that God will use us as the Church to be a part of ministering to these refugees? We pray for horrors in our world, but are we praying that God would use us to be a voice of hope and peace?
I think one of the reasons that more and more people are viewing prayer as a negative and powerless thing is because we our prayers are powerless. We pray from a distance and ask God to keep us at a distance. We don't want to be part of the front lines because we like our safe lives. But, is that what we are called to be? Are we called to be safe?
I just finished a book about the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The book also talked about their time in World War I and how those times shaped their great works The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Those stories inspire us because they tell of tales of courage in the face of hopelessness and despair. They tell tales of a lion named Aslan who is not safe, but good and tales of a hobbit who carried a great burden to save the world. What is also so great about these tales is that they are tales of the Christian faith. But, the faith they tell of is not a safe faith. It is a faith that is willing to take action. It is a faith that prays that the great God of the Scriptures will use us to bring hope and peace to a fallen and dark world.
I believe in that God. I believe in praying to that God. I believe in praying that God would use me to be part of His expanding kingdom even if it means that safety is left behind. If we don't start praying to that God with the attitude of "God use me no matter what," then people are going to keep asking the question, "Prayer, what is it good for?" and the answer will be "Absolutely nothing."
Friday, November 20, 2015
From Cups to Refugees
It's funny how quickly things change, but still remain the same at the same time. It's one of life's great paradoxes. Two weeks ago, evangelical Christians thrust themselves into the spotlight once again. Maybe some would say they were forced into the spotlight and if you remember correctly, what forced them into the spotlight was a red cup sold by Starbucks. Those darn cups! How dare they not put the entire Gospel message on their cups so that everyone will know just how merry every Christmas should be! But, then again, they are a company that is about selling coffee not the Gospel.
Then we switched gears when Syrian refugees were trying to come into our country because the President said we should welcome at least 10,000 of them. Evangelicals reacted again with some saying that there is no way we should welcome Syrian refugees because of what happened in Paris. Then some said we should only let Christian refugees and exclude the Muslim refugees.
It seems more and more that evangelicals are being defined for what they are against rather than who they for. Also, we are becoming more and more dependent on the outside world to proclaim the message of Christ for us that we become upset when they don't (even though they were never meant to do it in the first place). The Starbucks cup incident was an incident that should never have happened. Who cares if Starbucks has a red, blue, orange, apricot, or yellow cup at Christmas time? We also like to make it a point to say Merry Christmas to any unsuspecting employee of a chain store who has to say, "Happy Holidays" to us. Have we ever stopped to think that there are some employees who don't want to say, "Happy Holidays," but are doing it because they need the job and they will be fired if they don't? Also, is saying Merry Christmas bringing someone closer to Christ? What I have observed through this incident is that we have become lazy followers of Jesus. We want others to do the work for us. If this is not true, then why do we get so upset when places like Starbucks don't put Merry Christmas on a cup? We are not called to be lazy, but to be ambassadors. Paul said in Acts 20:24, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Paul did not consider living life apart from Christ or doing anything other than testifying to the Gospel worth anything. Paul worked hard at testifying to the Gospel that had saved his life and changed his life. He did not rely on gimmicks, cups, or retail stores to testify; he testified himself through his life and words.
The refugee crisis is not as easy to deal with. There is a legitimate concern about letting refugees in because terrorists could pose as refugees to sneak into this country. But, on the other hand, these are people who need help. They are running for their lives while living in fear that they may never have a place to call home ever again. Imagine that. Imagine if you never had a place to call home ever again. Imagine if you had to live your life on the run with your children, hoping and praying that somebody would help you. I'm not saying that we should open our borders or close them. I am saying that we need to think long and hard about how we can help people who desperately need it. Also, how are Muslims going to know Christ if we say to them at our borders, "Christians only please. Muslims, you are on your own." That's what Jesus did right? Peter told the Gentiles to go home didn't he? Actually, Peter did not treat the Gentiles like he should have and Paul rebuked him for it.
We cannot live in fear and the way some Christians are responding to the refugee crisis is out of fear, understandable fear, but fear nonetheless. Psalm 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" Do you know who wrote that Psalm? King David. Did you know that King David spent his time as a refugee, running for his life from King Saul who wanted to kill him? David spent time among the Philistines, a people not his own. He sought refuge there because Saul and his army were trying to kill him.
The Sons of Korah wrote in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." Did you catch that? God is our refuge. Do you know what that means? We are refugees! God wants to be our place of refuge, and He wants to be the place of refuge for those Syrians who are running for their lives. He wants to be a place of refuge for Syrians Muslims that some Christians don't want to let in this country.
I am not trying to oversimplify the issue, but I am calling us to think a little bit deeper about it. We are called to be different. We are called to live lives of trust in the Almighty God who loves us and cares for us. And, guess what? He loves and cares for those refugees too.
Then we switched gears when Syrian refugees were trying to come into our country because the President said we should welcome at least 10,000 of them. Evangelicals reacted again with some saying that there is no way we should welcome Syrian refugees because of what happened in Paris. Then some said we should only let Christian refugees and exclude the Muslim refugees.
It seems more and more that evangelicals are being defined for what they are against rather than who they for. Also, we are becoming more and more dependent on the outside world to proclaim the message of Christ for us that we become upset when they don't (even though they were never meant to do it in the first place). The Starbucks cup incident was an incident that should never have happened. Who cares if Starbucks has a red, blue, orange, apricot, or yellow cup at Christmas time? We also like to make it a point to say Merry Christmas to any unsuspecting employee of a chain store who has to say, "Happy Holidays" to us. Have we ever stopped to think that there are some employees who don't want to say, "Happy Holidays," but are doing it because they need the job and they will be fired if they don't? Also, is saying Merry Christmas bringing someone closer to Christ? What I have observed through this incident is that we have become lazy followers of Jesus. We want others to do the work for us. If this is not true, then why do we get so upset when places like Starbucks don't put Merry Christmas on a cup? We are not called to be lazy, but to be ambassadors. Paul said in Acts 20:24, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." Paul did not consider living life apart from Christ or doing anything other than testifying to the Gospel worth anything. Paul worked hard at testifying to the Gospel that had saved his life and changed his life. He did not rely on gimmicks, cups, or retail stores to testify; he testified himself through his life and words.
The refugee crisis is not as easy to deal with. There is a legitimate concern about letting refugees in because terrorists could pose as refugees to sneak into this country. But, on the other hand, these are people who need help. They are running for their lives while living in fear that they may never have a place to call home ever again. Imagine that. Imagine if you never had a place to call home ever again. Imagine if you had to live your life on the run with your children, hoping and praying that somebody would help you. I'm not saying that we should open our borders or close them. I am saying that we need to think long and hard about how we can help people who desperately need it. Also, how are Muslims going to know Christ if we say to them at our borders, "Christians only please. Muslims, you are on your own." That's what Jesus did right? Peter told the Gentiles to go home didn't he? Actually, Peter did not treat the Gentiles like he should have and Paul rebuked him for it.
We cannot live in fear and the way some Christians are responding to the refugee crisis is out of fear, understandable fear, but fear nonetheless. Psalm 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" Do you know who wrote that Psalm? King David. Did you know that King David spent his time as a refugee, running for his life from King Saul who wanted to kill him? David spent time among the Philistines, a people not his own. He sought refuge there because Saul and his army were trying to kill him.
The Sons of Korah wrote in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." Did you catch that? God is our refuge. Do you know what that means? We are refugees! God wants to be our place of refuge, and He wants to be the place of refuge for those Syrians who are running for their lives. He wants to be a place of refuge for Syrians Muslims that some Christians don't want to let in this country.
I am not trying to oversimplify the issue, but I am calling us to think a little bit deeper about it. We are called to be different. We are called to live lives of trust in the Almighty God who loves us and cares for us. And, guess what? He loves and cares for those refugees too.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Lessons from recycle day
This morning I volunteered to help out with my son's school fundraiser. The fundraiser was a recycle day when people could bring their old junk that has probably sat in their garages or their yards for years and get rid of it for a donation fee. I said I would volunteer from 8-12 today and it was quite a workout. It was amazing the stuff that people had to get rid of and what else was amazing was some of the things that people were getting rid of. The main thing that people got rid of today was television sets. There were a few flat screens, but most of the sets that were brought were the big, heavy tube sets. You know what sets I'm talking about, the ones that are covered in plastic that don't look heavy until you actually pick them up. Most of the sets that were dropped off had to be lifted by at least of two of us volunteers. It was quite the workout and I go to the gym three days a week.
What struck me about these televisions is that only a decade ago (or maybe a little more) these sets were considered state of the art. These were coveted possessions. One person dropped off one of the first HD tvs that was probably the heaviest one that we lifted today. What once was state of the art was now junk.
When I got home, I was folding some laundry and praying (I do that sometimes not because the laundry is that bad, but it is one of the few quiet moments that I have in the day) and the lesson of the day struck me. I was praying that God would continue to give me and my church wisdom on how to adapt the Gospel to the different people in our community. While I was praying this, I thought about the junk that people brought to get rid of today. I thought that why are we so wise to get rid of the junk that sits in our houses because it is obsolete or not functional, but in the church we hold on to things that clearly are obsolete and are no longer functional? Looking at these televisions, you could not pay someone to take them home and use them today. Why use a heavy, outdated tv when you could buy a new one that is lighter and state of the art? But, when it comes to church, we still like to hold onto our old "tvs" because somewhere in our brains we think they still work.
Discipleship has been on my mind a lot lately. I want to be a disciple who makes disciples. I pray for wisdom to share the Gospel in any way that I can. I pray for wisdom because I know that the presentation has to change depending on the person and circumstance. And, I pray for wisdom because some of the methods I employed in the past may not work anymore. Those methods might be ready for a recycle day or just straight to the junk pile. The message itself does not change, but the methods we employ have to.
I understand why we want to hold onto things. Some things are nostalgic, reminding us of the past. If we let them go, we think that we are letting go of the past. But, there are some things that we need to let go of because they belong in the past. They can't exist in the present or the future because they were meant for the time they existed in. This is why we need to pray for wisdom so that we can know what things belong in the past and what things are timeless. The Gospel is timeless, but some of the ways we have presented the Gospel are not. Some of those methods used to be state of the art, but time has passed them by and that is OK! There are methods we employ now that will be obsolete a few years down the road and that is OK!
Our culture and society is changing rapidly. Generations are changing rapidly. The church is not. We are struggling to catch up. We are trying to hold onto the programs that worked in the past, but maybe it's time to let them go because those programs may be bogging us down and holding us back, keeping us from experiencing what God wants to do through us. I want to be a disciple who makes disciples, no matter what they may look like with any given person or situation. I want to be like Paul and become all things to all men so that they may experience Jesus in a way they will understand.
What "tvs" are you holding onto? Is it time to junk them? Let us listen to the Holy Spirit and be all things to all men.
What struck me about these televisions is that only a decade ago (or maybe a little more) these sets were considered state of the art. These were coveted possessions. One person dropped off one of the first HD tvs that was probably the heaviest one that we lifted today. What once was state of the art was now junk.
When I got home, I was folding some laundry and praying (I do that sometimes not because the laundry is that bad, but it is one of the few quiet moments that I have in the day) and the lesson of the day struck me. I was praying that God would continue to give me and my church wisdom on how to adapt the Gospel to the different people in our community. While I was praying this, I thought about the junk that people brought to get rid of today. I thought that why are we so wise to get rid of the junk that sits in our houses because it is obsolete or not functional, but in the church we hold on to things that clearly are obsolete and are no longer functional? Looking at these televisions, you could not pay someone to take them home and use them today. Why use a heavy, outdated tv when you could buy a new one that is lighter and state of the art? But, when it comes to church, we still like to hold onto our old "tvs" because somewhere in our brains we think they still work.
Discipleship has been on my mind a lot lately. I want to be a disciple who makes disciples. I pray for wisdom to share the Gospel in any way that I can. I pray for wisdom because I know that the presentation has to change depending on the person and circumstance. And, I pray for wisdom because some of the methods I employed in the past may not work anymore. Those methods might be ready for a recycle day or just straight to the junk pile. The message itself does not change, but the methods we employ have to.
I understand why we want to hold onto things. Some things are nostalgic, reminding us of the past. If we let them go, we think that we are letting go of the past. But, there are some things that we need to let go of because they belong in the past. They can't exist in the present or the future because they were meant for the time they existed in. This is why we need to pray for wisdom so that we can know what things belong in the past and what things are timeless. The Gospel is timeless, but some of the ways we have presented the Gospel are not. Some of those methods used to be state of the art, but time has passed them by and that is OK! There are methods we employ now that will be obsolete a few years down the road and that is OK!
Our culture and society is changing rapidly. Generations are changing rapidly. The church is not. We are struggling to catch up. We are trying to hold onto the programs that worked in the past, but maybe it's time to let them go because those programs may be bogging us down and holding us back, keeping us from experiencing what God wants to do through us. I want to be a disciple who makes disciples, no matter what they may look like with any given person or situation. I want to be like Paul and become all things to all men so that they may experience Jesus in a way they will understand.
What "tvs" are you holding onto? Is it time to junk them? Let us listen to the Holy Spirit and be all things to all men.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
#ShoutyourAbortion Continued
When I was in seminary, I took a Christian Ethics class. It was probably one of the best classes in all of my years of seminary and I didn't expect it to be that way. I thought, "What do I need to take a class on Christian Ethics for? I already know what is ethical and what is not." I could not have been more wrong. What that class did was open my eyes to reality. Before that class, I saw things in black and white. Everything had a definite, uniform answer. However, that class showed me that mentality does not always work.
Like I mentioned yesterday, there are times when abortion is not such a black and white issue. In this ethics class, we discussed this idea. The professor posed the question, "Is abortion always wrong?" We began to discuss this and most people in the class said that it was wrong without question. Then the professor posed a scenario to consider, "What about a case where a mother of three is expecting her fourth child and the doctor told her that if she had the baby, her life would be severely threatened." That put a whole new spin on the discussion. Now, we had to consider the health of the mother and not just the health of the child. We also had to think about the health of the husband who could be left to care for his three young children by himself and those children had to grow up without a mother. An abortion would save the mother, but the baby would obviously die. So, what do we do with that?
There are definitely cases where the mother's health is compromised. The doctors run tests and know that if the mother goes through labor and delivery, the mother will likely die and so will the baby. Now, as a Christian, the mother could put her faith in God who can deliver her and the baby from this. But, that is not a guarantee. That may not happen because we do not know the will of God. We trust and put our hope in God, but that does not mean we will get what we want. As we discussed this scenario in my class, we came to the conclusion that if the mother's health was definitely at risk and she had a family to take care of already, then ethically it would be okay to abort the baby to protect the mother and her family. This would be a hard decision and I don't envy anyone who would be in that situation. I bring this up because those who are on the pro-life side have to consider a scenario like this occurring and not see every situation as black and white.
Now, let me address another reason for abortion: rape. That is the most popular answer to justify abortion used by those who support abortion. However, we have to look at the stats. The facts are that only 5% of abortions are due to rape. That is not a big percentage, but that does not mean that it does not happen. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world where people have perverted what God intended for pleasure and procreation. But, does rape justify abortion?
Rape is a horrible crime against someone. There is no excuse for it and should never be justified. Victims of rape are scarred for life and my heart breaks for those who have been raped. With that being said, if a woman is raped and becomes pregnant, I can totally understand why she would want to get rid of that baby. But, will getting rid of the baby get rid of the pain she experienced? Do two wrongs make a right?
I am a pastor who believes wholeheartedly in the God revealed in the Bible. The God of the Bible is all about redemption. Redemption is simply making what was broken new again. That is the whole reason Jesus Christ came to this earth. He came to make our broken relationship with God new again. That relationship was broken when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and they passed that broken relationship down to all of their ancestors. Therefore, we needed God to fix that broken relationship because there was nothing we could do to fix it ourselves. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel who constantly sinned against Him saying, "Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18). God promised to take wrongs and make them right. God is the God of redemption.
Now, back to a woman pregnant by rape. Can't God redeem that situation? What the rapist did is horrible. But, is it the child's fault? No it's not. Now, I'm not saying that it would be an easy decision for a woman to go through this pregnancy because the pregnancy would be a constant reminder of what happened to her. But, what if she did endure it and either kept the baby or gave the baby up for adoption? What if that child had a chance at life and God used that child to redeem a horrible wrong that was done? Again, not trying to oversimplify the situation, but it is something that we have to think about. Rape is horrible, but aborting a baby due to rape does not make it better.
The other reasons for abortion are more black and white issues. The rest of the reasons (and the most common ones) are for reasons of convenience. Women want to end their pregnancies because they can't afford a baby, they are too young to be a mother, a baby will interfere with their lives (school, career), or because the baby is going to have some sort of defect (mental, physical). We can try to justify any of these reasons, but there really is no justification. We have to call these reasons for what they are: selfish. We can say that we can't afford to feed another mouth or our lives are not conducive to a baby or the mother is too young. But, is that the child's fault? Give the child up for adoption. Now, we can say, "But, a lot of children just become wards of the state and never have a chance at any kind of life. Isn't it more merciful to end their life?" Well, let's put it this way. Say you had an accident and were paralyzed from the neck down. You couldn't do anything yourself and had to be taken care of the rest of your life. Wouldn't it be more merciful to kill you than let you live? Not as easy to answer now is it?
How about aborting babies who are going to have deformities or retardation? Is that merciful? I used to work with handicapped people and let me tell you something about them, they were the most heart warming people you could ever be around. I loved being with them every day. I looked forward to hanging out with them. Who are we to say that they aren't "normal" and their lives should be ended before they begin?
What about those babies who are going to be born without arms or legs or both? Check out this website (http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/) to here the story of a man who was born without arms and legs. You'll find that he is thankful his parents gave him a chance and not only them, but thousands more whom he has inspired with his story.
This post is not meant to be political. It's not meant to be the definitive answer to abortion. This will be an ongoing issue in our society. This post is meant to challenge our thinking on both sides of the argument. I believe abortion is more wrong than right. But, I don't believe in demonizing people who go through it. I believe there is always redemption in Jesus Christ. He can redeem a horrible situation and make it good. He can redeem brokenness and make it whole. Instead of seeing #ShoutyourAbortion, I would rather see #ShoutyourRedemption. I want to read stories of things being made new. I want to read stories of life.
Like I mentioned yesterday, there are times when abortion is not such a black and white issue. In this ethics class, we discussed this idea. The professor posed the question, "Is abortion always wrong?" We began to discuss this and most people in the class said that it was wrong without question. Then the professor posed a scenario to consider, "What about a case where a mother of three is expecting her fourth child and the doctor told her that if she had the baby, her life would be severely threatened." That put a whole new spin on the discussion. Now, we had to consider the health of the mother and not just the health of the child. We also had to think about the health of the husband who could be left to care for his three young children by himself and those children had to grow up without a mother. An abortion would save the mother, but the baby would obviously die. So, what do we do with that?
There are definitely cases where the mother's health is compromised. The doctors run tests and know that if the mother goes through labor and delivery, the mother will likely die and so will the baby. Now, as a Christian, the mother could put her faith in God who can deliver her and the baby from this. But, that is not a guarantee. That may not happen because we do not know the will of God. We trust and put our hope in God, but that does not mean we will get what we want. As we discussed this scenario in my class, we came to the conclusion that if the mother's health was definitely at risk and she had a family to take care of already, then ethically it would be okay to abort the baby to protect the mother and her family. This would be a hard decision and I don't envy anyone who would be in that situation. I bring this up because those who are on the pro-life side have to consider a scenario like this occurring and not see every situation as black and white.
Now, let me address another reason for abortion: rape. That is the most popular answer to justify abortion used by those who support abortion. However, we have to look at the stats. The facts are that only 5% of abortions are due to rape. That is not a big percentage, but that does not mean that it does not happen. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world where people have perverted what God intended for pleasure and procreation. But, does rape justify abortion?
Rape is a horrible crime against someone. There is no excuse for it and should never be justified. Victims of rape are scarred for life and my heart breaks for those who have been raped. With that being said, if a woman is raped and becomes pregnant, I can totally understand why she would want to get rid of that baby. But, will getting rid of the baby get rid of the pain she experienced? Do two wrongs make a right?
I am a pastor who believes wholeheartedly in the God revealed in the Bible. The God of the Bible is all about redemption. Redemption is simply making what was broken new again. That is the whole reason Jesus Christ came to this earth. He came to make our broken relationship with God new again. That relationship was broken when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and they passed that broken relationship down to all of their ancestors. Therefore, we needed God to fix that broken relationship because there was nothing we could do to fix it ourselves. God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel who constantly sinned against Him saying, "Come now, let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18). God promised to take wrongs and make them right. God is the God of redemption.
Now, back to a woman pregnant by rape. Can't God redeem that situation? What the rapist did is horrible. But, is it the child's fault? No it's not. Now, I'm not saying that it would be an easy decision for a woman to go through this pregnancy because the pregnancy would be a constant reminder of what happened to her. But, what if she did endure it and either kept the baby or gave the baby up for adoption? What if that child had a chance at life and God used that child to redeem a horrible wrong that was done? Again, not trying to oversimplify the situation, but it is something that we have to think about. Rape is horrible, but aborting a baby due to rape does not make it better.
The other reasons for abortion are more black and white issues. The rest of the reasons (and the most common ones) are for reasons of convenience. Women want to end their pregnancies because they can't afford a baby, they are too young to be a mother, a baby will interfere with their lives (school, career), or because the baby is going to have some sort of defect (mental, physical). We can try to justify any of these reasons, but there really is no justification. We have to call these reasons for what they are: selfish. We can say that we can't afford to feed another mouth or our lives are not conducive to a baby or the mother is too young. But, is that the child's fault? Give the child up for adoption. Now, we can say, "But, a lot of children just become wards of the state and never have a chance at any kind of life. Isn't it more merciful to end their life?" Well, let's put it this way. Say you had an accident and were paralyzed from the neck down. You couldn't do anything yourself and had to be taken care of the rest of your life. Wouldn't it be more merciful to kill you than let you live? Not as easy to answer now is it?
How about aborting babies who are going to have deformities or retardation? Is that merciful? I used to work with handicapped people and let me tell you something about them, they were the most heart warming people you could ever be around. I loved being with them every day. I looked forward to hanging out with them. Who are we to say that they aren't "normal" and their lives should be ended before they begin?
What about those babies who are going to be born without arms or legs or both? Check out this website (http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/) to here the story of a man who was born without arms and legs. You'll find that he is thankful his parents gave him a chance and not only them, but thousands more whom he has inspired with his story.
This post is not meant to be political. It's not meant to be the definitive answer to abortion. This will be an ongoing issue in our society. This post is meant to challenge our thinking on both sides of the argument. I believe abortion is more wrong than right. But, I don't believe in demonizing people who go through it. I believe there is always redemption in Jesus Christ. He can redeem a horrible situation and make it good. He can redeem brokenness and make it whole. Instead of seeing #ShoutyourAbortion, I would rather see #ShoutyourRedemption. I want to read stories of things being made new. I want to read stories of life.
Monday, September 21, 2015
#ShoutyourAbortion
I discovered this hashtag today. Honestly, I was pretty heartbroken over it, especially after I followed it on Twitter and read a few tweets containing the hashtag. I felt the need to write a blog post about this issue. This post is not intended to be political. I am simply analyzing this issue and trying to figure out how we got to this point in our society.
Once I saw this hashtag and researched it briefly, my mind started turning. I started thinking about the fundamental issues involving abortion. Now, for those who know me know that I am very against abortion. But, there are some times when the abortion issue is not as black and white as some make it out to be. But, I will address that issue in a post tomorrow.
The fundamental issue with abortion is the question, "Who has the power to create?" According to society today, we have the power to create, which is true. We do have the power to create. We create buildings, cities, automobiles, computers, pieces of art, clothing, stories, books, blog posts, etc. We have the power to create all of these things and more. And, if we have the power to create these things, we also have the power to destroy these things. We are the creators; therefore, we are also the destroyers because nothing we create is more powerful than we are. That being said, let me ask this question, "Do we have the power to create life?" It's an important question that may appear to have an easy answer, and it does have an easy answer, but it may not be the answer that is of popular opinion. The answer to the question is simply, "No." We do not have the power to create life. Now, some may rebut this statement and say, "Farmers create life with their crops. Or, human beings create life when they have children." But, does a farmer actually create life? Do parents actually create life when they conceive a child? A farmer does get the field ready, plant the seeds, water the seeds, but the farmer does not make the seeds grow. There is nothing a farmer can do to make his crop grow. He can help create an environment that is conducive for plants to grow, but he does not actually have the power to make his crops grow from the seeds he planted.
Let's take parents conceiving a child. Two people who come together, have sexual intercourse, and fertilize an egg contribute to conception, but have no power to make a baby grow from a fertilized egg. If we did have that power, then there would never be miscarriages because we would have the power to correct any problems that might arise.
So, really we have no power to create life whatsoever. This is true whether you believe in God or not. If you believe in God (which I do wholeheartedly), then you believe God created life out of nothing (Genesis 1:1-2). If you don't believe in God, you still have to believe that we had no power in creating life on this earth. Evolutionists will even admit that because they are still trying to discover where life came from. The popular opinion is that life came from primordial ooze that formed over millions of years. Out of that ooze came life. Again, we had nothing to do with it.
When we think that we create life, we also think we have power over that life. Did your parents ever say to you, "I brought you into this world and I can take you right out of it." If our fundamental belief is that we are the creator of life, then we also have to believe that we are the destroyer of life. But, we are not the creator of life so we cannot be the destroyer of life either. Why else do you think it's wrong to murder someone?
Now, this post is not about judging those who have gone through an abortion. This post is to challenge us think deeply about this issue and not just think about the women involved. The women involved are important to this discussion and anyone who disagrees is not considerate. But, the lives of children are involved as well and we have to think about that. We have to consider that life too.
It is heartbreaking to see people celebrating abortion because to me it is a celebration of death not life. There are other options other than abortion that can at least give a child a chance. We need to think about the ramifications of this. We have to stop making this a political issue (on both sides) and start making this about life.
Tomorrow we will look at the reasons for abortion including those gray areas like protecting the life of the mother and rape. Check back tomorrow for that discussion.
Once I saw this hashtag and researched it briefly, my mind started turning. I started thinking about the fundamental issues involving abortion. Now, for those who know me know that I am very against abortion. But, there are some times when the abortion issue is not as black and white as some make it out to be. But, I will address that issue in a post tomorrow.
The fundamental issue with abortion is the question, "Who has the power to create?" According to society today, we have the power to create, which is true. We do have the power to create. We create buildings, cities, automobiles, computers, pieces of art, clothing, stories, books, blog posts, etc. We have the power to create all of these things and more. And, if we have the power to create these things, we also have the power to destroy these things. We are the creators; therefore, we are also the destroyers because nothing we create is more powerful than we are. That being said, let me ask this question, "Do we have the power to create life?" It's an important question that may appear to have an easy answer, and it does have an easy answer, but it may not be the answer that is of popular opinion. The answer to the question is simply, "No." We do not have the power to create life. Now, some may rebut this statement and say, "Farmers create life with their crops. Or, human beings create life when they have children." But, does a farmer actually create life? Do parents actually create life when they conceive a child? A farmer does get the field ready, plant the seeds, water the seeds, but the farmer does not make the seeds grow. There is nothing a farmer can do to make his crop grow. He can help create an environment that is conducive for plants to grow, but he does not actually have the power to make his crops grow from the seeds he planted.
Let's take parents conceiving a child. Two people who come together, have sexual intercourse, and fertilize an egg contribute to conception, but have no power to make a baby grow from a fertilized egg. If we did have that power, then there would never be miscarriages because we would have the power to correct any problems that might arise.
So, really we have no power to create life whatsoever. This is true whether you believe in God or not. If you believe in God (which I do wholeheartedly), then you believe God created life out of nothing (Genesis 1:1-2). If you don't believe in God, you still have to believe that we had no power in creating life on this earth. Evolutionists will even admit that because they are still trying to discover where life came from. The popular opinion is that life came from primordial ooze that formed over millions of years. Out of that ooze came life. Again, we had nothing to do with it.
When we think that we create life, we also think we have power over that life. Did your parents ever say to you, "I brought you into this world and I can take you right out of it." If our fundamental belief is that we are the creator of life, then we also have to believe that we are the destroyer of life. But, we are not the creator of life so we cannot be the destroyer of life either. Why else do you think it's wrong to murder someone?
Now, this post is not about judging those who have gone through an abortion. This post is to challenge us think deeply about this issue and not just think about the women involved. The women involved are important to this discussion and anyone who disagrees is not considerate. But, the lives of children are involved as well and we have to think about that. We have to consider that life too.
It is heartbreaking to see people celebrating abortion because to me it is a celebration of death not life. There are other options other than abortion that can at least give a child a chance. We need to think about the ramifications of this. We have to stop making this a political issue (on both sides) and start making this about life.
Tomorrow we will look at the reasons for abortion including those gray areas like protecting the life of the mother and rape. Check back tomorrow for that discussion.
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