Thursday, December 30, 2004
The Devaluing of Conception, Children and the Elderly
Object 1:
I read in the January ‘05 issue of Discover magazine that covers the “100 Top Science Stories of 2004” that the “FDA Rejects Over-the-counter Sales of Morning-After Pills” called Plan B (page 55). Good news, right? Not according to health care professionals.
“It is morally repugnant, a tragedy for American women, and a stain on the reputation of an agency that calls itself ‘evidence based,’” says Vivian Dickerson, president of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “Accidents happen, coercion happens, and there is a public health imperative not to hold women hostage by hampering them from timely access to postcoital contraception.”
If taken “the morning after”, these pills prevent the fertilized egg (life) from implanting to the uterine wall. The fertilized egg is then discharged or aborted.
David Grimes, vice president of biomedical affairs at Family Health International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina charged that the FDA action was influenced by the efforts of anti-choice Republicans who preach sexual abstinence to prevent pregnancy.
Grimes argues that the policy is detrimental to at-risk teenagers with limited access to medical care. “The irony is that the FDA approved over-the-counter sales of home defibrillators,” he adds. “So a 14-year-old can buy a device to deliver an electric shock to another person, yet she cannot buy 1.5 milligrams of levonorgestrel (the synthetic hormone that prevents the implantation of the fertilized egg) for herself.”
(All italicized words were quotes from the article.)
According to Ms. Dickerson, conception is a mistake. Maybe for the “women…held hostage” by an unwanted pregnancy, but not for God. God is the creator of life. God is the one knitting us together in our mothers’ womb.
Mr. Grimes thinks the “anti-choice Republicans” strong-armed the FDA. And shame on them for preaching abstinence.
These are just two of many that want their cake and want to eat it too. They want to have no ties to their sexual promiscuity. Since when do we not lie in the bed that we make for ourselves? This is not about birth-control, this is about the value of human life (or their lack of). These people would be very happy to put these pills into the hands of every high-schooler. Not only have the “family-friendly” clinics been pushing for high-school girls to gain health-care services (abortions) without having to notify the families, now they want the children to be able to have complete control of aborting the babies at home. When will this stop?
We are in a race to clone humans…but we can’t appreciate the miracles that God performs for us. We are so eager to see our manufactured babies, but God’s babies we throw away. Shame on us.
Object 2:
A couple weeks ago, the guy I work next to says “Troy, come here. You need to see this commercial!” I went over to his computer where he had a video clip ready. The commercial starts out with a nice looking, trendy young man in a grocery store with his young (4-6 year old) son. The son picks up a large bag of candy and throws it into the cart. The man picks it up and puts it back onto the shelf. Not to be defeated, the boy picks it up once again and puts it into the cart. The man puts it back onto the shelf. The boy erupts. He screams…and screams…and screams, and runs through the aisles screaming and throwing things off of shelves. People are staring. He is on the floor kicking and screaming. It shows the disturbed dad. The child seemed to go on forever. At first, I almost got sucked into the sales of the commercial. “What is the problem with this kid…shut him up! That poor dad…” went through my mind. The child’s role in the commercial was meant to grate your very last nerve. It was getting there with me. Just when you thought the kid would never shut up, it showed the dad once more and then it showed the product and sales pitch…Use Condoms.
At that point my heart sank. Once again, this is not an anti-birth control post. What this commercial did was de-valued this young boys life. This commercial was saying that this boys life was a mistake. He was never meant to be in this world. Now look at him. He is a menace. The dad is stuck with a bratty rotten kid for the rest of his life…all because he didn’t use a condom. I think a part of selling of the commercial was feeling sorry for the dad. When will we take responsibility for our selfish actions?
One of the European countries now allows the destruction of a child…a birthed child, up to a certain age if the parents don’t deem it’s life worthy to be lived. More like if it’s going to be an inconvenience to the parents. It starts with pre-birth abortion. Then on to post birth destruction. We are passing our children through the fire to Molech (Lev. 18:21).
Object 3:
On a recent post, my brother commented on a newspaper article he had seen. He got the article for me and I did a bit of research on my own. It appears that a church in Michigan (St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Battle Creek) is selling calendars to raise money for repairs that they need done on the church due to a lightening strike in May. They will also be donating a portion of the money to breast cancer research. The calendar depicts 14 women who attend church there posing nude in the pews as well as various other locations in the church. These women are between the ages of 54 to 82. It says that the ladies’ more socially sensitive spots are obstructed from view. In the research I did, there is a lady and her family who is leaving the church because of this. BRAVO! I pray that she finds a God fearing church. This is the same church who ordained an openly gay man as bishop. People don’t understand why this lady and her family are leaving the church. She is being called narrow-minded and prudish. Why? Because she believes the word of God? Because she knows what’s right and what’s wrong? That she chooses to flee from evil? What slippery slope have we jumped onto? Do these people not have any more sense than this? One lady quoted her grandchild as saying “Not my grandma. Another woman’s grand-daughter would not look at the calendar.” It is unfortunate that their grandchildren have more respect for their bodies than what they do. They have more conviction than what their grandparents do. This is the type of moral decay that you expect in the world…but a church (not THE Church)? I can’t understand the thinking of the leadership or congregation. How can they think that God could be pleased with this?
Who would have ever thought that I might be at a loss for words. I can’t find words that describe what I feel. This is so infuriating, yet so sorrowful. This is (thanks to the media such as the newspaper that this was found in) what the public, secular world sees as the church. What a shame. There is certainly a gap between God and the churches that need to be stood in. Why would people who are truly seeking a relationship with the Lord, something different go to a place so much like the world. So much in and of the world. THE Church should be a refuge. I just don’t understand. Forgive me if this sounds choppy and not thought through. Like I said, I can’t find words that express my emotions. Shame on us, and God forgive us!
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Saturday, December 25, 2004
The Reason for the "Reason for the Season"
I can’t really explain it, but Christmas has kind of lost it’s luster. I don’t view myself as a Scrooge. I can’t exactly put my finger on it. I love to give gifts to my children. They have a great time. Part of it might come from the over-commercialization we’ve done to Christmas (as a nation). I don’t feel we can expect anything less from the un-saved. I don’t (and can’t) fault them. They are completely lost. They will do anything to bring some joy and maybe a bit of religion into their lives once or twice a year. Another part that has been weighing on my mind is the way we remember the “reason for the season”. How we remember when Jesus was born to the virgin Mary. How the wise men and the shepherds came to worship. All very nice things. Those that focus on this are at least making an attempt at bringing the holiday closer to having a Christian theme. Don’t worry, I’m not going to go off on a rant about not celebrating a holiday that has pagan origins. I’m not going to say that we shouldn’t have a tree in our house (although I do think it’s silly to cut down a perfectly fine fur tree to bring it into our house to die for a few weeks). And the only thing I will say about Santa Clause is what a fellow worker (who is quite heathen) of mine said to me. He knows about my faith in God. He also knows that I know he is a heathen. He claims nothing more than that. He came into my work area a couple weeks ago and sat down. “So, Troy…do you lie to your kids about Santa Clause?” That really made me stop and think about two things. First, is he trying to trap me knowing that I believe lying is wrong (which every moral person should believe) but seeing if I would try to justify it and admitting that I do lie to my children in this one small area? And second, here is a man who makes no claims to have any sort of religion, and he knows that “encouraging” your children to believe in Santa is nothing short of lying to your children. It made me think of all of the Christian folk I know who don’t see the harm in telling their children that there is a Santa or Easter Bunny. They tell their children that they shouldn’t lie, but they lie to them in these things. I am a firm believer that if it’s not good for the children, it’s more times than not, not good for the parents. We take a stand on not watching movies that we wouldn’t allow our children to watch. We don’t listen to music that we wouldn’t want our children to listen to. Why is it okay for us to watch a vulgar, violent or sexual movie and not our children? Or listen to music filled with sex, drugs, alcohol and Satanism? Why than is it okay to tell our children that telling a lie will send them to hell only to turn around and say that a fat man in a red suit with flying reindeer flies around the world and delivers presents to every house by slipping down the chimney and slipping back up? I will say once again, the world is watching what we do and say. They are always ready to catch us in hypocrisy. Our children likewise. This is something that has bothered me for a long time. This is not why I’m posting this, though. That was an extra.
The point that I was getting to was leaving Jesus as a baby at this time of year. Keeping Him in the manger. We (for some reason) don’t like to think of Jesus grown up. Then we have to think of the real reason the baby was born into this world. Because we are sinners. Because He gave up His life for us. Because His death makes us feel uncomfortable and unworthy. And I’m an American. Nobody makes me feel unworthy. Everything is fine and dandy, and I want it to stay this way. How dare you bring sorrow into my life. Especially at this time of year. A time of joy and happiness. I think a lot of the problem is that we don’t know the freedom that His death brought. I’m really trying to choose my words wisely. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand what I’m trying to say. I don’t think we know how to handle His death. (Here’s where I might venture out on thin ice.) That is a big problem I had with the Passion of the Christ movie. I did not see it. I had no desire to see it. It’s not that I have a weak stomach (if only some of you knew what I do for a living). When a big production comes out mainstream like that, everyone is on board for it. I think a lot of people came away from the movie with the thought that “this totally innocent man went through a lot of torture….” This is where the thought stops. Yes they had great emotions welling up in their inner beings, but seeing a man brutally beaten will do that to you. Especially if you know the man committed no crime. Did they come away from the movie with the solid realization that He went through that for them? That it was their life and lifestyle that put Him through that? Did they grasp that reality? Or did they say “man, that guy could really take a beating! What a shame.”? I am not condemning or judging anyone that saw the movie. I did not need to. I already had an appreciation for what He did for me without seeing it on a 60 ft. wide screen. I am a visual person. I have pictured what He went through in my mind time and time again. It may not be as graphic as what the movie showed. Like I said, I already have an appreciation for what He did. And I’m sure that Mr. Gibson was well intended when making this movie.
I think these issues have a parallel dilemma. On the one hand, we think we are doing good by sharing the nativity but we are not sharing the reason He came to the earth. It just feels special to have Jesus there in the manger. I like Christmas music. The traditional ones are very sweet. Away in the Manger. Little Drummer Boy. Silent Night. The ones that I especially like are the ones that take Him from the manger through His life, onto His purpose. Read all of the verses of We Three Kings. Just like what I said about the Passion. We shared His brutal death, but we failed to share why He went through that death. And maybe the movie went into more detail than what I was let on to. Feel free to correct me. If a person with no knowledge of Christ at all was to view this film, would they have enough insight after this movie to understand why He went through this and for who? I would hope so. If not, what an opportunity missed.
The next time you are encouraged to remember the “reason for the season”, feel free to think of Jesus in the manger. But don’t ever forget why He came to be in that manger. Never forget the reason for the “reason for the season”.
I know that most of you will not read this before Christmas, but I hope that each one of you has been blessed this holiday season by sharing with friends and family, and most of all blessed by your thoughts and sharing about Jesus. If you might read this on Christmas day, think about and share why Jesus came to the manger to sleep. Why God came to earth. Who He did this for. Feel blessed and know that He loves you!
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
The point that I was getting to was leaving Jesus as a baby at this time of year. Keeping Him in the manger. We (for some reason) don’t like to think of Jesus grown up. Then we have to think of the real reason the baby was born into this world. Because we are sinners. Because He gave up His life for us. Because His death makes us feel uncomfortable and unworthy. And I’m an American. Nobody makes me feel unworthy. Everything is fine and dandy, and I want it to stay this way. How dare you bring sorrow into my life. Especially at this time of year. A time of joy and happiness. I think a lot of the problem is that we don’t know the freedom that His death brought. I’m really trying to choose my words wisely. I don’t want anyone to misunderstand what I’m trying to say. I don’t think we know how to handle His death. (Here’s where I might venture out on thin ice.) That is a big problem I had with the Passion of the Christ movie. I did not see it. I had no desire to see it. It’s not that I have a weak stomach (if only some of you knew what I do for a living). When a big production comes out mainstream like that, everyone is on board for it. I think a lot of people came away from the movie with the thought that “this totally innocent man went through a lot of torture….” This is where the thought stops. Yes they had great emotions welling up in their inner beings, but seeing a man brutally beaten will do that to you. Especially if you know the man committed no crime. Did they come away from the movie with the solid realization that He went through that for them? That it was their life and lifestyle that put Him through that? Did they grasp that reality? Or did they say “man, that guy could really take a beating! What a shame.”? I am not condemning or judging anyone that saw the movie. I did not need to. I already had an appreciation for what He did for me without seeing it on a 60 ft. wide screen. I am a visual person. I have pictured what He went through in my mind time and time again. It may not be as graphic as what the movie showed. Like I said, I already have an appreciation for what He did. And I’m sure that Mr. Gibson was well intended when making this movie.
I think these issues have a parallel dilemma. On the one hand, we think we are doing good by sharing the nativity but we are not sharing the reason He came to the earth. It just feels special to have Jesus there in the manger. I like Christmas music. The traditional ones are very sweet. Away in the Manger. Little Drummer Boy. Silent Night. The ones that I especially like are the ones that take Him from the manger through His life, onto His purpose. Read all of the verses of We Three Kings. Just like what I said about the Passion. We shared His brutal death, but we failed to share why He went through that death. And maybe the movie went into more detail than what I was let on to. Feel free to correct me. If a person with no knowledge of Christ at all was to view this film, would they have enough insight after this movie to understand why He went through this and for who? I would hope so. If not, what an opportunity missed.
The next time you are encouraged to remember the “reason for the season”, feel free to think of Jesus in the manger. But don’t ever forget why He came to be in that manger. Never forget the reason for the “reason for the season”.
I know that most of you will not read this before Christmas, but I hope that each one of you has been blessed this holiday season by sharing with friends and family, and most of all blessed by your thoughts and sharing about Jesus. If you might read this on Christmas day, think about and share why Jesus came to the manger to sleep. Why God came to earth. Who He did this for. Feel blessed and know that He loves you!
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Monday, December 20, 2004
Above and Beyond
Just a couple of quick things I want to mention this morning. These things have been bouncing around in my head for a few weeks. First comes from Daniel 3:
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up
We know the story; the king gets angry, heats the furnace seven times hotter than normal and throws them in. He not only sees the three Hebrew young men but also someone who has the appearance of the son of God. He calls them out of the furnace and…
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
God not only delivered them from the fire, but He went above and beyond what they asked of Him. Their hair was not singed and their clothes did not smell of smoke. I know it sounds kind of small, but it was important enough to make the scriptures. I’m sure it was amazing to the Hebrews and the king!
I asked my wife if she thought that if the Hebrews would not have made the speech about God delivering them from the furnace, would God have delivered them from the furnace? Did He keep them safe in the fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than normal because they made a claim that their God could save them. Did He respond because they put His reputation on the line? She thought that, definitely God would have played it out the same way. I still wonder. I suggested the early martyrs. They were destroyed in various ways, and most of them never made a claim such as this. She brought up an article she read which came from the Martyrs Mirror about a German priest named Leonhard Keyser. This occurred in 1527. He was accused and condemned by a bishop and other priests to be burned. As they were approaching the execution site, he leaned over and plucked a flower. He said “Lord judge, here I pluck a flower; if you can burn this flower and me, you have justly condemned me; but, on the other hand, if you cannot burn me and this flower in my hand, consider what you have done and repent,” The judge got angry and threw “an extraordinary quantity of wood into the fire, in order to burn him immediately to ashes by the great fire.” When the wood was entirely burned up, his body was taken from the fire uninjured. So they built another great fire, his body still uninjured. His hair and nails were browned a bit. The flower was not withered or burned in the least. They chopped up his body and threw it into yet another fire. It came out unconsumed by the fire. Finally, they took the pieces and threw them into the river.
This man also put God on the line. Similar to what Elijah did with the prophets of Baal. Elijah made a claim. God delivered. Not only did He do as Elijah asked, once again He went above and beyond. The fire didn’t only consume the offering, but also the water and the rocks.
Also in Genesis chapters 18 and 19. Abraham begs for God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of ten righteous people. God knew that Abrahams nephew was in Sodom. Even with the deal that God made with Abraham, He still had every right to completely destroy the two cities and everything and everyone in them. It appears that Lot and Lot only was the righteous in the two cities. God never agreed to bring Lot and his family out. He only agreed to not destroying the cities if there were ten righteous. God held to His word and destroyed the cities. Where He went above and beyond is by pulling Lot and his unrighteous family out before He destroyed the cities.
I’ve known about these stories for most of my life. It just amazes me how God can take an old story like this and allow you to look at it in another light. From a different perspective. To His glory. That’s how the Bible stays fresh. I don’t believe we will ever completely grasp the whole scripture. All of it’s meaning and revelations. Even if we memorized the entire book, God still speaks to us differently from the same versus at different times of our lives. Just a little sampling of how God goes above and beyond what we expect when the faithful pray to Him.
Matthew 7:
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up
We know the story; the king gets angry, heats the furnace seven times hotter than normal and throws them in. He not only sees the three Hebrew young men but also someone who has the appearance of the son of God. He calls them out of the furnace and…
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
God not only delivered them from the fire, but He went above and beyond what they asked of Him. Their hair was not singed and their clothes did not smell of smoke. I know it sounds kind of small, but it was important enough to make the scriptures. I’m sure it was amazing to the Hebrews and the king!
I asked my wife if she thought that if the Hebrews would not have made the speech about God delivering them from the furnace, would God have delivered them from the furnace? Did He keep them safe in the fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than normal because they made a claim that their God could save them. Did He respond because they put His reputation on the line? She thought that, definitely God would have played it out the same way. I still wonder. I suggested the early martyrs. They were destroyed in various ways, and most of them never made a claim such as this. She brought up an article she read which came from the Martyrs Mirror about a German priest named Leonhard Keyser. This occurred in 1527. He was accused and condemned by a bishop and other priests to be burned. As they were approaching the execution site, he leaned over and plucked a flower. He said “Lord judge, here I pluck a flower; if you can burn this flower and me, you have justly condemned me; but, on the other hand, if you cannot burn me and this flower in my hand, consider what you have done and repent,” The judge got angry and threw “an extraordinary quantity of wood into the fire, in order to burn him immediately to ashes by the great fire.” When the wood was entirely burned up, his body was taken from the fire uninjured. So they built another great fire, his body still uninjured. His hair and nails were browned a bit. The flower was not withered or burned in the least. They chopped up his body and threw it into yet another fire. It came out unconsumed by the fire. Finally, they took the pieces and threw them into the river.
This man also put God on the line. Similar to what Elijah did with the prophets of Baal. Elijah made a claim. God delivered. Not only did He do as Elijah asked, once again He went above and beyond. The fire didn’t only consume the offering, but also the water and the rocks.
Also in Genesis chapters 18 and 19. Abraham begs for God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of ten righteous people. God knew that Abrahams nephew was in Sodom. Even with the deal that God made with Abraham, He still had every right to completely destroy the two cities and everything and everyone in them. It appears that Lot and Lot only was the righteous in the two cities. God never agreed to bring Lot and his family out. He only agreed to not destroying the cities if there were ten righteous. God held to His word and destroyed the cities. Where He went above and beyond is by pulling Lot and his unrighteous family out before He destroyed the cities.
I’ve known about these stories for most of my life. It just amazes me how God can take an old story like this and allow you to look at it in another light. From a different perspective. To His glory. That’s how the Bible stays fresh. I don’t believe we will ever completely grasp the whole scripture. All of it’s meaning and revelations. Even if we memorized the entire book, God still speaks to us differently from the same versus at different times of our lives. Just a little sampling of how God goes above and beyond what we expect when the faithful pray to Him.
Matthew 7:
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Monday, December 13, 2004
A Pleasant Diversion
My wife brought to my attention an article in “Our Daily Bread”. You know, the little devotional that everybody keeps in their bathroom. It was dated December 11th (last Saturday). It was written by Anne Cetas and was titled A Pleasant Diversion. I want to share the article with you.
Anne says:
A friend was looking for a church to join and told me she had found just what she was looking for: “I like this church because I don’t have to change my lifestyle of partying. It doesn’t make me feel guilty or require anything of me. I feel good about myself when I’m there.”
Her story makes me wonder how many people are in that type of situation. Their “Christianity” is what author W. Waldo Beach calls “a pleasant weekend diversion.”
But is that the kind of life Jesus calls us to? Beach says, “No amount of air-conditioning and pew-cushioning in the suburban church can cover over the hard truth that…discipleship is costly; that, for the faithful, there is always a cross to be carried. No one can understand Christianity to its depths who comes to it to enjoy it as a pleasant weekend diversion.”
Being a Christian means that we know Jesus personally. We have received Him by faith as our Savior from sin, and we present ourselves to Him. We deny our will and choose His instead. He transforms our thinking, our values, and our priorities to reflect what is acceptable to God (Romans 12:1-2).
Is your religion just a pleasant weekend diversion? That’s no substitute for a vital relationship with Jesus!
If I was a better and more tactful writer, those may have been my words exactly. Those have definitely been my thoughts. Once again, it goes back to being entertained. Entertained and reassured. Reassured that Jesus loves you…just as you are. No need to clean up to come in here. It’s all grace in here. We accept you as clean or as dirty as you want to be. You have problems…we have problems. Hooked on porn?...who are we to judge? Adultery?…nobody’s perfect! We all fall down…you just get back up; again and again and again and again…
Are we taking the Body of Christ seriously? How many people go to church on Sunday to pacify their conscience? How many people work in the church because they’re a good speaker…or it pays good money…or because daddy was a preacher…or to pacify their conscience? How many actually have a passion or a fire for the Lord? How many want to touch the lost souls? How many workers in the church evangelize outside of the church? I’m not talking this small blog spot either. Do you talk to people at the store about the Lord? Or is it like a lab coat? You don’t put it on until you’re at work. I know I’m guilty of not evangelizing like I should. I used to use the excuse that my life reflects my walk. They can see my Lord through letting the little old lady go ahead of me at the bank. Or putting the old man’s cart away for him. These are good things to do. But, I have met heathens that will do the same things. They are heathens with manners, that’s all.
I’m not a preacher, but I can see the state of the church. It’s withering. Many in numbers. I don’t like to judge a church by it’s numbers, but when you step into a small church and can feel/see the dissention and bitterness. When you get to know a few people and hear the back-biting. It’s no wonder we wither. There’s no love; there’s no fellowship; there’s no truth of the Word.
Then you go to the bigger, entertaining churches. There’s no Spirit. There’s a good speaker and a great music ministry. No substance. No commitment.
I guess the point of this post goes back to the falling down analogy. Rather than encouraging to watch where you step so you don’t fall down; rather than calling the porno sites, magazines and movies what they are…sin, death and destruction; rather than calling wrong, wrong and right, right; rather than striving to dump the sin and strongholds in our lives, we say that “life happens”. Accept it, get up and go on…but be prepared to fall again. Yes, God is a merciful God. He does forgive the sins of a REPENTANT man. But, a repentant man turns away from his sin. He doesn’t turn right back into it; knowing God will always give him another chance. At what point does God turn you over to your reprobate mind (Romans 1:28)? After you fall into the same sin three times? Four times? Ten times? Why take the chance of reaching the point of no return? At some point, God will allow your heart to get hard to your sin. Grief and sorrow will no longer follow after your sin. At that point, I believe you are lost.
It’s time Christians act like their name suggests’…Christ like. Allow God to challenge you. Get into a church that still calls a sin a sin (if you can find one). Get into the Word. Get out of the comfort zone. God will work on your heart if you allow Him to. He will draw you out of your sin…if you allow Him to. Allow Him to.
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Anne says:
A friend was looking for a church to join and told me she had found just what she was looking for: “I like this church because I don’t have to change my lifestyle of partying. It doesn’t make me feel guilty or require anything of me. I feel good about myself when I’m there.”
Her story makes me wonder how many people are in that type of situation. Their “Christianity” is what author W. Waldo Beach calls “a pleasant weekend diversion.”
But is that the kind of life Jesus calls us to? Beach says, “No amount of air-conditioning and pew-cushioning in the suburban church can cover over the hard truth that…discipleship is costly; that, for the faithful, there is always a cross to be carried. No one can understand Christianity to its depths who comes to it to enjoy it as a pleasant weekend diversion.”
Being a Christian means that we know Jesus personally. We have received Him by faith as our Savior from sin, and we present ourselves to Him. We deny our will and choose His instead. He transforms our thinking, our values, and our priorities to reflect what is acceptable to God (Romans 12:1-2).
Is your religion just a pleasant weekend diversion? That’s no substitute for a vital relationship with Jesus!
If I was a better and more tactful writer, those may have been my words exactly. Those have definitely been my thoughts. Once again, it goes back to being entertained. Entertained and reassured. Reassured that Jesus loves you…just as you are. No need to clean up to come in here. It’s all grace in here. We accept you as clean or as dirty as you want to be. You have problems…we have problems. Hooked on porn?...who are we to judge? Adultery?…nobody’s perfect! We all fall down…you just get back up; again and again and again and again…
Are we taking the Body of Christ seriously? How many people go to church on Sunday to pacify their conscience? How many people work in the church because they’re a good speaker…or it pays good money…or because daddy was a preacher…or to pacify their conscience? How many actually have a passion or a fire for the Lord? How many want to touch the lost souls? How many workers in the church evangelize outside of the church? I’m not talking this small blog spot either. Do you talk to people at the store about the Lord? Or is it like a lab coat? You don’t put it on until you’re at work. I know I’m guilty of not evangelizing like I should. I used to use the excuse that my life reflects my walk. They can see my Lord through letting the little old lady go ahead of me at the bank. Or putting the old man’s cart away for him. These are good things to do. But, I have met heathens that will do the same things. They are heathens with manners, that’s all.
I’m not a preacher, but I can see the state of the church. It’s withering. Many in numbers. I don’t like to judge a church by it’s numbers, but when you step into a small church and can feel/see the dissention and bitterness. When you get to know a few people and hear the back-biting. It’s no wonder we wither. There’s no love; there’s no fellowship; there’s no truth of the Word.
Then you go to the bigger, entertaining churches. There’s no Spirit. There’s a good speaker and a great music ministry. No substance. No commitment.
I guess the point of this post goes back to the falling down analogy. Rather than encouraging to watch where you step so you don’t fall down; rather than calling the porno sites, magazines and movies what they are…sin, death and destruction; rather than calling wrong, wrong and right, right; rather than striving to dump the sin and strongholds in our lives, we say that “life happens”. Accept it, get up and go on…but be prepared to fall again. Yes, God is a merciful God. He does forgive the sins of a REPENTANT man. But, a repentant man turns away from his sin. He doesn’t turn right back into it; knowing God will always give him another chance. At what point does God turn you over to your reprobate mind (Romans 1:28)? After you fall into the same sin three times? Four times? Ten times? Why take the chance of reaching the point of no return? At some point, God will allow your heart to get hard to your sin. Grief and sorrow will no longer follow after your sin. At that point, I believe you are lost.
It’s time Christians act like their name suggests’…Christ like. Allow God to challenge you. Get into a church that still calls a sin a sin (if you can find one). Get into the Word. Get out of the comfort zone. God will work on your heart if you allow Him to. He will draw you out of your sin…if you allow Him to. Allow Him to.
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Friday, December 10, 2004
THE Church
My mom and I were talking the other day about church. It was kind of mutually agreed upon that there was no perfect church. There’s even a saying that goes: “Even if there was a perfect church, it wouldn’t be perfect as soon as you stepped in through the door.” And for our fleshly minds to comprehend, the perfect church is subjective to the viewer. What might make a church perfect in my eyes you might think is wrong and so on. After the conversation was over and mom went home it hit me. There is a perfect church. From our point of view here on earth; when we look around laterally we see no perfect churches. Each one is tainted with something. Notice my wording…churches. Now look at it from God’s point of view. He doesn’t see us congregation by congregation. We might have a completely lousy church next door with one on fire genuine Christian family. This family is part of THE Church. The church across town has two families who are seeking….really seeking. They are part of THE Church. One might be Baptist, the other Methodist.
Christ is preparing a perfect Bride for Himself. We will either be a part of the perfect Bride (THE Church) or we can enjoy our churches full of entertainment and complacency. There will be ONE perfect Church called up to heaven. It will not all be from one congregation, or one denomination or from one country. Seekers from all around the world from every walk of life make up that Church. The word church means ‘the called out’. Not ‘called out of our homes on Sundays and Wednesdays’. There’s more to it than sitting through church service. We are called out. Called out of this world. Called out of our fleshly thinking. Called out of our un-righteous living. Called out of our sinful lifestyles. We all know the story that not everyone that calls “Lord, Lord” will enter. Our churches are full of those calling “Lord, Lord”. Christ is coming back for a perfect Church. Made up of holy and righteous people (made so by the cleansing of His blood). Cleaning up your life is not a one time thing. Just because you accepted Christ and were even baptized…this is not a free ticket. Christ is looking for people willing to keep being cleansed. The process continues. And Christ is doing the work…if we allow Him to.
Ephesians 5
25 …even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
I hope you’re in THE Church and not just a church.
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Christ is preparing a perfect Bride for Himself. We will either be a part of the perfect Bride (THE Church) or we can enjoy our churches full of entertainment and complacency. There will be ONE perfect Church called up to heaven. It will not all be from one congregation, or one denomination or from one country. Seekers from all around the world from every walk of life make up that Church. The word church means ‘the called out’. Not ‘called out of our homes on Sundays and Wednesdays’. There’s more to it than sitting through church service. We are called out. Called out of this world. Called out of our fleshly thinking. Called out of our un-righteous living. Called out of our sinful lifestyles. We all know the story that not everyone that calls “Lord, Lord” will enter. Our churches are full of those calling “Lord, Lord”. Christ is coming back for a perfect Church. Made up of holy and righteous people (made so by the cleansing of His blood). Cleaning up your life is not a one time thing. Just because you accepted Christ and were even baptized…this is not a free ticket. Christ is looking for people willing to keep being cleansed. The process continues. And Christ is doing the work…if we allow Him to.
Ephesians 5
25 …even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
I hope you’re in THE Church and not just a church.
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
Friday, December 03, 2004
The Lost Sheep
Once again, an apology for not posting regularly. I will briefly explain. God has been trying to tell me something lately. I haven't heard it. More likely, I haven't been listening. I really love blogging, but somehow it started consuming all of my time in the mornings. I used to get up and spend time with the LORD in prayer and study. Since taking up this blog, I have been neglecting this time. This week of non-blogging has been one of the greatest weeks I've had in a long time. Not because I'm not blogging, but because I have rekindled my relationship with the LORD. That's what the LORD was trying to tell me. "Troy, I miss you. I miss the fellowship we used to have in the morning. Where are you?" He found me!! Praise God, He still seeks the one sheep gone astray! Sorry He had to leave you (the 99) to find me...but we rejoice together!! Kind of sappy, I know. Seriouisly, though. Until I can find a way to balance my time a little better, blogging might be slow. Maybe it will be in the evenings. I still have got a lot to say!
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
God Bless!
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Heb. 12:14
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