Drawing The Line

One of the hardest things in the world to do is “be in the world, but not of it”.

As a follower of Jesus for the last 19 years it’s been a constant struggle to find balance with the role of all that this world has to offer while living faithfully and whole-heartedly for Jesus.

It’s easy to see why so many people turn to legalism to combat compromise, because it’s so easy to settle with the extremes. It’s so easy to just say, “abstain” instead of exercise discipline and live in balance or moderation.

All this said the real thing weighing on my heart is the fact that as Christians, sooner or later we will have to draw the line. We will have to choose what, where, how, how far, and so on. We’ll have to take a stand on what is acceptable, right, pure, enough, honoring to the Lord, and true to Biblical standards and we’ll have to take a stand on what is unacceptable, wrong, impure, not-enough, dishonoring to God, and compromising to Biblical Standards.

As a Christian who deeply loves Jesus and passionately desires to live for and please Him I am finding myself in a battle.

I see this world constantly trying to woo me, constantly trying to win my attention and affection. I feel it’s pull and hear it’s rational behind every argument to justify compromise, but in my heart I can not accept. I must draw the line.

I know there will be many who don’t see eye to eye with where I draw my line. I know that many think of me as quite liberal because I tend to be pretty flexible about personal convictions that do not directly/clearly contradict or disobey scripture. I tend to have a “Redemptive” approach to the things of this world, taking that which was meant for evil and using it for good, but even that we must be careful with. There are obvious things that are beyond redemption, just like the devil.

I’m regularly challenged by Psalm 106:35-39 35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. 36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. 39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.

I want to break it down a little.

35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
How have we mingled? Mingling can’t be wrong, because how else are we to reach them, but it’s the next part that gets us, “Adopted”. How have we adopted their customs? What customs have we adopted that contradict scripture (regarding family, relationships, pleasure, wealth, entertainment, morality, speech, attitudes, church, spiritual disciplines, etc.)?

36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
What idols of the culture/world have we worshiped? Remember, worship isn’t singing songs to the idol or bowing down to a statue. True worship is a life lived to pursue or gain; it’s a lifestyle. If we look at our calendar or checkbook we may be surprised to see what our lifestyle proves that we truly live for, what we pursue most, spend our lives on.

37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
How many Christians have joined the world in sacrificing their children/family for personal gain or gratification. No, we may not be shedding blood, but we are still contributing to the harm of our children’s spiritual, behavioral, social, and other developments.

38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
Regardless of the fact that we’ve not killed our children physically, many are certainly contributing to their spiritual death and the negative ripple effects from that child’s life into the lives of others as they engage in unhealthy behaviors and attitudes.

While each child will ultimately grow up and be held accountable by God and man for their personal choices, the scripture is clear that God will hold us parents responsible too.

39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
Our misbehaviors are not seen as okay in the eyes of God, they defile us.

Defile is a word we don’t use much. It means to be ruined, spoiled, violated, tainted, made unclean, impure, or polluted.

We make our lives spoiled (unusable) by engaging in compromise. Imagine pitcher of lemonade with one drop of dog pee in it. Would you drink it? How many drops of dog pee are too many? Where do you draw the line on when the lemonade is polluted and undrinkable?

Where do you draw the line? I don’t have the answer for everything, but I do know that for a long time as a baby Christian I was always asking the question: “How close to sin can I get before I actually sin?” but I never found the answer. Then one day God convicted me and told me I was asking the wrong question. The question is not, “How close can I get to sin before I actually sin?” but rather, “How close can I get to God in this and every area of my life?”

Because we are in a constant state of transformation with the final goal being like Jesus, I believe the line is constantly moving, not back and forth (that means we are floundering and sometimes pulling away from God) but rather constantly and consistently toward Jesus.

I believe there is a clear right and wrong on many things and there are other issues that are more gray, but in it all the key issue is our heart.

Is our heart open to God bringing the change He wants to bring into our life? Is our hearts desire to please, love, honor, and pursue God? Is He my number one ambition and pursuit? Do I worship (live for) Him or do I say “I believe/love Jesus”, but really still chase after the things of this world?

I don’t want to be a prostitute in the eyes of God. Prostitution is not just sex for hire; it is the selling of ones self for anything that is immoral, base, unworthy, lowly, or ungodly.

I don’t want to sell my soul, my family, or my family’s souls for material gain, physical gratification, or anything else that this temporary world has to offer.

Outside The Box

So, I was putting my kids to bed after our prayers and Bible reading and they bombarded me with all their spiritual questions like they always do (so they can stay up later) and we got onto the discussion of why God answered my prayers for a certain situation one way, but then didn’t answer them the same way in a similar situation, but instead answered the prayer in a completely different way.

It made me think about the series we are doing at church right now through the Christmas season, called “Ordinary”. We’re looking at the fact that God is in the business of taking ordinary people and circumstance and doing extraordinary things. In other words, God loves to “play outside the box.”

We all have a box, a set of boundaries and parameters that limit who God is and how God works. We all have this understanding and list of expectations of what we think God is like, how He would or would not do things, and so on. What I have found is that God likes to frequently do things outside of the parameters of what I know, understand, and am comfortable with. He loves to break out of the limitations and restrictions I tend to place on Him in my life and the world. The question is… Why? Does he just do it because He can? Is He a show off? Is there a reason for it? Yes. I’ll explain, but before I do, let me prove first that God likes to play outside the box.

1Corinthians 1:20, 27-31 20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

If ever it’s taught that God likes to work out of the box it is here in this scripture. Why? Partly to “show off”, to display His greatness, power, and wisdom, partly because He can and wants to so that our lives can be better, and partly because He wants us to see we can’t do it on our own, we need Him, and He alone is the answer.

We see all these things here, plus in other scriptures that reference God’s miracles as “signs and wonders”. What is a sign? It’s a message that “shows off” something good about a thing or place to get your attention so you’ll partake. It’s not the real thing, but it points you to the real thing.

God frequently defies our natural logic, understanding, comfort zone, and ways of doing things.

He calms storms with a word. He walks on water and enables others to do so. He casts demons out of people with a word. He made a lame man walk with a word. He healed a blind man by putting mud made of spit and dirt on the guys eyes. He enabled one disciple to survive boiling vats of oil without any harm, while He led another to lay down his life and be crucified for the faith. He provided for His servant through ravens. He cause a jar of oil to not run out for a very long time. He made an ax head float. He had His servant marry a prostitute. He had His servant lay naked for years on one side, only to tell him to flip and do it on the other side for a while. He used a pagan king to execute His judgment. He parted the Red Sea so His people could pass through on dry ground. He caused a virgin to be pregnant without the involvement of a man. He established His rule as King of the universe by entering our world as a humble servant and sacrifice.

Here’s another example of God playing out of the box.

Job 33:14 For God does speak—now one way, now another— though man may not perceive it.

As I understand this scripture, it’s not that God doesn’t talk/speak, it’s that He doesn’t do it the same way each time and thus many don’t hear Him, perceive Him speaking, or get the message.

Again we see God playing outside the box, not wanting to be stuck in the limitations of what we can fathom, understand, or are comfortable with.

Why?

Partly because of all we addressed earlier, but another reason is because God wants us to not only stand in awe of Him, but also trust Him and be passionate about Him.

God doesn’t want to have a formula that we just go through and begin to take Him for granted. God doesn’t want us to think we’ve got Him all figured out. He wants us to stay in a place of love, awe, trust, and dependence. He doesn’t want us to get stagnant and loose our passion for Him.

God is a person, not a vending machine. We have a tenancy to forget that, and so our “prayer lives” typically become the approach to the machine and the deposit of the money and the pressing of the buttons to get what we want.

God wants our “prayer lives” to be a conversation, and our lifestyle to be in “relationships” with Him. Yes, He wants to bless us and do things for us, in us, and through us, but in the context of relationship, not ritual or mechanism. And when God does do “His thing” in our lives He wants to do it His way and He wants us to trust Him that His way is the BEST way. It will be bigger and better than anything that we could do on or own or ask Him to do for us, but our way.

As I look back over my life of following Jesus I first have to say thank you to God for all the times He DIDN’T answer my prayers the way I wanted Him to. I thought I knew, but man I didn’t have a clue. Praise God He answered my prayers His way. Secondly I have to say that it is in those experiences of God answering my prayers His way that I’ve experienced the great adventure and joy of following Jesus. This things is so much bigger and more amazing and more awesome than we understand.

So, we may not always understand, or be comfortable, but we can always trust and follow knowing that God loves to play outside the box impressing His people and the world, wooing our hearts, and making this relationship the most exciting thing in the Universe for all eternity!

Missing The Promise

As we enter into the Christmas Season we talk about so many different aspects of the coming of the promised Savior of the world, the Messiah (Christ), God in the flesh.

We talk about God’s love being demonstrated. We talk about the humility of God, the Grace of God, the purpose of His coming, and many other things.

One thing that we often touch on, but never really address is… How could the Jewish people miss the very promise they were waiting for so eagerly? When they have the same prophetic scriptures (the Old Testament) that we have, when they made it their custom for each male to memorize the Scriptures by a certain age, and when they had religious leaders who studied the scriptures daily and taught them regularly, how could they not recognize their God in the flesh? How could they not recognize the manifestation of the promise that they clung to so tightly?

The Jewish nation was regularly, due to their unfaithfulness to God, overcome by foreign kingdoms. At the time of Christ’s coming they were occupied by the Roman Empire. They were praying for, believing for, and eagerly watching for the coming of their King, Messiah/Christ, and Savior. Yet, when He came not only did they not recognize Him (the Promise of God manifest), but they rejected Him and killed Him. Why?

I believe that the reason is very similar to why we often times fail to recognize God’s blessings (in the various forms they come in) in our life.

I don’t think the issue is ignorance. Most people of God know enough to know there is a promise, to ask and believe for the promise, and to watch for it.

I don’t think the issue is lack of adherence to religion. Most people of God who take it serious are faithful in their attending worship services at least and maybe studying scripture, praying, etc.

I think the issue is a few things…

1) I think the biggest thing is they put God in a box. They limited how God would fulfill His promise to how they thought He should fulfill it. They limited God’s promise to their narrow understanding of what it was. They had a picture in their minds of what and how and when it didn’t line up with that, rather than saying, “We missed it, we’re wrong! This is it!” they rejected the real thing and said, “This isn’t it. We’ll wait until God gets it right, until it’s the way and how we think it should be.”

How often do we limit God’s blessings/promises in our lives? How often do we end up rejecting that manifest blessing/promise, thus resisting God and His work in our life, in order to hold out for something in the method and form we think it should be.

2) I think they were proud and thus stiff-necked, about what they thought they knew. They were inflexible, unteachable, and unwilling to admit they were wrong or didn’t understand and then change.

This unwillingness to be shaped and molded, this unwillingness to be teachable and recognize that we don’t know it all, and even what we think we know may only be a small fragment of a much larger picture that will require us to change some things as we gain a more fuller understanding, this unwillingness to change when we’re wrong or when God wants to work outside the box of what we understand, what is convenient, and what is comfortable is sin and robs us and others of God’s best, His blessings/promises as He sees best to give them.

3) I think they were too busy with their own agenda. The were so busied with practicing a dead religion/covenant that God said was over, that they had no time to work with God in this new thing He was doing.

How often do we cling to dead things that are not producing? Maybe they worked in the past, but they aren’t today. How often do we cling to things because it’s what we know or prefer and are comfortable with? How often are we busied by the things of this world, even by religious activities, that we aren’t available to work with God on what He is doing? Thus we go about doing something for God rather than with God, spending our time, money, and energy in things that He’s not even a part of.

4) We know they were living a less than wholly devoted life to the Lord. Jesus regularly referred to them as hypocrites. We know they taught and practice one thing publicly, but privately they lived out something different. It’s not that they didn’t believe in God, but they didn’t walk in the Fear/Honor of God.

This lack of integrity in their faith/spirituality placed them at odds with God rather than coworkers and friends with God. This half-hearted approach to walking with God left them in a place where they had false security, thinking they were right with God, thinking they knew, when in fact they were neither right with God or right in what they thought they knew.

A lack of integrity in our walk with God puts us in the same position. We can lie to others and deceive them, we can even lie to and deceive ourselves, but we can never lie to and deceive God. He knows what we do and say in all places, not just church and around certain believers. He knows what we really think and feel in spite of what front we may put up to cover it.

5) They didn’t have that authentic, intimate, and passionate relationship with God and because they didn’t walk with God faithfully everyday, they were not in the position to really hear from Him and recognize His activity, what He was up to, and in fact they didn’t even recognize Him. They went through all the right motions, but what they had was a substitute for the real thing. They had religion and ritual, but they missed the whole point of this creation… relationship with God.

Relationship isn’t easy and to have a happy, healthy, passionate, and thriving relationship it takes work, investment, and sacrifice. It is for these reasons that many settle for less in their earthly marriage relationships and it’s why many Christians settle for less in their spiritual relationship with God. We think it requires to much from us, we think it costs to much, we want something and don’t want to give it up (we’re selfish). But the fact is, lack of quality relationship with God is probably the key reason we are robbed of God’s best in our life. It’s probably the key reason we don’t hear from God and experience God like He says He wants us to and that we should.

I realize that all 5 of these issues are connected and overlap; yet each one is a specific issue that we must take to heart and take to God.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to become confident in where I am and miss where God wants to take me. I don’t want to become cemented in what little I know and miss the more God wants to teach me. I don’t want to be praying for the blessings/promises of God and then miss them when He gives them to me. I don’t want to think I’m all right with God, but in reality be in a disjointed or even broken relationship with Him.

I want to become all God made me to be. I want to experience all God has for me to experience. I want to walk with God, know God, know His ways, and work with Him in what He is doing and how He is doing it, breaking free from my natural standard of living and break into a supernatural way of life.

Love Of The Truth

At Open Arms Community Church we’ve been going through a series called “Growing Closer To God”. Last weekend we discussed the topic of how studying God’s Word (the Bible) grows us closer to God.

We saw many warnings in the scripture about deceiving spirits at work in our world and deceptive teachings that will come. We also saw the antidote for the rampant deception in our world, a love of/for the truth.

When we use that phrase “love of/for the truth” we are to understand first that this has always been God’s expectation, that what we do in pursuing Him and obeying Him would be motivated by a loving relationship not religious duty. That’s the first and greatest command, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength”.

We are also to understand that true love compels us to pursue. If we really “love” then we feel compelled. Whether you say, “I love my wife” or “I love ice cream”. Either way you feel compelled by that affection/affinity to pursue them.

You have to wonder what many Christians have in this Christian Faith, relationship or religion, because so many seem so unmotivated in pursuing God (reading His Word, obeying His Word, spending time with Him in prayer, and spending time with fellow saints).

So many seem to “Believe” in God/Jesus and do the obligatory “church attendance” (sometimes), but seem to resent the imposition that Jesus and His commands make on their lifestyle. They seem to have thought that following Jesus would simply be adding a little bit of religious duty to their pre-existing lifestyle, but Jesus tells us He came to give a whole new way of life (not just a few religious habits), so we should understand that there will not just be a few changes to our way of life, but a completely different way of life.

In following Jesus we may stay at the same place of work, but we may not. We may stay in the same geography, but we may not. God has a way of taking those who follow Him and changing their life drastically.

Why do some seem to have these powerful life changing experiences for life long and others not? Why do some seem so easily moved off coarse, but others are more stable and stay on track? The answer is simpler than we think.

In 2Thessalonians 2:1-10 we find God warning us that as the clock of earths existence winds down there will be an increase of deception. Spirits and spiritual teachers will come try to teach things that sound, feel, smell, and seem good, right, and true, but in fact are wrong, dangerous, and destructive.

God tells us in these verses that the people being deceived and ruined by the deception will go from bad to worse simply because of one thing… they did not love the truth. As we reject or just take lightly the truth, the easier we swallow satan’s lies and the harder it can be come to swallow God’s word.

That is the second thing we need to learn from this phrase “love of/for the truth”.

Jesus tells us His “word is truth”, that His word is “flawless and eternal”, and that those who “hear it and do what it says” are blessed, but those who “hear it and do not do what it says” fall under a lack of blessing, a curse, even destruction”. (Matthew 7)

The availability of God’s Word, especially to us in America and those with regular internet access, makes this truth all the more convicting and us all the more accountable/responsible to God for how seriously and diligently we pursue God and His truth.

God is at work in our world. He is moving and doing awesome things, but so is the devil, and unfortunately to many Christians are buying satan’s lies and living a less than Christian life; A life of which I do not know for sure the final outcome.


So, what do we do?

First, 2Timothy 2:15 tells us to “do your best to show yourself approved” or “diligently study to show yourself approved” by God in “rightly handling the word of truth”. Do we “rightly handle” the word? Not only are we to handle it “rightly” by understanding it accurately, but we’re also to handle it “rightly” by actually handling it, using it, not letting it sit on our shelf or the back of our toilet collecting dust.

Second, as we feed on this Word of Truth we will fulfill God’s command to “grow in the grace and KNOWLEDGE of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” 2Peter 3:18

Thirdly, we must understand that there will be things in the Bible we don’t understand at first, but the more we read it and the more we live it, the more we will understand, but even after decades of following Jesus and studying the word of God, there is much we still don’t fully understand, so what do we do.

Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us the knowledge that is hidden belongs to God (that is His business), but the knowledge that is revealed (understood by men) is given to us so that we may do what it says, in other words OBEY IT.

If we do these things we will be blessed and are true disciples/followers of Jesus. If we do not do these things we are easy prey for satan and his minions, we are going to experience less than God’s best in life, and we may not be authentic disciples/followers of Jesus (we may fall into the category of simply believing in God, but still on our way to hell with satan who also believes in God. James 2).

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/967870/love_of_the_truth.html?cat=34

The Other Side Of Spiritual Warfare

There is much discussion in sermons and books on the subject of spiritual warfare. When the phrase is used the first things that come to mind are the devil and demons sneaking around doing bad things to us, or maybe motivating non-Christians to mistreat us, or maybe even orchestrating tragic circumstances. While all these may be a huge part of spiritual warfare there are two other sides of the spiritual warfare cube that are not talked about much, but we must understand if we’re going to persevere and win the battles we will most certainly face as we do God’s work.

The first “Other Side” I want to address is the side where “Christians” are used by the enemy. Christians that are well-meaning, but very misguided.

We don’t hear to often about this, but the reality is that Christians can oppose us. Fellow Christians can be the tool of the enemy against us. We see this exemplified in the book of Acts where the circumcised brothers (Christians) were coming against the Apostle Paul and his ministry to the uncircumcised brothers (Christians).

Not only did they not like that Paul was reaching out to them with the Gospel, but once that ministry was accepted and approved, the circumcised believers had the expectation that these new uncircumcised believers would get circumcised and when Paul taught against it, these circumcised believers got all nasty with Paul.

We see Paul teaching us in 2Timothy (in Vs 10 & 14 we see that Paul is writing about Christians) 22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Note Vs 26 “the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Paul tells Timothy that there will be Christians (the elect) who will quarrel with and oppose him and he tells Timothy that these people are in the devils trap and are the devils captive to do his (the devil’s) will.

Fellow Christians, influenced by satan, fueled by pride, selfishness, worldliness, fear, prejudice, and so on can become quarrelsome, argumentative, and even oppose (resist) us and the work the Lord has us doing.

We may find ourselves at odds with a dear brother or sister in the Lord. We may find them saying and doing the most unbelievable things to us. They may speak evil, they may try to divide, and even purposefully hurt (emotionally or physically or financially).

We’re taught that we are to love these people, bless (not curse), forgive, gently instruct, and pray for these people to come to their senses and escape satan’s trap.

I can tell you from personal experience this is a very painful aspect of spiritual warfare; people who say “Love ya, brother!” turning around and being nasty or just abandoning the relationship.

We must be ready for this and ready to respond in a Christ-like manner.

Now, the second “other side” of spiritual warfare (perhaps as painful or more painful than the first), the side of Me.

That’s right! If a Christian can become influenced by satan and fueled by pride, selfish ambition, worldliness, fear, prejudice, and so on to the point of becoming quarrelsome, argumentative, and even resistant (opposing) to other Christians, then I, as a Christian, could be one of these. I could step into satan’s trap.

We hate to hear it, but the truth is that if we’re not humbly submitted to Jesus and His way of doing things and regularly checking ourselves we can get off coarse and start making decisions that put us at odds with God and other Christians doing Gods work. It’s this case where the old saying is true, “I’m my own worst enemy.”

The sad thing is, this side of spiritual warfare is the least understood and accepted. We like to be able to blame the devil for all that’s going, or non-Christians, or even other Christians, or at the least God, but not me. Surely I’m not my problem. Surely it’s not my attitude, words, or actions that are the cause of my problems. Surely I’ve not opened the door for the enemy to come in and work havoc.

It’s the hardest thing in the world to take personal responsibility and acknowledge that by our choices we’ve partnered/cooperated with the devil, we’ve taken his side and worked his work and yet, this is exactly what is happening in so many Christian’s lives.

The answer to this particular problem is simple to state, but hard to apply… Repent (change! Turn away from the wrong and back to the Jesus way, Confess your sin and ask forgiveness and accept forgiveness), Restore (work toward doing it the right way. This may include going to others and working at undoing what you’ve done and fix what got broke), Submit yourself wholly to God, and then resist the devil and he will flee!

These are two sides we don’t hear much about, but if we’re going to succeed in spiritual warfare we must understand all the players and all the battlefronts, and the first battlefront of spiritual warfare is our own heart (but that is another message).

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/950155/the_other_side_of_spiritual_warfare.html

God Finding You In The Moment

Not long ago I wrote about finding God in the moment, becoming aware of His activity in our daily lives and work in cooperation with Him.

In a series we’re doing at Open Arms Community Church called “Growing Closer To God” we’ve been discussing different factors involved in us really going deeper with God and growing up into the greater things God has for us.

We just covered the topic of “Serving/Giving” and in particular “Sacrificial Serving/Giving”, and it caused me to question… What about God finding us in the moment?

I wonder… with all the busyness, agendas, plans, hustle, and chaos in our lives are we available to God?

In any given moment can God interrupt us and use us or just share with us?

So often we’re concerned about finding God in the moment, but the real question is can God find us in the moment?

The greatest obstacle in experiencing God and God’s best in my life is not the Devil, it’s not someone else, it’s not work; it is me (self). I’m the one who busies myself. I’m the one who takes on all the extra stuff. I’m the one who sets the agenda. I’m the one who chooses what to do or not do. I’m the one who decides what I will pursue and chase after.

All to often we’re concerned about whether God will show up and move, but what we really need to be concerned about is whether we’re available to God.

It’s not an easy focus to keep. With all the cares of this life (the pursuit of pleasure, the deceitfulness of wealth, etc; Matthew 13), chaos, distractions, and so on it’s easy to become disoriented and out of touch with God.

There are simple disciplines and attitudes that help us “stay available” to God. Daily Prayer, daily Bible reading, and the constant asking of the question, “God what do you want to do here (in me and through me)?”.

When it comes to the topic of Serving/Giving we’ve got to be in touch with God so as not to miss those opportunities God gives us to shine the light of His love and truth.

When it come to giving/serving “sacrificially” we really have to be in touch with God so as not to give in to selfishness, fear/doubt, or worldly wisdom and resist God and what He wants to do in and through us. Only by the presence and power of God do we have a chance of overcoming the Old Self and the Ways of This World.

One more thing… Should God find us in the moment, what would He find us doing? Are we about the Fathers business or other business? Are we living in such a way that would please and honor Him, or the opposite? Would we be in a position to be used of the Lord?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/949683/god_finding_you_in_the_moment.html

Hungry

Are we filling up on the junkfood and missing out on God's best for our lives?

Read more...

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/795825/hungry.html?cat=34

What if... to What next

We just finished up a very challenging and inspiring series titled “What if…” which capitalized on the potential of those two words.

We saw that these two words could inspire, encourage, challenge, and build up, or they could discourage, depress, tear down, and steal away.

We saw that the determining factor in the effect of these two words was our Faith and Thought-life. What we choose to believe is ultimately what will happen and our thoughts are ultimately what we gravitate toward being and doing.

We saw that God has uniquely designed each of us for a unique and special plan and purpose. We also saw that God’s plan and purposes are always with best in mind, never less than best. God’s plans and purposes always intend for you to be reaching your fullest potential, never less, for you to be living life to the full, never less. In a nutshell, God’s plan is for you and your life to always be at your/its best, never less than best, according to the talents, abilities, interests, dreams, and resources God has given you.

We saw that to be best or great at anything there is always a price to pay. This is no less true in following Jesus and becoming all He made us to be and experiencing life at it’s best, as He intended.

The question is NOT “WILL we pay a price?” The question is “FOR WHAT will we pay the price.”

Many people pay the price for wealth, others for health, others for pleasure, others for fame or prestige, others for accomplishment, many for a combination of the above mentioned.

But, Jesus said, “27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:27-34

Or how about Matthew’s version… “25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

So, we see that as a Christian we have a real issue with the above list of goals, ambitions, and priorities. Jesus isn’t in it! Even if He was in the list, would that be enough? Not according to Jesus. Jesus teaches us that life at it’s best isn’t experienced when we just add Jesus to our lives and plans. Jesus teaches us that life at it’s best is experienced when Jesus is our life and plan; when He becomes the first priority and leading factor through which all other things are filtered.

So, What if…
What if we were fully devoted to Jesus and His ways?
What if we really LOVED Him?
What if He was our PASSION?
What if I lived my life like Jesus, His teachings, and people really mattered.
What if we really put Jesus first?
What if we really lived like this world was not our home?
What if we really lived like people mattered to God?
What if it really was all about Jesus?
What if you could really know Jesus?
What if Jesus really loved us?
What if Jesus meant what he said?
What if it really was spiritual?
What if it really was practical?
What if we lived according to the teachings of Jesus?
What if we prayed for people?
What if we told people about Jesus?
What if we blessed the people around us?

I could go on and on. The “What if’s” never end. But these are just a starting point and a waste of ink, paper, cyberspace, and thought if we don’t ask the real question…

What Next?

Will we apply or just add this information to the files in our brain, but do nothing with them?

In our series we saw that most of us know WHAT God’s standards are and what we should be doing. The problem is NOT ignorance. The problem is obedience.

We know what the Bible says; the question is “will we DO what the Bible says?”

Jesus tells us…”24Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

It’s sad, because I see people meet Jesus all the time. I see people experience God’s touch in their spirit, their mind, their emotions, their body, their relationships, their finances, their family, etc. and for a while they make Jesus #1 and priority in their life, but over time as the things in this world press in we lose sight of Jesus, but not just Jesus, we lose sight of who He made us to be and do, His unique design, plans, and purposes for us. We get caught up in the rat race of life as a regular earthling.

So, what is next? What will we do with the information, inspiration, talents, abilities, interests, time, money, relationships, and all that God has given us? Will we be like those who don’t know God and don’t know any better and live for the things of this temporary world? Will we just file the information into the hard drive of our brain to be forgotten or collect cyber-dust? Or will we apply/obey the teachings of Jesus?

Remember, the single greatest cause of atheism is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.

And, may I add, that besides the selfishness of our own hearts, the single greatest cause of backsliding is that people know what the Bible says, but because they don’t do what the Bible says they lack the experience with God, and thus satan and their own mind reasons them into believing that it’s not that big of a deal, or worse, that it’s not true.

I want to encourage each of us to answer the important question… What next?

How will you go about pursuing and seeking God? How will you apply His commands in your life? How will you use the abilities and talents to serve God and others? How will you use all the resources God has given you to serve and honor the Lord, to bless others, and advance the Kingdom of God, thus investing in a world and life that is eternal?

What would our lives look like, what would the effect be in our community and world, if we simply did what Jesus told us to do and didn’t do what Jesus told us not to do (AKA: Obedience, which is the proof of faith)?

Are you ready for 2008

It's a new year. We face war, presidential elections, a questionable economy and world scene, but the real question is are you ready for what God wants to do in YOUR life?

Click here to read more... http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/512975/are_you_ready_for_2008.html

The Jesus Standard Part 2

Part 2: Argument: We should teach people to abstain from Alcohol and impose other rules to raise the bar/standard in these people’s lives so they can be world changers. Real Christians will not drink alcohol, listen to secular music, watch R-rated movies, use tobacco products, nor will they hang out with those who do.

Answer: Some feel that because alcohol is so commonly abused we should just say, “do not touch!” Funny cause… Jesus never said it. They feel that while tobacco is never mentioned in the Bible, it has absolutely no health benefit and is known to cause cancer and is therefore a sin to use (hmm… another product of this description comes to mind…Soda Pop!).

If we use this same line of logic toward other areas of known abuse, for example gluttony, do we demand people to abstain from food? In that case everyone would be dead! Or how about the abuse of sex, would we demand everyone stop having sex? Hello extinction! What about prescription drugs? They’re abused! Should everyone get off their medication and never touch it again?

Where do you draw the line? Say no to the person who drinks alcohol in moderation, but say yes to the known glutton when it comes to serving in leadership? What kind of hypocritical standard is that???

Most of the time we go above the standards that Jesus set for us because of fear. We know people are weak and have a tendency to cave in to selfish desires and so it’s easier to demand them to abstain than it is to place personal responsibility on their shoulders to live a balanced life that Jesus actually called us to. That fear may or may not be rooted in personal weakness.

If we look at it from the “don’t do it cause you might sin” perspective then we will be cutting out a lot of things from our lives. How does this measure up to the “life to the full” statement that Jesus made in John 10:10? How does a life that is missing a bunch of pieces, because we’ve cut it out, measure up to “life to the full”?

Let me also say that this legalistic religious approach where we’re telling people they shouldn’t drink alcohol or listen to secular music is being proclaimed by the same people that watch movies that have cuss words, sexual innuendos, or worse depicted in them and they regularly abuse the Chinese buffet! Often times they have even bigger issues in their lives like sexual immorality, addictions, gossip, pride, and so on. Jesus has a word for this type of double standard and overly critical judgmental spirit…hmm… hypocrite.

Luke 11:46 Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

It’s silly that these people want to impose rules on others when even Jesus didn’t. This so called “higher standard” for everyone to live up to doesn’t seem to keep these same people from having their own issues or help them or anyone else in dealing with them.

The Bible warns of this kind of standard and attitude… Colossians 2:20-23 20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

This kind of non-scriptural legalism is described here as being based on human commands and teachings, having an appearance of wisdom, self-imposed, and lacking any value and due to all of this it is destined to perish.

Do we really think God came to give us a big list of do’s and do not’s? He already did that and we couldn’t live up to it! There is right and wrong, but it’s supposed to be done out of love for God and conscience not some man-made list of rules. Jesus said the whole law was summed up in two commands “Love God” and “Love your neighbor” (Mark 12). Hmm, what about music, movies, food, technology, and all these other issues we’re going to have to face?

There are rights and wrongs and they are more issues of how not what. Sex is an issue of how it’s done, not if it’s done. Food and Drink is an issue of how it’s done, not if it’s done. Dress is an issue of how it’s done, not if it’s done. What’s our motivation, is it a demonstration of love or selfishness?

Paul addressed the issue like this: Romans 14:1-4 1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Note first of all that there are “disputable matters” (Vs 1). Secondly, note that we’re not to pass judgment. Thirdly, note: in this scripture who is of weaker faith, the one whose faith allows him to eat all foods or the one whose faith leads him to abstain?

The issue here is being led by the Spirit within and making sure that we use the biblical standard of 1Corinthians 10:31 (So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God), to compare our life with and make sure our motives are right.

You may want tell people they shouldn’t entertain non-Christian literature, music, movies, and so on, but even Paul was familiar enough with the non-Christian literature that he could quote it (Acts 17:28 As some of your own (Athenian) poets have said, 'We are his offspring.') and some of it was even from other religions (Titus 1:12-13 Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." 13This testimony is true.).

You can say that YOU don’t like people to drink alcohol, but you can’t say it’s wrong. Jesus drank alcohol and ate with the wrong crowd to such a degree that he was called a “drunkard, glutton, and friend of sinners.” (Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions.") Notice that last phrase, “wisdom is PROVED RIGHT by her actions”? What is Jesus talking about? He’s talking about something that makes us very uncomfortable.

It’s so much easier to just teach abstinence from all things potentially misused or abused, but the problem is where do you draw the line and who is it that makes the rules, since Jesus didn’t. In fact, not only did Jesus regularly eat and drink (alcoholic wine mind you) with the wrong people, but also his first miracle was to turn water in to wine, and not just a little! Scholars tell us it was between 120 to 180 gallons of wine. Here Jesus is hanging out at a wedding. The party has been going on for some time to the point that the host runs out of wine. You can’t tell me these people weren’t feeling a buzz. Then Jesus makes more, a whole lot more, of the best wine they had ever tasted! Was he endorsing drunkenness? Was he condemning them to hell? Was he sinning? The obvious answer is NO (Don’t even waste your time saying, “Well it was alcohol free wine.” Please, these people know the difference between the BEST wine and grape juice. This was an important statement God was making in making this the first miracle of Jesus’ ministry)!

Oh, there are lots and lots of guidelines and commands in the Bible to direct us in the proper use of every aspect of life, and we ARE to abide by them, but we are not to make up more rules. This was the sin of the Pharisee’s. They elevated their man-made rules to the same level (or higher) as God’s commands. (Matthew 15). Jesus wasn’t pleased. He was angry and condemned them and their teaching! Go read it!

Many will quote Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. But, the thing to remember is this stumbling block goes both ways. Those who know there freedoms must be careful, but so should those who want to live a stricter more rule oriented lifestyle. Those who don’t feel such freedom are not to judge those who do, nor are they to impose their religious rules upon others.

The inconsistent application of the legalistic standard these people want to impose just makes them look more like a hypocritical Pharisee instead of more like Jesus. You can’t drink alcohol, but you can drink pop, which is worse for you from a health perspective. You can’t drink alcohol, but you can abuse the all you can eat buffet. You don’t want people to be in leadership if they drink alcohol or smoke or chew, but you’ll over eat, look at porn, have sex outside of marriage. How can you judge and impose inconsistent standards. You’ll say don’t use a non-Christian song or video to share the gospel with others, but you’ll rent or buy movies that are far worse in content than either of the above mentioned.

This type of behavior doesn’t make us look good. It makes us look like hypocrites. And being legalistic, making up a bunch of man made rules or making our personal convictions into rules, is not making us more like Jesus it’s making us more like the hypocritical religious Pharisees.

There is nothing wrong with personal convictions; in fact that is what makes Christianity a personal walk with Jesus. There are fundamental truths that we adhere to, but there are a lot of areas where Jesus knows what is best for us as individuals, what we can and can’t handle, and it may not be the same for your neighbor, and we’re not to try to make them abide by this personal conviction because it’s not them with the problem.

I’m not making this stand to justify personal compromise. In spite of the fact that the scripture teaches that a person can drink alcoholic beverages and it’s not wrong, I have a personal conviction that I shouldn’t drink alcohol, but I don’t push this conviction on other people. I teach what the Bible teaches about alcohol, that the abuse is wrong, just as I teach what the Bible says about food, that the abuse is wrong, and sex, that the abuse is wrong. I do not teach abstinence from these things, I teach abstinence from the abuse of these things and the abuse is engaging in these things outside of what God says is the standard of what is right (the appropriate behavior) in a specific area.

For some reason my approach rubs a lot of people the wrong way. They want me to teach people to abstain from alcohol altogether, but they don’t expect me to teach people to abstain from food, sex, money, words, tv, music, medication, cars, guns, or any of the other many things that are abused/misused. They want me to make a right or wrong out of something that isn’t a right or wrong issue.

Why isn’t the Bible good enough? Why isn’t Jesus’ standard of proper use and moderation good enough for us? Why do we feel the need to impose (out of fear or some other wrong reason) rules that God didn’t give, just like Adam did to Eve, and look where that got us. More rules doesn’t make anything better, just look at the lives of those who are clamoring for this “higher standard”.

We’re not justifying sin or saying there are NO RULES! By all means, hold fast to, teach, enforce, and live out the rules or standards the Bible gives us and in NO WAY compromise them, but don’t start judging others because in the area of “Disputable Matters” (Romans 14:1) people don’t see things your way or want to live up to your personal convictions. That’s not going to make them or you more like Jesus anyway! It’s going to make them more like YOU or turn away from the faith! Live out your personal convictions with great discipline and zeal in the grey areas, but don’t push them on to other people. Accept that there is flexibility in some areas.

Let’s truly ask the question, how close can we get to Jesus, and stick with the Jesus standard.

What will it look like? In a lot of areas it’ll look the same from one person to the next, but in a lot of other areas it’ll look very different. What are we to do? Love one another, pray, share, hold one another to the indisputable standards, and trust Jesus for the rest!

This isn’t easy or comfortable. It leaves a lot in the hands of the individual believer. It forces us to trust Jesus that he knows what he’s doing.

The Jesus Standard Part 1

Recently I’ve had several conversations where people charged me with asking the question, “How close can I get to the world”. Nothing could be further from the truth. My heart passion, and the constant question I challenge people with is: “How close can I get to Jesus?” But, I do not understand why so many feel the need to impose man-made standards or rules on the lives of others when even Jesus didn’t demand these things.

The basis of this accusation is that I do not tell people they should abstain from alcohol, movies (or just R rated… there goes my Passion of the Christ DVD), tobacco products, or secular music (or that I’ll use a music video performed by a non-Christian artist in the church).

I’m going to respond to this argument in two parts. Part 1 is concerning the argument that we shouldn’t use music, video’s, movies, etc from a non-Christian source in the church to minister and Part 2 is going to address the argument that we should tell people to not drink, not smoke, not watch R-rated movies, etc.

Part 1: Argument: You shouldn’t dishonor God’s House, or God, by using music, videos, etc that come from a non-Christian source. It is irreverent and opening the door for the devil and could lead someone to listen to other material from this non-Christian source and it would in turn lead them astray.

These people feel the church is a sacred space, God’s House, and that we should reverence it. To bring anything into that place that is not “Christian” in its source is dishonoring and irreverent and also opens the door for demons to come in and cause trouble. Some will even distinguish between sin committed in that building from sin committed in other places and deem the former as worse because it has taken place in “God’s house”, while the latter has only taken place in my house.

Answer: First, We’ve all been “in Church” and heard a speaker quote someone… a president, religious leader, politician, artist, poet, etc. Were all these people being quoted Christians? Did the person being quoted have other quotes that were not Christian in nature? Did the person being quoted have lifestyles that contradicted Christlike Character? The answers are obvious.

As I understand it, Jesus said the Greatest Commandment of all was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength”. So, the standard of behavior is not determined by WHERE you are, but rather WHO you are… are you a lover of God or aren’t you.

The Bible tells us that God is truth. Therefore, no matter who says it (Christian or Non-Christian), no matter what the source, ALL truth is God’s truth. So, whether I’m quoting a non-Christian, using a music video or movie clip, the bottom line is: if it is truth, it belongs to God.

The concern that someone may pick up this non-Christian CD or Video or book and entertain it is valid, but does it mean we don’t capitalize on the familiar ground? Do we not redeem the truth contained in these sources and use them for Jesus?

We see the Apostle Paul doing this on several occasions… One example is where Paul is speaking to a group in Athens and he quotes an Athenian poet (this was not a Christian poet, the phrase “your own” refers to one from their group): Acts 17:28 As some of your own (Athenian) poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

Paul is sighting a Non-Christian Poets poetry and declaring this statement is true. This has several implications. 1) Paul was familiar with non-Christian entertainment, 2)Paul viewed this truth as redeemable (usable for God’s glory), and 3)Paul exercised little to no concern that some of them may look at the rest of the poets poems or the poets lifestyle and get a mixed message because other poems may be vulgar, or contridict the Christian faith, and his lifestyle was most likely completely off base. Note that Paul didn’t go into an explination about how “not all this poets stuff is good, but in this part he got it right. Stay away from the other poems.” Or, “You need to know this poet’s life is completely wrong, so don’t let this little piece of truth make you think this poet is completely right.” No, instead we find him doing it again in the book of Titus.

Titus 1:12-13 Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." 13This testimony is true.

Once again Paul is using a non-Christian source to confirm his message, and this source is a religious one that might lead someone away from Christianity to that other religion.

Did Paul defile/desecrate scripture or dishonor God by using quotes from non-Christian sources? Was he being irreverent? By quoting these non-Christian sources did he make the scriptures polluted, impure, and no longer authoritative and reliable?

Paul was being smart, capitalizing on the little truth they knew and using it to help them better understand the Kingdom of God.

Paul recognized that all truth is God’s truth, no matter what source it comes from and he didn’t seem concerned that in using this source it may lead people to entertain the other poems or prophesies of these non-Christian sources.

Was Paul wrong or in sin? No! Paul learned from Jesus! From his learning Paul said, I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1Corinthians 9:22

Interestingly, one translation in 1 Corinthians 9 refers to Paul finding familiar ground to connect with the people, without breaking the law of Christ.

How did Paul draw the line? The issue was: did it violate his conscience or the law of Christ?

Paul began to have his worldview changed by the work of Jesus Christ.

Remember, Paul was trained as a Pharisee (the strictest sect of the Jewish faith) and was full of the knowledge of the Law. He knew all the “Do’s” and “Do not’s”. His experience with Jesus helped him to find balance and to see life and following God in a whole new light.

It’s NOT an “anything goes” teaching by any means. There are rights and wrongs that are absolute, but there are a lot of things that are left between a person and the Lord. We call these things “disputable matters” based on Romans 14 and call the personal standards that you embrace a “personal conviction”. Whether to eat meat or not, drink alcohol or not, watch a certain movie or not, listen to a certain band or not, celebrate a certain holiday or not, all of these things are not issues of right or wrong, but rather personal conviction.

There are most definitely movies and songs to avoid, ones that are blatantly wrong to entertain. The ones that are vulgar and anti-God, but if a vulgar band puts out a good song do we not capitalize on the common ground and use that to communicate the Good News of Jesus? Do we not take the opportunity to connect Jesus and his truth to that song in the minds of the people so that every time they hear it they are reminded of Jesus and His truth? I think most people are smart enough to discern that the rest of the vulgar songs don’t represent Christianity.

Some would say don’t use it and they would use scripture to support their position. Others would say absolutely use it and they would use scripture to support their position. The bottom line then is the direction the leaders of a particular church family feel that God has called them to do ministry. This is their philosophy of ministry and something that does vary from one church to the next.

We as believers need to know that God has called us to a particular church family and then learn what He wants us to learn from that experience, but we shouldn’t try to argue and create division over these debatable issues.

1Corinthians 1:10 Now, dear brothers and sisters, I appeal to you by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

We’re not to be spending our time arguing and being divided. We’re to be in harmony (maybe all playing a different note, but not saying ours is the only note and not clashing with all the other notes being played). We’re to be of one mind, thought, and purpose.

So, what about the fact that so many are joining churches only to find they don’t fully agree. Well it’s like this… If the ship is rowing in a direction you don’t want to go, you have to ask yourself a couple questions: 1) am I on the wrong ship? Or 2) does God have me here to learn something new? If the first, then go somewhere else, it would be sin to create the division over your personal preference or convictions and constantly make waves because you disagree with the leadership. If the second, humble your self, ask questions, learn, and serve. Work with, not against, the leadership and vision, and don’t be a source of contention.

Now I quickly want to address the issue of sacrilege or defiling the house of God statement. So…

Second, The Bible is very clear that as far as a temple building or any kind of building being the “house of God”, it’s just not true.

In the New Testament Steven made this argument:
Acts 7:48-50 48"However, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: 49" 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord. Or where will my resting place be?
50Has not my hand made all these things?'

And again the Apostle Paul stated:
Acts 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

Even Solomon who built the first building for the Lord said:
2Chronicles 6:18-21 18 "But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 19 Yet give attention to your servant's prayer and his plea for mercy, O LORD my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence. 20 May your eyes be open toward this temple day and night, this place of which you said you would put your Name there. May you hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 21 Hear the supplications of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.

Even at the time frame when God said, “Build me a temple” they recognized it wasn’t the House of God. In that day it WAS sacred space, but that changed when God established the new covenant through Jesus Christ. Remember, the curtain to the Holy of Holies was torn in two? Now everyone has access to God Almighty! Now there is no one place that is sacred over another. The earth is the Lords and all that is in it! (Psalm 24:1)

In fact the real sacred space in the world is not a building, but a body… You! According to 1Corinthians 3:16-17 16Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Church is not a WHAT or a WHERE, but rather a WHO. You are the church! You are the temple of the living God! And it is not what is being done or where, but rather by who that makes it sacred; Going fishing, going to a football game, eating dinner, going swimming, watching a movie, you name it! It’s all sacred not because of what is being done, but because of who is doing it.

If a Christian sings a secular song and uses it for Jesus then they’ve taken what was meant for evil and are using it for good. They are redeeming it. They are making it sacred. Not the whole CD or the band, but that song!

You can’t redeem sin, but you can redeem the tools of sin; people, cars, tv’s, computers, movies, music, holidays, etc.

So, there needs to be a shift in our thinking. I refer you back to a previous blog of mine called “Sacred Vs Secular”. If we don’t shift the thinking we’re all in a lot of trouble because I don’t know of any Holy Toilet Paper or such companies.

The fact is, there is a sacred (with and for God) and a secular (without or against God), but it has nothing to do with a building or piece of decoration. Remember Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel? It had a naked man in it!

Today many people hold church services in High School Auditoriums or Gyms or Movie Theaters. Are they wrong for using a Movie Theater to have church services? Don’t they know that there are bad movies played there? Is that place defiled and unusable or are they seeing an opportunity to redeem that space and use it for God and His glory?

What is the Jesus Standard? How do we be more like Jesus? Read Part 2.

Sacred Vs Secular

Among churched folk (and those who were once unchurched, but have spent enough time around churched folk) there is a tendency to separate the sacred (with/for God) from the secular (without/against God). In other words to look at a thing, experience, activity, or whatever and judge it (right or wrong, for better or for worse) by some inward standard of whether it is holy or evil, right or wrong, good or bad, God or the devil.

The problem, and thus the error, we often fall into is our standards are flawed by three major blinders 1) Our prejudices (perhaps born of fear), 2) Our preferences, and 3) Our limitedness (fallibility and ignorance). There is a fourth, our Pride, but that is a whole other subject of which all 3 of these falls into.

I do not separate parts of our Christian life as sacred (with/for God) and parts of it as secular (without/against God). I fully admit that in the world there are things sacred and things secular, but as a Christian all of our life is sacred and every thing we do is meant to honor God and please Him.

So, let me make three statements and then give some real life examples.

1. God made everything! The days, nights, stars, animals, people, and every detail of these things. Though these and many other things of God's creation are abused by misuse, idolatry, perversion, and so on does not negate the good, necessity, and God-ordained purpose & practice of these things.

2. God also came in the flesh on a mission to redeem this misused, abused, and perverted creation (all of it) and called all of His followers to engage in the same mission. We’re called to redeem and reclaim that which has been stolen and destroyed, and take it back for God’s glory and kingdom. As God engages the world to take that which is meant for evil and use it for good, so should we.

3. God did also declare a standard of right and wrong, of how these creations were meant to operate, function, and be used, and he declares in the book of Isaiah, "Woe to the ones who call right wrong and wrong right!" (Don’t be too quick to yell “Amen” just yet!)

Example: Sex! Does God declare a standard of what is right or wrong concerning the function/experience of sex? Yes! Is there misuse, abuse, and perversion of this God designed function/experience? Yes! Does the misuse, abuse, and perversion negate, invalidate, or make sex wrong or evil? No!

You see, the misuse, abuse, and perversion is wrong, and perhaps you could say evil, but the proper use/application of this God created function/experience is not only good or great, it's beautiful, right, holy, and of God (a blessing from him and is blessed by him).

Here is the problem. We tend to focus in on surface issues and judge the whole. We declare the whole apple tree bad because of a couple bad apples. We'll focus in on a specific abuse of sexuality say, homosexuality, or child molestation, or premarital sex, or adultery and turn around and have a negative view/attitude toward all of sex. We act as though sex was created by the devil. We act as though sex is wrong and have a huge distaste for the subject. In some areas we even question how a person could be a Christian and practice such foul behavior.

You can apply this to so many broad subjects such as Alcohol, Sex, Entertainment, Holidays, Music, Technology, and so on.

But here is where I want to see transformation.

Instead of looking at the negative and finding the worst in something, instead of giving the devil and sin glory by preaching how bad something is or how disgusting and wrong something is, let's focus on the God side.

For example: Halloween. Here is a holiday that has been perverted by many people throughout the years, yet it started out as a "Christian Religion" holiday and has more roots in Christianity than the Christmas and Easter holidays.

Many Christians view Halloween as the "Devils day" and as a bad thing. It certainly can be argued that it has been perverted and come to that, but in all truth, whose day is it really? Who made October 31? God did! Do you think he made it for the devils glory? Do you think we as Christians should declare that day as the "devils day" or declare it as "God's Day"?

Sacred or Secular... as a Christian is there supposed to be a difference in our life? Is there supposed to be certain things in our life that are sacred (Godly, holy, right, and good, with/for God) and other things in our life that are secular (ungodly, impure, wrong, and bad/evil, without/against God)? The answer is simple. No!

See, sacred is who you are not what you do. And because it's WHO you are it changes WHAT you do into being sacred. As a Christ follower you want to do everything in word and deed for the Glory of Jesus (Colossians 3:17) . In other words, live a sacred lifestyle so that everything you do is sacred (pleasing to/for the Lord).

Sex now becomes a sacred experience because you're approaching it from God's perspective and according to God's Standard. The same is true for eating, speaking, music, food, holidays… you name it.

Am I saying that you're turning evil things into good or calling good evil? Like saying that something God calls wrong (gluttony) is now right and okay? Not at all! What I'm saying is that we are now going to approach and handle that area of our life according to God's Standard and enjoy the sacred side of food & eating without the abuse, misuse, and perversion (which is what gluttony is).

You can't take something that is blatantly wrong by Gods standard and call it right (such as premarital sex), but you can stop and look at the original God intended purpose and function of that thing (sex within marriage between a man and a woman) and rejoice in and practice it properly. In doing this you are not only communicating the gospel, but you are demonstrating the life God want us to experience, and you are reclaiming/redeeming what rightfully belongs to God and his kingdom, but was stolen by the devil. Sex, music, food, drink, language, technology, holidays, you name it… none of it belongs to the devil! It all belongs to God and should be used and experienced to his Glory and Pleasure. This is called “life to the full” or the “abundant life” that Jesus talked about in John 10:10.

Most of our "Sacred Vs. Secular" arguments are shallow and based on prejudices, preferences, and ignorance (limited understanding on the matter). Like Rock Music Vs. Classical style. We argue one style is sacred and the other secular (one holy/with/for God and the other unholy/without/against God), but God created music, period! All music belongs to him. Yes, there is abuse, misuse, and perversion of music out there, in all styles, but it doesn't mean we just condemn all music made in that style, and we certainly should not condemn it just because it's not a style to our liking. Do you condemn tomatoes and all who eat them as of the devil because you don’t like them?

God made everything and the things that God inspired man to "create" were moments that man was imitating our Heavenly Father, but when we took God's creation or the God-inspired creations of man and perverted, abused, and misused them, that is what made them secular, before that they were all sacred.

See, the same light bulb used in the church building, the same electrical outlet in the church building or your house, the same toilet paper in the church building or your house, they are all the same ones used in the strip club. Is the church or your house using secular light bulbs, electrical outlets, and toilet paper? Or do they order special holy & blessed bulbs, outlets, and toilet paper? Or is the strip club using sacred bulbs, outlets, and toilet paper? No! The sacred or secular is all in the proper or improper application; it’s all a heart issue.

My grandma used to say two sayings, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." and "Don't throw out the whole bushel, just because of a few bad apples."

How long will we quickly judge and condemn a God-created activity/experience, labeling it secular, and loose out on the sacred robbing ourselves of the life God intended us to experience?

How many ways, in how many areas, have we cut ourselves short by a false religious standard created out of a mans ignorance, prejudice, fear, or preference instead of Gods Word?

When will we say, "enough is enough, I'm not going to allow the devil to steal from me all God created and has for me!"? Whether he steals it through literal perversion, misuse, or abuse, or whether he steals by way of a distorted false religious standard based out of mans ignorance, prejudice, and preference.

Is your life sacred or secular? Is it full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Is it in line with the truth of Gods Word? Are you approaching life narrow-mindedly with religious (but unbiblical) standards and perspectives of holiness, righteousness, and spirituality?

Jesus said, I came to give you life and life to the full!(John 10) It is written that all things have been made pure through the blood of Jesus (Acts 10) and that we are to do everything to the glory of God! (Col 3)

I think many of us will be surprised to find out that God doesn't carry our perspective, preference, or prejudice toward a good many things in our world. To bad because the first thing I’d do is get rid of country music. Ha! ☺

Let's get back to His Word and do things his way!

BALANCE

We hear it everyday. Live whole heartedly for Jesus! Be passionate for Christ! In fact it is written, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11

But we’re also told that Jesus came to give us life to the full, and that we’re to enjoy life, and that following the teachings of Jesus is “easy and light” compared to the teachings of other religious leaders.

So, why are so many Christians worn out, burned out, miserable people with no joy or fulfillment? Why do so many feel so wasted and wanting to quit?

One word… BALANCE. This of course is an over simplification.

The truth is there is a balance to it all, but I must say something before I talk about the balancing aspect of the Christian life… most “Christians” are not following Christ, and this is reason #1 why they are all of the above descriptives.

I do not say this lightly, nor do I say it condemningly. The truth is most American Christians have bought into something Jesus didn’t come to offer… Religion. The truth is most American Christians approach living for Jesus (True Biblical Christianity) for something far less and harder to live (a religion).

See, God never intended for us to add a new set of believes and new set of religious and moral behaviors to our pre-existing way of life. He always intended for our life to be completely changed.

It’s this religious approach (adding a few religious and moral behaviors to a pre-existing lifestyle) that has ruined so many of us. We honestly can’t figure out how to do all Jesus told us to do and still keep up the other lifestyle too. It wears us out and kills us. We think, “Jesus lied when he said his yoke (teachings) is easy and his burden is light.” But, we’re wrong.

Jesus’ teachings are easy to live out when it’s your lifestyle, not just a religious addition to your present lifestyle.

So, this is reason #1 why so many people feel so badly about their experience with Christianity.

But, reason #2 is imbalance, though this is less experienced than #1, but it does happen.

People get so focused on serving Jesus, being passionate about the mission, studying God’s word, winning people to Jesus, serving people, and so on that they miss Jesus’ M.O. (Method of Operation).

Jesus did say he lived to do the Fathers will solely, but we also know that while Jesus and many other Bible characters took following God seriously they also enjoyed life.

Part of this was learning to find joy no matter where you are and what you’re facing… Paul talks about this in 1Timothy 6. So, it’s a mindset/attitude.

But, there is also the reality that everything they did was done in the context of community (sharing life together).

We see much of their work for the Kingdom of God being done as a group, so there is a sense of community among the workers. We see much of the miracles of Jesus taking place as he was going about his business from one day to the next. It’s interesting, but it’s not the norm that Jesus sought out the sick… they sought him out while he was in their town.

It was in the midst of an open-air seminar that Jesus turned around and performed the miracle of feeding the multitudes. It was in route on a business trip that Jesus calmed a storm and healed a woman with an issue of blood. Peter was hungry, waiting on lunch, and talking with God when he had a vision and was told to go witness to the non-Jew Cornelius. Paul was in a shipwreck on his way to trial when he survived a snake bite and then healed many island people. David was simply bringing some supplies to his brothers, who were at war, when he ended up killing Goliath. Moses was simply shepherding his sheep, just like normal, when he encountered the burning bush. And on and on it goes.

The balance we have to find is one where this supernatural spirituality is lived out in everyday life. We are human beings and meant to rest and laugh and so on.

So, two things… 1) Stop living a Christian religion where God is simply an addition to your already busy and hectic lifestyle (usually contradictory too) and 2) Start renewing our mind with God’s truth and begin to see and live things from his perspective.

Good Soldiers

2Timothy 2:3-4 3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.

What is a “good” soldier?

It’s one who understands and lives out his responsibility as a protector and defender of both his fellow soldiers and the citizens he represents.

It is one who takes his role and responsibility seriously, seriously enough to interrupt and inconvenience his civilian lifestyle, seriously enough to abstain from those things that would limit his ability to perform his duties to the best of his ability, seriously enough to motivate him to prepare diligently sharpening his skills well before any need arose.

It is one who takes seriously the preparation, training, necessary to be victorious in the battles he will face.

It is one who takes his enemy seriously and doesn’t let his guard down.

It is one who understands the transcendent cause to which he has committed and is so compelled by that cause and commitment to both live and die for it.

It is one who understands the nature of the war he is engaged in, understands his enemy, and strategizes seriously for victory.

It is one who, no matter the odds or how hard things get, will never ever quit.

It is one who considers the cost and lays aside self-interest (selfish living) to serve THE King and fellow countrymen and those in need.

It is one who keeps his eye on the cause and the prize and doesn’t loose sight of either no matter what the situation.

It is the label each Christian is to live up to, not for just anyone, but for THE King of all kings and THE cause of all causes.

Are We At War?

Depending on the circles we run in we may hear a lot or a little about spiritual warfare, but the Bible talks about it very directly and gives numerous examples of real life spiritual warfare.

Here are a few references for Spiritual Warfare:

Ephesians 6:10-18

1Peter 5:8

Colossians 2:13-15

1Timothy 6:12

1John 4:4

Romans 8:35-39

Here are a few examples of Spiritual Warfare:

Luke 13:10-17

Mark 9:14-32

The Entire Book of Acts

2Corinthians 11:23-12:10

We sometimes loose sight of the unseen/supernatural/spiritual world and all it’s effect on the seen/natural world.

Often circumstances and everyday living can become so routine that we forget that this natural world is just a scratch on the surface of what life is all about and that there is another side of life/creation that is even more real and more important in the big picture.

Within this unseen world exists an unseen (supernatural) enemy who takes our destruction seriously.

The Bible gives us good news about our fight against this enemy, but we do have to fight.

The Bible also warns that not taking this war seriously or giving up will have serious negative consequences.

The question, “Are we at war?” is not about weather or not we are in a war, but rather are we engaging in it properly, or are we ending up passive victims.

Jesus said, “…The GATES of hell will not prevail against the church.” (Matthew 18) It’s important to note he said “GATES” because it points to the offensive posture the church (God’s People) is supposed to have and be in.

Think about it. Gates! What is a Gate? It’s a kind of door. Is there anything scary or destructive about a door? No! Do doors chase people around and hurt them? Do people have signs at the edge of their property saying, “Beware of door/gate!”? Are doors/gates buying guns and assaulting people?

When Jesus referenced the gates of hell he was pointing out the fact that we (the church) would be assaulting hell, not hell assaulting us. He was pointing out that we (the church) would be taking the offensive, putting Hell on the defense, driving it back to it’s headquarters. He was pointing to the fact that the church is a mobile thing, not a building settled on a plot of ground. There is no mention by Jesus of the “gates of the church”.

In life (in this world and western culture as we know it) the opposite seems true, so I ask… Are we at war? Are we taking the offensive in our life (in our personal life, our home, our family, our work, our neighborhood, and so on)? Are we hitting back when the devil does blindside/surprise attack us?

Too many Christians lie down and play dead. They think being passive and doing nothing will make the bad guy go away. NOT SO! This bad guy and his brothers-in-arms are hell-bent on your total destruction in the most miserable way possible, and they intend to enjoy every second of it.

For others they start the good fight well, but after a while they get weary and tired and end up not taking any offense against the enemy and when he attacks they try to defend a little, but eventually yield to just taking the hits and trying to role with the punches or bombs (whichever the case may be), but the bottom line is in the end they give up, they quit, and thus live out the rest of their life in misery (a prince/princess living as a prisoner/slave) constantly being assaulted in every area of life by a ruthless, merciless, tyrannical captor (2Timothy 2:20-26)

The fight is not always easy and it is one that requires time, energy, thought, and so much more, but it’s a fight that God promises we will win. That’s what makes it a “good” fight (1Timothy 6:12).

I used to fight a lot as a kid. The only fights I ever considered a “good fight” was the ones that I won.

You can do it! God made you a victor, a winner! He made you to kick devil butt and take no prisoners! He made you to be a liberator to set other captives free. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world! You are more than a conqueror! You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

Be the hero God made you to be! Put on the full armor of God! Fight the good fight! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfecter (meaning he not only wrote the book, but lived it out proving that it works) of our faith, and never, never, never quit/give up!

Pray, strategize, implement! Let the church yell a war cry that makes the demons tremble and let’s start fighting!

The Best Part

As a person who claims to be a follower of Jesus I have to regularly evaluate my life with Jesus, as it is written to “Test yourselves to see if you are STILL in the faith.”

I have to ask the tough question of, “Am I living up to the commitment I made to Jesus?” I have to honestly evaluate whether I’m the real deal, or just a hypocrite.

Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

Do I seek Jesus and his way above all other things, or do I put OTHER things FIRST?

Jesus said, “If you love me you’ll obey my commands.”

I say I love Jesus, but do I really? What am I saying and proving by my actions daily? Am I showing love toward God?

Jesus said, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Is there anyone or anything that I love (prioritize/pursue/live for) more than Jesus? Do I take the time to “take up my cross”, in other words consider my life and the things in it that need to change, and then make those changes no matter how painful? Do I make the time, do I put forth the energy and effort, do I make the sacrifice to grow in my faith and be more like Jesus?

Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Am I passionate and zealous in living for Jesus or am I half-hearted about it? Do I diligently pursue God and his plan for my life? When I obey Jesus and follow him, am I doing it because I really want to or because I have to (it’s my religious obligation)? Am I really living FOR Jesus, or do I still live for myself?

God said, “Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from them.”

Is God getting my best or my leftovers? Is he number one in my life, the one I truly live for, or is he just a hobby? Am I taking the BEST of ALL God has given me, and giving it to Him (The best of my time, money, talents, energy, etc.)?

These are questions that no one can answer for me, except me, and they must be answered.

For too long people have been able to just attend church and live life any way they want, but at some point we have to say, “Enough is enough!”

When will we really care enough to be the real deal and to make following Jesus (which we claim to be) THE priority in our life, so much so that we will make the commitment and sacrifice to personally grow, becoming more like Jesus every day, and reaching out to those who don’t know him with the love and truth of Jesus?

Good News

It’s interesting that Jesus used the term “gospel AKA: good news” to classify His message to the world. Yet, if we are honest, most of the world gets a different message from Christians.

It would seem that many churches and church people are communicating through attitude, word, and deed that God hates the world, is angry with everyone, and is against them, but the Bible teaches something different.

According to Jesus, “God so LOVED THE WORLD that he gave his one and only Son.” (John 3:16) In this most familiar verse of scripture in the whole world Jesus communicates God’s attitude toward the world. He loves us, all of us, with a love that initiated a pursuit and redemption of every human being.

Jesus took it a step further. Not only did he teach that God loved the world and was at work for their eternal good through Jesus Christ for the life to come, but is at work in our everyday life for the good of every person, not just the saint, but the sinner too! Jesus said it this way, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)

God is at work in our world for good… for the good of every person. He’s at work in the life of each person for good; to draw them to himself and to help them experience life to the full being all God created them to be.

Most of us are blind to the works of God in our life. Most go unnoticed and the few we stop and recognize we quickly pass off as being the product of something else. We need to learn to see the unseen! Develop those spiritual eyes.

How will we experience this “goodness of God”? Two ways, 1) through the direct operations of God himself (God does things in our life that go unseen. Like stalling us in a traffic light to miss an accident, working healing in our body beyond what a doctor can do, and causing certain factors to line up that are favorable, to name a few) and 2) Through the avenue of Nature: This happens in two ways…A) God has established order in the world to our benefit and B) He works in the hearts of people to bless us at various times in various ways.

While we have little to no control over nature we do have control over ourselves. So, the question is… Am I open to being used by God to demonstrate His goodness to others?

What message, as a Christian, am I communicating? By attitudes, words, and deeds do people experience the good news/gospel or bad news?

LEFTOVERS

I don’t know about you, but if I walked into a restaurant and ordered a meal and it came out cold and soggy I’d be a bit miffed. Let me add, I’d feel a little weird if someone invited me over to his or her house for dinner, without forewarning, and it was cold soggy leftovers. I may or may not have passed.

Does this turn your stomach? Let me give another picture…

Imagine a pro athlete on Game Day going out to the beach, swimming, maybe going to a mall shopping, going out to dinner, and heck, let’s mow the lawn too, then he goes into the arena, suits up, and runs onto the field to play the game.

How good of a game do you think he’ll have? What benefit will he be to the team? What is he really offering to his boss and teammates? (The answer is leftovers or not much of anything)

We do this often with God… but he deserves our best. Our best time, best talents, best energy, best character, best thought, best you name it.

So often we claim Jesus is number one in our life, but in all honesty we are hypocrites.

A hypocrite is literally a person who wears a mask, a person who pretends or acts, a fake, someone whose claims and lifestyle do not match or line up.

While we claim Jesus is Lord (the master, boss, supreme authority) of our life we don’t live like it… we still run our life (acting and reacting) the way we want to or feel like in any given circumstance.

While we claim Jesus is number one (first place) in our life we don’t live like it… If we can’t fit Bible reading, prayer, church, serving in ministry, or just plain acting like a Christian by serving someone in need into our busy schedule then we just cut one or all of these things out because we can’t cut out those extra hours of work, or hobbies, or movies, or TV, or household chores, and so on.

In a very real way, when it comes to our lives, for most of us God is just getting our leftovers, the cold soggy parts of our lives; Certainly a lot less than our best.

I challenge you to examine whether God’s getting your best or your leftovers. Ask the tough question: Am I a hypocrite? And then respond accordingly.

We don’t ask these questions just to gain information. The point of learning is always transformation through application. In other words, if we’re not acting like a Jesus is really number one in our life, then let’s admit it, and change! Start living with Him as number one, doing things his way getting His results!

The fairness of the gospel

As I’ve spent much time witnessing to non-Christians I’m constantly questioned on the fairness of God in requiring people to go through Jesus alone to be saved instead of alternate means. Why not just being a good person will get you into heaven? Why not just any religion will do?

If you entertain these questions seriously other questions must inevitably be asked. Like: How good is good enough? Where would you draw the line?

It wouldn’t be fair for God as the creator of all mankind to have made some able and good enough to do it on their own while others fail (some in little ways and some in major ways).

And, in regard to various religions: How do we deal with the exclusiveness of some of the religions? In other words, All religions claim to be right, but many of the religions claim to be true and the ONLY way.

For example: Islam claims to be the only way. Christianity claims to be the only way. Hinduism claims that all ways are right. Buddhism believes the state of perfection is ultimately the state of nothingness and in the big picture there is no right or wrong, no God or man, it’s all one, it’s all nothing, but something (this particular religion is a contradiction in itself). It is clear that while all these religions claim to be right and true, they cannot all be right and true. Whether it is due to exclusive language claiming to be the only way, or whether it’s beliefs that contradict other religions and spiritual reason, the bottom line is THEY CANNOT ALL BE RIGHT.

We all have different personalities and abilities. We all have different desires and dreams. While to one being rich is a sign of being blessed, to another it is a sign of selfishness and sin. So, we can clearly see that man is not the one who should be in the position of defining the standards of right and wrong or deciding for themselves or others what’s the best way to heaven.

So, back to the question… HOW CAN GOD BE FAIR IN REQUIRING THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN TO BE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST?

The fairness is this:
Rather than basing a mans eternity on his own standard or the standard of others God established the standard, so it would be fair to all and show with absolute clarity and accuracy the standard of right and wrong.

This Perfect Standard is found in the Old Testament and is known as The Law.

God showed the world what is good and evil, right and wrong, according to HIS standard, which by the way is the standard of heaven. Therefore, in fairness God established the code and, in fairness, no one measured up. No one could make it to God on his or her own merit. No one is perfect or good enough by God’s standard.

Thus God implemented a second phase of his plan for imperfect people to access a perfect world/existence; by the perfect man and sacrifice, Jesus Christ.

It’s perfectly fair for God to say, no one measures up and therefore all need a savior.

It’s perfectly fair to put all of humanity in the same boat of imperfection and need. And, it’s perfectly fair to make the issue of right standing with God an issue of faith in the work of God in the flesh (Jesus Christ) as opposed to one mans moral goodness over another.

Faith is something we can all do, being good enough (if it were possible) would only be for a select few who were educated and influenced to make sound moral judgment over personal wants and desires.

The fairness of God is that he equally loves and values every person and has made the way to heaven equally easy by simply choosing to put our faith/trust in the work He (God) did on our behalf through Jesus Christ. By simply choosing to make Jesus the ruler of our life and do our best to follow his way from this day forward, which, by the way, Jesus summed up the spirit of the law (not the letter) by defining it as simply loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself.

So, as Jesus becomes the ruler of our life and we start to follow the Jesus way of life it is simply a life lived in love toward God and people.

How much fairer could it be? Trust God instead of earning it and from that point on do things his way (loving God and loving people) as best you can, always striving to get better. It just doesn’t get any easier or better or fairer than this!

Optional Obedience

If God says to do something or NOT do something, do I have an excuse to disobey if other people disobey?

For example: If a fellow Christian doesn't treat me in a loving way is this an excuse to disobey Jesus' command to "love one another as I have loved you"?

If a spouse is unfaithful does this mean the victimized spouse is free to break their marital vows too, engaging in romantic or sexual relations outside of their marriage covenant, ignoring Jesus' command "do not commit adultery"?

If a co-worker acts arrogantly and self-serving does this give the Christian license to disobey the command to "clothe yourselves with humility, serving one another out of love"?

I think we as Christ-followers have been approaching our obedience to God from a very worldly/non-christian perspective. The reason why is obvious... doing it the way God says to is not always easy, comfortable, pleasant, or pleasurable. In fact, sometimes it's just plain hard and uncomfortable, but something to remember is this: Our comfort zone is usually within the parameters of what we (man) can do, so we'll experience ordinary, natural, man-sized lives/works/experiences. On the other hand when we step outside the comfort zone, outside the parameters of what we (man) can do for ourselves, but instead step out into the unknown, the place beyond us and our abilities it is there that we experience the extra-ordinary, the super-natural, God-sized lives/experiences/works.

Have we lost sight of the fact that only God can change people and if we're really going to see people changed then we've got to release God into the situation. This is done by praying and obeying. It's done when we handle the situation and behave in the way that Jesus says to. Our disobedience simply closes the door to us being used by God and everyone involved experiencing what God wants in that situation.

Only through our obedience, especially in the hard situations, will we be used by God, see God do amazing things, and experience Gods blessing in our lives.