“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you...you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours." Jonathan Edwards Is hell real? And by real, do you think it is an actual place that is perpetual, painful and is designed to punish sinners justly? Answering this question matters eternally, however it can also divide believers immediately. So I enter this discussion with trepidation: From my 27 years of studying scripture, reading countless books on this question, taking seminary studies from some of the finest Greek scholars you will ever meet, I am convinced the Bible teaches that hell, as descibed above, is indeed real. It really exists. Do I want hell to be real? This is a much tougher question to answer, and I think most of the critics of hell are concerned about "this question" of the heart more than trying to rightly divide scripture. My answer is simple, "No, I wish it were not real." But I am a small human being with limited understanding - - and I have never beheld the Glory of God firsthand. As God warned Moses "You cannot see my face and live." God isn't addressing opinion, he is stating fact - - dust and ashes cannot stand up to radiant glory; we melt like wax before the majesty of the Almighty. And as I contemplate hell, I don't want anyone, and especially those I love, to go there. As Paul said in Romans 9:3, "I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off for the sake of my brothers..." He knew how high the stakes were when a person refused the gospel, so he did all he could to warn people of the reality of a Holy God's wrath. But Paul's warning came from a place of genuine love and compassion for others; not from a postion of power and pleasure when considering the eternal demise of others. HELL AS A HAMMER I am afraid many people teach and preach hell because they enjoy bullying others. For them, hell becomes a hammer that is wielded as a terrifying tool to threaten unbelievers with. Beat them into submission so they will turn from thier wicked ways, "Let's spread the gospel through unmitigated fear." When people try to do this, I believe untold harm occurs. Especially with how an unbeliever views God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 presents the problem like this, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Satan wants to keep people away from seeing the beauty of God. The way he primarilly does this is by putting forth a false narrative: God is stern, unloving and fierce. He is like the petulant Zeus standing high on a mountian firing bolts of lighting at the silly little people who are vandalizing and spraying graffitti all over his pristine earth. God hates you -- so get use to it! When preachers boom this sick message loudly from a pulpit - "God has come to pulverize and pound impertinant humanity to dust" - Satan wins! No one will ever want to find their deliverance in a being they detest. Some of you might argue: "But aren't we suppossed to teach about the fear of God?" Even Jonathan Edwards himself built much of his preaching ministry off the truth that "God abhors you!" And hey, Jonathan Edwards has been heralded as one of the greatest American theologians and thinkers we ever had. I believe there are different forms of fear, but the fear that makes you not trust and hate the God who made you, is not the biblical form of fear. The Bible teaches God is Holy, Pure, Righteous, but he also "SO loves us!" God really cares - - Zeus couldn't care less. LUKE 15 & CALCULATING ETERNAL ALGORTHIMS But how can you disagree with Jonathan Edwards? Especially when there are many verses in scripture that argue for an angry God? Take Deuteronomy 32:41-42 - "I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’" This sure sounds like God is coming to pound and pulverize? Well he is . . . but it isn't that simple. If you ever studied Jonathan Edwards, you will learn that he was a man who believed that the use of reason and logic would always bring you to proper conclusions. It was the method of understanding his favorite philosopher of his day, John Locke, used. Empricism says test a theory and take it to it's final end. Jonathan Edwards would often do this with the teaching of hell: Scripture teaches hell is real, scripture teaches sinners go there, scripture teaches God hates sin....therefore "be warned you scurvy spider!" Makes sense, it is logical, it follows the progression of reason - - but empiricism, like a well oiled machine, doesn't always take into account variables of the heart. Let me try to explain what I mean: When I was in college, I took the class Macro-economics, very boring. I can specifically remember a discussion we had on how to determine correct algorithems to calculate the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country. The basic formula for GDP can be calculated like this:
My professor said this was the basic idea, but it was a very simplistic formula. To be more accurate to reality as it is, you needed to include other human conditions and variables - the impact of the tax rate, gvt. subsidies and benefits tendency to depress the work force, the irritating impact of regulatory codes on start up businesses, Federal Interest Rate impact on investment - and each condition entered will alter the numbers of the GDP drastically. In other words, to determine something as complicated as GDP, you must realize there is a lot more human factors that must be considered. The same is true with how we communicate to others about hell. Yes, it is real, and unrepentant sinners go there, but we often don't factor in the enormous weight of the "Compassion Quotient" of God. To determine that you must spend alot of time in Luke 15. Jesus tells three very familiar stories for one purpose: to show how God will do anything to win your love and rescue people from themselves. * The Sheep (3-6): God is pictured as a good shepherd who will leave 99 sheep to find the one sheep that went missing. God isn't callously grumbling that the stupid sheep has run away, he is desperate to bring the stray animal back into his fold! * The Coin (8-9): God is pictured as an anxious woman who lost a very valuable coin. In her worry she lights a lamp and sweeps the house to find the coin. She will do all she can to find the missing coin; in the same way, God sends his Spirit of Truth to conduct an all-consuming search and rescue mission for the lost. We must not allow any angry bully pulpit pounding here! * The Son (11-24): God is pictured as the grieving father whose son ran away; and when he sees him coming home, he runs to him! God is running to those who want to come back. God wants to run to you in your dark state of soul. He isn't angry with you, he is longing for his child to come home. Where is the disgust, the abhorring, and the "holding a scurvy little spider over the fire on a thin thread?" This isn't primarilly who God is, nor is this how he thinks about you. He is thinking more about the work of restoration of a broken humanity than any other project. As the Bible declares, "Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it." SAVE IT FROM WHAT? This is the tricky part: God's coming vengeance. Wait a minute! You just got done saying God is not angry, now you are saying he is? Let's go back to Deuteronomy 32:20-21 and explain why God's fury burns. It isn't from delight in destruction, he has been rejected and replaced with other disgusting things, listen... And he said, ‘I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, for they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols. 2 Peter 3:9 says that God is not wanting any to perish, so he is patiently waiting. And while he is waiting he has sent his Spirit to woo you back to himself. The cross is a sign of how desperate he is for you, he loves you. Hell was not in his original design for you. Those who end up there, have chosen to go there. As C. S. Lewis says, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: Those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened." Is hell real? Yes. Is hell something you should want for someone else? Never! But it is a person's individual choice, not the result of God's pounding fist. So don't blame God, it is you that sends you there.
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You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is beneficial." 1 Corinthians 10:23 I was recently asked this question:
"What was it, after you were saved, that made you quit bartending?" This is a tough question, a very tough question. I will try my best... First off, yes, I bartended. Secondly, I am now a Baptist preacher. How in the world did that happen? That is the question! And I do not believe simple answers will suffice to please the rule making Pharisees that often hang out in my conservative circles. So the answer is not, "Because drinking alcohol is a sin and that's that!" I don't believe that the wine Jesus made was similiar to Welch's non-alcoholic grape juice - - in fact is sure seems like the wine of the Bible had the same potential to cause drunkenness as the wine of today. (see Ephesians 5:18 - if you can't get drunk on it why does Paul warn the reader about it?) I also DO believe drunkenness is sin and folly. Drunkeness debases, or obscures, the image of God in a person's life. We are made to be noble people, not brute beasts. As Proverbs 23:30-35 says, it can make you reel like a sailor on the high seas. I have seen grown men get in adolescent fights over small infractions rendering injury both to themselves and the person they we arguing with simply because they were inedbriated. You probably are not surprised to hear that drunkeness is one of the main, if not "the main" factor involved in most car accidents, domestic abuse cases, gambling loses and naked romps. So, as a pastor you can't tell me that the abuse of alcohol is something that needs to be simply ignored or non-chalantly winked at, especially when I have done one too many funerals of teens who wrapped their cars around trees going 100 miles an hour. But that is not the reason I don't bartend. I will make a very honest confession: A bar is a fun place to be. People dont judge you often in a bar - - they may take a swing at you, or spit beer on you, but they wont think lesser of you by how you dress or behave - - which sadly is often the case at church. I think the reason people frequent bars is because they provide a form of fellowship without the moral expectations. But remember, there is no reason to keep anyone accountable when you have no convictions to live by or a Holy God to please. It is true, you will find alot of laughing and merriment happening; and for some people, it really is fun to feel like you are living in live a beer commercial. People like to look and feel cool (this is the most important value in American culture right now - - coolness). A bar can offer that feeling. And I will also say that being a bartender is a very easy place to start conversations. So I think the deeper question behind this initial question is, "Why not use bartending to talk to people about Jesus? Just think of all the people a bartender can witness too?" I think this belief is self-defeating. Let me give you two reasons I feel this way: (1) Bartending lends "silent support" to a very Destructive Culture: I call it the bad version of the 4H club: (a) Hook-up culture (b) Hedonistic Philosophy (see Philippians 3:18-19) (c) Habits that Destroy and cause Addictions (d) Hebetude. (dull witted, lack of convictions or care about the world around you). Listen to Isaiah 56:9-12: All you beasts of the field, come to devour-- all you beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. “Come,” they say, “let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure.” (2) Bartending preaches a Psuedo-Grace: Grace says "I am free to do as I please in Christ", but it does not say, "including those things I once knew were sinful and displeasing to God." You are not an adult because you can freely drink many adult beverages and get away with it; in the same way you aren't an adult because you watch adult movies, or go to an adult bookstore. The word adult at times should be substituted with the word "depraved." And much of the beer drinking that goes on in bars easily reaches the threshold of depraved. Did you know there is a strange new movement in the church - especially when grace is a relatively new teaching - where people have Bible and Beer studies because they can, or because they want to feel like C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien discussing their literature? I have found that many times, these studies are more about beer than bible. "Hey, C. S. Lewis drank at a pub when he was writing inklings." C. S. Lewis also saw beer simply as a beverage, not as something that makes you cool, cultured, sophisticated and gives you an opportunity to snub your nose toward fundementalism. (Fundemenatalism in this case refers to the practice that a true Christian will not drink, dance and go with girls that do). Titus 2:11-13 says that "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ," God wants us to be mature in the sense of "noble"; not adult in the sense of depraved. Have you ever gone over to someone's house and those who feel the grace to drink kind of sneak it, and form clusters of the elite tasters with sophisticated pallets? It is more adolescent snobbery than a genuine excercise in Christian liberty. I am not begrudging drinking, only the feeling you are somehow better or more cultured than those who don't drink. In summary, I want to be known more as a follower of Christ than being a cool bartender sending mixed messages with mixed drinks. After I was saved I was asked to be in a wedding with 5 of my friends. We stayed at a hotel for the weekend and on the night before the wedding my friends wanted to go bar hopping. They asked me if I wanted to go, and I said I couldn't. And one friend, with a rather chagrined face, looked at me and said, "Why not man? What happened to you?" My answer was simple: "I am not here to criticize you and your decision, but for me, I feel compelled by Christ to not live in that pick-up culture anymore. My heart is captive to the will of Christ." He didn't understand, and I think he thought I was crazy. Maybe I am - - but I am free from having a substance control me, and people wondering if I really am a follower. * answer given on family night December 4, 2016 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction.” Malachi 2:7 I believe the mind is the one area of your life that directly effects your ministry the most. If you choose to be content with the learning you have already received from college or seminary, your ministry will stall. If you continue to learn and improve your thinking, your job will get more exciting and the people in your congregation will love you for it (Even though they will never realize it). Enjoy your mind! Feed it and have fun in it. It is the greatest computer on the face of the earth, it is the one instrument that most resembles our maker, it is a gift that no price-tag can be put on. Why is this focus on developing the mind so important? 1. Week after week of teaching, preaching, leading small groups, visiting schools, counseling and even working with your kids all depend upon what is stored up in your gray matter. Read the following verses just to see how important thinking is.... * Luke 6:45 * Matthew 13:52 2. Thinking is your primary job and instructing is your primary role. I take Malachi 2:7-9 very seriously. What are three principles you can take from these verses? (1) ___________________________ (2) ___________________________ (3) ___________________________ How does 2 Peter 3:16 resemble the Malachi passage? 3. As a "protector of the sheep" you must be prepared to be ready to fight the issues of the mind as dark days approach. Look at these verses: * 1 Timothy 4:1-2 - * 2 Timothy 2:25-26 - * Acts 18:24-28 - On this issue of protecting, listen to this great quote by John Stott: “Some will say the submission of our minds to the mind of Christ is an intellectual imprisonment. But no more so than the submission of our wills to the will of Christ is moral bondage. Certainly it ("taking every thought captive" - 2 Corinthians 10:5) is a surrender of liberty (ie. Intellectual Freedom), for no Christian can be a “free thinker”. Yet it is that kind of surrender which is TRUE FREEDOM - freedom from our own miserable subjectivity, and freedom from bondage to the current whims and fancies of the world. Is it stunting to spiritual growth? No, it is ESSENTIAL to it, for Christian growth is nothing if it is not growth into Christ as Lord and head.” (In other words, just as a true Christian is to guard their actions from ungodly behavior, so too must we guard our mind from ungodly philosophies).” Look at how these verses back him up: · Colossians 2:8 · Romans 1:18-19, 21 - · 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 - I believe one of the biggest battles you are going to have in the realm of the mind is the “battle for the brilliant” - - Intellectual Arrogance! Here is a quote about modern day intellectual arrogance by a man I highly respect. . . “Many Christian college students have allowed progressive understanding and critical study of art, music, philosophy and other areas of higher learning to cause arrogance and sophistication to plant a bitter root of doubt and disdain for their early Christian learning in their heart. Arrogance says that the rest of the world is clueless and ignorant. Arrogance believes that no one I know understands quite like me and the influential new teachers and friends that I now have here at college. This is simply not true, and in fact arrogance is one of Satan’s most deadly tools to throw impressionable Christians into vast mazes of confusion and destruction for many years of their young adult lives .” Please think hard on that. If you are even reading this blog I know you understand the importance of the mind - and I think you have the drive to improve and prepare yours for action. So I have a few suggestions on how to improve your thinking skills. . . A THINKING PLAN 1. READ, READ, READ & READ AGAIN! I have set up a reading schedule that I am always following. Not religiously, but it is my continual guideline: a. Classics - - Fiction and Non-fiction: this looks at the great writers. These open your mind to the art of communication. (Suggested reads: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, "1984" G. Orwell) b. Current Theology and Christian Issues: these keep you aware of the trends and the blowing of the Christian breeze. (Suggested reads: Fools Talk" by O. Guinness, "Bad Religion" R. Douthat) c. Classic Theology & Biography: this allows the men of the past to speak and usually they are smarter (they had time to think). (Suggested reads: "On Being a Theologian of the Cross" Gerard Forde, "Prayer" O. Halleseby, "Bonhoeffer" Eric Metaxas) 2. UNDERSTAND THE ANTAGONISTS AND THINKING OF THE ENEMIES OF CHRIST a. Read Christian haters, it makes you think. b. Learn the popular arguments of the day, and be ready for how the enemy thinks. c. (Suggested reads: "Rage Against God" Peter Hitchens, "The God Delusion" Richard Dawkins) 3. STUDY THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC. Read Francis Schaeffer for philosophic overviews and then pick your interest (Kierkegard, Luther, Edwards) 4. WRITE A BLOG, WORK ON A BOOK This will help you test out your ideas, see if anyone is interested or stirred, and it will force you to write knowing you will be read! 5.CHOSE A MENTOR This is probably the most important! What writer speaks to your heart, and read all you can. Make him your guide (Piper, Edwards, Luther, Schaeffer) As one famous writer once said, "Let my people THINK!" The world is desperate to hear real answers from some mature minds. Co Bao: Why did they pick you? Because you like to fight? Rambo: I'm expendable. Co Bao: What mean expendable? Rambo: It's like someone invites you to a party and you don't show up. It doesn't really matter. I wonder, if the Titanic disaster would have happened today would men have been put on the life-boats first while the woman and children would have bravely gone down with the ship? Chivalry is not just dead these days, it has become an ongoing joke! Men, and especially fathers, had their chance, right? The current sentiment (which has been going on for some time now) being sounded out in movies, TV, politics and even social media is for men to "Step aside, because you are really not needed any more. Let the women and children run things; they most certainly can and will do a better job at ordering this world." Men have become persons to be pitied; like the poor old Frankenstein monster in the new Christmas commercial. The humble-bumble doesn't even know how to screw in the light-bulb on his neck; he needs the smart, cute British girl to come to his rescue..."Yeah, Christmas is saved by the children!" Why do I even care? Shouldn't I just go crawl in a dark hole somewhere and watch non-stop football? Who needs a man's opinion - - it really is not that important after all? Here is why I am writing: I still believe in the importance of a good father, because a good father is what makes for stronger and more successful daughters. In fact, I think male leadership and the role of a dad is one of the greatest gifts given to women, ever! We need to call "the bluff" to all this silly feminist narrative that has been being blasted at us non-stop for years, and has zero basis in reality. Last week there was an article that really peeked my interest, the title is "White women, own up to it: You're the reason Hillary Clinton lost" written by an African-American journalist named Dahleen Glanton. She is steaming mad that Hillary lost, and so she needed someone to blame...not men, but silly white women who let men wrongly commandeer the positions of power. Listen to a couple quotes from her article: "According to a study by the Center for Talent Innovation, a New York-based think tank that studies labor trends involving gender and other areas, black women and white women view power in completely different ways. As it turns out, black women are nearly three times more likely to aspire to a powerful position with a prestigious title than white women. The reason is simple. Black women are used to being in control. We come from a long line of matriarchs — black women who prevailed as breadwinners despite a relentless undertow of discrimination and economic hardship, according to the 2014 study, "Ambition in Black and White: The Feminist Narrative Revised." The study surmises that their ambivalence is likewise shaped by history. For centuries, the study said, white women have been confined to homemaker and helpmate roles — norms that have proven difficult to escape. In other words, some white women carry a lot of guilt about being in charge. They'd rather sit back and let their men take over." Dahleen believes "Matriarchy is good" and "being a homemaker" is a prison sentence. Hmm, I wonder if this sort of thinking has contributed to the fact that more than half of African American children are born to single mothers? Nah, I am not allowed to go there because I am probably a control hungry white male, and my privileged position has blinded me to my inherent racism. What is interesting even President Obama sees something redeeming in the idea of having a good dad, "There are too many fathers missing from too many homes, missing from too many lives," he said. "There is harm done to those kids." A couple years ago he even started a new fatherhood initiative that gave single dads access to Federal assistance to help them be better dads. The irony is that single moms also could get this money because the politicians didn't want to keep women from having equal access to something men are able to get. Seems to be self-defeating if your goal is to promote fathers, doesn't it? But what really has pushed me over the edge on hating our culture's feminist agenda is the television show "The Walking Dead," I know, I know, a pastor should not be watching such a violent and gory show. I don't watch it for me, I watch it to keep up on what my congregants are watching. I need to know how to preach to them, don't I? Stop judging me man! Anyhow, the premise of the show is to survive against "walkers." They are dangerous, relentless zombies who are everywhere!! They want to eat the living, and the first couple years they were terrifying. Well, they don't terrify anymore. That is until the last episode where a woman named Tara had no problem dispatching over 20 walkers with a single stick. The ironic thing about it is that Tara couldn't even make our high school's JV football team, but the writers want us to believe that she can sure kill zombies...even more effectively than the male heroes, Rick and Daryl. Women don't need men to fight for them, they can do just fine on their own. I can only suspend disbelief for so long. And now feminists are even trying to have us suspend this disbelief in every area of life - - including even the military and sporting arena. Feminists argue that women are just as effective as their male counterparts in combat. But according to research, the evidence simply doesn't support it. A Marine study found that. . . * All-male squads, regardless of infantry MOS, were faster than the gender-integrated squads in each tactical movement. * On lethality, "All-male 0311 (rifleman) infantry squads had better accuracy compared to gender-integrated squads, * There are higher injury rates for females when compared to males performing the same tactical tasks. One military expert writes "the military’s physical and psychological toughness standards for men have also declined. The military as whole — even in basic training — has become kinder and gentler, partly in order to accommodate women." Isn't that great, having a kinder, gentler security force? And now we are asked to suspend our disbelief in the sporting arena as well. Take US Soccer as one example: male professional soccer has an average attendance of 20,000 fans per game, women attract around 5,000 fans. But when the woman's soccer team felt like they were not being treated fairly because they received lower pay, they went on 60 minutes to complain. During the interview by Norah O'Donnell, they were asked this question, "Do you think you should be paid more than the men's team?" “Yeah, absolutely,” said US midfielder Carli Lloyd. For me the problem with feminism isn't that they want equality, but rather they want superiority. And in order to do that they must bash men while telling lies about women. The truth is this... the greatest supporters of women are great fathers. Dads often are the ones who encourage their daughters the most to work hard, believe in themselves and be strong. Men are not the enemies, they are the God-given protectors, coaches and leaders of their sons and daughters. Feminists simply want men gone...and the truth is, this does women no good at all. There are truly bad men out there who love it when the good men leave. And maybe the good men have left because they are tired of being disrespected and treated as expendable idiots. Dear ladies, there is nothing more godly than a strong man. So, be very careful when they become the butt of all your jokes, and treated as the source of all your problems. And honestly, don't you miss a good lead actor that will save the day instead of a gender confused fella needing to experiment with wearing dresses and trying different colors of finger nail polish like Katelyn Jenner? (He was a much better as an Olympic decathlete than fashion model, wasn't he?) So lets stop this non-sense, let the men kill the zombies. “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 If you lose your heart you lose your ministry. Who wants to follow somebody that is a dead shell? Who wants to worship with a man who is doing everything just to get a paycheck? That is the irony of this job, it isn’t a job. It isn’t necessarily a calling either, even though many people would argue with me on that point, it is first and foremost a * F I R M * S U R E and * P A S S I O N A T E belief that God is true and every-man a liar. A belief like this can only come from a spiritually healthy heart. According to scripture, the heart is the innermost engine of the soul that controls everything else in your life (Acts 13:22). 3 questions must be asked to see if your heart is healthy; it is a quick cardiogram to first see if your heart is strong enough to go into this spiritually exhausting occupation called the pastorate: 1. If others stop following Jesus, will you? And if the answer is no, why not? 2. Why are you following Jesus - - what do you want from him? 3. What if all of your expectations are not met, and you are even asked to suffer, will you still go on? These are the root questions that uncover the condition of your heart, and it is here we must start if we are going to make ministry a lifetime endeavor. The foundation must be solid, for if it isn’t the super-structure is bound to fall. That is why I believe Paul would often use one word when he ministered - see if you can find it from the following verses? - 1 Corinthians 5:8 - 2 Corinthians 1:12 - 2 Corinthians 2:17 - The key word here is S_________________! If you are not sincere, get out! Stop and go somewhere else - because this may be one of the only careers that completely depends upon you "living & proclaiming" what you are convinced is the real truth. Yes, it is tough knowing the full truth, but we must sincerely believe that we have at least a part of it. Or we fall into the trap of the "Emergent Movement’s" horrific syndrome of only asking questions. It takes courage in our day to offer answers. Do you believe we as ministers of the gospel have answers? __________________ I hope we have some, or why even bother? Here is what I have settled on as the truths that are supremely vital to believe: (1) The atonement of Christ (his death, burial and resurrection) is our only hope. (2) God is Sovereign (He has full rights to do whatever he wants). (3) Mercy is why I am allowed to live and Grace is why I continue living. I sincerely believe those things. . .if I don’t, when I stand in the pulpit I will have nothing really to declare. And I believe over time God will allow me to be proven both a liar and a charlatan. People can spot a lying minister a mile away! So, take heed before you say you know what you know for sure - - because the heart is so easily deceived (Jeremiah 17:9). This is every human's handicap: We can lie to ourselves and we can be very easily lied to. So for the heart to be foundationally strong, we must avoid the major or most toxic pollutants to the heart. And I believe there are three that have the potential to pervert the truth, and poison the heart of all pastors (2 Peter 3:15-16): a. Arrogance - Listen to what Augustine said about this serpent to the soul. “Haughtiness or pride imitates God’s lofty remove - but God alone is far removed from sin. It is the arrogation on the creature’s part of something that properly belongs to God alone.” Oh, what a miserable trap arrogance is, and how easy it is to fall into. Because the more we are sure of ourselves, the less we will listen to the people pointing out our faults. Arrogance asks... "How can we ever be wrong when we know we are always right?" This is not the heart of Christ. Philippians 2:6, “Being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be GRASPED!” Woe! Who than am I to grasp if Jesus never once did? My rule of thumb for conquering this sneaky creep called arrogance is Isaiah 66:2b: - Walk Humbly - if someone points out a fault, then listen! They may be right, and most likely are. - Tremble at His Word - if your decisions are derived from his principles, and you believe they are in line with his will, you will be able to stand up to pressure. Because it will not be based on your position or person, but rather on his principles. And when you have that “YOU can really STAND!” b. Greed - Yes, you should be paid fairly, but you are not in it for pay. Don’t take a job because of the pay, but don’t kill your family either. There is balance here. QUESTION: “How do you practically walk this tight-rope?” Some ideas. . . * Live in the “Median Wage” for those you serve. (salary, benefits and investments). * Increase pay raise as any wage earner would (ie: include years of experience, education level, and amount of responsibility) * Find a wage that will free you up to serve, without taking advantage of people’s generosity. c. Lust - Let's face it, this battle is raging right now! Every one must be honest, or they have already lost - - lust is lurking ready to pounce any minute: * internet * movies * magazines * summer! It is all around us and we are CALLED to be MATURE on this issue. Maturity, I believe, means that I don’t do things secretly that feed my “appetite”, nor am I afraid of women because they are pretty and I might be tempted to sin. This is why some pastors will only talk to men - - which is sad because we are meant to pastor the whole church. How do you do this without falling into sexual sin? 1. Realize the Penalty of Lust: My wife, my kids, my congregation are intimately linked with my fidelity. Do you want to kill your kid? LUST. Do you want to kill your wife? LUST. Do you want to kill the church? LUST. Why? “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Job 31:1 & 23. Enough said there! 2. Realize how Powerful of a Temptation this is! Just being honest here. . .More ministries and families have been destroyed through lust issues than anything else. This is Satan’s weapon of choice to destroy a church. So when fighting, prepare yourself for this onslaught. It is a battle! Look at the words scripture uses when fighting sins of the flesh. . . * 1 Corinthians 9:27 - “Is Paul serious?” * 1 Peter 4:1 - “What is arming yourself mean?” * Revelation 2:20-23 - “What is the penalty of of sexual immorality?” CONCLUSION: “How is your heart?” 1. Is there anyone who you feel you can be honest with about your temptations? _______________________________________________ 2. Is there anyone who you feel that is positionally beneath you that you can spend time with and actually try to learn from them? (this helps fight arrogance): _____________________________________________ 3. How is your family budget? Are you a big spender or are you genuinely content with your life situation? __________________________________________ Never, never, never forget, if you don't have a healthy heart, you will become a very dangerous and deceptive person!! In 1977, Leonard Nimoy, better known as Spock from Star Trek, began hosting a very popular television show entitled, "In Search Of". Millions of truth-seeking, puzzle-solving Americans tuned in to watch it, and I was one of them. "In Search Of" captured the imagination of the viewer because each program conducted investigations into unsolved mysteries, events that defied explanation, and even attempted to find solutions to the highly controversial topics of the day. Often, it featured episodes about important historical events offering up odd yet intriguing theories as solutions. As a result, each episode's opening credits included a verbal disclaimer about the "conjectural nature of the evidence and theories to be presented." Today I want to go "In Search Of" answers to THE most volatile issue of our day. This subject includes both controversy and conspiracy; carrying tremendous potential for disagreement and derision. And as I attempt to unravel this riddle, I offer no disclaimer because I know for sure that I have found the answers needed to solve this mystery. The subject I invite you investigate with me is this: In Search Of: Finding Unity in America after the Presidential Election of 2016. Trying to solve this while at the same time satisfying all parties included in the conflict will take great dexterity as a writer, and patience and understanding on the part of each reader - - it's a dangerous undertaking for we are a divided nation. We are split right down the middle and this split has turned toxic! Anger and recrimination abounds. In fact, one of the main reasons I have decided to discuss this is because a friend recently messaged me with this plea: "Honestly we need to find a way to unite our country!...I'm being called horrible names bc I supported Trump!...I am losing friends simply because of an election...My heart is crushed." Good hearted Americans of both stripes are at each other's throats; a civil war of ideas and ideals has erupted. The dark clouds of debate have formed into a massive storm of relational division. Forget death by cannon and musket fire, the weapons we now wield are ridicule and intolerance. And it is killing us. I am going to attempt to offer a solution. As a pastor I realize, and have been told very directly, that my job is to, "show love to others who feel hurt, broken, fearful, vulnerable, and, yes, even angry. Rather than attack back or become defensive, we need to try to put ourselves in their shoes and meet them where they are at, as Christ did that for us.... be a vessel of communication for Christ to demonstrate that each and every person has worth and value". So, beginning from this conciliatory starting point, I present my case. I ask you to hear me out and I also guarantee that if tried, this solution can bring those who are far away close enough to at least have a productive conversation...that is of course, if you want more than just having your side win? UNITY REQUIRES 2 THINGS FROM YOU & ME (1) Stop Condemning the Other in such Absolute Terms. Yesterday, I read an article written by Jamelle Bouie, a left-leaning journalist, that started with this headline underscore, "People voted for a racist...they don't deserve your empathy." Commenting on this statement another journalist noted, "In other words, not a single person -- more than 60 million fellow citizens -- can be forgiven or excused for casting a ballot for Donald Trump. Each and every one of them (including millions of racial minorities, it must be said) did so for unacceptable reasons, rendering them unworthy of empathy. Ironically, this is precisely the sort of 'dehumanization' leftists constantly and often hysterically lament; a right-wing phenomenon they perceive around every corner." But this same kind of venom is also being used by those on the right as well. Listen to this statement by journalist Kurt Schlichter, "Far be it for me to help out you terrible Democrat clowns by suggesting that your terrible party has a terrible problem and you might want to figure out how to fix it. Sure, Hillary did get a lot of votes. Maybe even a majority of votes. And, considering we are not a democracy but a constitutional republic, of equal relevance is the fact that I own a hat. You lost. And it’s because you suck." Wow, both sides are standing their ground, fists raised, slinging out insult after insult trying to prove their superiority, and refusing to give an inch! When we use such absolute, unbending terminology it will always bring us to a logical "impasse." Unity between two uncompromising belligerents is not only impossible, but it makes for perpetual conflict. Some of you will say to me, "But I hate everything about that man! He is a hater!" Don't you see the contradiction in your confession? Another "impasse." Some of you will say, "But what do I tell my children about this man -- I am embarrassed and have nothing good to say?" Tell me, what do you tell your kids about JFK, MLK, & William Jefferson Clinton? Do you tell your children they are serial philanderers or men who have done great things for the cause of progress? If you only see the negatives when talking about Donald, again, you will arrive at the inevitable "impasse." So, if you want to have any chance at UNITY, stop being so absolute. (2) Start living by Romans 2:3. It reads, "So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?" The New Living Translation says this, "Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?" What does this mean? Simple, at whatever point you judge someone, if you have ever done the same things, you are going to be judged. You may view yourself as innocent as you sling arrows of disgust at the other, but you more than likely are just as guilty. Watch how this works as one astute writer points out: "It's not true that all white people are racist. Of course it isn’t true. Again: stop being ridiculous. You can’t take some random sin or vice and assign it to an entire group of people based solely on their skin color. In fact, do you know what it’s called when you accuse everyone in a certain racial group of possessing some negative characteristic? Racism, by definition." What you ascribe to a whole group of people will often bounce back and bite you. Another word for that is hypocrisy. Again, Donald Trump is said to hate women for a tape that recorded him in a private talk. I agree it was reprehensible. However, what if there was audio tape ready to be released to the public on all of your private conversations? Would you be nervous? Would any of us be innocent? Secondly, how can the left point the finger at the right and their supposed "war on women" when Hollywood and the Hip hop culture on the left does nothing but promote female objectification? I don't think the actors on the right produced "Dirty Grandpa" and "Ted"? The left did that. Did you know Beyoncé was stumping for Hilary during the election? She has done more for the degradation of women than anyone I can think of in recent memory. Listen to some of her lyrics...on second thought, forget it. Just looking them up makes me feel soiled. One more thing I have noticed in this debate, the most vocal group about the disparity of opportunity in our country are the NBA coaches and players. This group which bemoans the lack of opportunities available for African Americans make more money and have been given more recognition than any man could ever dream. It was this country, and the marketplace ideal of meritorious earning, that gave them this life. That is what Trump will promote, and that is what the NBA should want for us all. All of us must be careful standing on our own moral high-horses as we judge the motives of others. Because those same motives move us. In conclusion, I think America is more UNITED than we could ever think. I have lived in Eastern Europe and have seen economic stagnation first hand. America, at this moment in history, is nothing like Europe. In fact, heavy handed socialism is not what is best for any of us. I personally think both those on the left and right get that. I think we all want to see the same things happen for all Americans: the hungry fed, new houses built, salaries increased, safe neighborhoods for kids, job opportunities for all races expanded, educational excellence, religious freedom, and personal peace. How we get there is what the give and take of political debate is all about. For the last 8 years the democrats won that debate, they had their chance to implement their policies born out of their idealistic Keynesian economic philosophies. For the majority of America, those policies and philosophies really didn't seem to work...so now we have collectively by an election, decided to give Trump a go at it. It's his turn. All we ask is that the media and professional provocateurs let the national funeral ceremony that has been going on for the last week cease so we can move on. If he fails, vote him out - - but please let's be civil toward one another in the meantime. I think the search for UNITY is not that big of a mystery after all - - we can get there. And then once we finish with this political mud-slinging, we can hopefully get back to investigating the important stuff again...like looking for Bigfoot! "Followers want comfort, stability, and solutions from their leaders, but that is babysitting. Real leaders ask hard questions and knock people out of their comfort zones and then manage the resulting distress." Harvard Business Review Over the past few months, I have been approached by a number of people asking me the same question, "How does a person know if they are called into ministry? How do you know if you should be a pastor of a church?" Since I am a pastor, and have been serving in the church in that capacity for almost 25 years, I have chewed on this question a lot. It is one of those subjects that is hard to really nail down. In fact, more than once I have asked myself in the heat of battle, "Have I really been called by God to do this, because it is hard?" "Calling" is an intensely subjective term. It means many different things to many different people. So to help find some solid answers, I decided 10 years ago to write a booklet that addresses different ways to consider how to approach the "certainty of having a calling." Overtime, I have worked through my findings with approximately 20 different individuals that wanted me to help them as they considered serving God full-time. So in light of the recent requests, I have decided to post my original thoughts on this blog, I have edited them where I think it is appropriate, and then I am asking you, my readers, to make comments on what you agree or disagree with. Hopefully this discussion will also be a great resource for those of you who have wondered if God may be calling you to serve him as well. I also thought this would be a welcome change from the blogosphere's recent political ramblings and angry venting that can so easily get us bogged down and depressed. So I am asking those of you who are curious about this topic to join me each Wednesday for the next 8 weeks as we consider: What does it mean to be called as a pastor of Christ's church? SETTING THE STAGE The opinions I am going to share are not derived from textbooks, or seminary classes - - they are insights from the trenches. It is simply me and my thoughts, no more and no less. I have thought long and hard about this, because "Pastoring" is a mighty strange animal. I must admit, I am becoming more post-modern everyday. I don’t like hard edged plans that fit nicely on an alliterated outline, I want the meat, the human feel of an issue. Grab my soul, and give me the gut-wrenching truth. That, my dear reader, will be my objective. So get ready to probe, be honest, because this is a topic where you will be forced to wrestle with God. It is a very dangerous calling. In truth, serving Jesus is not a job, it really isn’t, it is an honor! There are eight areas that we will address, and I believe they are the issues you can not ignore: * Guarding Your Heart * Feeding Your Mind * Navigating your Family * Maintaining a Devotional Life * How to View Christ's Bride....the Church * Mastering Speech * Dealing with the Urgent * Fostering the Habit of Rest If you ignore any of these eight areas, destruction is certain - - either in your life or the body of believers that you have been assigned to love. So before we journey on this muddy, narrow, and rocky road, ask yourself this simple question, “Is there anything else in life that excites you as much as a career or calling other than ministry?” If the answer is yes, you must first pursue that path. . . . because I personally believe the residue of regret can kill your ministry when you are in the trenches. And let me tell you, the trenches are real and they are smelly, don’t let “could have beens” or “should of beens” embitter your soul. So if you are ready, next week, we will begin. Stay tuned..... People out there are scared. Really scared. Some are saying it is the end: the end of civility, the end of decency, and the end of the America we once were proud of and placed our trust in. It is getting so bad that there is one group out there that is so terrified they are even using the word "Doomsday." Doomsday defined is an event that ends in catastrophic destruction and death. Doomsday is one of those words that is meant to strike fear deep in your bones offering no hope and promising only despair. So who is this chicken little crying out that the "sky is falling"? Is it those wild-eyed end-times fundamentalists who see every full-moon as a sure sign of Christ's return? Or is it another one of those wacko cults like "Heaven's Gate" that believed a flying saucer was coming to earth to rescue the few faithful chosen before the world exploded? Well, guess what? It is not the crazed lunatic fringe that relies on superstition and blind faith who is sounding the alarm. The people who are wearing sandwich boards this time, declaring "The End is Near!", surprisingly are the sophisticated enlightened press corps. It is the left leaning elites that are now shaking in their boots. Last week, Rachael Maddow, the feminist female icon of progressive talk on MSNBC was interviewing Cecile Richards the head of Planned Parenthood and asked her this question, “Am I right to ask about a doomsday plan?” Maddow pressed. “Do you see this as a doomsday scenario for reproductive rights?” Her desperate concern for the fate of mankind came out of the realization that having “Mike Pence as vice president, the Republicans in control of the House, the Republicans in control of the Senate and a conservative majority, potentially a big one, on the Supreme Court," may put Roe vs. Wade at risk. This is the Progressive Doomsday! Oh no, Roe vs. Wade at risk? Say it isn't so...... What, the dismantling of Planned Parenthood? End of the world....... Wow, this is some scary business. Just think, this could mean the possibility that women may not have as easy access to an abortion that they once had? Horrible, isn't it? I did some research concerning the percentage of women that may be at risk if their abortion rights were completely taken away, end of the world kind of stuff. Here is what I found, "Due to significant medical advances, the danger of pregnancy to the mother has declined considerably since 1967. Yet even at that time Dr. Alan Guttmacher of Planned Parenthood acknowledged, 'Today it is possible for almost any patient to be brought through pregnancy alive, unless she suffers from a fatal illness such as cancer or leukemia, and, if so, abortion would be unlikely to prolong, much less save, life.' Dr. Landrum Shettles says that less than 1 percent of all abortions are performed to save the mother’s life." Did you hear that? It could be catastrophic....less than 1 percent of all pregnant mothers, though only speculative, could die if they don't have access to legal abortion! I did some other research ... I wanted to know, what was the percentage of babies that die during the abortion procedure? The number is somewhere around 98%...a little bit higher number than mothers who may die from complications. (Just one man's opinion). And since Roe vs. Wade was enacted, 54 million babies, who had no voice in the matter, have been slaughtered. Now that's catastrophic! I have been told that the reason the elections have brought out significant fears in people is that it proves Americans are deeply racist. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't we elect an African American President for the last eight years? I have read that many of those votes for President Obama were less because of his policies and abilities than white people wanting to show remorse for their white guilt. In other words, the last two elections prove that racism is not really the issue. But if you really want to discuss real racism, I also learned in my research that 37% of aborted babies happened to be African American -- that is around 19 million black babies murdered! Also, many of the 645 of Planned Parenthood's clinics (butcher shops) are found in black urban neighborhoods. Sounds pretty racist to me? For me, this recent election was about wanting less government control, and more about keeping a woman named Hilary out of the Oval Office. But no, we are told not voting for Hilary is a sign Americans hate women? Well lets go back to the 54 million murdered babies. If you were to divide it by 2, that means there were roughly 27 million female babies murdered in the U.S. That sounds incredibly misogynistic if you ask me? So if we are really going to talk about doomsday and the end of life, you tell me who should really be living in fear? Those who are fighting for the right to end life, or those in their mother's womb who can't even defend themselves? There is one more possibility concerning whom we should fear, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (Luke 12:4-5) I remember the day well, my candidate lost. I sat listening to people I completely disagreed with cheering, crying, dancing and claiming the emergence of a new type of leader, "post-racial" they said. It was anything but. I was upset, but I continued to live. I prayed for our new President, but I also sharply disagreed with him on many issues. That was my right as an American. Four years later, my candidate lost again. Once again I watched people gloat and cheer. Laugh and mock. Insist upon their superior status. I was upset, but I continued to live. I prayed again, and I still sharply disagreed with him on many issues. That was still my right as an American. Four years later, my candidate won. And somehow my vote has ruined the country. Somehow my opinion is evil, harmful, un-American. Why does it seem that those who claim they are on the side of love are often angry, vengeful and condemning? Those who advocate for tolerance often lack tolerance? Why does the world have to end just because their candidate lost? Here is what I know, "There is nothing new under the sun. God is still in his temple. His mercy is new every morning." And last but not least, "I deserve nothing, and neither do you." (Romans 2:4-5) We will all vote again. Don't worry. Dear Dad,
Think very, very seriously before you have a daughter. Raising her will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears; but she will be your greatest joy and most precious jewel. That is why they are so hard to give up when another man comes into her life. My jewel is named Ginger, she turns 20 years old this month. She gets married tomorrow! I can't wait to see her marry the man of her dreams - - he is truly a godly man. But I also must admit, it will be hard to release her. I think the difficulty comes in the realization that her wedding day is really here? I didn't see it coming. It all starts so subtly: You and your wife have this baby riding in the back seat. You drive 5 miles an hour just to make sure no bump on the road, or swerve of the car will wake her up or jostle her neck. Next thing you know, she is 3 years old putting make-up on your face while your wife is out buying groceries. She is the only one that could ever get you to put on finger nail polish...but you do it because you know it makes her happy. You will do anything for one smile from your little girl. Time speeds up: Pictures in front of her new school. Sleep-overs with 6 of her giggling friends watching "The Princess Diaries". Summer camp where one week seems like a lifetime. And then she meets him, the man who starts occupying all of her time. It all happens so fast. You don't have time to consider what is going on. But I guess that is how God intended it? When you really love someone, you live more in the moment than counting the years that fly by. When you love someone, you are there for the midnight conversations, or jokes at the dinner table and you don't really notice your baby girl has turned into an amazing woman. So if you are a father of a daughter - get ready - if you do your job right, that day will come in the blink of an eye. When you have done all the little but important things your job demands: from reading her books before bedtime, or telling her she is beautiful when her fragile teenager's mind wonders if she is pretty - - your daughter will all of a sudden blossom like a rose in spring. Your girl becomes a lady. And if you really have done your job right, they are more than ready to live a new life with God's chosen man, and you know his blessing is upon them. So dad, are you up for the greatest challenge you will ever face? Raising a daughter to become a bride? There is nothing more rewarding. Oh happy day! |
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