Change

Change is a good thing. Change is necessary. I forget about this blog. I admit it. So I created a new one if anyone is interested. I defected to WordPress. johnrmcdougal.wordpress.com It is entitled "The Glyngarreth Messenger"

Thanks for all you have meant to mean, Blogger. You were a necessary point on my journey of writing.

Dress Codes and "Rape Culture"

I read an article this morning on Buzzfeed which states, rather uses quotes to state, that dress codes are furthering "rape culture" (Read it here), and I, in my limited reach on this vast internet, must respond.

As a future (hopeful) educator and one who spent a few years in Youth Ministry, my thoughts are these few: 1) this sounds more like some (not all) girls are using this as a way to break rules because no school wants to be accused of perpetuating "rape culture." 2) There is some truth to their argument, though. Guys are not burdened with as many clothing restrictions, nor are they ever accused of "being distracting." 3) There is a flaw in the argument that goes unnoticed by many. High school is about preparing teenagers to be successful adults in the real world, and, sorry girls, but most jobs have a required dress code.

Expounding on each of these, now, let me begin with this: this is not a post on modesty. Modesty is an attitude and character trait, not a clothing restriction. I have known modest women who wear the trendy styles and immodest women who cover their bodies completely. Not to mention, that men are to be modest, also, yet this is too often meant their egos and not every facet of their lives.

Therefore, let me begin. I say that this sounds like some girls are just finding a way to break the rules because of this one reason: they are teenagers. Even the best teenagers I've been blessed to work with do this. This is what teenagers do, for good or bad. There are things that can be good from this. It means either the purpose of the rule was not communicated effectively or the rule is not a good one and needs to be rethought. Either way, it is a time for learning on both sides. In the instance of dress codes, I believe it is both.

Which leads me to point two. It is unfair to women. Dress codes tell guys that they can't have their pants sagging and no profanity or pornography on their clothing, but girls have a seemingly endless list of restrictions on their clothing. This should not be so. Women should not be subjugated in this manner simply because they have been created the way they are.

The solution, then, is found in point three. Educators must communicate more properly the reasoning, and, to me at least, "distracting the class" is not a good enough reason. In fact, I have found that comfort is conducive to learning. The rule should be (in some form): "Each student must dress in a professional manner." That should be the spirit of a dress code. One cannot wear whatever one wishes to most places of business or jobs. As a youth minister, I could not wear pajamas to the office, unless there was an event which called for it. Basketball shorts were also, at times, unacceptable. I cannot wear jeans and a T-shirt to my job at Starbucks, or I would get in trouble.

So what, then, is the solution? An effective communication of the reason behind the dress code, with the emphasis on professional training. One can be, and should strive to be, professional in whatever employment one has. Mechanic? Be professional. Teacher? Be professional. Batista? Be professional. Find comfort in professionality. Being professional, by the way, does not mean wear a suit at all times or ever. It means understanding the situation, your customers or whomever you come in contact with, and what is acceptable in these situations. In leisure time, wear whatever you want. When it is time to work, whether at school or a job, be professional.

It is not about perpetuating "rape culture." It is about cultivating mature adults. Guys, this means that you must respect a woman because she deserves respect. There are things they can wear that may catch your eye, but that does not give you any reason to treat them with anything other than respect. Men, you must also respect the spirit of these rules, too. Have a beard, have a thick beard, but keep it professional.

New Year Thoughts 2014

It's been a long time since I last posted on here. Far too long. But it is a new year and, though I tend to dislike the idea of "resolutions," I have recognized a slip on my part of studying deeply the Word of God as I should. So, I hope that this begins me down the road to being more consistent in my in-depth studying and, hopefully, memorization. This is for my own personal benefit and I think the best when I have an immediate outlet to write out my thoughts. This is my journal of sorts. I hope to be open and honest with those of you who read these posts of mine, and, hopefully God speaks to you through me.

As I thought of where I should start in my study, I was reminded of a piece of Scripture that I hold dear and have spent a lot of time on. It is a great launching point for me because it is a reminder of why I take the time to study. It is a chapter at a peculiar time in Israel's history, just a few years after God allowed a king to be named over His people. The people chose Saul, who soon began to do things his own way. He made unlawful sacrifices and rash vows, but he finally did a thing that God could not allow in the leader of His people: Saul disobeyed.

Here is the scene:
[1Sa 15:1-3, 6-9 ESV] 1 And Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" ... 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

There are, in these few verses, things that can be discussed for hours and days. God specifically says He remembers what a people did the Israelites many years before when they left Egypt. Here we can see that God's wrath burns slowly, that He avenges wrongs done upon His people in His own time, and that He remembers those who, for whatever reason, were friends to His people. We also see that He is clear in His direction. These are attributes of God that we cannot and should not deny. Especially the last one. God is always clear in His direction to His people. The Holy Spirit prompts us to action, but He calls upon what we already know what we should do. That is everyday living. We will always receive clear directions when it comes to the big, life-changing events. I can recall clearly each time God spoke to me about life-changing events. There was no uncertainty in what to do. There was no "I didn't catch that." My directions were clear. I had but one thing to do: obey.

Saul was giving clear directions. "Devote to destruction all that they have." But what did Saul do instead? He took Agag prisoner and allowed the people to take what they wanted from the spoils. He disobeyed God's clear direction. This was unacceptable in the man that was to lead the people of Israel in the ways of God. God needed a man of obedience, and Saul was not that man. So what does God do? He sends in someone who does obey.

[1Sa 15:10-11, 13-23 ESV] 10 The word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments." And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the LORD all night. ... 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed be you to the LORD. I have performed the commandment of the LORD." 14 And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?" 15 Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction." 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! I will tell you what the LORD said to me this night." And he said to him, "Speak." 17 And Samuel said, "Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And the LORD sent you on a mission and said, 'Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." 22 And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king."

God calls upon His obedient servant Samuel and tells him of Saul's disobedience. Again, we can see glimpses of another, longer discussion on calling out sin, which is Samuel's primary function, but I want to focus upon Samuel's words to Saul at the end of this section in verses 22 and 23. These are the words that God has spoken to my heart today, yet again. As many times as I have read them in the past, they are fresh and new to my soul now. God desires our obedience above all else. Do you give everything as an offering to God? Great, but ask yourself, "What has God told me to do, what direction has He given me, that I have yet to do?"

That is the ultimate question of this entire life as a Christ-follower. It is the ultimate calling: live a life of obedience. Why? Because by doing your own thing, by ignoring the words of God and by assuming your plan is greater than what God has planned for you, you are making yourself God. Look again at verse 23 above. Rebellion is as the sin of divination and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Raising yourself to the status of God in your life is an act of open rebellion which manifests itself in disobedience. Maybe it is the everyday Holy Spirit promptings that you ignore where you struggle, but, more often, I will guess that it is in the big, life-changing events that make you uncomfortable because of the change it will mean that cause you to hesitate. You may say, "But, God, I have a good job here!" or "I'm still in school and I won't know anyone there." or "My summer is the only time I have to do the things that I want to do. Don't take that from me!" Here is the truth of this chapter: God seeks obedient servants to lead His people, because only those who will obey are qualified to effectively lead His people. The shepherd/sheep analogy is completely relevant here. But you may ask, "What if I don't want to lead?" To you, God says that your obedience is a better offering and a sweeter fragrance than anything else you have to offer. One may only please God through faith (Hebrews 11:6), and faith leads to greater obedience.

This is my reason for needing to return to a deep study of Scripture, of God's words to us. It is an act of obedience. It is reasonable and sensible. It is what is expected of me, and I must confess that I have lived in disobedience for too long in this. So, in this public journal of mine, I leave this acknowledgement of my sin, my confession to my brothers and sisters, and my attempt to begin a habit of obedience in this, to discover the ways in which I need to keep growing.

Advent

Advent. Coming. The bringing of hope. The discovery of peace. The embodiment of love. The beginning of joy. This is the season in which we celebrate the greatest love God has ever shown us: the arrival of Jesus. He is Emmanuel: God come to be with us. He is Messiah: God our Savior. He is the Christ-child: the anointed one of God.

Even in birth, Jesus exalted the lowly. A baby who will one day redeem us and reconcile us: born to a woman of no consequence, made great by the blessing of our God. A baby of infinite splendor: born in a barn and laid in a feeding trough. A baby who had been praised by the angels: greeted on Earth by shepherds.

Even as a toddler, Jesus opposed the proud. The mighty Herod: shown to be a jealous coward. The extravagant Rome: shown to be worthless.

Thirty-three years later, mankind would see all of this culminate in one glorious act of love. Jesus, the Anointed One, the Embodiment of God, freely gives himself as the sacrificial Lamb, the propitiation of sin, then rises from the dead to become our living Messiah. On the cross, we see the proud and the lowly together. Even on the cross, Jesus exalted the lowly, giving life to the condemned thief. Even in death, Jesus opposed the proud, choosing to stay on the cross then rising to defeat death forever. In Him, we hope. In Him, we have peace with God. In Him, we love. In Him there is joy.

This is Advent: Jesus.

Late Night Ponderings

This past Sunday, New Community in Spokane received a dynamic Word from God. It hit me hard and has left me with musings and ponderings all week. The passage is Matthew 13:44-46 known to theologians as the "Treasure Parables."

The great thing about parables is that there is only one point to them, but that point is sometimes seen/shown in multiple ways. These short parables have more complexity in them than some of the longer ones.

A quick read tells us this: a man finds treasure in a field. He sells all he owns and buys the field for the treasure. Also, a man finds the most costly pearl ever. He sells all he owns and buys the pearl.

Conclusion? Hint: Don't jump there.

I must first ask you to ask yourself a couple of questions. First, "How do you see yourself in light of God?" And second, "How do you see God in light of yourself?" Yes, you read that correctly. I want you to know how you see God in light of yourself.

It is easy to see ourselves in light of God. We are sinful, horrid beings in desperate need of grace. Our best is nothing to God. That is easy for us to see, especially when we sin. The hard part tells us to look at God in light of ourselves. Since I am bordering heresy, let me explain this. This is not taking a look at the human condition followed by God. That is seeing ourselves in light of God. What I want you to do is to search your heart and really think about how you see God.

Do you put him in a box? Do you shove him off to the side? Do you make him convenient only when you want? A friend of mine recently had a revelation about how he saw God. He tried to put him in a box that said, "God only works in this way because that is all I know how he works." My friend knows now how faulty that thinking is. So, please, examine yourselves (it is Scriptural after all).

Now, let's look at the meat of these parables. A man searched a field and found treasure in it. Another man found a super costly pearl, a "pearl of great price" as Scripture reads. Both men had to respond to this, and they both responded in kind. They went and sold all they had to acquire their desired treasure. The first and easiest way to see these verses is seeing the treasure/pearl as Christ. We are to identify with the men who stumbled upon these great treasures. And, as they did, we must give up all to possess the treasure that is Christ. Please note that I am not saying we can buy our way into heaven, because that is not what Jesus ever taught. Jesus said, so I echo, that we are to give up all we have. In the spiritual, that does not always mean we sell everything and go live in a monastery. What it means is that we become a living sacrifice, giving up our desires, affections, dreams, pursuits, etc., for that of the Holy One. Everything we live for changes when we come in contact with the true Treasure.

Think about it. These men no longer had houses! They could not even feed themselves, but they had that which is greater. They no longer cared for their own well-being, only that of the Treasure.

See why that is so easy? We understand Christ is the true Treasure. We have just seen ourselves in light of who God is. Christ is worth giving up all because he is holy and we are not. So, what is the other understanding of this parable?

Look at the context of this passage. This is the same chapter as the parable of the sower, the parable of the weeds, the parable of the mustard seed and leaven, and the parable of the net. In each of them, the world is the field/dough/sea. In the parable of the weeds and net, we see a look at the close of the age when the angels separate the wheat and the tares/good and bad fish. So why do we always see Christ as the treasure?  Hopefully, by now, you see where this is heading. In this alternate reading, WE are the treasure and Christ is the man. WE are the pearl and Christ is the man.

Listen to Paul in Romans: "God demonstrated his own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Hear that? Christ gave up everything he had so that he could redeem (buy) us. This is viewing God in light of ourselves: that we see the drastic lengths he went to tell us that we are loved and we are worth it all. How can we keep God in a box after that? How can we hope to push God aside when he tells us we are worth dying for to save?

So, which is correct? Hint: it is both.

The greater question is: who or what is the main character of the parable? The answer is always, emphatically Christ. He is the Treasure and he gave up all for us. If you read this as Christ as the Treasure, then you must see the worthlessness of humanity in light of the glorious riches of Christ; but if you see Christ as the man, then you must see how precious we are to God.

Christmas?

May I end my somewhat stunning silence (August? Really?) and say, this Christmas season has been Weird. (For those who follow such cliched terms, that is "weird with a capital W.") It hasn't felt like Christmas season at all. Yeah, the sermons and songs point to it, but not what I remember Christmas as. I remember the anticipation of Christmas morning, seeing my sisters (I admit this reluctantly), and the traditions of what I grew up with, but the feeling with in my house is depressing, and that has, in a sense, ruined Christmas.

It hasn't ruined what Christmas is about, not at all. Nothing can or ever will, but the secular aspect of the holiday (presents, tree, even the music) have no pull on me. I love to lose myself in Christmas music (seriously started listening back in October), but given the chance, I listen to some old emo stuff from high school. Really? It's just so strange. I finally put a finger on why this is, as I said earlier, my house is a tad depressing. I spend my days in my room on the off chance that I might come in contact with a friend on facebook or xbox, but no such luck.

I really don't even know why I am writing this, other than to spill it all out and clear my head. I won't even be posting this to facebook, so no point in making it too long. Whatever.

Worship Is...

As I lay in bed tonight, a though blossomed at the back of my mind, so, here I am writing this blog instead of sleeping.

This thought (which has now firmly attached itself to my brain, and will not let go) was "The institution of the church (where you gether on Sundays) is designed for us. The ecclessia (the Called Out; the true Church) is designed for us to unify to give God glory."

This is one of the major things I find wrong with churches today. As I later tweeted, "When a church's attitude of expectation overtakes its attitude of worship, there is a problem." And it is true. While expecting God to work is not a bad thing, it is not the point of church. So to say that you go to church to hear a word from God, I feel, is a poor motivation. God speaks to us in so many ways and at so many different times, that we shouldn't go into a Sunday morning service expecting Him to speak there. Now, please don't hear me saying that He doesn't, but that should not be our primary motivation for going to church.

Church (ecclessia) is about community. It is built upon and only works when a myriad of individuals come together in unity for a singular goal. When we come into church services expecting God to speak so we can consume, we are asking for something selfishly. However, if we come into a church service with an attitude of worship, we, then, become truly unified with the other believers, since our purpose is make God famous. We cannot do that if we are fractured. It is only when we are unified that the Church works.

Look throughout Acts. The apostles may not always have gotten along, but they were unified in one purpose: making God famous. It is through that unity that God moved. I am sure the apostles expected God to do things, the very nature of faith is knowing that He will do things, but their unity was built first upon making God famous, and from there, all other things.

I know this is probably confusing, maybe even infuriating, but if it causes you to think about why you attend church, then it has accomplished His purpose. God wants us to glorify Him and make Him famous, especially when we are grouped with other believers.

Worship Is...
-An attitude,
-A lifestyle,
-A desire,
-Loving God back,
-Unifying.

Journal Challenge

For those of you who might be keeping track of my challenge, I am not posting all of this week's journal entries. I am currently visiting my sister and, though I will read and study, I will not take the time to update my blog daily. Look for a mass summation of the week on Saturday. Until then, God bless and stay in the Word.

Journal Challenge: Day 3

Today, during Sunday School, church, and the crusade service I went to tonight, I was reminded of several things. 1. What the term "accepting Christ" really means. 2. How messed up we really are (even as Christians). 3. Where our focus sometimes lies within the church.

1. We tend to, as Christians, throw out these phrases and words that most people dub "Christian-eze." These words turn people off from the truth of God because they don't understand them. I fall into this trap a lot myself, and one of the phrases I (and most pastors) use the most is "accept Christ." Now, this phrase isn't bad, or even unbiblical, but I believe that we have turned it into something it isn't. We say we need to "accept Christ as our Lord and Savior," but most people think that means "ask for forgiveness and ask Him to come into our heart." Sorry, you are wrong. (Here comes some toe-stepping.) As I have said in previous posts, we don't have to ask for forgiveness to be saved! It is a by-product of our understanding that we sin and our confession of Jesus as Lord. Remember, God is faithful to forgive us if we confess our sins, but He will save us if we confess Christ as Lord (1 John 1:9, Romans 10:14). Also, it isn't Jesus who comes into our heart (sorry kiddos); it is the Holy Spirit. When we confess Christ as our Lord, we receive the Holy Spirit in our lives and it is Him who lives through us. The person of Christ is seated on His throne in heaven awaiting the day that the Father says "Go get your bride."

So this term "accept Christ as Lord and Savior" is accurate. How do I mean? Well, He already is our Savior (He has already died for our sins) and He already is our Master (whether you want to admit it or not, God is sovereign), so we must accept that in our own lives and confess that He is both of those things in our lives. That produces forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2. We suck. Plain and simple. (Man I'm full of fun stuff tonight.) In Hosea, we read how the Israelites kept turning away from God despite all that He had done for them. "My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore" (Hosea 4:12). God isn't happy with His people here. They have gone off and sought other things to worship and give their time. How different are we, really? Do we not seek after other things to satisfy us when God is the only thing we need? Do we not ask money, possessions, or relationships to fulfill in us what only God Himself can fill? So, yeah, sometimes...we suck.

The crazy thing is, though, God still loves us and wants to have a relationship with us! No matter how much we leave to "play the whore," God still has this promise for His people: "I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord" (Hosea 2:19-20). That's true love there! For those who are apart of His Bride (the Church [Christians]), we will be betrothed to God even if we slip up!

3. My pastor today preached on the passage in Luke about the rich man and Lazarus, where they both died and Lazarus went to heaven and the rich man went to hell. He used it to point out three things that not every church has: belief, prayer, and evangelism. Though I agree, I got something completely different out of this passage. Often times, we focus on evangelism too much and forget about our own discipleship, or vice versa. I believe our focus should be on doing what God has commanded us, regardless of what people think about us. Here's what I think Jesus was saying in Luke 16: there are those who have all the Scripture (Jews = Rich man) and there are those who wish to have it, but do not (Gentiles = Lazarus). Those who did not start with all Scripture are blessed, because it did not taint how they perceived Christ. Whereas the Jews have. In the end, the rich man wanted Lazarus to go back to his family to tell them, but he was not permitted because they had the law and prophets and because of that, they would not believe even if a man was raised from the dead. So, Lazarus is a picture of Jesus as well. The Jews did not believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, even though He showed Himself many times.

So, where is our focus? Scattered. Where should it be? The commands of Christ. Why? Because that is how people come to faith in Him and accept Him for who He rightfully is.

Journal Challenge: Day 2

Journal Challenge 2
Yesterday I went through Joel, and that was a bit confusing, but I came away understanding the need for true brokenness and not just faux brokenness before God. Today, I began Amos. Amos is a bit easier to understand (at least chapters 2-3 are), because it is all judgement. Amos helps us out by telling us when he was a prophet, which was during Uzziah's reign two years before an earthquake (1:1). During this time, the surrounding nations have not been too kind to Israel and Judah (no surprise there), and so God begins pronouncing judgement upon them. He mentions Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, the Ammonites, and Moab. All of which shared a border with Israel and Judah. Damascus is judged becaused they destroyed Gilead, which was a refuge city. This was a city of protection that was established for people to enter and not have to worry about being killed. So, because of their actions against Gilead, Damascus is reduced to nothing. The same is said about the Ammonite people. Gaza and Tyre are judged because they took Israelites and sold them to Edom. Edom is judged because "he pursued his brother with the sword." Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother. Moab was judged because they "burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom." So, here we see, that even though he wasn't chosen by God to be His people, God still protected Esau's descendants because of the relationship between Esau and Jacob and Isaac.

But God also pronounces judgement upon Judah and Israel. Judah "rejected the law of the Lord" and they followed after false gods (2:4). Israel, though, they are some messed up people when Amos is talking to them. They take advantage of the righteous and the needy, they do not care about the laws God has given them, and, in fact, they get others who are committed to God to turn away. See verse 12 of chapter 2: "But you made the Nazirites drink wine, and you commanded the prophets, saying, 'You shall not prophesy.'" After this, God says that the strong, mighty, swift, and nimble will not be able to stand on the day of judgement.

So, here is my thought: who have I led astray? Have I made people go against their vows or not be used by God? The Bible says "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). Do I think myself better? Do I think myself strong or mighty? To think such a way is to pharisaical and to think of myself as righteous, when I know that my righteousness is as clean as a woman on her period (Isaiah 64:6).

Just my leaving thoughts...

Journal Challenge: Day 1

This last week at Journey Youth Camp, I challenged my students to keep a journal for 30 days once we returned home. This serves multiple purposes. The first is it creates a habit of getting into the Word daily. The second is so that they can look back and remember what God taught them. Instead of writing mine down to myself, I decided I would keep a journal on my blog. As I was trying to decide where I should start, I felt I should look at the Old Testament minor prophets I had never previously studied. So, I am starting with Joel.

Journal: Day 1

The hard part with these minor prophets is that you get very little context to what was going on in the land of Israel or Judah at the time of the writing. Joel is one of those books where we just do not know when it was written. Best guesses put it somewhere between 800-835 BC during the reign of Joash in Judah. With Joel, God, again, is pronouncing judgment upon His own people for their disobedience and sin. However, he does proclaim grace and mercy upon His people once they return to Him. As I read this, I cannot help but draw parallels to Revelation. From the swarms and hordes of locusts to the sun being darkened and the moon turning to blood. If these events truly came to pass in Judah during this time, there would be a record of it in either 2 Kings or 2 Chronicles.

Alas, there is no record of this happening. This leads me to believe the words Joel received from the Lord were prophetic for a time 800 years in the future. My clues? After words of terror about earthquakes and the sun and moon being darkened, God says this: "'Yet even now.' declares the Lord, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.'" Now, to understand this "clue" of mine, you must understand the word "rend." The word "rend" means to "tear apart." In the Old Testament, the Jewish people would tear their garments in moments of great distress and agony, whether physical or because of sin. What God is calling them to do here is to tear their hearts instead. Allow themselves to be fully broken inside, not just make a show of it on the outside. The next step in this clue, is when God says that after they come back to Him, His people will "never again be put to shame." He says that twice (2:26-27).

Now, we know that later on in history, both Judah and Israel were taken captive and spent 70 years in captivity, so, what is God talking about? Simple. Look at verse 28: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those I will pour out my Spirit."

This isn't talking about some follow the rules and you'll be ok stuff. This is God saying that His Spirit will come and dwell with and within man. This is the reason why His people will never be to shame again. Listen, we WILL NOT be put to shame. Why? Look at Romans 5:5: "and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

There is the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-29. It is through God's Holy Spirit that we have hope, and that hope is a symbol of love which will not put us to shame. It is also through God's Holy Spirit that we have our spiritual gifts, which include all manner of prophecy (verbal prophecy, dreams, and visions).

So, this is my challenge, based on my readings and diggings tonight: rend your heart before God. Be broken before Him over your sin and call upon His name as your source of life and meaning, and you will not be put to shame.

Redemption: How sweet it is

"And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me 'My Husband' and no longer will you call me 'My Baal.' For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord."

What a beautiful promise we have from the Lord! A promise, given in the midst of turmoil and unfaithfulness, to Israel and, by extension, to the Church.

How often do we run from Christ, the Husband of the Church? How often do we "go after [our] lovers, who give [us our] bread and water, wool and flax, oil and drink"? (Hosea 2:5) It is God who gives us those things, and yet we seek them in our new baals. These gods the Israelites worshiped were supposed to have power and control over the land and weather, so they would sacrifice and worship them, when all the while, God is saying, "I gave that to you!" Our modern society has grown technologically to where we no longer think that way, and yet, we still have our own false gods and our idols: money, success, pleasure, satisfaction, laziness, etc. We see these things and we chase after them because we think, "That is where I find my validation; that is where I find my joy," not know that God is saying, "No! You find that in Me!"

And, still, in the midst of this, God says that He will bring them back unto Himself and "betroth you to Me forever." In other words, the Church will be married to Christ, and we will no longer search for those things outside of Him. Just as Hosea's wife was a prostitute, so we are here. We leave Christ in search of things that we think are better. How miserable humanity is! We leave a faithful, loving, gracious Husband to whore with the baals and idols sin offers. But, God redeems us as Hosea redeemed Gomer. Check it:

"And the Lord said to me, 'Go again, love a woman who is loved by another manand is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.' So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barely." (Hosea 3:1-2)

Hosea bought his wife out of the life of adultery and prostitution and freed her from it! She never had to return to it again. Remind you of any other Husband you know?

Grace vs Forgiveness: Why grace saves and forgiveness doesn't

When it is 4 a.m. and someone is awake, it's either because they are in pain, don't want to sleep yet, have insomnia, or are getting up for work. Those that don't want to sleep are young and will grow out of it (I did). Those in pain or insomniacs take a pill. Those getting up for work have already slept. So that leaves us with me. I just can't sleep tonight. I'm tired, my eyes are heavy, but I just can't shut off. So, while all normal people in my time-zone are asleep right now, I take to the interwebs and I blog...

This is one of those good kind of "can't shut off nights." I've prepared (mentally), several possible teaching lessons that are in their infancy. The one I am most prepared to discuss (the one that takes the least amount of brain power), is a discussion of forgiveness and grace. In my last blog posting, I spouted possible heresy, saying that we don't need to ask for forgiveness from God to be saved, we only need to openly confess that He is our Lord and Master and that we will follow Him always. I made the point that it is our faith that saves us and not us wanting to be free from guilt of doing bad things. That is called easing your conscience.

So, I guess, this will be a continuation, since Ephesians 2:8-9 says "For it is by grace through faith that you have been saved..." Grace saves us when we put our faith in the Giver of Grace. So, what does that word mean: grace? I've heard it defined as "unmerited favor", "getting what you do not deserve", and other things along those lines. Now, I'm not saying those are wrong (they are actually decent), but as I study Scripture, I find that those definitions are incomplete. For instance, take Romans 12:3. Paul writes, "For by the grace given to me..." Here, the definition "unmerited favor" works decently. But that definition is a repeat of the other I gave you. "Unmerited favor", broken down, means "you didn't earn the standing you have." So, in light of the subtle deficeincies I see, I propose this definition of grace: "the power to do what you cannot do yourself." This power, when dealing with Scripture and spiritual matters, comes from God. Now think of Ephesians 2:8: "For it is by the power you do not possess that has been given to you because of your faith in Christ that you are saved." Or Romans 12:3: "For by the power I do not have on my own, which was given to me..." It just seems a more complete definition to me. But, more on grace later.

Now we shift our focus to forgiveness. This is easy. Forgiveness isn't saying, "That's ok" to someone who has hurt you. Far from it. We have taken this mentality of "forgive and forget" to an extreme and even applied this to God! I saw a video from Francis Chan the other day where he said we have the tendency to take God and make Him subject to our morality. Ouch.

I am here to tell you (super-fundamentalist, bring out your heresy book again) that God doesn't forget our sin. "But, then how do we get to heaven?" I said He doesn't forget, not that He doesn't forgive. Read the end of Revelation. Every man, woman, boy and girl who EVER lived will stand before the throne and give account for what he or she has done. EVERY SINGLE ACT, WORD, OR THOUGHT! However, Christ is there as our advocate and says, "I paid John's penalty. He followed me. He trusted me. He let me be his Master. He is mine." Then He will say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest." No where in there does God ever forget our sin. I think He will see it clearly (God is outside of time...different lesson), but it was placed upon Christ while He was on the cross. Therefore, we no longer face the penalty of our sin. We have been forgiven. Our sin is no longer held against us. That is my working definition of forgiveness: "not holding a past offense against someone." This is key in marriage and relationships.

Think of this: A man is walking home from work, when a mugger pulls him into an alleyway. "Give me your wallet," the mugger says, thrusting a gun at the man's chest. "Here, take it," the muggee replies. As the mugger takes it, he shoots the man anyway, killing him. After the investigation, the mugger is caught and goes on trial for murder. He is convicted. The man's wife is there in the courtroom. (Here is where the rubber meets the road, folks.) She walks down the aisle, leans over to the mugger and says, "I forgive you. I no longer hold this against you."

Now, will she EVER forget that this man killed her husband? NO! But forgiveness is not holding it against him. "Yeah, but this is murder!" It doesn't matter. It was our sin that forced Jesus to die, and, still, He forgives us. "Yeah, but that's Jesus! He's God!" Agreed. Yet aren't we called to live like Him? Luke 6:36-37,40 "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged. Condemn not, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven...A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher." We will be like Him if He is our teacher. From the mout of Jesus Himself.

Back to the illustration: The woman stands up, tears rolling down her cheeks. She looks at the prosecuting attorney, and then leans back down to speak to her husband's murderer again. "Also, I heard that you cannot afford an attorney, so I would like to help you pay for one."

Enter grace. The mugger didn't have the power to help himself. He didn't have the ability to hire a good lawyer. So, in a shower of grace upon a man who killed her husband, the wife paid in his stead.

Yes the event was ficticious, but the premise is not. The premise is based on Christ. If we are to show Christ in everything, how can we not respond the same way? That's my question to you reading this: which shows Christ more? Holding onto past grievances, or forgiveness?

"Love...keeps no records of wrongs..." 1 Corinthians 13

Forgiveness and Salvation Are Not The Same Thing

I must preface this by saying, please read the entire post. It will not make sense unless you do that. Also, do not let the title throw you.

You enter into this post with one of two mindsets: with a narrow viewpoint brought about by what you already "know" or a broad viewpoint brought about by not allowing your knowledge to interfere with what you will read. I pray that you have the latter mindset.

First and foremost, we must look what the Bible says about forgiveness, specifically forgiveness of sin. I use the English Standard Version (ESV) in my study. In the gospels, whenever Christ talks of forgiveness, it is always in relation to us forgiving other people. We must forgive to be forgiven. Move onto Acts. In chapter 2 verse 38, Peter said to the crowds at Pentecost, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Spoiler Alert: This is the only time I've found in Scripture where asking for forgiveness leads to salvation. By the way, this was addressed to the Jews, alone, who had seen Jesus and knew who He was. Later in Acts, we find Peter again preaching, this time to Gentiles and notice the difference: "To [Christ] all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name." (Acts 10:43) Yes, he just said belief comes before forgiveness. Perhaps you knew that. Let's keep going.

Paul doesn't actually spend a lot of time on forgiveness in his letters. Why? He is writing to Gentile churches who didn't know who Jesus was prior to a evangelist coming. Instead, he says "righteousness" and "made righteous" and "justified". In Romans 4:5, he writes "And to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." He does say that it is through Christ's blood that we are redeemed and forgiven in Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:13-14.

In Hebrews, which was written to Jewish Christians, the writer echoes the Old Testament and says in 9:22 "without the shedding of blood there is no forgivess of sins." And in chapter 10, she (I believe Priscilla wrote Hebrews) writes "Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins" (verse 12).

This brings us to one of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture, 1 John 1:9, which says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." However, even here this doesn't say it gives us eternal life or that we are saved.

Now we have to look at what Scripture says saves us. This is simple, in words, but very difficult in terms of actions and understanding. Faith saves us. More than that, our confession of Christ as Lord and Master saves us. It isn't asking for forgiveness that saves us, as we like to tell people. I would posit that we don't even have to necessarily ask for forgiveness to be saved. Most of you think I'm bordering on heresy, so let me hit the Scriptures.

Let's look at the most famous passage of Scripture, John 3. Here, Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be born again, which throws the Pharisee for a loop. He doesn't understand that. "How can a grown man go back into his mother's womb?" Silly Nicodemus. Jesus isn't speaking physical, he is speaking spiritually. Look at 3:14 and 15, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life." Did you see that? Jesus himself says its about belief in Him that saves us. He didn't say, "anyone who confesses their sins to me will be saved."

And here, you may be saying, "Yeah, but Jesus died for our sins." Well, duh. Sin still separates us from God, and we can't get past that gap. Forgiveness is incomplete, though. (Now I know you think I'm speaking heresy.) It's true, though. Forgiveness isn't enough to save us. Let's look in Romans 10. "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." What does this mean? Simply, We have to accept that Jesus is our Master and believe that He is alive and defeated death. You can believe in your heart and be justified. Literally, you can believe in Jesus in your heart and get forgiveness of sins, but do you see what actually saves us? We have to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord!!! It's not all about the inward. We have to confess and tell the world that we serve Jesus. This is what is meant by "If you deny me before men, I will deny you before my Father." Uh-oh.

You may be asking, "Are you saying that we can ask God to forgive us, but if we don't live for Him and serve Him, we aren't saved?" YES!! That's exactly it! We have to tell people we serve Christ and we actually have to serve in order to be saved!!

"Are you saying that its our works that save us, then?" NEVER!! It's our faith in Christ that saves us (Ephesians 2:8-9), but we actually have to show we have faith by serving (James 2:14-26)!

Now, we combine these two. If we confess Jesus as Lord and serve Him, then He will forgive us! Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in who is heaven." Jesus then speaks of those who did miracles and prophesied in his name that won't enter into heaven. He calls them "workers of lawlessness." They did those things for themselves, or because they wanted to, not because God commanded it.

Why did I spend all this time on this subject when the majority of people who will read this are already Christians? Because I want those who think that because they asked for forgiveness they are going to heaven, that isn't necessarily true. I don't want you to question your salvation, unless you are not actually living for Christ and acknowledge Him as your Master.

The other reason I write this is for those of us who spread the Word of God and the Gospel of Christ to those who need it. People need to understand it isn't the forgiveness of sins that saves us, its the faith in Christ and subsequent living for Him showing our faith. It's our acknowledgement of Him as Master.

Grace, Freedom, and Slavery: A likely approximation of what my Father's Day sermon might possibly look like

First and foremost, I am going to ask that you read Romans 5:18-7:6. I would copy and paste it, but it would take a lot of space, and I need to get these thoughts out before they run away tonight. If you don't have a Bible handy, I suggest using blueletterbible.com for an alternative. You can choose to your preferred version (I use the ESV, so all quoted texts will be from it).

In chapter 5, Paul writes to the Roman church that Christ is the New Man. He makes several parallels between Adam and Christ. Where Christ is so much more than Adam was. Look, for instance, in verse 15. "For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift, by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ, abounded for many." This is a good summation of what Paul is trying to say. Adam's singular sin brought sin into the world for all men. Christ's righteous life, death, and resurrection likewise brought life for all men. Even more, we deserve our fate because we sin as Adam sinned, but we can still receive the gift of grace though we never live a truly righteous life.

Paul concludes by saying wherever sin is, grace is even more abundant because grace covers sin. He then asks a question that sets off on of my favorite discussions in all of Scripture: "Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?"

In other words, should we keep on sinning so that we can receive even more grace than we had before? The answer is an emphatic no! As verses 2-11 of chapter 6 says, we died to sin because we are joined in Christ's death and life! Sin should have no reign in our lives because of this very fact. In 6:14 Paul makes one of the most beautiful statements in Scripture: "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

This brings us to a second question: "Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?" At first glance, this may seem like the same question, but it's totally different. With the first it was asking if we should sin so that we could receive more grace. This is asking if we should sin since there is nothing keeping us accountable any longer.

Again, the answer is an empatic no! Paul, then, begins to lay the groundwork for what is called slave theology. This says how we were once slaves to sin, owned by it and controlled by it. All we could do is sin's bidding (v. 20). However, through Christ, we are set free from sin because He paid the price. A companion verse to this is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. In the 1st Cor passage, Paul is speaking about fleeing sexual immorality because our body houses the Holy Spirit. He goes on to say that "you are not your own, for you were bought with a price."

In other words, we are owned by Christ since He payed for us with His blood. In context with his question, though, Paul is saying that our new accountability no longer lies with the law, but with our new master, Jesus Christ. Paul has been careful to outline in Romans that none are righteous (3:10-16) and everyone has sinned (3:23). Therefore, he laid the foundation for the understanding that Christ is OUR righteousness. So, when he says that we have "been set free from sin, [and] have become slaves to righteousness," that is, Christ.

Some may have a problem with the imagery of slavery because all we Americans are conscious of is the slave trade from the 18th and 19th centuries. This is not the same as slavery during 1st century Rome. There is a story from the reign of Augustus Caesar. A rich man, Vedius Pollio, was a cruel slavemaster. He had a tank of flesh-eating fish and would routinely feed his slaves to them whenever he would get cross with one. The story says that one day, Pollio was entertaining Augustus and a slave accidently broke a crystal vase. Pollio became so enraged, he ordered the slave to be fed to the fish. Augustus, outraged by the treatment of this slave, ordered, instead, that all of Pollio's crystal be broken in front of him and thrown into the tank instead. This story shows how rare the mistreatment of slaves was in those times, and what was expected of slavemasters by Rome's emporer. Laws were even written to protect slaves from harsh and inhumane treatment.

The Roman church would know what slavery is like, so they would understand this comparison easily. Becuase, here is the reality: we have been freed from having to follow the letter of the law as perscribed in the books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), but we are now held to the standard of our Master, Jesus Christ. This doesn't give us allowance to do everything we want, but it does mean that if we mess up, we aren't fed to the flesh-eating fish. Peter emphasizes this point in 1 Peter 2:16: "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as slaves of God."

Yes, we now live according to the spirit of the Law, which is the Spirit of God ("All Scripture is inspired by God..." 1 Timothy 3:16). This is the truth that we have to understand if we are to live for God. We are His slaves because He paid for us. We are no longer held accountable to the law, but, now, according to the righteousness that is Jesus Christ.

Plans - Pt 1 of ?

Plans. The thing that eats at everyone. That fear-inducing word that all high school graduates spend months or years pouring over and that all college graduates fear. "What are your plans after this?" Or, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Ha. Five years. Seems like such a long time when you are graduating high school, now, as the 6th year past high school passes, it seems like a blur. Yes, plans.

One of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture is Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Comforting, right? Well, it should be, but not for the reasons you may think. I want to start off this open-ended series talking about this verse because it is THAT important. So, let's dive in...

To correctly understand this verse, and the verses that promise prosperity that follow, we have to know what happened in chapter 28 or Jeremiah. This was after Israel had been defeated and was in exile in Babylon, yet Judah was not yet conquered. Even so, they were in desperate need for some good news. Hannaniah stepped up to the plate in order to give the news they wanted. Jeremiah writes "Hannaniah, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people..." Here we see Hannaniah carefully constructing this. He seeks out Jeremiah at the temple in Jerusalem in front of the priests that were there. He was going to make sure as many respectable, honest, trustworthy people heard him as was possible. So, in this setting, Hannaniah speaks. "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon." Hannaniah then begins to tell Jeremiah that God was going to overthrow Babylon within two years. WOOHOO! God is going to come through for His people again! Except...

Jeremiah does everything but laugh in Hannaniah's face (although, I personally would like to think he did). Jeremiah turns to Hannaniah and tells him, (paraphrase) "Hey, buddy, listen. All those prophets we've studied and all their prophecies have one thing in common. Calamity. Read them. There are wars, sicknesses, plagues, all sorts of things. Never a timetable for peace."

Too late, though. Hannaniah had it in his head that he was right, and because he was confident, the priests believed him. So, as good news usually does, word traveled fast. I'm sure a letter was on the next caravan to Babylon to tell all the Israelites what Hannaniah said. Well, God had other plans. He told Jeremiah to go to Hannaniah and tell him that God called him a false prophet, and because he lied, and used God's name in the lie, he would die within the year. And, yep. In the 7th month of the year, Hannaniah was dead. Way to go Hannaniah.

Now we get to chapter 29. God tells Jeremiah to write a letter to the Israelites in Babylon. Here's what most of it reads like:
"Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I (God) have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."

I know that was a long section (shoot, I typed it), but did you catch what God told the exiles? Build a life in Babylon! Only the youngest might see Israel again, cuz it's going to be 70 of Babylon's years before I bring you back home (Babylon and Israel had different calendars). He tells them not to worry, though. He will bring them back because He knows the plans He has for them. Ah, finally. We have arrived at the key verse.

What are these plans? What prosperity is He promising? What fortunes does He promise in verse 14? Well, since we have the context of not just this book, but the entirety of Scripture, it is easy to see the plans He had for the Israelites was bringing Christ through the line of Judah and crucified in Jerusalem, which would have been impossible if they were still in exile in Babylon. Ok, easy, yes? So, what about this prosperity, hope, future, and fortune?

They are one in the same, honestly. Christ and the redemption He brought to earth. He promises prosperity in the security of His grace, hope in the security of His grace, etc. "I will restore your fortunes." Man used to walk with God in the garden. I believe this entire section of the letter is prophecy of the coming Christ!

So, what does that mean for us? Well, God still knows the plans He has for us. He still plans to give us hope and a future. He still plans to restore our fortunes. And the answer to all of that is still, and will always be, Christ. Christ is for our welfare, our benefit. The plans He has for us is seeded deep within the person of Christ. Am I saying God doesn't know what He wants us to do? Never! In fact, I'll back up the position that He knows exactly what He wants us to do in the next installment. What I am saying, however, is that when you read or hear this verse, remember who our hope is and where our future lies. That is key to understanding this verse.

So, plans. That fear-inducing word. It's lost some of its bite, no? God has given us hope in Christ. We have our welfare in Christ. We have our future in Christ. We have fortune in Christ. I hope to take a little more fear out of the word next time.

With the love and grace of Christ,

John

Memorial Day

As this Memorial Day draws to a close, thoughts of freedom rise to the front of my mind, along with rememberances of sacrifices, both recent and ancient. It was in this state of being Sunday that I was reminded of Romans 6 and 7, and various other passages throughout Scripture, and I thought I would share those with you.

First, however, I want to call attention to this Memorial Monday. It is a day that is meant to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom (many of you know where I am going to go with this). As we, the nation of the United States, have set aside this day for this specific purpose, it throws our lives into contrast with the rest of the year. What defines America to the rest of the world? We hope that it is freedom, but I fear what we show is hatred, loud talk, egocentrisim, and a state of comfortability that has turned to complacency. I hate to say that those are the qualities I see most from Americans.

Think about it, in this "land of freedom", people kill over stupid things. In this "land of freedom", people sit idly by and expect others to help them. In this "land of freedom", our primary focus is ourselves. As I watched the History Channel's Gettysburg tonight, I was struck once again with this thought. In 1776, we officially declared our nation free, and we eventually won our independence. In the years to follow, we fleshed out a working governmental system, that is still in place. But, please, think about what our founding fathers would have said about the state of the nation today. I think it would be something like this, "We didn't put our lives at risk, so that you could become complacent. We didn't sacrifice so that you could focus on yourself. We didn't give you freedom so you could kill your neighbor." (This thought was much more streamlined in my head.)

The same can be said about Christians. We hope that people see love and freedom, but I feel that they most likely see hatred, hypocrisy, egocentrism, and contented complacency. We have a couple days a year where we try real hard and remember Christ's sacrifice (Christmas and Easter, our Memorial Day and 4th of July), but what happens, instead, is that our lives are thrown into contrast by those days and we see who we really are.

We have freedom in Christ, but, for most Christians, this leads to a life of comfortability or contented complacency. We think, "Oh, I can do whatever I want, Jesus will forgive me." Even though he will, should we think that way? No!

Paul writes in Romans 6, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?" Paul is making it real clear, here. Christ died for our sins so we don't have to, and though his grace will cover our sins, we shouldn't live in sin and do whatever we want. Peter writes in 1 Peter 2, "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as slaves of God."

It's plain and simple. In Christ, we have the freedom to do whatever we want, but here is the bottom line, that makes a mockery of Christ's sacrifice. When we live our lives focused solely on ourselves, that makes a mockery of His death.

I still cannot separate this truth from the current America. In America, we have the freedom to say what we feel, write what we want, or even carry a gun if we feel like it. When what we say, though, is hateful and sews discord, I think it makes a mockery of the sacrifices that hundreds of thousands of soldiers have made. And when people use that gun they carry to shoot another person, just because they don't agree, or because they live two streets in the wrong direction, or whatever, I know it makes a mockery of solders' deaths.

What does the way you live say about you? First of all, does your life make a mockery of Christ's death? Secondly, does it make a mockery of the reason why our soldiers' fight?

Please Forgive Me

The title of this entry is the title of song written by Gerald Crabb and sung most famously by his son, Jason. Please listen to it here or at least look up the lyrics.

This is a song I find myself singing a lot, and as I lay on my bed tonight, a million things going through my mind, I came to a realization: this is the appropriate reaction!

Imagine with me for a minute a woman walking down the street with her husband. It is a warm, sunny, early autumn day. The leaves are just beginning to change colors. The scenery is positively gorgeous, but the woman cannot enjoy it. She cannot bask in the warmth of the sun. She cannot even enjoy the time with her husband, for, at the end of the street they are walking down, comes a man with whom she had an affair. She is gripped with panic and shame. She hopes and prays that the man turns around, but he sees her and walks towards them. Her heart begins to stammer and she begins to sweat, though she is frozen. Here she is faced with both her husband and her lover. Her husband addresses the man with disgust and hate, for he knows that this the one she had an affair with, though the woman said nothing about it. This woman now has two choices as they turn to her. She could stay with her husband, whom she loves, or she could leave with her lover, whom she also loves.

Now imagine: The stress becomes too much, and she breaks down on the sidewalk. She cries and grabs for her husband. "Please, forgive me!" she cries. "You are all I have! It is your decision to make, but, please, forgive me!"

Does this sound far-fetched? Does this sound like an impossible scenario? You may ask, "How did the husband know?" I tell you, this is a scenario that happens all too often. We face it.

For we are Christ's bride and when we give in to sin, we betray our love for Him and seek what we want more, like the woman did. So, when we, who claim to love God, are brought face to face with our sin, God is right there with us. This is when we show who we love most: ourselves or God. We can either continue to live in our sin, or we can fall to our knees and cry out, "Please forgive me! I need your grace to make it through! All I have is you, I'm at your mercy!"

It is through God's power that he gives to us (grace) that we can make it through each day. And it is His mercy that we, who are sinful, are allowed to live. When we cannot sleep because our sin weighs on our minds, or when our hearts have no joy, how can we not fall to our knees and cry out to Him?

Yes, this song is powerful. And it is, truly, the appropriate response to God in the face of our sin. And remember, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

It's like taking a death sentence away from a murderer...

This started with my pastor using a couple of verses from chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians and grew into a thought-provoking study and examination of previously read words. As I look through my Bible, I find that I have spent much time in 2 Corinthians, yet I feel as though I don't know this book. I have underlined important verses, yet I don't remember why. I have studied Paul's reasonings for writing this letter, and, luckily, still remember that much. However, as I continued on in 2 Corinthians 5 during the sermon (sorry Pastor), I began to remember some of what I figured out the last time I read this letter.

For my reader's sakes, I will abridge the first four chapters (seeing as these are HIGHLY important to the context of chapter 5), and begin with quoting in chapter 4:16 after.

In this letter, Paul begins a defense of his and Timothy's ministry. The church at Corinth accuses them of stealing, lying, and being in it for themselves (among other things). They boast, in clean conscience, of living in God's grace alone despite the circumstances they faced during imprisonment. They defend and defend and defend. They begin to tell of how, through themselves, God is moving and how more and more people receive God's message of grace. And, so, because God's grace is being shown to more and more people, even through their suffering, they write:
"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, out inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened - not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we makie it our aim to please Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together for Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 4:16-6:2.

So, what does this say? I hope you are still with me, cuz this is excellent stuff. Let's start at the top.

Paul is saying that because God's grace is reaching more and more people, they don't lose heart when faced with trials or imprisonment. Instead, they understand that while they are alive, God's grace is preached, but when they die, they are home with Him. It is a struggle for Paul, as he mentions it many other times in his letters, but one that he is ok with having.

I absolutely love verse 13 of chapter 5 "For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you." What Paul says here is this: "When we appear crazy, we are crazy for God's glory, and when we appear sane, it is for you to know God." How incredible is that!? I just listened to an interview/discussion with Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, and Joshua Harris. In it, Harris and Driscoll seemed dumbfounded at Francis' decision to leave Simi Valley and give away his money, spend time with the needy and homeless, and, possibly, move to a third world country. This idea seemed preposterous, especially to Driscoll judging from his questions. However, Francis always brought it back to Scripture and said, "This is what I understand is to be done from the New Testament." He is motivated by love for people and for God, as Paul and Timothy were, and wants to see God move.

Following that are the great words: "For the love of Christ controls us..." We are to be CONTROLLED by Christ's love. Not just His love for us, but His love for other people. Check it out. "We have concluded this: that one died for all, therefore, all have died." So, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch. We must be active. We must be living for Him because His love for us and for everyone else He died for controls us and compels to act. Paul then preaches the gospel in short form. He tells of the wonderous gift of grace and being regarded according to Christ and not the flesh (works). Oh, how beautiful! We are new, if we are in Christ. Christ is calling us back to Himself, and using those who have come back to Him to bring others back. That is what Paul means by "All this is from God, who through Christ...gave us the ministry of reconciliation."

The RA's verse is next. "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ." We represent Him. We fly His flag, so to speak, just as our ambassador in another country flies the American flag. When people see Christians, they see Christ. That makes me scared of what people think of Christ when they see my life. This is a call to mission and holiness. Ambassadors are active, always working for the good of the country/person they represent. If they didn't, they wouldn't be a good ambassador.

Then, the most beautiful thing ever is said: "For our sake, He (God) made Him (Christ) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Christ) we might be the righteousness of God." WOW! I know I've heard it before, but it never gets old to me. Christ became my sin so that I could have perfect standing in God's eyes. That is humbling! It's like saying that someone walks into the courtroom on the day of sentencing for the man who is given a death sentence and says, "I'll take on his punishment so that this man can go free." Yeah. That's true insanity. That's true love. Love is insane. Love makes no sense.

And God did this for us all. Please, listen to the words that Paul wrote in chapter 6: "we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain...Behold, now is the day of salvation."

I pray this opens your eyes to God's goodness and Christ's love. I pray that His love controls you. I pray that one person who needs to hear this, does so, and understands just exactly what Christ did for him/her.

Fellowship and Submission

There are two things that I cannot stand or fathom within the church it is discord within the fellowship and not following the shepherd that God put over the church body. This has reared its head at me before, and it irked me then.

There is a fellowship that God has placed in His church that cannot and MUST not be broken. The writer of Hebrews says "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no fails to obtain the grace of God; that no 'root of bitterness' springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled." (Heb 12:14-15).

Can you sense what the writer is saying? We are to desire PEACE not discord. In Ephesians, Paul writes: "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." (Ephesians 5:17-21)

That is true fellowship! We submit to each other! We do not think of ourselves and what we want first, but others. We give up our desires in order to put others first. That is what fellowship looks like. Paul writes in the next chapter of Ephesians Paul, while discussing the Armor of God, writes that our struggle "is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:12)

So, now, we see that we are not to fight against each other, but we are to take a stand against the forces of evil that come against us. One of those is discord, enmity, and a "root of bitterness." I don't understand why we Christians must fight and backbite each other! It drives me crazy!

But, what is even worse is when we do not follow the leaders God has placed in our lives! God leads men and women into leadership positions for a reason. Their job is to listen to God and lead HIS sheep in the way He wants them to go. We are to submit to their leadership because God has put them in leadership over us. If we rebel against our pastor, we are in direct rebellion against God! Have you ever thought about it in those terms?

If we live in rebellion, than that is on our heads. If we, however, live in submission to the leadership that God has placed over us, and the leader does not lead us in the way God desires for us to go, that is on the leader. He or she will have to answer heavily for leading the flock of God the wrong way. So, in essence, the only thing that keeps us from following God's desire for us is ourselves! It's our lack of faith and our own selfish desires that keep us from submitting to God's appointed leadership.