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The Church’s Disappearing Vocabulary, Part Three

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Thus far we have given consideration to two words that are becoming more and more conspicuously missing from the church’s vocabulary: sin and hell. Still another word that is closely connected to these two words is repentance. It is a very sad reality that the modern church has become pretty much silent when it comes to the Biblical concept of personal repentance.

The Bible tells us that it is absolutely necessary for one to repent of sin in order to have a personal relationship with God. God has established a standard of righteousness – a standard that no one has ever been able to live up to – except, of course, for Jesus. The Bible states clearly that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and, therefore, all are in need of His grace of forgiveness. Individuals accept His offer of forgiveness through the co-actions of confession and repentance: confession of sin, and repentance, turning away from, that sin.

Read the following examples of the Bible’s demands for genuine repentance for one to gain entrance into the kingdom of God (all verses are taken from the NKJV):

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgives us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. Matthew 3:8

From then on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!’ Matthew 4:17

I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance. Luke 15:7

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32

Hopefully this short selection of verses will be sufficient to show the Bible’s emphasis on the necessity of repentance. But, some might ask, what exactly is repentance? To boil it down to its simplest form, repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. When one reads the Bible and is confronted about some sinful behavior in their life, then repentance begins with a change of mind to agree with what the Bible says. For instance, if one is living in a pre-marital relationship with a member of the opposite sex, and they read in Scripture that sex outside of marriage is sin, then repentance would call for them to agree with the Bible’s teaching. It would then be followed with a change of action: getting out of the pre-marital sexual relationship until they can be legitimately married according to the Bible’s instruction. So, repentance is changing one’s mind to get into alignment with the teachings of the Bible, and then to change the behavior to show a change of action based upon the change of mind.

Could it be that the church has become silent on the subject of repentance because so many people in the church are living in open sinful behavior, and thus the church’s leadership is afraid to offend them by calling for sincere repentance? Or, could it be that the church is silent on the matter of repentance because it now accepts the sinful behaviors as legitimate relational behaviors that God condones? Either way, it is a blight of the modern church that repentance is no longer clearly taught as being essential for one to have a relationship with God.

For one to read and study Scripture and not see clearly that repentance is a mandate from the Lord is an oversight of major proportions. May we ever be diligent in sharing with others the need of confession and repentance.

Until next time:

Blessings!

The Church’s Disappearing Vocabulary, Part Two

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Hell – where in the world has hell gone? We sure don’t hear much about it anymore, except when someone, in a burst of anger, tells someone else to go there! (By the way, you would have to hate someone terribly to ever tell them to go to hell!) We hear the word used in this sort of way quite often, but the sad reality is that we very seldom hear the word in the church.

So, what has become of hell? Let’s begin by reviewing some basic, Biblical facts about the subject. We will focus our attention on our Lord, Jesus Christ. What exactly did He have to say about this subject?

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5:22

The Son of Man will send out His angels. and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:41-42

Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ Matthew 25:41

And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Matthew 25:46

This very limited sampling of some of Jesus’ statements concerning hell should show us how seriously He viewed the subject. He warned people over and over about the judgment of God against all who rejected His gracious offer of salvation secured through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son. He warned of the eternal consequences of that decision. He called people to repentance (another of those seldom used words we will consider in a future blog), with the dire warning that refusal to repent would result in eternal separation from God.

It may very well be that the main reason for the conspicuous silence on the subject of hell is because it is, to some, such an offensive subject. How could a loving, compassionate God ever even consider sending anyone to such a place as that described in the words of Jesus quoted above?

We certainly don’t have time to delve into that topic in a single blog, but let it suffice to say that God, from eternity past, made certain decrees, and set certain parameters, on His human creation. God created man to live forever: to enjoy His bounty and blessings in a perfect environment, and to enjoy the intimacy of His presence in that environment. However, He demanded obedience from His human family. So, when Eve decided to eat of the forbidden fruit, and then to persuade Adam to partake of the same, they were banned from that perfect environment, and separated from the fellowship they had enjoyed with God. Death was the sentence pronounced on them, and through them on the entire human family.

But, thanks be to God, He did not leave us with no means of escaping the eternal consequences of our sin. He decreed that His Son, Jesus Christ, would be the propitiatory sacrifice for sin. And He made the declaration that anyone who would accept His gracious gift of salvation would be saved from the eternal consequences of separation from God in hell.

Hell is real, just as much so as heaven is real. These two eternal destinations are the only two available to the human family. Every person will spend eternity in one or the other. God offers a choice: a very real choice. It matters not how one views this choice, the fact of the matter is that it is a choice each individual must make. God has put before us blessing, or cursing; life, or death; eternity lived in His presence in the glory of heaven, or banned from His presence in the horror of hell.

What choice have you made? Heaven, or hell? Please, make the choice for life before it is eternally too late.

Until next time:

Blessings!

The Church’s Disappearing Vocabulary

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If you have been a Christian for as long I have, then you have probably noticed a very obvious phenomenon taking place gradually in the church: disappearing vocabulary. There are certain words that have become conspicuously missing from the pulpit to the pew. Words that are prominent in the Bible, and that were at one time just as prominent in the church, that have become almost non-existent in the vocabulary in the church. My next few blogs will delve into this matter of the church’s disappearing vocabulary.

The first word that has become almost non-existent in today’s church is sin. Think for a moment about the last time you heard the word, either from the pulpit or from your acquaintances in your local church. Hopefully you attend a local church where the Bible is preached, and the important words of Scripture are still used. But some reading these words may be attending a local fellowship where sin is seldom, if ever, mentioned.

For the sake of clarity on the importance of this word, let’s consider a few verses that illustrate how crucial it is to keep sin fixed firmly in our vocabulary:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:13-14

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Romans 6:1-3

The word sin is found 448 times in the King James Version of the Bible. This overwhelming number of usages of the word should be a clear indication of the importance of the word in Christian vocabulary. And yet, in many churches today, the word has been silenced.

Perhaps it is because of the desire to be more palatable to modern-day churchgoers. Perhaps we want our attendees to come to church to be encouraged and uplifted, not wanting to burden them with the demands of Scripture to repent of sinful actions, behaviors, and practices. Perhaps our desire to make people feel good about themselves gives the impression that God is pleased with a non-repentant attitude toward sin.

Read carefully the following warning concerning sinful lifestyles that are forbidden in Scripture:

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

For any church to become silent concerning warnings such as this is to condone such actions, leading people to believe that these forbidden actions are acceptable for Christians to embrace. But hear the clear warning: those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Sin is serious. So serious that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had to give His life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin. If you ever question just how serious it is, just look at the cross where Jesus paid it all.

The work of our archenemy, the devil, is to deceive individuals with his treacherous ways. If he can succeed in silencing the church on this crucial issue, he will make us feel comfortable with our sinful behaviors and lifestyle choices. The ultimate result will be eternal condemnation because the Bible states clearly that these will exclude individuals from enjoying eternal life in God’s kingdom.

I encourage each of you to take seriously the implications of becoming silent when it comes to sin. Let’s warn our friends, family members, work associates, classmates, and casual acquaintances of the dire consequences of becoming silent when it comes to sin.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Prayers for Those in Authority

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Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 1 Timothy 2:1-2, NKJV

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a theological, Biblical, social, and political conservative. Some who know me best might even describe me as an ultra-conservative in each of these areas. Since my conversion in 1977, I have studied the Bible consistently, and have done my best to base my beliefs, behavior, convictions, and confidence in the Bible as the final authority in all areas of life.

I make this disclaimer as a foundation for the following comments. I have been listening with keen interest to the political pundits as they have made their opinions on recent events in the political arena. There has been a vocal outcry calling for President Biden to withdraw his name as the democratic nominee in the upcoming presidential election. Up until yesterday he has stated adamantly that he would not withdraw, but that all changed yesterday when he said that he would no longer run for office in November.

I have been scouring social media since his announcement, and I must say that I have been appalled at some of the remarks I have read. It has become increasingly clear in the past months that Biden’s mental capacities have diminished greatly. His performance in the presidential debate was certainly a wake-up call for any who might have doubted this reality. But instead of getting on social media and bashing him, we need to have compassion for his present condition and pray for him and his family as they go through this traumatic time.

We are admonished in the Bible to pray for those in positions of political authority, whether we agree with them or not. I am one who disagrees with practically everything the democratic party has come to stand for in recent years, but that does not give me the right to bash those in that party, and it certainly doesn’t give me cause to ridicule a politician, or anyone else for that matter, when it becomes obvious that their mental capacities are diminishing.

When it comes to casting our votes for the politicians of our choice, I will vote for those who hold closest to Biblical principles and values. I will vote for those who stand for traditional family values, and conservative Biblical convictions. But I will pray for all those running for office, that God would give them divine guidance and draw them to those Biblical values that made this country great.

Join me in prayer today for the Biden family. Any person who has had to stand by and watch a loved one go through the heartache of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease knows the pain of this horrific condition. Pray for their strength as they care for him in what will certainly be an extremely hard road ahead.

And please, let’s use the opportunity we have in sharing our thoughts on social media to be uplifting, encouraging, and compassionate. The world is filled enough already with hatred and verbal viciousness without me joining the fray. We are representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ – let’s let His light shine through us.

Until next time:

Blessings!

A Nation in Desperate Need of God

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We may never know what motivated the would-be assassin to make an attempt to assassinate former president Donald Trump. However, without knowledge of his reason for acting in such a way, there are some assumptions and conclusions that we can deduct from this act.

First, it is obvious that he acted out what many others would do if given the chance. I don’t make this as an accusation, but simply as one making observations from our present political climate. The animosity that is openly displayed from both sides of the political aisle is nothing less than a seething boiling pot of dislike, if not pure hatred, from many on both sides.

Second, it shows an absolute disdain for the recognition of the sanctity of life. For one to wantonly, recklessly, with obvious hatred in his heart toward the former president, try to take his life, with no regard for anyone else who might be in his line of fire, is a clear indication that he has no regard nor respect for another human life. No one will ever know how many more shots would have been fire had he not been killed.

Third, this is a clear display of the fact that the United States of America has become so divided, so divisive, that it would probably not be a surprise to anyone if civil war breaks out in the aftermath of the upcoming presidential election, regardless of which candidate is elected. I don’t mean to come across as an alarmist, and I certainly pray that this never happens, but there is so much hatred between Republicans and Democrats that it seems all civility is being completed abandoned. The act of an attempted assassination is a clear indication of this fact.

In the opinion of this writer, this downhill trajectory of our nation can be traced back to declining voice of Christians. We are to be the heralds of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness. Where is that voice? Where are the voices of truth that should be sounding forth the claims of Scripture? Are we allowing ourselves to be silenced by those who oppose the message? Are we being subdued by those who disagree with us? Are the voices of opposition causing us to lose our voice, and thus our influence?

Allow me, in closing, to share that well-known and oft-quoted verse from the Old Testament:

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land. Second Chronicles 7:14

Sometimes what we fail to do is take into consideration the context of this verse. This statement is made by God to Solomon after the dedication of the temple. That night, after the dedication, God appeared to Solomon. This is the message Solomon heard:

Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: ‘I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people… Second Chronicles 7:12-14a

The drought, the locusts, and the pestilence are all acts of God in judgment against His people because they have walked away from Him. Spiritual drought brought about all these disasters. But God promised that when His people would come to their senses and turn back to Him, then He would hear, forgive, and heal.

We desperately need God to hear, forgive, and heal. Would you join with me in praying for our nation? Would you pray that God would provide leaders who will turn this nation back to God? Would you pray for God’s protection for those who are running for office? Would you pray for the forgiveness this nation so desperately needs as we have turned our backs upon Him? And will you pray for God to bring this nation back to what our forefathers envisioned this nation to be: a nation whose God is the LORD.

God help us!

What Does True Love Look Like?

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Social media can be used as a tool to promote truth, or to promote falsehood. It can be used to disseminate information that is beneficial, or that is divisive and destructive. It can be a vehicle through which people share their thoughts and concerns, with the hope that through their sharing it will be of help to those who read their words.

I saw the following quote on social media and viewed it as a very thought-provoking statement. Read it carefully, taking time to think about the far-reaching ramifications, and ultimately the conclusion it would lead you to embrace.

When you die, God isn’t going to ask you about someone else. He won’t ask you about the two men down the street who got married. He won’t ask you about the girl who had an abortion. He won’t ask you about the atheist that lives on the corner. He won’t ask you about the woman who feels more comfortable as a man.

He will ask you how you loved those people as He called you to do.

And some of you didn’t.

Read those last two lines again – slowly, taking time to allow the implications to really sink in. I’m not suggesting that I fully understand what prompted the individual who wrote these words to say what they said, and I don’t presume to know what is in another individual’s heart when they make such statements. The following thoughts are simply my personal reaction to how I understand the statement.

The clear implication is that if I truly love someone, I will not point out to them the destructive path they have taken in life. I should rather turn a blind eye to their sinful behavior that I know, according to Scripture, will result in their eternal destruction. If I really love them then I will keep quiet about what the Bible teaches is a lifestyle choice that is abhorrent to God.

The principle I am speaking of is found in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel. God appoints His prophet as a watchman for the people of Israel. The following command of God to Ezekiel is quite eye-opening, to be sure.

Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Ezekiel 3:17-19, NKJV

The premise is clear: to really love someone is to be willing to speak the truth to them about the consequences of their actions that are denounced in Scripture. What is the greatest display of love that we could ever show our family members, our friends, our acquaintances? Is it to sit by quietly while we watch them live lives that will lead to their eternal destruction? Or is it to share with them the teachings of the Bible concerning the consequences of their actions and behaviors?

And for those who might think that a quote from the Old Testament is non-binding on this present age of grace, let me quickly remind you that Jesus taught the same principle. Don’t listen to me – listen to Jesus Himself:

And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:14-16, NKJV (Jesus speaking)

So, is true love my willingness to turn a blind eye to another person’s sinful behavior? Am I to be silent in the face of those who have chosen lifestyles, and have made other choices in life that are clearly denounced in the Bible, or am I to love them enough to tell them the truth?

For the sake of clarity, let’s consider the specific lifestyle choices referred to in the quote at the beginning of this blog: the two men down the street who got married; the young girl who had an abortion; the atheist who lives on the corner; the woman who feels more comfortable as a man.

First, the two men who got married. The Bible is unmistakably clear on this subject: marriage is for a man to be united to a woman in a life-long commitment. Scripture gives no place for same-sex marriages. As a matter of fact, same-sex relationships are forbidden in the Bible. Am I, then, to applaud such relationships, or am I to speak the truth in love from the Bible’s instructions?

Second, the young girl who had an abortion. I wish the writer had referred to a young girl who was contemplating an abortion, as the loving thing to do would be to share with her the sanctify of human life. However, in the case spoken of, as followers of Christ it would be our responsibility to share with her the message of God’s amazing forgiveness in Christ. An abortion cannot be undone, but grace can be received. But we should never minimize the Bible’s teaching on the sanctify of life in the face of abortion.

Third, the atheist who lives on the corner. Atheism is the belief that God does not exist. The Bible says that it is a fool who says there is no God. It also teaches us about the eternal existence of this Supreme Being who created everything that exists. There is ample evidence in nature itself that testifies to the existence of God. The psalmist says that the heavens declare the glory of God. We see evidence of His existence everywhere and in everything. We should lovingly share with the professed atheist testimony to the Bible’s teachings, and then, as Jesus says, if they reject the message then we are to wipe the dust off our feet as a powerful testimony to them of their own decision to reject. God’s offer of salvation.

And finally, the woman who feels more comfortable as a man. Once again, the Bible states clearly that God created male and female, period. Anything else is clearly denounced in Scripture. We, as believers, should strive to live according to the teachings of the Bible, and not according to how I might “feel” at any given time. We are to live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings, and not by feelings that can shift as quickly as the wind can change directions. Personal feelings should always be filtered through the lens of the Word of God.

For followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be heralds of the truth of Scripture. True love is to share that truth with others. We are then to leave the decision to accept or reject the message of the Gospel to the individual. It is, in the final analysis, their choice to make.

That, in the estimation of this writer, is true love.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Practical Atheism

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“Let me ask you, how many atheists are now in this house? Perhaps not a single one of you would accept the title, and yet, if you live from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God, you are practical atheists.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

What a horrible thing to consider! Practical atheism – living life as if God does not exist. As Spurgeon puts it, “[Living] from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God.” Professing faith in Christ while at the same time living life without any thought of God or godliness.

Please understand that this does not mean that the individual lives a life of absolute evil. It does not mean that the individual commits horrific acts of sin. It does not mean that the individual is a murderer, a rapist, a thief, a terrorist, a wife-abuser or child-abuser, etc. It simply means that he/she lives life with no thought of God.

This type of individual may be well-respected in the community. They may do good things. They may give to worthwhile causes, live successful lives, have envious careers, live in the best of neighborhoods, drive the most luxurious automobile, have the most well-behaved children. They even attend church regularly and see to it that their families are there with them. But Monday through Saturday they live with no thought of God.

Something happens at the moment of salvation that changes a person instantly and permanently. He/she is instantaneously born again! The individual is taken out of spiritual death and ushered into spiritual life. By the amazing grace of God the individual puts off the old and replaces it with the new. He/she is a new creation who now has the Spirit of God living in them, imputing to them the righteousness of Christ, while at the same time imparting to them that same righteousness.

The imputation of righteousness, in its simplest terms, means that when God looks at the individual who has been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, He now sees the righteousness of His Son. The individual is pronounced righteous because he IS righteous.

The impartation of righteousness means that in the realm of day-to-day life the individual now has the desire to live righteously before God and man. His mind-set changes, his attitude changes, his view on life changes – everything changes. He now lives life in the awareness of God’s presence, and with the desire to live his life for God’s glory. He no longer lives as if God does not exist, but he lives in the constant awareness of God’s presence and with the desire to please God in everything he does.

The individual who has truly been born again into the family of God begins to see things differently. He may not change careers, but his career now becomes a source of ministry through which he can share the goodness and grace of God with his coworkers. He now works for Christ, not for self. His desires become God-centered rather than self-centered. His vocation is now seen as a vehicle through which he is afforded the opportunity to be on mission for God. He no longer lives life with only self-serving interests, but now with God-centered interests.

What role does God play in your Monday through Saturday activities? Parents, do your children see you as a Christ-centered person, whose first priority in life is to show them and share with them the love of Christ, or do they see you as a self-serving person who does everything out of selfish ambition? Are you teaching them to strive for a life of Godliness, or are you pushing them to live for the moment, to put their own personal ambitions and desires ahead of any thought of seeking God’s will for their lives?

What role does He have in your life? Right now – this very moment – could you honestly say that others see Christ in you, and witness His presence in your attitudes and actions? Or would they be shocked to learn that you are a professing believer because they see no evidence of a commitment to Christ in your day-to-day life?

We are admonished by the teachings of Scripture to walk in the Spirit of God so that our lives would display His righteousness and would reveal to others His glory. Let’s not fall prey to the tendency to live lives of practical atheism, but to live lives of sincere and total commitment to God.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Our Remarkable Memory

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I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14, NKJV

Have you stopped lately to praise God for the amazing assertion the psalmist makes in Psalm 139 about how intimately involved God is in the procreation process? You are the personal craftmanship of God. You! There is no one quite like you. You are indeed one of a kind.

There are over eight billion people in the world, and all of them, each of them, are different. You are unique, created by God and given, at the moment of conception, the DNA roadmap that will determine every facet of your being. Your eye color, hair color, body build, sex, etc. are there, mapping out the life you will live in great detail. As you grow, you will make decisions and choices that are in alignment with who you are. Why do some choose vanilla over chocolate, tea over coffee, pizza over a hamburger, milk over soda? It is because of the DNA map that motivates you to do certain things and not others, to be attracted to one person and not another. You, yes YOU, are an amazing, personal creation of God.

I would like to focus on one aspect of our being that we all have in common: memory. Granted, some persons have a truly astounding memory. It is as if they are incapable of forgetting anything. This is not the kind of memory I am referring to. Rather I am speaking of the fact that we are all capable of remembering.

Our memory plays a large role in our ability to form habits. We do not have to be told to do those things that we do every day. We do them out of habit, which is based on our memory. We remember to brush our teeth, to take a bath, to eat our meals at certain times of the day, to go to work without having to be told the way, to do our job without having to be retrained time after time. Memory is truly a cherished gift given to us by our Creator.

We remember people. There are those with whom we have crossed paths, and every time we remember them, we are flooded with memories that bring certain emotions. Perhaps some bring a sense of tremendous joy, while others are a source of heartache. Some bring about a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude, while others bring a sense of pain and remorse.

We also remember those who have made an indelible impact on our lives. These should cause us to pause for a time of prayer and praise to our Father for allowing us to be touched in such powerful ways by these people from our past.

Memory – a prized possession for those who still have it. But sadly, one of the most devastating things that can happen to a person – in my estimation – is the loss of their ability to remember. Debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia are a terrible thing to witness. My Mother began to show signs of Alzheimer’s toward the end of her life. As I would visit her, I began to notice signs of the disease taking its horrible toll on her mind. My sister started making notes and taping them on the walls of my Mother’s room, reminding her of some of the simple, everyday things we need to remember. But with all of these tactics to exercise her memory, the disease continued to take its toll.

I knew the day would probably come when I would walk into her room, and she would now know me. I prayed that day would never come, but it did. The memory of this day is etched forever in my mind. When I walked into her room, I noticed a blank stare looking at me. I walked over, sat on the edge of her bed, and wept. I knew she had no idea who I was. I began to ask her questions: Do you know what day it is? Do you remember what you had for breakfast? She could not remember even the simplest of things. And finally, after several more questions of this nature, I asked, Do you have any children? If anything should jog her memory, this should be it. My sister visited her every day – often more than once in a day. Surely, I thought, she would at least remember Ada. But, no, she didn’t remember any of her three children.

I thought I was prepared for that day, as I realized with certainty it would eventually happen. But how wrong I was. Nothing could have prepared me for that blank stare. Nothing could have prepared me for the stabbing pain I experienced in that moment when time stood horribly still.

Thankfully, this was not a permanent loss of memory. She had days in which she carried on conversations with full recollection, but there were others when she struggled to remember hardly anything.

Have you stopped to thank God for this amazing gift? Can I encourage you today to never take it for granted, because we never know when it might possibly, quickly, and permanently be gone. Could I also encourage you to pray for those who are struggling with this awful disease? And finally, could I encourage you to pray for the caregivers of those who lovingly stand by the side of those who are struggling under the weight of this horrific erosion of their memory.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Have We Got It Backwards?

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How is the church supposed to relate to culture? Is the church supposed to accommodate cultural change? Are we to embrace the shifting sands of cultural evolution, or are we to stand fast on what many believe to be an old, outdated book written thousands of years ago to a people in a faraway land?

For the sake of this discussion, let’s think of the Old Testament example of the nation of Israel, and the New Testament example of the church. First, we’ll focus on Israel, the chosen people of God. A brief, cursory review of the history of Israel would be helpful at this point.

Let’s remember that God did not choose a nation already in existence, but rather He chose a man, Abram (later God changed his name to Abraham), and out of this one man God developed the nation over time. It was this small, fledgling, almost unnoticeable beginning that eventually became the nation.

God gave specific commands, guidelines, instructions, and cultural parameters by which the people of this nation were to live. They were forbidden to embrace the practices of other nations. Political practices, religious practices and ritual, cultural practices, etc. were all to be viewed as abominable and never to be synchronized into the practices of the nation of Israel.

According to the promises of God given to Abram in Genesis 12, the nation was to be a beacon of God’s grace and guidance, with the desire to show the world, and share with the world, the message of hope they could receive from God. Abram was promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him, and the nation which developed through his descendants.

Cultural practices of other nations were to be completely discarded, never finding place or practice among the people of Israel. Of course, we know that the nation failed miserably in this matter, having the desire to be like other nations, and as a result experienced the judgment of God.

Fast forward to the New Testament era and think of the beginning of the church. Jesus said that He would build His church, and all the power of hell could never stop it. Through the writings of the New Testament, the church was given specific instruction on how it was to relate to the world. It was never to embrace the cultural and religious practices of non-Christians but was to be the beacon light of God’s message of salvation through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught that the church should be distinct, not embracing the massive cultural swings of HIs day, and warning future generations of being swept up in the swelling tide of cultural evolution.

But it seems that in many respects the church has lost that distinctive edge. Instead of standing in opposition to the cultural climate, it seems that the church is welcoming cultural change in order to be more appealing to those outside the church. It is our obligation, after all, to get out there in the hedges and highways, compelling people to come in, right?

Well, yes and no. Yes, Jesus did indeed say those very words, instructing us to be out there among non-Christians, non-churchgoers, inviting them, appealing to them, to come visit the church. And too often, it seems, the church is going to the extreme of embracing culture in order to make the church seem more alluring to the lost person.

The New Testament is crystal clear on this matter. The church is the body of Christ. We are to live as He lived. We are to embrace and obey the teachings of His Word. We are to love the world, but never compromise with the world. We are to stand against cultural swings that would cause the church to disobey clear instructions from the Bible. We are never to change the message of the Gospel to accommodate the whims of the world. We are never to exchange Biblical theology with humanistic philosophy. We are to love the sinner without condoning the sin. We are to strive to point people to Jesus Christ, but being sure to tell them that a relationship with Him demands sincere repentance – a change of heart, mind, and behavior as one is brought into the likeness of Christ.

The world desperately needs Christians who will give a true witness to the world. We were dead in trespasses and sin. Christ came into the world to give His life as the ultimate sacrifice which made it possible for sinful man to be reconciled to God. To come to Him we must meet Him on His terms. We cannot love the world and the things of the world, and love Jesus Christ at the same time. Jesus said it like this: no man can serve two masters; he must make a choice.

Have you made yours?

Until next time:

Blessings!

For Such WERE Some of You

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Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

In my last post, I stated that many are embracing – both in the pew and the pulpit – lifestyles that are clearly denounced in Scripture as being abominations in the eyes of God. This alarming shift in the way churches, and even entire denominations, view the seriousness of sin is a clear indication that the church is moving toward a state of spiritual apostasy. It seems that the church, in general, has strayed from its spiritual moorings, anchored firmly in the word of God, and has now attached itself to the shifting winds of cultural change.

The passage quoted above is an amazing testimony to the power of grace given to the individual who experiences salvation. It is a statement verifying Paul’s assertion in Second Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Salvation brings forth change in the life of the believer.

Make special note of the emphasized phrase in the passage quoted at the outset of this post: And such were some of you. BUT… Read again the sins and sinful behaviors Paul mentions: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. And when Paul adds, “Such were some of you,” he states the obvious: they have now changed. They are no longer living lives characterized by these sinful lifestyles and actions. They are literally new creations in Christ.

When Paul adds, “Such were some of you,” he states the obvious: they have now changed.

When the church – individual, local congregations, or entire denominations – embraces these sinful lifestyles as being acceptable then it has lost its distinctiveness as the body of Christ. It is then not only in the world, but it is of the world. The church is to be a beacon of hope to those who are without Christ. It is to shine the light of God’s love and grace to those who are shackled to sinful lifestyles and behaviors that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible. It is to show the way out of the darkness and decadence of spiritual death, and point the way to spiritual life, which is found only in Jesus Christ.

When the church embraces these sinful lifestyles as being acceptable, then it has lost its distinctiveness as the body of Christ.

Admittedly, it seems that the church today focuses only on what it deems to be the more serious sins in Paul’s list. It often seems that the focus is on homosexuals, sodomites, adulterers, and fornicators. But the list includes thieves, drunkards, covetous, and others. Oftentimes, we tend to categorize sins. Some are viewed as more offensive to God than others. But note carefully the entire list. It clearly shows that all sin is an affront to God, and it teaches that salvation brings about a change from the old to the new. Such WERE some of you – but praise God you are no longer bound to the sins of your past!

So, let’s consider, in closing, a question and answer posed by the Apostle Paul that should give further clarification to this matter. In Romans 6:1-2 he says:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it.

Being in Christ, having been made a new creation with all things becoming new, means that we are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Our lives should bear testimony to that truth. And if not, then we are showing that we never truly died to sin and are thus still enslaved to it.

The church should bear the message of hope for those who are shackled to, and under the power of, sin. We should share the message of salvation to those who are still living in darkness, with the prayer that God would open their eyes to see and embrace the truth of His amazing offer of forgiveness and newness of life. But we must not allow ourselves to embrace and accept these alternative lifestyles as normative. We must, rather, embrace and propagate the message of the life-changing, behavior-altering power of the gift of God’s salvation.

Until next time:

Blessings!