"Instead of preaching the good news that sinners can be made righteous in Christ and escape the wrath to come, the gospel has degenerated into the pretext that we can be happy in Christ and escape the hassles of life."
- Ray Comfort
"Keep looking up...with your face down."
- _Disciple_
One day a lady criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord.
Moody's reply was "I agree with you. I don't like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?"
The lady replied, "I don't do it."
Moody responded "I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."
"Joy is the byproduct of obedience."
- Unknown
"My greatest thought is my accountability to God."
- Daniel Webster
"The christian life is an impossible one and it isn't for everyone.
You must enter through the narrow where you must leave everything behind and be stripped naked of yourself. You must get rid of your pride. Many so-called christians are on the wide road leading to destruction. They may have all the outward signs of being a christian (go to church, serve, read their bible, pray, etc.) but there is no inward change of repentance." - Unknown
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Death of Two Giants
In the last seventy-two hours, I have mourned the passing of two
people who played an indirect role in my life. One I grew up admiring,
whereas the other I came to admire in the autumn of my life. Almost
everyone knew the name of America’s oldest teenager, Dick Clark, but
many would not be familiar with Chuck Colson. Most of the fanfare and
spotlight has been upon Clark, but in comparing the lives of the two
men, it is clear that the giant of a man was Chuck Colson, despite how
media might portray the lives of the two men.
Dick Clark said in 1997, “At this stage of my life, everyone says ‘When are you going to quit?’ I’m not an overly religious man. I believe in God. He’ll tell me, ‘You gotta quit,’ by taking me away. That’ll be the day I’m either too sick or I drop dead in my tracks. I don’t want to stop. I’m having too much fun.” Dick is credited with a lion’s share of helping rock and roll music take the cultural world by storm. Potentially that is not a good legacy. In the past several years, I have not paid much attention to the guy I thought would never age, since my focus has been on spiritual matters and not pop culture. To my recollection, I never heard anyone say a bad word about Mr. Clark. His upbeat personality and infectious enthusiasm coupled with his handsome physical package made him a natural to succeed in the world of show business. When I was young, I thought this was the purpose in life: to make friends with everyone and to be loved by all who knew me. At that point in time, I had not encountered the Bible passage that indicates that those who love Christ will be hated, criticized, and scoffed at by the world. It’s amazing how much my viewpoint of success has been altered. Being a teenager was great, but it was only a stepping stone to becoming a man of understanding.
In a new book to which I’m applying the finishing touches, I include a section on the Christian Hall of Fame. In that section, I inserted a small subsection for my heroes of the faith. Chuck Colson was on that list. This is what I say about him: I always find it amazing how many people find Jesus in the prison system. Perhaps the fact that preachers have a captive audience assists in the conversion process. In any case not many, if any, of them give back to prison ministry the way Chuck Colson has. Colson, who authored some very fine books of his own, has been a key player in the prison ministry world in addition to blogging about the defense of the faith. In speaking out boldly the word of God, Colson offended many. He understood that the praise of God are more desirable that the praise of men.
Colson made some mistakes in life which changed the direction of that life. Getting sent to prison was the best thing that ever happened to him, though I’m sure that possibility was not on his mind as he heard the cell door clank. Clark seemed to live his whole life going the same direction toward success and the praises of men. I hope that destination was not a dead end and that Dick Clark gains entrance to the Pearly Gates. I have no doubts that Mr. Colson will have a seat of honor in Heavenly realms. We will miss his sword of truth down here. It is time for some other men and women to step up and take his place.
Dick Clark said in 1997, “At this stage of my life, everyone says ‘When are you going to quit?’ I’m not an overly religious man. I believe in God. He’ll tell me, ‘You gotta quit,’ by taking me away. That’ll be the day I’m either too sick or I drop dead in my tracks. I don’t want to stop. I’m having too much fun.” Dick is credited with a lion’s share of helping rock and roll music take the cultural world by storm. Potentially that is not a good legacy. In the past several years, I have not paid much attention to the guy I thought would never age, since my focus has been on spiritual matters and not pop culture. To my recollection, I never heard anyone say a bad word about Mr. Clark. His upbeat personality and infectious enthusiasm coupled with his handsome physical package made him a natural to succeed in the world of show business. When I was young, I thought this was the purpose in life: to make friends with everyone and to be loved by all who knew me. At that point in time, I had not encountered the Bible passage that indicates that those who love Christ will be hated, criticized, and scoffed at by the world. It’s amazing how much my viewpoint of success has been altered. Being a teenager was great, but it was only a stepping stone to becoming a man of understanding.
In a new book to which I’m applying the finishing touches, I include a section on the Christian Hall of Fame. In that section, I inserted a small subsection for my heroes of the faith. Chuck Colson was on that list. This is what I say about him: I always find it amazing how many people find Jesus in the prison system. Perhaps the fact that preachers have a captive audience assists in the conversion process. In any case not many, if any, of them give back to prison ministry the way Chuck Colson has. Colson, who authored some very fine books of his own, has been a key player in the prison ministry world in addition to blogging about the defense of the faith. In speaking out boldly the word of God, Colson offended many. He understood that the praise of God are more desirable that the praise of men.
Colson made some mistakes in life which changed the direction of that life. Getting sent to prison was the best thing that ever happened to him, though I’m sure that possibility was not on his mind as he heard the cell door clank. Clark seemed to live his whole life going the same direction toward success and the praises of men. I hope that destination was not a dead end and that Dick Clark gains entrance to the Pearly Gates. I have no doubts that Mr. Colson will have a seat of honor in Heavenly realms. We will miss his sword of truth down here. It is time for some other men and women to step up and take his place.
What Would Jesus Say?
I just got one of those chain emails – not the kind that promises
that good things will happen to you if you forward to a zillion of your
friends and family and terrible things will befall you if the email hits
your trash bin. No, this one was an inspirational, pump up the troops
to spur them to action. Unfortunately, I had to disagree with the
motivation here. The communication involved dealt with the war on
terrorism – specifically the battle against Islamic forces.
I may make some enemies here, but I feel compelled to speak out. I won’t include the entire email here but thought it enlightening to include a blurb that struck a nerve with me.
Do you think I care about four U. S. Marines pissing on some dead Taliban insurgents?
And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were
claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a
nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't
complain when more atrocities committed by radical
Muslims happen here in our great Country!
If you think I’m not upset with the cruelties of Islam, you’re sadly mistaken. The bloody intolerance for religious deviation from the confines of Mohammed and the Koran and the honor killings make my own blood boil. However, my mother taught me long ago that two wrongs don’t make a right. The very Jesus, whom the author of this email alluded to, preached that we should do unto others as we would want done to ourselves. He also said to love our enemies. Another section in the Bible points out that we don’t battle against flesh and blood but against principalities. Even the heathen love their own. Those who accept Christ as the son of God have a higher standard. Having disrespect for the sanctity of life almost drags us down to the level of those who maim and kill. Not being upset that our military was involved in urinating on the bodies of slain terrorists is a sign of hatred, something we Christians should avoid with a passion. When Osama Bin Laden was executed, the celebration slogans that flew through cyberspace via the fingertips of Christians made me mourn. How can the champions of life rejoice in death?
I often ponder what would have been the result if America had stood up as a nation after 9-11 and offered a statement of forgiveness toward those who had hurt us. Instead we launched an expensive and never-ending battle against an elusive enemy. Is it possible that such forgiveness could, instead of convincing the terrorists that we are weak and fearful, have burrowed under their hearts to help them see that violence and killing is not the answer to life’s problems? And could that perhaps have extended a bridge into the Arabic world instead of a wall?
Some people believe that Jesus is the poster child for the NRA (National Rifle Association). In reality, I think that makes Him shudder. Protective violence is a fact of life and a necessary evil. It is definitely not something to gloat about. I did hit the delete button on that email. Call me crazy but I do believe that there is an honorable way to fight. From the research that I’ve recently done regarding some of our troubled cities in the world, the best method of fighting for Christians appears to be through prayer, not bullets. Maybe we’d see more success in bringing the message of a loving Savior to the Muslims on our knees instead of up on our military soapboxes.
I may make some enemies here, but I feel compelled to speak out. I won’t include the entire email here but thought it enlightening to include a blurb that struck a nerve with me.
Do you think I care about four U. S. Marines pissing on some dead Taliban insurgents?
And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were
claiming to be tortured by a justice system of a
nation they are fighting against in a brutal Insurgency.
If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete
button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't
complain when more atrocities committed by radical
Muslims happen here in our great Country!
If you think I’m not upset with the cruelties of Islam, you’re sadly mistaken. The bloody intolerance for religious deviation from the confines of Mohammed and the Koran and the honor killings make my own blood boil. However, my mother taught me long ago that two wrongs don’t make a right. The very Jesus, whom the author of this email alluded to, preached that we should do unto others as we would want done to ourselves. He also said to love our enemies. Another section in the Bible points out that we don’t battle against flesh and blood but against principalities. Even the heathen love their own. Those who accept Christ as the son of God have a higher standard. Having disrespect for the sanctity of life almost drags us down to the level of those who maim and kill. Not being upset that our military was involved in urinating on the bodies of slain terrorists is a sign of hatred, something we Christians should avoid with a passion. When Osama Bin Laden was executed, the celebration slogans that flew through cyberspace via the fingertips of Christians made me mourn. How can the champions of life rejoice in death?
I often ponder what would have been the result if America had stood up as a nation after 9-11 and offered a statement of forgiveness toward those who had hurt us. Instead we launched an expensive and never-ending battle against an elusive enemy. Is it possible that such forgiveness could, instead of convincing the terrorists that we are weak and fearful, have burrowed under their hearts to help them see that violence and killing is not the answer to life’s problems? And could that perhaps have extended a bridge into the Arabic world instead of a wall?
Some people believe that Jesus is the poster child for the NRA (National Rifle Association). In reality, I think that makes Him shudder. Protective violence is a fact of life and a necessary evil. It is definitely not something to gloat about. I did hit the delete button on that email. Call me crazy but I do believe that there is an honorable way to fight. From the research that I’ve recently done regarding some of our troubled cities in the world, the best method of fighting for Christians appears to be through prayer, not bullets. Maybe we’d see more success in bringing the message of a loving Savior to the Muslims on our knees instead of up on our military soapboxes.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Pentecost - Power to Turn Zeroes Into Heroes
I received an email a couple of days ago from Examiner.com
suggesting that articles about Pentecost were being encouraged and were
eligible for special promotion. What a coincidence. I had felt a compulsion to
write such an article a few days before. The guidelines, much to my surprise
and chagrin, indicated listing various ways of celebrating Pentecost,
especially in the Catholic Church. I have to admit that I was never involved in
a Pentecost party in any church, including the Catholic Church in my youth.
One of the slogans I hear bandied about frequently these
days is "Christianity is not religion but relationship". At first that phrase agitated my eardrums
like fingernails across a chalkboard. My presumption was that people who don't
like to keep God's commandments rationalize that shortcoming by coming up with
a higher path. Instead of obeying God, some people find it much more convenient
to just claim a relationship with the Almighty. Some misguided individuals
possess the idea that relationship consists of God loving me and me letting
Him. I certainly won't deny God's love for us, but I caution against unwarranted
familiarity with the Creator of the universe.
Scholars might point out that under the new covenant of the
blood shed by Jesus Christ, all individual believers have the right to enter
the Holy of Holies, not just the priests (not to be confused with Catholic
clergy). This seems to be sound doctrine, but a caveat is judicious here. In
order to enter the Holy of Holies, the priests had to be obedient and follow specified
protocol. Thus in my vocabulary, a relationship, especially this one, involves
built-in rules. So if by religion, we
refer to God made rules, then my advice to you is that we need both religion
and relationship. However if religion is interpreted in the typical human
scope, the main elements comprising religion are human inspired. Some might
refer to this as man trying to reach up to God. The bottom line is that I don't
believe that God is interested in "human" rules. Check out the
reaction of Jesus to Pharisaical teaching featuring stringent laws that God had
not applied to burden mankind.
Celebrating Pentecost with food and ritualistic traditions
should not be our focus. The goal is not to celebrate Pentecost but rather to live
it. The tongues of fire descending upon those gathered in the upper room
provided the impetus for transforming frightened disciples of the Nazarene into
bold witnesses, motivated to travel through all the known world to relay the
message of a Savior/Messiah to virgin ears. Today, most people on earth have already
heard of Jesus Christ. Their resistance levels are so high at this point that
testifying of Christ requires the baptism with fire to endow believers with the
boldness to speak out in the shadow of persecution or ridicule and the courage
to stand up for their faith. Unfortunately, many denominations consider the
power of the Holy Spirit that descended upon the upper room to be expired. They
don't realize that without the power of Pentecost, Christians don't have a
chance in an increasingly hostile world.
People are turning away from the church because it doesn't demonstrate
the power of God. It's time we quit worshipping our traditions and get plugged
into the power supply of the universe, so that we might be like the Apostles.
Note that many, if not most, of the people gathered in the upper room died as
martyrs for the gospel. If they had fled after the death of Christ, they might
have survived many more years on this planet, but their lives would have been
bereft of the honor and glory which God will bestow upon them for their
faithfulness. It's your turn on earth. Are you going to flee to personal safety
or let the Lord infuse you with supernatural Pentecost power to go forth and be
His ambassador in a dangerous world?
Saturday, May 26, 2012
More Great Quotes
"Don't be afraid of tomorrow -- God is already there."
- unknown
"If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't begin; for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, a change of allegience. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it's not for you."
- K. Authur
"Prayer can do anything that God can do."
-E.M. Bounds
"Paul saw people sinking toward hell and did not talk of refining them, but of saving them from the wrath to come."
- C.H. Spurgeon
"Faith's most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain."
- Elizabeth Elliot
"When the Lord reveals His will to us and we obey, our mission will be a success regardless of the results."
- Chinese house church leaders.
"Learn to hold loosely all that is not eternal."
-A.M. Royden
"When God gave Christ to this world, He gave the best He had, and He wants us to do the same." (Dwight L. Moody)
"God sends no-one away empty, except those who are full of themselves." (Dwight L. Moody
- unknown
"If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't begin; for this is what Christianity is all about. It is a change of citizenship, a change of governments, a change of allegience. If you have no intention of letting Christ rule your life, then forget Christianity; it's not for you."
- K. Authur
"Prayer can do anything that God can do."
-E.M. Bounds
"Paul saw people sinking toward hell and did not talk of refining them, but of saving them from the wrath to come."
- C.H. Spurgeon
"Faith's most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array of evidence that seems to prove our faith vain."
- Elizabeth Elliot
"When the Lord reveals His will to us and we obey, our mission will be a success regardless of the results."
- Chinese house church leaders.
"Learn to hold loosely all that is not eternal."
-A.M. Royden
"When God gave Christ to this world, He gave the best He had, and He wants us to do the same." (Dwight L. Moody)
"God sends no-one away empty, except those who are full of themselves." (Dwight L. Moody
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