Stop Whining

    In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus told his followers to fast differently than the way a lot of people of his day fasted. It seems a number of people enjoyed attention from others for their “sacrifice” of fasting. They made it obvious that they were sacrificing food, and they took on the appearance of being weak, disheveled and hungry. And of course, they let every one know what they were going through.
    Jesus said, “Don’t do that.” You don’t need to let anyone know you are making a sacrifice. Clean yourself up, put a smile on your face, be pleasant and be a blessing to people. Let your sacrifice be between you and God.
    When I read that passage this week, I immediately thought of a young Bible College student years ago who had taken his first “labor” job at a bicycle factory near our town. I know he had to work hard, but his demeanor was almost laughable. Every time I saw him he was slumped over and walking slow. When you asked him how he was doing, he would go on and on about how hard his job was and all the hours he was working. Midway through the summer, I sat down with him and said, “Mike (not his name), this is only a summer job. It’s not that bad. Some people spend their lives working these kinds of jobs. Be grateful for the work and stop drawing attention to how hard it is.”
    I’m really glad that he took my advice. His attitude changed, and today, he’s working a much harder job in a dangerous part of the world as a ministry leader in a persecuted land.
    There are some who seem to have a need to share their adversities with everyone. You almost hate to ask them how they are doing because when you do, they feel compelled to come up with multiple reasons you should feel sorry for them.
    I have a hard time understanding that outlook. I was homeless at 17 and was living in a motel. I’ve lived in campgrounds and have had to sleep in my car more than once. But honestly, nobody knew it. I was a new Christian and was ecstatic about what God had done for me. I knew he had a plan in it all and that adversity was opportunity for me to learn to trust him and put him on display in my life. People who knew me then would tell you that I was happy. Sadly, I think I complain more today than I did when life was REALLY rough.
    Then I think of my in-laws. Both live with daily pain. They have difficulty walking, getting in and out of the car, and even out of bed in the morning. Yet their joy in life is evident to everyone who know them. Ask them how they are doing and you will hear them express gratitude for God’s goodness.
    I think the tendency to whine and complain is really a drive to get people interested in our lives. But it doesn’t work. People shun complainers. We are drawn to joyful people. We like hanging out with those who are interested in us, rather than those who work at trying to get us interested in them.
    So turn it around. Go to God with your troubles...he does invite your prayers. But when it comes to other people, I’m not saying that you should pretend that everything is wonderful, just focus on being a blessing. And you’ll find that the smile you give to others will actually change the way you feel on the inside.

How Could God Do This?

    The tornado tragedy in Oklahoma is heartbreaking. The idea of an elementary school being leveled by an E5 tornado is horrible.  And then you hear first responders recount how they found remains of three children huddled together under the body of the teacher who had been attempting to shield them. Wow. The loss of life, property damage, and lots of individual stories make the situation difficult to follow on the news. I have a hard time watching it.
    Then we ask, “How could God do something like this?”
    As a Christian, I believe that God is sovereign. That means that he is in complete control. He is in charge. Jesus reassured us that even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without our Heavenly Father caring about it. So what about these tornadoes, the human suffering, the children? Does God care more about a sparrow learning to fly than he does the people in Moore, Oklahoma?
    Jesus did not say that the Father would keep the sparrow from ever falling. In fact, Jesus told his followers that in this world, we will have great difficulty (John 16:33). Tragedy was also a reality of life when Jesus was on the earth and he didn’t prevent it all. There were hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes and earthquakes then as well. He did calm the storm, one time. But there were a lot of storms going on in Palestine in his lifetime. He didn’t calm all of them.
    So how can we say God is sovereign?
    You might remember from our “Heaven” series that God gave the responsibility to care for the earth to Adam in the Garden. And you probably remember what Adam and Eve did with it, they turned it over to God’s enemy, Satan. When sin came into the picture, this world came under Satan’s domain, and corruption over all of creation ensued. That’s why Jesus referred to Satan as “the god of this world.”
    Today, we live in a fallen world, ruled by the enemy of God. Through Jesus, he has paid the ransom necessary for our reconciliation and this world’s redemption (Romans 8). He could retake and remake the world right now without all of the evil, natural disasters and suffering. All of that, being under his sovereignty, could be dealt with in an instant, and it will be someday. But the Apostle Peter said that God was holding out to give opportunity for more people to respond to his offer of salvation (2 Peter 3:9). It is by his mercy that he is patient. In the mean time, we live in a world that is filled with very real trouble, because it is under another temporary ruler.
    The Lord does not leave us alone in it, however. He promised to be present with us and to walk with us through our greatest trials. But our promise of deliverance will be realized in the next world, not in this one.
    So, how could God do this? Remember, evil is best defined by what is left over when God is not there. This is a world that is under Satan’s domain. God does intervene on rare occasions, but out of respect for human choice, he has allowed the corruption of sin to work its way out to its logical conclusion. The trouble in this world, including natural disasters, is what we have as a result.
    If we will look to him in the middle of it, he would love to reveal himself to us.

Scandals in Washington

    This has been quite the week of scandals in American politics. President Obama has, for the most part, enjoyed the goodwill of the mainstream press. But that appears to be interrupted this week. Major questions of credibility are now being asked in lieu of the Benghazi talking points affair, the procurement of Associated Press journalist telephone records, and the IRS maltreatment of conservative organizations. It does remind us of the fickle nature of political favor. And no matter who is to blame for the above issues, it also reminds us that politics is politics, no matter who is running the show. The Christian’s hope has never been and can never be in a human leader or political system.
    Maybe just reading a blog from me that refers to current issues in politics makes you nervous. This is not, in any way, a commentary on what is happening in Washington. I certainly have my concerns with what is coming to light, but I have much bigger concerns. While both sides of the political spectrum are doing battle with each other, I am more concerned with whether or not Christians are being Christian. When it comes to politics, even Christians tend to defend to the death just about anything that their favorite politicians do or say, regardless of the truth or Biblical principles that are at stake. And even Christians tend to attack with venom those on the other side of the political spectrum, again, regardless of what Jesus taught about the attitudes we are to have towards everyone, including our enemies.
    I am far more concerned with whether or not Christians are being Christian than I am with politicians being politicians. I expect lost people to behave like they are lost. I expect scandals in Washington and I’m not shocked when they happen. I’m not surprised that even Billy Graham’s organization has been singled out by the IRS. Jesus told us that persecution would be a reality for those who follow him. The fact that we haven’t been persecuted in the United States has been a blessing, but an unusual one. The world being the world should not unsettle us. And yes, we ought to do all we can to be positive influences. But the world will be the world. And they need to see something entirely different in us...JESUS!
    So instead of obsessing over politics or the global march of Islam or the discouraging direction of morality, let’s become obsessed with following Jesus in every minute detail of our lives. Let’s be Christian first in the way we work, love our spouses, raise our kids, cheer at ballgames, engage in political discussions, and interact with our friends and extended families. If we simply take care of the responsibilities that our leader emphasized, the change we are supposed to produce in the world will take care of itself. Let’s just be Christian...in everything!
    “...that He might come to have first place in everything.” – Colossians 1:18 HCSB

Kidnapped and Held Captive

     Horrified.
     That’s how we felt as the details emerged of the plight of those three young women who had been kidnapped and imprisoned in Cleveland for over a decade. And the details are just beginning to come out. They will worsen in the weeks ahead, no doubt.
     Will these young women ever be able to return to normal life?
     Many psychologists being interviewed on news television programs emphasize a need for lengthy and careful “debriefing”. I think it’s going to take a lot more than that. One woman who was interviewed in the wake of all this had been kidnapped herself and held captive. She explained how her return to normalcy took years and came about only because her parents protected her from media coverage and constantly gave her reassurance of their love and protection. She went through years of counseling and reentered life one step at a time. Even then, she was vexed with flashbacks and memories. As I said, it took years for her to overcome her time as a captive.
     That’s actually not altogether different for a new Christian. The Bible describes our salvation experience as a deliverance from captivity, and Jesus’ payment for our sin on the cross is called a ransom. The human race is in the mess that it is because it is under the captivity and dominance of Satan. When we are saved from that captivity, we are freed! But the memories and aftereffects of years in Satan’s domain continues to vex our thinking, our emotions, our spirits. Becoming a Christian does not mean that we immediately overcome all of the issues we struggled with because of our captivity. But it does set us on the road to recovery. But yet, that takes work, careful debriefing and years of reprogramming our thoughts, emotions, and memories, to fully enjoy the freedom we’ve been given in Christ. Just as we would not expect Amanda Berry to be perfectly normal next week, we should not expect new Christians to immediately be all that God intends for them to be. The trouble is, because many Christians never experience that time of reprogramming, though they have been saved for years, are still captive, in their own minds.
     For liberated followers of Jesus this necessary debriefing and reprogramming is a growth process the Bible calls, “Sanctification.” This weekend, we are kicking off a six week series that will help us understand just how spiritual growth takes place. We’ll be looking at five “catalysts” for growth. That is, five ingredients in our lives that produce growth. If you are going to grow, it will be through at least two or three of the mechanisms that God uses for growth. And they are: Practical Teaching, Providential Relationships, Private Disciplines, Personal Ministry and Pivotal Circumstances. In the weeks ahead, we will be exploring these catalysts and how God uses them, as well as how we can leverage these tools for our own spiritual growth.
     You are no longer held captive in the devil’s lair. You’ve been set free! So let’s seek to grow our faith to take full advantage of the freedom we have in Christ, and become the people God created us to be.

Are Christians Anti-Gay?

     There is quite the commotion in the media over the recent NBA player who has come out publicly to announce that he is gay. And there is even more clamor over Chris Broussard, the ESPN announcer, who said that because of his Christian faith, he cannot condone homosexual behavior. For that, his job is now in jeopardy.
    I wonder if a high profile Christian were to say that adultery is not compatible with Christian values, would he be censored for saying that? What if he said that viewing pornography or visiting prostitutes or doing illegal drugs or getting drunk or a host of other things, are incompatible with Christian values. Would he be denigrated for criticizing these activities? Why is it that in this one area, political correctness has nearly eliminated any debate, any questioning, any opinion contrary to what has become a media protected lifestyle?
     Have we come to the place where there can be no debate regarding the rightness or wrongness of certain protected behaviors?
     And how about this question: Are we so settled in our acceptance of an aberrant lifestyle that we refuse to even listen to what God has to say about it? Are we so stuck on our desire to be tolerant that we will not tolerate those who believe otherwise? Are we unwilling to even consider that God designed the human race a certain way and that people hurt themselves and others when they rebel against that design? Can we not even say things like that without fearing that we will be castigated?
     Let me briefly say what the Bible does say. The Bible says that all of us are sinners. Without Jesus, we would all be lost. And followers of Jesus cannot expect nonchristians to live by Christian values. We should expect lost people to act lost and not be surprised when they do. But it is right for us to be open about what the Bible says, not only about God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice, but also on the problem of sin and our need to turn from it. The Bible does say that any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage is sin––and sin separates us from God. Homosexual behavior is specifically identified in the Bible as a rebellion against God’s intention for sexuality. We can’t say that we believe the Bible and also say that there is nothing wrong with homosexual behavior. Just like we can’t say that we believe the Bible and also say that there is nothing wrong with gossiping, getting drunk, or committing adultery. As Christians, we are to care about all people and help them to see that God loves them, that he is eager to forgive them, and that He has a better plan for their lives than their own. But we can’t do that if they never admit to being in need of forgiveness. Gay people, like all sinners, are in need of forgiveness. And yes, homosexual behavior is a sin that Jesus died for and needs to be and can be forgiven (just like my sin).
     So are Christians anti-gay? No more than Jesus is. No more than we should be anti-gossip or anti-adultery. As followers of Jesus, we should be for everything that God is for and against everything that God is against. Sometimes, that will put us at odds with our culture.