Grateful Christian - First Fruits (part 2 of 3)

What is Christianity and why are first fruits important?   

How does the practice of ‘First-Fruits effect our relationship with God?  Perhaps because as Harry Emerson Fosduke expanded upon the quote from yesterday. 

“"A person completely wrapped up in himself makes a small package.  The great day comes when a man begins to get himself off his hands.  He has lived, let us say, like a man who has lived in a room that is surrounded by mirrors.  Every way he turns, he sees himself.  Now, however, some of the mirrors change to windows.  He can see through them to objective outlooks that challenge his interest.  He begins to get out of himself, no longer the prisoner of self-reflections.  But a man in a world where persons, causes, truths, and values exist worthwhile for their own sakes, thus to pass from a mirror mind to a mind with windows, is an essential element in the development of a real personality.  Without that experience no one ever achieves a meaningful life."

First Fruits not only illustrates our desire to look beyond the mirrors that makes us a small package, and give to God from a grateful heart but they are the cornerstones of living a lifestyle  that gives back to Him the first and best of what He has given us. 

First Fruits are just that, by implication ‘First’ means there is more to follow.  However, if one is more concerned about the mirrors instead of the windows and is unwilling to give their first-fruit to God, then what is the likelihood that they will follow His further instruction by continuing to read in Leviticus 23

"And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.  You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”  Leviticus 23:22  God told His people that when you harvest your crops, do not attempt to get every kernel from every single stalk.  Essentially that's what a diligent farmer would do.  He would try to get everything he can because his livelihood and his family's would depend upon it.  Nevertheless, God says no, you will leave some of it there.  That is not being irresponsible; it is not wasting.  He said deliberately leave some of it behind.  Leave some of the grain standing in the field, for the poor and the needy, the less fortunate, could come and take what they needed.  With what He has generously given you, you could with a grateful heart help others.

First Fruits changes your mirrors into windows. 

 To be continued... 

 

Grateful Christian- First Fruits (part 1 of 3)

"A person completely wrapped up in himself makes a small package.”  Harry Emerson Fosduke

Even if you do not share my joy of gardening, you can understand that when we plant a garden, we are always anxious for the first things to become ripe, to harvest the first things out of the garden.  That's exciting!  However, we would be very frustrated and unhappy if that's all that ever happened, if everything else just dried up and blew away.


God is excited about First Fruits as well, so giving First Fruits can be likened to picking the very first ripe, red, juicy, Beefsteak tomato of the season off your vine and offering it at the altar to the God who brought it forth from seed.  Doing so with thanks for all the harvests of the past and with faith that before the season is over, your vine will yield an abundant crop.

Perhaps a better way to convey the idea of first fruits to those of you who are not a gardener would be in this manner.  Suppose that you are a author, who has just had a new book published, or an artist who has just sold your first print in a new series of watercolors, or perhaps a mechanic who  has always worked on Ford's but has recently learned how to fix BMW's; or even a stay at home dad who has decided to open a small child care at his home.   First fruit would giving of the first royalty check for the book or painting for the author or artist, the payment that the mechanic collects for fixing her first BMW, or the first payment  the dad collects for the first child at his new childcare business.  

However, before we go any further, let’s identify why God said, “THE FIRST FRUITS ARE MINE.”   The story is one of the most exciting in the Bible – in Exodus: The Israelites are leaving Egypt after 430 years of slavery.  God has rescued His ‘First Fruit of the nations’ and is preparing to kill all the first born of Egypt -  the last of the ten plagues - because Pharaoh would not let them go!  God then commands the entire nation of Israel to honor God by bringing the first crops of their harvest to the house of the Lord.  The people were forbidden to use any part of the harvest until the first fruits were offered to the Lord.  To neglect these first fruits offerings was considered robbery of God (Malachi 3:8). 


Giving of the first fruits was an act of allegiance and gratitude to God as source of all of their provisions. However, too many of us only look at the blessing, but like every coin has two sides, do not forget that there is also a chilling truth right here: the Egyptians would not GIVE, so God TOOK!   First Fruits are a reminder that God brought you out of death with great power and sacrifice, but also a warning to those who chose their own way over God’s. 

The Feast of First Fruits marked the beginning of the grain harvests in Israel.  Barley was the first grain to ripen of those sown in the winter months.  Scripture specifies the Feast of First Fruits as Sunday "on the day after the Sabbath.” (Leviticus 23:9-11).  Each spring, Israel celebrated Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits at the same gathering.  The following details will become highly significant in the following paragraph: On the 14th day of the 1st month, the Passover lambs were killed at 3:00 p.m. and prepared for eating.  At 6:00 p.m., the Passover began and lasted until the following sundown.  At 6:00 p.m. Saturday (the start of Sunday), the day of First Fruits began.  On Sunday morning, a sheaf or handful of early barley harvest was reverently cut and the barley removed, filling a bowl.  It was then taken to the Temple and waved before the Lord.

During the Holy Week, Jesus and the disciples gathered in Jerusalem for Passover.  After the Passover meal was eaten, Jesus was arrested, crucified at noon on Friday, and entombed prior to 6:00 p.m., when the Sabbath began.  Jesus lay in the tomb Friday evening and Saturday and arose from the dead on Sunday, the very day of the Feast of the First Fruits.  Thus, Paul refers to Christ as the first fruits of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20).  In this reversal, God has given us God’s first fruits, God’s only begotten Son, that we may have eternal life.

First Fruits and understanding 'what is a Christian', begins with a Grateful and submissive heart.

To be continued….

 

Indifference in a Christian

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.”  Elie Wiesel

It would seem that i would not have to address this point in our quest to know 'What is Christianity', but you would be surprised.  We are on the threshold of a new era in America, it is our generation that is ushering in the post Christian era.  When historians look back at the waning years  of the Christian era in America  what will the legacy of this slowly vanishing generation be?  How will we be remembered?  More importantly how will God look upon us, those who profess to be Christians, as we one by one come to kneel in His presence?  Surely we will be judged, and judged severely, both by historians and God. Our sins have cast a long dark shadow over the church and humanity:  divorce for any cause, church sanctioned remarriages for the guilty, adultery, gay marriages, child neglect and abuse, corporate and individual greed, starvation on a scale unimaginable, countless civil wars, bloodbaths in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, and Mexico, and on the streets of America.  So much evil, so much indifference.

What is indifference? Webster’s dictionary defines it as “lack of difference or distinction between two or more things and absence of compulsion to or toward one thing or another”  A unnatural  and ungodly state in which we blur the lines between light and darkness, crime and punishment, truth and lies, cruelty and compassion, good and evil

Indifference is a philosophy that we have embraced, one that has it’s inescapable consequences.  As a society and as individuals we have come to view indifference as a virtue, it is what we chose to practice to live a normal life, to watch a new television show, to  enjoy a nice glass of wine, to sing in the church choir,  as those around us experience harrowing upheavals?

The sin of Indifference can be tempting -- more than that, seductive.  It is so much easier to look away from the victims. It is so much easier to avoid rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes, our desires.   It is, after all, difficult, trying, and troublesome, to get involved in another person's pain and despair.  For the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor,  friends and family of are of no consequence;  their lives are meaningless.  Their hidden or even visible turmoil is meaningless, for the indifferent person sees no personal benefit in getting involved.   Indifference reduces all others to an abstraction.

What happened?  I don't understand.  Why the indifference, on the highest level, to the suffering of the victims?  Indifference to your spouse, your child, your promises, your community, your friends, to God’s commands.   Why is there just a remnant of 'Christians'  who remain willing to subject themselves to God’s will at the expense of tharm, and neiteir own, to save the honor of our faith.  Why are they so few?   Why is there a greater effort to ignore repentance and  forgive the sinner, then there is to care for the victims.   How is one to explain our indifference?

Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred.  As discussed on previous blogs, Anger can at times be creative.   A person can direct their anger to writing a great poem, an inspiring piece of music, anger at the injustice that one witnesses can compel one to do something special for the sake of humanity.   But indifference is never creative, indifference simply exists.   Even hatred at times may elicit a positive response.   The righteous chose to denounce it, disarm it, the righteous chose to fight it.  Indifference is not a response to anything, even sin.

Indifference is not the beginning, it is the end;  indifference is a favorite weapon of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor -- never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten.  The deserted wife, the abandoned child, The political prisoner in his cell, a hungry child, the homeless.  We see their faces, their eyes. Do we hear their pleas? Do we feel their pain, their agony?  When we ‘Christians’ fail to respond to their plight, to step into the gap to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from humanity; and in denying their humanity we betray our own.

Indifference, then, is not only a sin, it is a punishment.  While man can live far from God, he cannot live outside God.  God is wherever we are.  Even in suffering.  As we chose to treat those around us, and those who share this earth with indifference,  why do we believe God will treat us an differently? 

Our society is composed of three simple categories: the takers, the victims, and the bystanders. We all know the takers, they are the thieves, the adulterer, the drug dealer, those who divorce their spouse, the shoplifter, the gossiper, the dictators, all those who seek their own gain at the expense of others; we all know the victims, their faces are all around us.  Then there are the bystanders – the witnesses, those that this blog addresses, what kind of witness are you?  Try gratitude, see how it changes your perspective and your life. 

"So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Rev 3:16

 

Christian Compassion like Jesus Modeled

Compassion

I received a letter yesterday.  Yes you read that correctly an actual letter, not an text message, not a email, but a letter.  It wasn’t written out on a computer, or even a typewriter (if you remember those), it was handwritten.  It wasn’t a long letter but when I opened it, my  eyes misted up and my heart melted again.  It was from Nelia. I have included some excepts from her letter, as the bulk of today's message.  but before we get to her letter, a little bit about Neila.

This is all I knew about Neila, 

Neila Joy was born in the Philippines on Oct 4^th, 2003 (that makes her 8) Neila makes her home with her grandmother.  Carrying water, gathering firewood and making beds are her household duties.  Her grandmother is sometimes employed as a laborer.  There is 1 other child in her family.  Neila is not presently attending school.  Swimming, singing and playing house are her favorite activities.  She also attends church activities and Bible class regularly. 

God doesn’t ask us to just know, He commands us to do.  It really doesn’t cost me vey much, I live on a tight budget, so to help I had to give up something, I decided to give up drinking that diet soda that I bought from the convenience store every day.  That’s all, one soda a day… in return for giving up that soda, I got a letter.  It is the single best investment I have ever made. 

An excerpt from her letter 

"First of all, may I greet you a pleasant day, and in good health.  How are you?  By the way I’m Nor-Jade, Nelia’s aunt.  Neila Joy is doing good, and she is in the pink of health.

June 6,211 is Neila Joy First day of school. She is so excited to be going to school.  Neila Joy is happy for all the support you extend to her, especially for her school uniform, new school shoes and school supplies. 

Neila is active in attending he weekly learning activities in the center every Saturday.  She is happy about the things she learn and some game that she joined.  Every Sunday she attended Sunday Service with her grandmother.  Neila and her grandma join in the Parent and Child Day celebration last May 20, 211.  Neila was very happy joining some games together with her Grandmother.  Last May 28, 2011 our center was able to conduct medical Check-up, she was able to undergo check-up, and we are thankful that she was given some vitamins and medicines."   ……………..

"Could you please pray for Neila’s health and well being to keep her from sickness.  We are also praying for your safety. Thank you very much for all the support you extend to Neila and also for your trust.  God Bless Always."

 Neila Joy's Message to me and all of us.

School, clothing, medical care, and hope; all it cost me was to give up that one soda a day.  It is not what you hear, it is not what you know, it is definitely not what you get, it is what you do that shows the truth of your faith.  Does helping a child like Neila make me a Christian?  No, but if I know that 1 child dies of starvation every 5 seconds and I do nothing – what does that make me?

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18 

Compassion International is a good  place to start.  Check out the website at by clicking on Neila's message (God is Love) to all of us,  or follow the permanent link at the bottom of this page.

On Earth as it is in Heaven Christian Prayer

Prayer

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:10

Logical, concise, emotional, passionate and convicting.  When asked by the disciples how should we pray, Jesus was so clear that a child could understand it.  “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”  Matthew 6:9-10  In a previous posting I addressed the beginning ‘Hallowed be your name’, in brief – honored be your name, how do I honor God, how do I honor my father?  

Logically the answer to that is what follows, praying that His kingdom comes and that His will is done on earth just as it is in heaven.  You do not have to go any further in your walk with Christ then this to determine exactly the status of your relationship with Him.  You do not need to read any best selling books, listen to any Christian music, or hear an inspiring sermon.  Either you will pray like this and mean it or you won’t.  It isn’t what you say, it’s what you do. 

Jesus was not suggesting, He was not asking, He was commanding Christians to pray in this manner.  To begin your prayers in that manner mandates that before you consider your personal requests, your personal desires, you are first and foremost willing to subject yourself and your will to God.  We want God’s will to work out when it happens to coincide with what we want, or when it applies to other people.  However, those words, following that command is…how to put this…  Not what we want for ourselves.  

To pray that way means that you have to mean what you say, you have to honestly desire God’s will over yours.  God’s will, that would mean you can’t look at those pictures, or that magazine, you would forgive the one who hurt or stole from you, there would be no divorce, no abandoning your children (thus no child support) no gossiping, no ‘it’s just business’, no little white lies, no keeping up with the Jone’s.  Perhaps it means instead of that new television the money would go to feed a family in need, or the time you spend on the internet would be spent instead helping others.  There would be no - this is what I want, and God will either let me have it, or He will forgive me for taking it. 

Either you will or won’t pray as Jesus commanded.  Either His words in Matthew 6:10 convict and inspire you or His words will convict and condemn you. 

Hallowed Be Your Name - Jesus' instructions to Christians

Prayer

I know a ‘Christian’ who has sincerely told me that God answered her prayers by sending to her ‘her boyfriend’.  Many people pray for God to send them their soul mate; sometimes He does, sometimes He does not.  That this particular ‘Christian’ is thanking God for a man who is already married is absurd, delusional, offensive, and an insult to the honor of God.  

This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts,  as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  Matthew 6:9-13

That is not an easy prayer.  Oh, I know all ‘Christians’ have “The Lords Prayer” memorized, but Jesus instructed us how to pray, not what to pray.  Very few ‘Christians’ pray like Jesus instructed.

We say the opening just fine, “Our Father in Heaven”; we are very quick to claim our relationship with God, a relationship of undeserved, and unconditional, yet practical love However, we are not so quick to do as our father tells us, and because we don’t it is the second statement that stops us in our tracks. 

“Hallowed be your name” Hallowed or honored - bring honor to your name.  Essentially, you are asking from your father that regardless of your desire, above all you want your thoughts, words and actions to honor God.  Is that what you really pray; is that what you honestly mean?  It’s easy enough to do when someone approaches you and asks you to pray for them so that they get a job they really desire.  We recite a short prayer, insert into our prayer that whatever happens let it honor God and be His will; then it’s off to watch the game. 

Do you trust God enough that you want whatever God knows will bring Him honor when your child is sick, or when you are faced with losing your job?  Do you want to honor God when you are tired of your spouse and just want out of your marriage?  Do you trust God enough that you keep your promises and vows regardless of the personal cost to yourself, so that He can be honored by your action? 

On the other hand, are you afraid to mean those words in your prayers, because God might do the opposite of what you want?  God might say no.  Your child may not recover, you may lose your job, you will stay married, keeping your promises may cost you thousands of dollars, or even friendships.  We pray out of our fleshly desires, God sees the soul temporarily contained within that flesh, which means God may not agree that what you desire, your thoughts, words and actions actually bring Him honor.  

But we want what we want, and if we get it then we say “praise God, my prayers have been answered, I must be doing things God’s way.”  In truth because we do not honestly desire or mean ‘Hallowed be your name” the rest of our pray cannot possibly be truthful either.  

“Hallowed be your name”; if you will not trust God in your prayers, you will not honor him in your thoughts, words or actions.  And that gets you a little closer to understanding 'What is Christianity'.

 

The Diluted Christian Gospel Is No Gospel at All

If you are asking yourself 'What is Christianity' then you need to know what it isn't:

 I couldn't come close to writing it this well, this honest, this direct.  Isn't it time we stopped and listened?  No more than that, it's time we  Hear....

How, Not to be a Christian IV

If you are asking yourself 'What is Christianity' then you need to know what it isn't:

 The Final Step – BETRAYAL

What makes each instant of betrayal so painful is that someone who knows your heart – someone who knows your longings, desires, dreams, ethics and character – someone who knows the truth, turns from that and chooses to believe you are something else.

When betrayed, your mind freezes as it struggles to grasp how your spouse, your friend, a family member, someone who knew you deeply, intimately, could turn on you and attack you with the intent of doing you great physical, mental, and emotional harm; for their gain.  Betrayal is Evil in its purest form.

On the night of the last supper, Jesus prophesied that one of you will betray me.  The disciples hurriedly looked around, surely not me, is it you?  Judas knew it was himself that Jesus addressed; Judas had to be in shock – ‘How could he know?’  Judas knew, but for a fistful of coins he chose to betray Jesus anyway.  Most if not all ‘Christians’ would agree with my belief that I do not expect to see Judas in heaven, He is after all guilty of the most hideous of crimes……Betrayal of Christ. 

Every Christian knows all about Judas, so the story holds little drama for us; but we only focus on the ending.  We overlook the beginning when Jesus chose Judas after praying all night.  We forget that they spent every day together for three years, talking, eating together and laughing.  When Jesus sent his disciples out to minister, Judas was one of them.  Judas was an intimate actor in the miracle of feeding 5,000 people; along with the rest of the disciples, his rough hands, reeking of fish, took the loaves of barley bread from Jesus, ripping off chunks to give to the mass of hungry people.  He was in the boat when Jesus calmed the sea.  When you read of the disciples questioning Jesus, Judas was there.  Those questions might have been the very question Judas asked.  Judas was there for all of it.  Judas knew the truth, he chose evil nevertheless

What began as an assumption, took root as an offense, growing into anger, finally produced the fruit of Betrayal.  How comfortable we feel, because we are not like Judas.  Betrayal calls good – evil.  We are nothing like that. 

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”  Luke 6:46

“Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.  You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  “James 2:18-19

God will ask each of us one day, “What did you do to my Son?”  For what we do to one another, we do to Christ.  We cannot have faith in Christ without being faithful to Christ.

Betrayal is the fruit of a thought you decided to act on. 

(Just a short list of betrayals)

Adultery – Betrayal of Christ
Sex outside of marriage - Betrayal of Christ
Incest – Betrayal of Christ
Theft – Betrayal of Christ
Murder – Betrayal of Christ
Slander – Betrayal of Christ
Lust – Betrayal of Christ
Cheating – Betrayal of Christ
Divorce – Betrayal of Christ
Envy – Betrayal of Christ
Self-righteousness – Betrayal of Christ
Gossip – Betrayal of Christ
Greed – Betrayal of Christ
Indifference – Betrayal of Christ
Worship of your own God (Money, self, career, etc.) – Betrayal of Christ
Deliberately sinning once you’ve proclaimed your faith in Jesus – Betrayal of Christ.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’  Matthew 7:20-23

Betrayal is a Mortal Sin – just ask Judas

How Not to be a Christian part 3 

 

How, Not to be a Christian III

If you are asking yourself 'What is Christianity' then you need to know what it isn't:

 Step 3.  Acting on your Anger

You will notice that I did not write simply ‘anger’; far to many Christians have come to the mistaken belief that anger is a sin.  Often they refer back to Jesus’ sermon on the mount “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother 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 5:21-22}  But the interpretation that Jesus is saying that anger is a sin would be incorrect.

Paul addresses anger in his typical style – head on- Paul declares, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” ^{Eph 4:26}.  Paul clearly indicates that it is possible for us to feel angry without sinning. How can this be?  Or consider in the book of Mark when figs were out of season, yet Jesus is hungry and in his very human response as he walked past a fig tree with no figs on it cursed the fig tree.  Some look for deeper meaning in that verse, I find comfort in it, as I sit frustrated in traffic on my way to and from the office.

Jesus’ teaching isn’t that anger is a sinful emotion; rather that it is a dangerous one.  It isn’t anger that is the sin it is what we do with that anger.  Coming to accept that anger is a perfectly normal human response is the first step in eliminating the guilt that so many Christians impose upon themselves when they feel angry. It took me a long, long time to understand the chain reaction that believing anger by and of itself was a sin.  

This point cannot be overstated or overlooked.  If you believe like I once did, that your feelings of anger are sinful; then like me, you will be inclined to judge yourselves unfairly, even harshly whenever you feel angry.  When I felt angry, I assumed that God was displeased with me, which made it that much more difficult to approach him for help. The end result was that I repressed my feelings of anger, with the entire psychological backlash that results.  If you view anger the same, you have made yourself a sitting duck for the sort for just the type of emotional cycle that Satan seeks to use to separate us from God.

Anger when channeled in the right direction can be very beneficial, I doubt much would be done, or accomplished without there first being a seed of anger within someone.  If I write a book because I am angry about how people view a subject or if you decide to start a program to help benefit someone else; because you’re frustrated that certain needs, are not being properly met. Then the anger we experience is the seed that creates and an energizing force that moves us to act.

Anger is not a sinful emotion but a human one. Anger is the most dangerous of all emotions, Anger expressed with hostility, and outrage can and often times is the most destructive of all emotions, destroying relationships, careers, families, friendships, and lives.  Yet anger can be harnessed and directed in a manner and direction that results in reflecting God’s best intentions for us.

So I blog…….

How Not to be a Christian part 4 

How Not to be a Christian part 2 

 

How, Not to be a Christian II

If you are asking yourself 'What is Christianity' then you need to know what it isn't:

Step 2.  Offense

 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin?  Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.”  Matthew 18:7 (offense is a temptation)

Three point to understanding offense

1. To understand offense, one must first understand who or what the offense is against.
2. There are two types of offense, real and perceived.
3. The perpetrator and the victim of the offense are determined by the type of offense

Point 1.  I cannot count the number of things that offend my personal standards of decency, aesthetics or intellectual rigor, but those are offenses against my ideas, they are not an offense against me.  The difference is important, because understanding just that one idea dramatically alters your willingness to take offense.  If you do not like my ideas, my taste in music, art or even my writing style, that’s simply a matter of personal opinion and taste (I have taste and you don’t).  For me to be offended by a difference of opinion is child like and points to me having issues to deal with and not you.

Without question the ‘Good Samaritan’ in Luke 10:25-37 own beliefs had to have been offended by the Jewish ideas, behavior and attitude towards all Samaritans.  Yet when he encountered the badly beaten Jew on his way to Jericho, his own compassion clearly proves that while his ideas were offended, ‘he’ was not.

Point 2.  Is the offensive act real or is it assumed?  Frequently (not always) the offense we take, is an offense that exists in our minds only, a misunderstanding, or a rumor passed down to us by someone who knows someone who knows someone who heard someone. There are however very real occasions where we could, if we choose, to take offense to a very real insult, behavior or situation; when our reputations, our livelihood, and in some cases our very lives are besieged. 

Real or perceived the result is the same; a wall is built, and a relationship is destroyed.  What would happen if you slowed down, asked yourself ‘why am I offended, is it real or only imagined?’  In truth however, regardless of the answer, you will build one of two structures… a wall or a bridge.

Point 3.  Every instant of offense involves two different and distinct individuals or groups, the perpetrator and the victim.  The type of offense involved is what determines who is the perpetrator and whom is the victim.  For example, if you have deliberately spread false rumors and lies to our co-workers about me; you are the perpetrator and I am the victim.  However, if I simply assume/perceive that you have spread these same rumors and lies around in regards to me, when in truth you did not, then I am the perpetrator of my own offense and you are the victim.

To see how all of this plays out scripturally we simply need to go to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus.

Undoubtedly, long before Judas’ betrayal, Judas planted the seed of offense in his own mind; Judas believed that Jesus had somehow offended him.  But as we know that Jesus lived a sin free life, it is equally obvious that Judas’ offense was perceived, not real.  Thus, Judas was the perpetrator of the offense, and Jesus was the victim.

If you are like me, you have lots of experience at being offended, yet in our near perfectly lived life, we can scarcely recall any incidences where we have offended another; in truth however, we are pretty good at it.  Our Bible is filled with examples of those who offend and those who could have chosen to be offended.  A perfect example would be the story of Joseph in Genesis (how many different people were the perpetrators’ of offense in his life story, including Joseph)

How many times have we retaliated against someone who has offended us, either real or perceived?  How many walls have we built in our life?  Judas built his wall, Jesus certainly had a right to be offended; instead he built a bridge.

“For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago.  But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him.  It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”  Matthew 26:24

Go built a bridge today….

How Not to be a Christian part 1 

How Not to be a Christian part 3 

 

One of Us is Wrong - is it the Muslim or the Christian

As a culture we have come to value tolerance almost to the point of worshiping it.  How many of you desire to be referred to as ‘intolerant’?  Our society tends to believe that truth is whatever you believe it to be, and at the same time, truth is whatever I believe it to be.  There is no absolute right and wrong, good and evil; to be called ‘tolerant’ is the best compliment one can receive.  Truth is subjective to the individual.  Don’t worry - Be Happy.

This is how those in our culture can contend that a Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu and a Christian, all holding completely different worldviews, can each be right. Those of us who are ‘Christians’ have no problem asserting just how preposterous that is.  However, we have no such objection when it is applied to those within the faith.  It is how we within the Christian faith, can say ‘what I feel the Bible means’ and hold a completely opposite view of what the listener ‘feels the Bible means’.  Paul addressed this very issue in his letter to the Galatians (Gal 1:6-8)

It plays out something like this – while sitting around a table in a bible study group you hear a discussion between ‘believers’ where one says he ‘feels’ that  a Christian can seek a divorce and that gay ‘Christians’ should be allowed to marry, only to have another categorically state that he ‘feels’ that both are abominations.  Both cannot be right, however at the end of the bible study, everyone leaves; complementing themselves on what a great conversation they had, yet they are no closer to uncovering the actual truth.

The reason God gave us the Bible is so that we would know His truth.  He has only one meaning for each text, only one true belief.  The next time you are thinking of saying ‘I feel the Bible means’ – STOP- and instead ask yourself ‘What is God telling me?’

The Muslim and the Christian can not both be right.  One of us is wrong,

 

How, Not to be a Christian

If you are asking yourself 'What is Christianity' then you need to know what it isn't:

Step One: Assume

Yesterday I received an email from an old friend that upset me. It wasn’t what he said that upset me, rather it was what I assumed he meant, that got me all worked up.  After clarifying it with him however, it turned out that in fact, I was wrong.  I had made a series of assumptions, which turned out to be completely false. At the end of the day I was just relieved we were able to work through my assumptions, but it got me thinking.

Assumptions are the silent suicide bombs that do nothing but destroy healthy, growing relationships; either those relationships that you have with others, or the relationship you have with Jesus.  Your assumptions are simply your IDEA of what someone else is thinking, feeling or doing.

Parents often assume they know exactly what their children feel, think or want; I know I do.  Many (not all) bosses assume employees know exactly what they want when they ask for something.  Church attendees assume they know exactly what the pastor’s motives are, and Church volunteers assume they know why someone else isn’t volunteering.  All of this mind reading or assuming is very dangerous, as well as un-Christian. 

While my assumptions may be right from time to time, more often they lead to unnecessary conflict, worry, and broken relationships.  None of which is Christ like, all of which Jesus addresses in the Bible.

So today I just want to encourage you and myself to stop and think.  Instead of leaping to that assumption how about asking questions.

Some of you will. Some of you won’t.

You know why?

Because some of you are more comfortable with your assumptions.  You actually like the false reality you’ve created around you.  It serves your agenda quite nicely.

But to quote Lemony Snicket …

“Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make - bombs, for instance, or strawberry shortcake - if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.  Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct, and you can see at once how this can lead to terrible trouble.  For instance, one morning you might wake up and make the assumption that your bed was in the same place that it always was, even though you would have no real evidence that this was so.  But when you got out of your bed, you might discover that it had floated out to sea, and now you would be in terrible trouble all because of the incorrect assumption that you’d made. You can see that it is better not to make too many assumptions, particularly in the morning.”

How Not to be a Christian part 2 

 

10 +1 Reasons for the Christian to Examine Yourself (part 2)

As we continue to study 'What is Christianity" The second half of the 10 + 1 reasons we should take the time to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith … least we fail.

6. What is it to be “In the faith”?

Ephesians 4:5 says that there is "one faith”, but 1Timothy 4:15 predicts that men would "abandon the faith" and follow different teachings.  This shows that "the faith" is the Gospel message that produces our faith.  In Galatians 1:23 "the faith" is what Paul preached when he preached the Gospel.  In 1Timothy 4:6 the "good teaching" which Timothy followed is called the "truths of the faith”.  1Timothy 5:8 says one can "deny the faith."  Therefore, we must be in the teaching of the faith, or we are not in the faith.  Being "in the faith" is being within the faith's message.

7. But I Feel Saved

No one would argue that you do not have cancer just because you feel free of cancer.  It would be foolish to depend upon how we feel as to if we have high blood pressure or not.  However, many sincere people believe that they are in the faith because of their feelings.  Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?”  Proverbs 14:12 warns, “There is a way  that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to Death”.  Everyone at one time or another has been on a wrong road while sincerely feeling that it was the right road, but sincere feelings did not make it the right road, nor did it get you to where you wanted to go.  Feeling right is not the same as being right.

8. Lost People Can Feel Saved

Rule 1 – Feelings Lie!  Chief sinner Saul of Tarsus said that he was fully convinced by his conscience to believe assuredly that he should oppose Christians (Acts 23:1 and 26:9).  While murdering Christians like Stephen in Acts 7, Saul zealously trusted the traditions of his fathers, which made him feel saved (Acts 22:3 and Galatians 1:14.)  He often later uses his own conversion to beg his fellow Jews to see how they, too, were zealous, convinced, sincere, and yet sincerely lost.  Jesus told the Jews that they thought that they had eternal life, but did not (John 5:39).  These examples are in the Bible to warn us not to trust our eternal soul upon our deceitful and momentary feelings.  Lost people can feel saved today.

9. Many Will Be Misled

In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus warned His religious countrymen that the road to eternal destruction is broad and has a wide gate through which many are lost.  "But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”  The reason is given immediately after in Matthew 7:15 - 23 that false teachers would cause many to say on the last day, " 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  Then will I tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers.’ "   This isn’t just occupying space in your Bible, Jesus spoke it to warn you, if you apply the warning or not is entirely up to you.  You may think you are saved by following the ways of men, but be lost on the last day.  Jesus stressed that most people ‘Christians’ would be lost while thinking they are saved.

10. A Changed Gospel Damns

Paul's shocking warning in Galatians 1:6-8 applies today: "You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all.  You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.  Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.”  Only the true original Gospel can save us from ourselves.  This is why a changed gospel condemns, because while it makes you believe / feel you are saved, when in reality you stand on the edge of the abyss.  A different gospel damns instead of saves.

+ 1. Obeying, Not Just Believing

When a young man joined a popular denomination, he was taught to ‘accept Christ as his personal Savior and to receive Jesus into his heart’ so that he would be saved.  When he did this, he really felt saved, even though he only believed the good news and was not obeying it.  By accepting a changed gospel he had not actually obeyed the Gospel. The two verses below  illustrate the difference, “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness”. Romans 6:17-18   “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”. 1Peter 1:22-23

 

Believing the Gospel without obeying the Gospel does not save.

 

 

 

10 +1 Reasons for the Christian to Examine Yourself (part 1)

When was the last time you went to have a physical? Okay maybe that isn't the best example; lots of us don't do that on a regular basis (hint, go for your annual physical).  Perhaps I should use as an example when was the last time you had your eyes examined?  Probably more frequently then the last time you examined your beliefs, your thoughts, your actions, to see if in fact they match up to your professed faith. 

So just why is it that I fail to take every opportunity to examine myself?  Is it because if I have my eyes examined, that's all I have to do?  I don't have to change anything, the doctor does that for me, she orders my new glasses or contacts, all I have to do is sit there and answer a couple questions regarding what I see (or more recently, don't see).  Give me a magic pill, and bam, my weight problem is solved, my face is lifted, my muscle mass is increased, I’m faster, stronger; instantaneous - that’s our idea of how to fix something.   

But if I examine myself in regards to my faith, what happens when I uncover a blemish, or worst yet a serious breach?  I can’t pay someone to fix me; I have to make the difficult choice to change. I have to align my walk to my talk?  That's just not something most of us want to face.  It's just easier to tell ourselves that we are a nice person, and so we must be okay.  Because it is easier to feel like I am right, then to know that I am wrong.  One deceives, the other convicts.

10 + 1 Reasons to Examine Yourself

1. Examining is Commanded

It was not a request, the words “examine” and “test” are imperative mood words, which means that they are commands which must be obeyed.  1 Thessalonians 5:21 also commands “Test all things; hold fast what is good” and 1 Corinthians 11:28 instructs “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  1 John 4:1 told all Christians “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world”.  Examining ourselves, what we believe and what we do is commanded by God.

2. Don’t Assume Too Much

The most important thing on earth is a person's relationship to God.  Therefore, one should be more careful about his soul than about any other thing.  Somehow, religious people can be very careless about what they are taught and very gullible as to what they believe.  Acts 17:11 says that when Jews in Berea heard Paul's preaching, they "examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”  They did not assume that because a minister preached something that it automatically agreed with the Bible.  They checked it to see for sure, and we must check our Bible to be sure.

3. Why So Careful in Other Things

When Jesus visited two sisters, Mary and Martha, He told Martha that she was "worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed" (Luke 10:41.)  Martha was too concerned about serving food to Jesus, while Mary was totally engrossed in serving Jesus with her life.  Why is it that people will be very careful about the tires on their car, about their cholesterol, or about their children's teeth, but have never given a moment's thought to a spiritual checkup?  To risk your soul is far worse than to risk these things.

4. Examine Yourself, Not Others

Paul's command to the Corinthians was to get them to examine themselves instead of him.  Somehow, we have no trouble criticizing others and seeing where they should be better and do better, when Jesus said, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”  (Matthew 7:3)  This is why most people "pay no attention" to examining themselves, they are to busy examining others.  2 Corinthians 10:12 and 18 say that the Corinthians were commending themselves and measuring themselves with themselves, but it isn't the one who commends himself  who is approved, "but the one whom the Lord commends."  We must examine ourselves before God for His approval, instead of for self-approval or for the approval of others.  We must examine ourselves, not others.

5. Are You in the Faith?

Paul doubts that many of the Corinthians were "in the faith.”  He fears that they cannot pass the test of "the truth”, meaning the truth of God's Word.  The same applies to us today, can you imagine the degree of  doubt Paul would have in regards to our churches and us?  People can and do believe and feel that they are ”in the faith”, when in reality they are far from it.  However, they do not know this, because they are unwilling to take the truth test of God's Word.  They have an assumed relationship with God that is not based upon the facts of the Bible.  They assume that they are in the faith, but a self-test would reveal to them that they are not.  Deception can be so very subtle and comforting.  Ask yourself the question, "What is Christianity?"

To be continued……

 

Is it an M or a W - A Christian view

I was reminded yesterday that life is filled with twists and turns, ups and downs, mountaintops and the darkest of valleys, joy and despair.  But no matter what comes our way, God has promised His children that He will allow nothing to pass through his fingers, that you will be unable to bear.  His promise is in Romans 8:28. "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose".

By focusing on the moment, the here and now, we frequently forget, that God views our lives differently then we do.  Where we see a W, He sees an M; it is simply a matter of perspective.  Those fleeting moments in life that we think of as our finest, our grandest, our best, the ones that we desire to cling onto, those that we cherish, those that glorify our life; and ourselves, our mountaintops if you will, are probably viewed differently in heaven, they may well in fact be our deepest valleys.

Rather it is in our dark days, our M’s, those times when we have entered a valley so deep that it appears to be a bottomless abyss. When you are made to bear the unbearable, to endure the unimaginable, when dreams and lives are crushed, when all that you are and all that you have is lost, when at last faith and hope in yourself is lost; it is then in God’s eyes that you stand on the pinnacle of your finest moment, your W, when all you have left, is your faith in Him and that He has not forgotten nor abandoned you.  Faith untested is not faith.

It is in this split-second, this blink of the eye that you fully come to “Faith”.  In complete faith you accept that He will work together for good those who love Him, and that ultimately, when you get to heaven, you will see the greater good that He brought despite your suffering.  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God”. Ephesians 2:8-9

A good man was called home yesterday, a man who had his share of M’s in this life; but I know that now that he is in heaven he realizes they were W’s; just as God always knew they were.  Well done Clayton, well done. So in your own quest to answer the question 'What is Christianity" consider if it is a M or a W.