Christian Haters, What's Up With That?

     I was reading a blog today by a gentleman named Michael Weinstein, a lawyer, author, civil rights activist, and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  Mr. Weinstein is militantly opposed to Christianity, particularly the exercise and or spread of Christianity in our nation’s armed forces.  In the subject blog, posted April 16 of this year, Mr. Weinstein addressed fundamental Christians as “monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”  The tone of this blog, in conjunction with its vitriolic nature, clearly reveals Mr. Weinstein’s lack of civility in the matter and furthermore his complete lack of understanding or perception as to what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  I would, therefore, like to address a few of what appear to be the underlying presumptions of Mr. Weinstein’s position concerning Christians and what we believe. 

    

Jonah and Harrison Okene

Jonah of the Bible has nothing on a man named Harrison Okene.  On May 26, 2013 three Nigerian tug boats were towing a tanker at sea.  Without warning, the tug boat Harrison Okene was on rolled over and sank in 100 feet of water in the Atlantic Ocean.  The tug boat came to rest on the bottom of the ocean, upside down.  It was presumed by all concerned that the 12 man crew of Okene’s tug boat perished.  What they did not know was Okene had found a compartment with an air pocket and he was alive in the upside down tug boat on the bottom of the ocean, 100 feet down.  A diving salvage team was about 75 miles away and they were called in to recover the bodies of the crew.  Imagine the surprise of the diver who swam into the compartment where Okene was and found him alive.  Okene had survived some 3 days, 36 plus hours in the dark on the bottom of the ocean.  Okene was rescued and according to many news outlets, gives God all the glory for hearing his prayers and delivering him from death.  What an amazing story. 

Thanksgiving 2013: Are You Thankful?

     Thanksgiving is only a few days away.  I don’t know about you, but I look forward to the relaxation and fellowship with family and friends around the Thanksgiving meal.  Then there is the grandest of American traditions, laying on the couch while watching parades and football, all the while drifting in and out of a nap.  Yep, Thanksgiving Day is a great day of the year.  Of course, this line of thinking set me to wondering how many people are truly thankful, especially given that we have this national holiday set aside for that very purpose?  Here are a few thoughts we might consider together when it comes to being thankful.

Atheism, What Is It?

         Not long ago I was talking with a man who said very candidly that he did not believe in God.  He seemed almost proud to proclaim he was an atheist.  In fact, he proclaimed his atheistic position as if it were some indication that he was somehow enlightened to ultimate reality.  The sad truth is, this particular gentleman labeled himself an atheist and there was not the slightest bit of evidence that he really understood what atheism is all about.  The following are some basic concepts and thoughts concerning atheism and how the position is completely untenable when examined in light of absolute truth.

Church Growth 101

When we talk about church growth in the 21^st century we are almost exclusively speaking of how many people attend the local church gathering on a weekly basis, predominately Sunday morning.  Mega churches seem to be the pinnacle of achievement in the ministry with the idea that larger is better and larger is the margin by which we measure success.  I think we would agree, there is nothing inherently wrong with a numerically large church.  A lot of ministry can be accomplished in the name of Jesus when a large number of believer’s pool God’s resources and spiritual gifts.  However, is numerical achievement really the biblical measure of success?  Is a church with 600 attendees on Sunday morning more successful than the church with 300, or 200, or 100?  Is the mega church paradigm what every pastor and church staff should be reaching for?  Let’s think about it.

Miley Cyrus, Bashar Assad, and Natural Law

            Sometimes I read things in the news that are almost unbelievable in either their ridiculousness or their heinousness.  On the ridiculous side we have a 20 year old Miley Cyrus performing (?) or dancing like she has lost her mind. Her father has to be real proud of the way she has been acting lately.  Then on the heinous side we have a Syrian regime under Bashar Assad who is using chemical weapons to kill their own people.  How sad to live in a country where the government will use weapons of mass destruction on its own people.  I could sit here all day listing news events that make us shake our heads in utter disbelief that someone would dare think these actions are acceptable choices to make.  Do these people know better?  Yes, they know better and yet choose to do what they know is wrong.  Let’s think about how they know better.

  

Are You A Good Example?

As Christians we spend a lot of time talking about being a witness to the lost world, and rightfully so.  One of the last things Jesus said before He ascended back to heaven was for His followers, His church, to make disciples throughout the whole world (Matthew 28.19-20).  However, I was thinking today about how we are witnesses to one another in the body of Christ.  The truth is, our witness in the body of Christ is just as important as our witness outside the body of Christ.  As a maturing and growing child of God you have the potential to be a tremendous example to other Christians of what it looks like to walk with Jesus in this life.  The apostle Paul said to the church at Corinth, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11.1).  What an amazing idea.  The church meeting together for worship, believers interacting with one another throughout the week, all the while sharpening one another with the example of their walk and obedience to Jesus.  Could it be that this is one of the reasons the writer to the Hebrews commanded us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10.25)?  Beloved child of God, what kind of example are you setting for others in the church?  Is your life a light that others might follow as they too learn to follow Jesus?

Moving Away From God

   In the 8^th century B.C. God sent a prophet to preach in Israel.  That prophet’s name was Isaiah.  God’s charge against Israel was that they had forsaken Him, they had turned to evil and broken his holy laws.  We can almost hear Isaiah as he described the ugliness of their sin, “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, A seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, They are gone away backward. ⁵ Why should ye be stricken anymore? Ye will revolt more and more: The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ⁶ From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; But wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: They have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1.4-6).  Isaiah’s description of the ugliness of sin is spot on.  The nation of Israel was full of wickedness, murders, bribery, injustice, immorality of every kind, and worst of all they had turned to idol worship, idolatry.  Because of the nation’s sin God was going to send judgment upon them.  Isaiah was there to warn the people and give them a way of deliverance.  This was God’s offer, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1.18).  If they would have repented of their sin, asked God for forgiveness, and turned to live for Him, God would have forgiven their sin and preserved their land.  Alas, the biblical and historical record tells us of Israel’s continued pursuit of sin and the devastating judgment of God upon their land and nation.  There is a frightening parallel to this story taking place in our own day, in our own land.

Dan Savage And His Double Standard

   A prominent news agency recently reported an incident involving Dan Savage and his speech at a National High School Journalism Conference called Journalism On The Edge.  This conference was held in Seattle and was attended by high school students and others interested in journalism.  Because Mr. Savage is a syndicated writer, he was invited to the conference as the key speaker.  For those who don’t know who Mr. Savage is, he is a militant homosexual and a self-proclaimed expert in sexuality.  I use the term “self-proclaimed expert” because he has a B.A. in theater, no formal training or education in the area of sexuality as far as I can tell.  Mr. Savage has a history of bashing Christians and anyone else who holds a conservative social view.  He is no stranger to attacking the Bible and belittling anyone who believes in God.  Though there is a lot I could say concerning Mr. Savage’s views, my focus in this writing has to do with the clear double standard at work in his agenda.  Here are a few thoughts concerning his conduct at this event.

Fasting, What Is It and Should We Do It?

   From time to time I hear Christians get into discussions concerning fasting.  They ask questions like, “What is biblical fasting?  Should we fast today?  Is there any spiritual benefit to fasting?”  The best way to answer all these questions is to look at what the Bible has to say about fasting.  Let’s go there now.

What Is A Carnal Christian?

   I received an email today from a person who asked a very good question.  The question is so pertinent to what we see in Christianity today that I thought it best to answer it via my blog so everyone would have the benefit of reading the answer.  The question concerns what it means to be a carnal Christian.  What does carnality mean and how might we see or experience it in the Christian life?  Let’s go to the Bible for the answers to these questions.

Costa Concordia, Compromise & Complacency

   On January 13, 2012 the cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground and sank.  As the details of this tragedy continue to emerge, a picture of compromise and complacency has begun to take shape.  Recent reports reveal the ship was moving through the water at some eighteen knots and at times not more than a few hundred yards from shallow water, clearly marked on navigation charts.  It seems Captain Schettino realized he was too close to shore and made a starboard turn toward deeper water.  However, when a large ship, such as the Costa Concordia, is moving eighteen knots, the rear part of the ship will move in the opposite direction.  As the bow or front of the ship moved toward deeper water, the rear of the ship moved closer to shore and made contact with submerged rocks.  In the same way the Titanic was damaged by an ice berg, the rocks cut into the side of the Costa Concordia, leaving a gash some 160 feet in length.  The ship is designed to handle a certain amount of flooding in water tight compartments, however, few ships, if any, can sustain a 160 foot gash below the water line.  The ship flooded and sank.  The chain of errors and poor judgment will no doubt be the subject of discussion for years to come.  However, this story is a real life example of the price of compromise and complacency. 

Let’s think about what that means.

Evidence Of Saving Faith

   There is a certain man I know whom I have had the privilege to speak to concerning faith in Jesus Christ on numerous occasions.  Every time our conversation turns to spiritual matters of the heart and soul, this man quickly affirms to me that he is saved.  To make sure he and I are on the same page when we speak of being saved, I have been careful to articulate the necessity of confession and repentance of sin as well as faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He assures me he understands and that he is saved.  You might be thinking at this point, why do I keep asking him if he is saved?  Why do I continue in my effort to clarify for him what it means to be saved?  The answer, there is no discernible evidence in his life that he has a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  I see this man’s life and there is no visible evidence of any conviction over sin, holiness, or testimony for the name of Jesus.  Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about this man and the many like him that profess Jesus, but have no evidence in their lives that they are truly saved.

Church Membership, Is It Important?

   In our day of rampant consumerism, church membership has taken on some erroneous connotations.  It seems in many cases people shop for a church much like they would shop for a coat or a new car.  The criteria seems to be based on what makes them feel good or on what meets a perceived need in their lives.  Neither of those are biblical reasons for church membership.  What exactly is church membership all about?  Let’s see what the Bible has to say about the subject.

It's A New Year

   We find ourselves in this pivotal time of the year when we look back at what we have experienced in 2011 while at the same time our thoughts run toward what will be in 2012.  Many will make new year resolutions while some will forgo this annual effort that only seems to last a few weeks anyway.  As children of God, how should we approach the new year?  What should be our focus as we start 2012?  There is a passage in God’s Word I would have us consider that clearly sets before us a principle we should be conscious of every day. 

Do Miracles Happen Today?

For a brief discussion on miracles, click video below.


Do Miracles Happen Today? from Oakleaf Baptist Church on Vimeo.

To God Be The Glory

   Our church publishes a monthly news letter in which I write an article.  Here is a copy of what I wrote this month concerning God's worthiness to receive all praise, honor, and glory in our lives.

The 23rd Psalm

The 23^rd Psalm may be the most well known passage in all the Bible.  It is used at funerals, quoted in times of distress or sorrow, and has even been quoted by military leaders as they led their men into battle.  The following is a brief running commentary of what this powerful passage says to our hearts.

Stressed Out!

    Sometimes the world feels like it presses in on us and we get stressed out.  There is the ever present tension of financial obligations, the mortgage or rent must be paid, the light bill, the phone bill, food, clothing, putting gas in the car.  Add to that the pressures of a job, children (small or grown), relationships, health needs, and it is easy to see how we might feel overwhelmed. What does the Bible say about our stress, anxiety, and worry?

Should Christians Drink Alcoholic Beverages?

   The question of alcoholic beverage use among Christians is often an emotional one.  There are basically two camps when one considers this issue.  There are those who proclaim their liberty in Christ to drink alcoholic beverages so long as they refrain from being drunk.  On the other side of the issue are those who claim a person might not even be saved if they have a beer or wine with their dinner.  Before I share with you my conviction on the matter and what I preach from the pulpit, let’s consider what the Bible has to say about alcoholic beverages as well as our Christian liberty in Christ.