Post Modern Culture, Politics, Religion and Rice Krispies

After sometime to digest the current political landscape I came to the conclusion that in our Post Modern culture anything goes. Since our Post Modern culture does not believe in an absolute truth this allows us to have a truth that justifies sin in our lives and allows us to accept others sins and then say that everything is good. An example of this within our culture is our calling all religions that have "Christ" in it's theology "Christian". This type of ecumenical belief system takes Islam, Mormonism, Catholicism and Baptists and says we all believe in the same God and that makes us Christian brothers (i.e. "The Common Word").

Scripture tells us this is not true and that Christ is the only way.

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)

So how does this work it's way into our political system? Easy! All the candidates can say they are Christian, Muslim or any other religion and not have to explain how their political stance correlates to their faith. Since all the candidates can pretty much believe anything they want and chalk it up to "that's how I read scripture" or "that's what an all loving God means to me", they have no fear of saying that they are pro-choice or that they are for gay marriages.

For instance let's take recent event's with Barack Obama and his pastor. Barack can call him a man that has influenced his life like a father would. Then later on say that if he was actively attending that church now and the pastor had not stepped down, he would have left that church. Everybody seems to be OK with this....that is unless you are voting for Hillary Clinton, then and only then and in the name of politics not religion. Hillary even makes statements about her faith and then leaves the foundational truths up to experience and what she thinks. Wow! Senator and theologian. So that you know McCain doesn't escape this. He looks to John Hagee, talk about someone who distorts the Gospel.

We as believers must discern as we take time to vote this year. We cannot just blindly believe the people running for President when they say they are Christians. We must filter their political positions through scripture and vote based upon what is Biblical.

The way that I look at it, it's like Rice Krispies, a whole lot snap, crackle and pop, but no substance. It's like Chinese food, you can eat so much and not be full due to a lack of substance. So Berean search scripture, pray and ask the Lord for guidance because this upcoming year is the year of the pagan in politics. Pray that we would be alright with whom He chooses. Berean this would be a good time to remember He controls nations and those in charge of nations.

"He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them [again]" (Job 12:23)

"All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name." (Psalm 86:9)

Have We Lost the Notion of Sin?

An article in USA Today explored that very idea. In this article it states that 87% of adults believe in the existence of sin. The definition of sin according to this article was "something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective." I like the "almost always", if that one statement doesn't define our culture I don't know what does. Now this is where it gets very interesting.

81% of the 87% think that adultery is a sin. I actually was surprised that this was this high. In a society that basically thinks that marriage is old fashioned 81% is a fairly high number. Now ironically enough only 45% believe that pre-marital sex is a sin. I have to tell you that if you are a Christian and you do not believe that this is a sin, you are not reading the Bible I read.

Now the president of the company that took this survey, Ellison Research, makes a very salient point. He said "A lot of this is relative. We tend to view sin not as God views it, but how we view it." I do believe that even in the church those who call themselves Christians think this way. More liberal churches justify homosexuality and abortion this way. In a way we make ourselves God by telling him that in regards to social issues we know better. This is where relevance comes into play. Liberal churches say that scripture is not relevant to our culture today. The Bible is relevant to all times and is relevant to all circumstances. It is a living document and because of that we cannot dumb or water it down.

Another comment I took away from this is from Joel Osteen. "I never thought about (using the word 'sinners'), but I probably don't," Osteen told Larry King in an interview. "Most people already know what they're doing wrong. When I get them to church, I want to tell them that you can change." Well how do you tell someone who is infected with the disease of sin that they need to be cured of that disease without stating that they are a sinner. This is like telling a person that they need to have chemo therapy without telling them they have terminal cancer. I'm sure the person with terminal cancer can tell he really doesn't feel well, but the doctor still has to tell them that they have cancer. The idea of shying away from the fact that we all suffer from the disease of sin is damning.

One last quote that got me was this one from Rev. Micheal Horton, "It's changing your lifestyle to receive God's favor," Horton says. "It's not heaven in the hereafter but happiness here and now. But it is still up to you to make it happen." Really?!? Changing my lifestyle to meet God's favor? I'm pretty sure scripture says:

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)
"So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)

"yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." (Galatians 2:16)

All I have to say is I'm sure glad he's not looking to heaven with this line of thought, because I can assure you he won't be going to heaven as long as he believes this. His "happiness here and now" will soon turn to hell and the gnashing of teeth.It's guys like this that I pray for because they are so lost that they need to know my Savior, the one who isn't looking to be impressed by their works. After all:

"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isaiah 64:6)

The Triple Lindy

As I was surfing the net last night I came across this funny baptismal video. I don't know what church this is at, but by the entry into the baptismal I'm guessing that dunking is ok.

OK so that kid has to be related or there was a youth group bet (this would eliminate the Baptists from what type of church it is) or this kid will grow up to be a shark suit tester, "Johnny I have this shark suit I invented, now I don't know if it will repel the shark or if will even stop it's bite from going through the suit, so are you with me on this?" Johnny's response, "Sounds like fun to me!"

Two of the Best Sermons I Have Heard So Far This Year

This has been an amazing year for live streaming of conference speakers. I am such a conference junkie, let me correct that I am a bible conference junkie. So far this year I have been able to hear The Resurgence Conference, The Shepherds Conference and Ligonier's National Conference. Below I have two of the best sermon's I have heard this year. Now there was one other, Al Mohler's from The Shepherds Conference, but it's not online. If you have the opportunity to purchase it, I would highly recommend it. The first one is Matt Chandler. He is a pastor of a church outside the Dallas area. He is teaching on "Preaching the Gospel from the Center of the Evangelical World". I had never heard of him until this conference and I will tell you I love his passion. Now the sermon is about an hour long so just note that. You can also go to The Resurgence site and download the sermon in audio or video format.

This is the second and it's by one of my favorite pastor's, John Piper. He is speaking on "How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes My Pulpit Ministry". The things Piper lays out in this sermon are awesome. If you are a Pastor, an elder, a leader in your church or even if you aspire to leadership this is for you. This sermon runs over an hour so understand you can you download this one at The Resurgence site too. I tried to download it here for you, but I think it's size makes blogger gag.

I hope you get to listen to both and understand the passion that both of these men have for the Gospel. Enjoy!

Wake Up! It's Easter or Is it?

In 1884 a young man died, and after the funeral his grieving parents decided to establish a memorial to him. With that in mind they met with Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University. Eliot received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do. After they expressed their desire to fund a memorial, Eliot impatiently said, "Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship." "We were thinking of something more substantial than that... perhaps a building," the woman replied. In a patronizing tone, Eliot brushed aside the idea as being too expensive and the couple departed. The next year, Eliot learned that this plain pair had gone elsewhere and established a $26 million memorial named Leland Stanford Junior University, better known today as Stanford!

Over the past few years I have noticed more and more the intolerance of Christians on to another because of non-salvific beliefs. I don’t know why I have become more aware, maybe because in the past few years I have a part of an internet culture that makes it easy to throw darts at our Christian brothers without really having to deal with any of the consequences. In my time in the church some of the harshest criticism of other believers has come from inside the church walls. In the “emerging” era it has become all to familiar for Christians to criticize other based on appearances and to not look at what they are teaching and are they teaching it correctly. Just like Harvards president in the above story Christians have more and more looked at the outward `appearance of a ministry then sought to investigate it themselves. I have seen more decisions made lately based on what a Christians favorite pastor, favorite blogger or even their best friend has said then based on personal investigation. I guess in “evangelical” circles it’s not good to be a “Berean” and to search scripture for the truth.

I. Love with a Pure Heart

a."Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;" (1 Peter 1:22-23, ESV)

1 Peter is speaking to believers “elect exiles” (1:1). In this letter he starts out by encouraging them by telling them that they have been “born again into a living hope” (1:3). He then tells these brothers and sisters in Christ that they need to be holy “but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct” (1:15). Peter in defining who they are in Christ tells them that as brothers and sisters in Christ that they should be pure in their love. When we think of pure what do we think of? Without blemish, without anything wrong, it normally means to us that is crystal clear. Our motives should be pure when it comes to dealing with a brother in Christ. Back in verse 15 tells us that our conduct is to be holy also. Our conduct one to another should be viewed by the unbelieving world as different. Holy means separated from so our conduct should be loving to the point that our actions separate us from those actions of the world.

b. "Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another," (1 Thessalonians 4:9, ESV)

Once again we see here that it shouldn’t take an apostolic reminder o tell us to love our brother, we should naturally do it. Why? Because we have been taught this by God. What did Friday represent? The ultimate gift of love. A couple of weeks ago I was able to hear the testimony of a professor here at The Master’s College, Dr. Wong. In telling of the persecution he makes a statement about the believers in the United States. Listen to this, He said that Americans if had to suffer for their religious convictions would be better off, because then a cost would come with their faith. I truly believe one of the reasons we are so hard on our fellow believers for non-salvific matters is because we have not suffered.

II. Love with Humility

a. "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight." (Romans 12:16, ESV)

Here in Romans Paul tells us to “live in harmony with one another and then really gets to the heart of why many believers do not get along. They are “haughty”, in other words prideful. We are blessed by the type of teaching we get here at PBC and just in this general area. We are blessed o be in close proximity to one of the best expositors of the Word that the 20^th and early 21^st Century will ever know in Dr. MacArthur and we should not use that as a reason to be prideful. In this day and age when we can go online and educate ourselves about all types of religious doctrines. Many people take that education that they get and see it as wisdom and use it in a prideful way.

b. "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:10, ESV)

I love this verse because it’s like Paul is telling us as believers to not only love one another like you would love a brother, but outdo one another in respecting and honoring each other. If you are truly humble, if you truly see yourself as not a spiritual giant then you will show honor to those around you because you see what God is doing in their lives. Your focus becomes Christ centered and not me centered. The key is being happy for your brother when good things come their way, instead of asking why didn’t that happen to me?

c. "that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another." (1 Corinthians 12:25, ESV)

We are to see each other as one body and just like you would not dismember your own body you should not dismember the body of Christ. If you have the mindset that you’re a part of a body then why would you desire to hurt another part of the body?

d. "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13, ESV)

Humility serves. If you do not see yourself as being better than someone else then you will serve them. Paul is also telling the Galatians that we have freedom in our claiming Christ as our Savior. In that freedom from sin we should desire to not sin more, but to serve one another. If we use that freedom as a license to be prideful then we only bring the body down.

e. "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3, ESV)

If we walk in manner worthy of being saved then we will act how? We will walk in humility and through that gentleness will manifest itself, patience will manifest itself and we will desire hold each other up, the idea is of encouragement in time of battle, but why? So that we will maintain the unity of the Spirit. We should desire this if we a truly saved.

f. "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3, ESV)

This sums it all up. If we are truly humble then we will not desire more for ourselves , but will desire more for the body. We will not see ourselves as better because what family we were born into or what church we grew up in or even what college we attended. The Christian walk is about seeing others as more important than you. If our Lord washed the feet of His disciples then what more should we do?

III. Love as an example to unbelievers

a. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35, ESV) John repeats this in 15:12, 17.

Our love should show people that we represent Christ. If we are fighting amongst each other about one doctrine as compared to another and we fight in such a way that we create divisions amongst ourselves then we are no different than the world. Even when we disagree we must do it in a manner that makes the world wonder what is different about us. Right now in many theological circles you cannot tell the differences between believers and non-believers. Right now in our own churches sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between believers and non-believers.

b. "Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him." (Romans 14:3, ESV)

When it comes to things of a non-salvific nature we should no despise those who differ in beliefs from us. Right now in the church there are divisions based on parenting styles and home schooling and non-home schoolers. I can think of no more silly thing to divide on then whether or not your kid is raised one way or another. We cannot divide also based on education or anything else that does not lend any credence to our salvation.

c. "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus," (Romans 15:5, ESV)

If we are to stand out from the world then we must live in harmony as a body of believers. We must show I this one way that we are different from the world in the way we act together and towards one another.

d. "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

If we are to separate ourselves from the world then we must bear each others burdens. We must seek to find ways to serve one another. I we are bearing each others burdens then it is hard to see yourself as better than the person who you are serving. You know what the kicker about all this is? It’s that we are commanded as believers to do it.

e. "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works," (Hebrews 10:24, ESV)

We should also be examples to the world in how we encourage each other in the way we serve one another. We should be creating an attitude of love and encouraging other s to do the same. The number one thing that kills churches is when believers put there own beliefs above another and then create dissension amongst other believers. Is that really what separates us from the world? The mentality of “if we don’t play my way then I’ll take my ball and my friends and go home”? What is so different about that and the world? In our post modern culture that makes us stand out alright. It makes us look worse than the post modern church.

f. "Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door." (James 5:9, ESV)

I think that the thing that really must separate us from one another must be how we react to one another when we are in disagreement. If we grumble against one another and drag down others in our fit of pride, then we are not being examples of Christlikeness. Our life needs to be such an example that people must see it and desire what we have. If the truth is in us then why should we grumble against others? Either we should desire that persons salvation, so we should pray for them and ourselves that we may present the Gospel to them in an effective way or we should desire our hearts to be right and that we shouldn’t be angry and pray the our example would be that of Christ.

 When architect Sir Christopher Wren designed the interior of Windsor Town Hall near London in 1689, he built a ceiling supported by pillars. After city fathers had inspected the finished building, they decided the ceiling would not stay up and ordered Wren to put in some more pillars. England's greatest architect didn't think the ceiling needed any more support, so he pulled a fast one. He added four pillars that did not do anything -- they don't even reach the ceiling. The optical illusion fooled the municipal authorities, and today the four sham pillars amuse many a tourist.

Once again appearances.

Starbucks, The Final Four and Church

You know it's funny whenever I see an article about Starbucks I think of two things, my wife and Shaycam. I think of my wife because she is a coffee-a-holic and swears by Starbucks. Now she is what I would call a....well....yeah, a coffee addict. Me on the other hand I am a coffee snob and I like Peets. For me if it's not a good cup of Joe then it doesn't get the pleasure of going through, over and around my taste buds. I think of Shaycam because he used to work there and is a Starbucks fan. If you give Shaycam 5 minutes he will tell you the wonderful benefits of Starbucks in the world. Well I read this article today and all I could think of is how this would get high approval ratings from Shaycam.

Starbucks is trying to get back to the way they did business a while back. They spoke of not using flavor bags of pre-ground coffee and grinding the beans that day in the stores. Now I'm sorry but flavor bags is to close to flavor crystals for me so I'm glad they are getting back to grinding beans. The article also spoke of a possible energy drink, well I am a Red Bull fan myself so we'll have to see how that goes. I am glad though that they are getting back to their original business plan, because Starbucks was the place that got me on this coffee kick in the first place.

Now onto more important things. Tomorrow starts March Madness. I have to admit that this is my favorite time of the year. I just can't get enough of excitement that comes with a mid-major college playing a major college and the possible upsets. College basketball is what is good in the world. Shaycam and my wife would say that it's Starbucks, but not me. A cup of coffee only lasts but a moment, but a great basketball game....well.....the memory lasts a lifetime. I mean I can tell you where I was when UCLA won it's last National Title. I can tell you what I was doing when Chris Weber called a timeout that he didn't have. At one time I would have said that I was an addict, but now I would say that I am an avid follower. An article I read said that the workplace will lose approximately $1.7 billion because their employees will trade work in for watching and listening to the games.

This brings me to the church. There are many in the church that desire a good cup of coffee more than the solid teaching of God's Word. There are many within the church that pay more attention to basketball brackets than what their pastor teaches from the pulpit. Why is this? Obviously Paul was right when he said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3 that "but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,". All generations of the church have had there group of people that have been like this, but in our current culture this seems to be growing. Our church today seems to be more interested in the superficial than in the eternal. Just a couple of months ago I had a friend leave our church because he didn't like our worship music. He took his family to a good church that played the music he desired at worship. The teaching at his current church is not solid, but just OK and he is OK with that because the music played at worship is to his liking. Is this really where we are headed? We desire entertainment over solid teaching? Beware Christian of what you desire. Stay focused on Christ and Christ alone. Stay focused on being Christ like in your walk and in what scripture teaches us. Do not allow your ears to be tickled dear Christian.

Is Dating For Christians?

You know it's been a very interesting month in my household. A month ago I posted that my daughter had started dating. I joked at how I had liked this kid before and now I wasn't so sure. Of course I was only joking, he is a great kid and he is a believer which makes this dating thing a little more complicated. You see for unbelievers there is such a thing as casual dating, but for the Christian this is more of a courtship. As a parent I desire to protect my daughter and her boyfriend from sin so in an effort to do so I had them go to a coffee house and think about their relationship. I told them that I would like them to write down what boundaries they were going to adhere to. To me this wasn't just physical boundaries, but boundaries to keep them pure in life in general like time boundaries so that tiredness and because of tiredness temptation is introduced. Well what I got back was something equivalent to some notes on on a napkin. It wasn't that they didn't think through what we asked them to think through it was just that they did not know exactly what I wanted them to write down, how specific were the supposed to get.

Now you see my father in law at this point would be quick to point out that if he tried this with us we would have said something along he line of "Yeah right?!?" Things were different then, I wasn't a believer and my wife was attending church but was not a believer also. It was by the grace of God that we both came to know the Lord and got to this point. Now this is not my recommended way of dating, but that discussion is for a later blog. Besides these two are in a spiritual position that requires us as parents to bring accountability into the relationship. A key to where the two of them were spiritually was how they would react to this idea. If they were in a good relationship with the Lord then this would be no big deal.

As I spoke to my daughter and her boyfriend it became apparent to me that I was going to have to write out the specific questions I wanted them to answer. Now I am not a parenting expert, but I did want to make this biblical. My desire is to get then to think out their relationship and to always be ready for temptation to hit. So below is the contract, and yes we did make it a contract, not just between the parents and them, but between God and them. Please let me know what you think. Post comments on things that may be missing or on things that you may think are to strict. I'm curious to see what parents and people who are dating think about this.

Rules to Engagement

As you fill this out remember that this is not only a contract between you and your parents, but ultimately and most importantly it is a contract between you and God. This is about your relationship and how it is viewed by God (“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10, ESV), and about how it is viewed by those around you, ("Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." Titus 2:7-8, ESV). Remember that how you are seen whether it be in public or coming out of a private place together, whether or not something inappropriate happens, is how your Christian walk will be seen. As you fill this out remember this is not about what is fair or not fair, this is not about what another couple can do or cannot do, this is about you both and your relationship with God. If your relationship with God is maintained and grows than this contract will be a mere formality. The whole idea with this contract is to get you to think of situations that will present temptation.

PURITY "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;" (1 Thessalonians 4:3, ESV)

What are your physical boundaries as far as what you can touch? Think about things like holding hands, hugging and kissing. Be specific.

When saying goodbye either during the day or at night what are your boundaries? Think about walking to cars at night, how long alone at night; prolonged hugging, talking (especially what you talk about). Be specific.

What are your limits on where you can out on a date to? Think about things like restaurants movies and other places to hang out. Think about things like lighting and romantic/non romantic and types of public venues.

What are your limits on how late at night you can stay out? Be specific, i.e. during the week and weekends.

What are your limits about dating itself? Think about dating with your mentoring couple, friends and double dating and time on your own.

TIME (Think about not only now, but the summer and when college starts) "Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way." (Ecclesiastes 8:5, ESV)

How much time will you be spending with his parents?

How much time will you be spending with her parents?

How much time will you be spending with your mentoring couple?

How much time will you be spending in group settings?

How much time will you be spending on your own?

SPIRITUALLY " Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2, ESV)

How is your relationship going to mature spiritually?

How are you going to hold each other accountable to your reading of scripture and prayer?

This contract can be renegotiated at a later date once both parents and your mentoring couple once they have been made aware of what aspect of the above contract you would like to renegotiate. This contract can also be amended to add or subtract things as you both or we as parents feel necessary. It is important to remember that this contract serves to hold you accountable and to keep you pure until your wedding day. Remember to always guard yourselves from sin and the appearance of sinning. Do not allow sin to surprise you and be aware of your emotions ("You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability." 2 Peter 3:17, ESV). Be self controlled (Titus 2:5 for her Titus 2:6 for him) in all you do and above all honor God in your relationship.

Boyfriend

Our Daughter

Online Forgiveness?

I know I normally start my blog this way, but my blogs normally come from the news. It never ceases to amaze me what our culture brings to the religious table. Well in going through the news sites a couple of days ago I came across this article about online confessionals, are you kidding me? Being an ex-Catholic this idea intrigued me. These are online sites where people actually go and post the sins they have committed. Is this done instead of actually asking for forgiveness from the only one that can forgive sins? I mean I really don't get it, why would you post your sins for the whole world to see? At one of the sites I looked at, ivescrewedup.com, you can even browse other peoples confessions. I really fail to see how this is edifying to the body of Christ. The thing that kills me about this is that they are calling this "a new genre of confession". Really?

I truly believe this one quote sums up this whole idea of online confessionals, "They have said to me, 'This is where hope is for me.' They think they can find on these sites some kind of goodness that eludes them in real life." Wow?!? So that's what this is all about? Finding the good that eludes them in the real world? If that is what this is really about then why do they not look at the one that can offer them true forgiveness? Probably because because that would require a little more than confession. It would require them to actually turn from that sin. On one site, grouphug.com, you can actually vote to give the persona hug or to shrug them. That's reality? That's forgiveness?

Here are some verses that came to mind while I was reading this:

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Luke 24:46-47 "and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

Acts 2:38 "Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

James 5:15 "and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him."

1 John 2:1-2 " My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."

Please understand that our Lord and Savior is the only one who can forgive and forgiveness comes through true repentance. No priest, no online site or pastor can offer you forgiveness or penance that will make you right with God. The only way is through believing in Christ alone by faith alone and that He died once for all sins.

Would you sell all you have for.......

Earlier this week I read an article about a couple who sold all their stuff to bicycle around the world. Below is a piece of this article to give you a taste of what this couple did:


In 2002, at the ages of 62 and 48, Pat and Catherine Patterson decided to leave it all behind. They sold their real estate business and their cars, gave their furniture to their children, and put their home up for rent. Strapping their remaining possessions to two bicycles, the couple set off to bike around the world.

Fifty-seven countries, four continents and almost four years later, the Pattersons look back on their journey as something no less than life-changing.

In 1985, Pat Patterson got his first taste of freedom behind the handlebars of a bicycle when he went on a short tour through China. The trip changed his perspective. "I was beginning to see things differently," he says.

As I read this article I couldn't help but think of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-30. In this parable the young man seeks Jesus out, in fact he text says the you man ran to him giving this a sense of urgency, so that he could ask Jesus how he could receive eternal life. After Jesus questions the young man a bit about his lifestyle He goes to the heart of the young man's sin......his possessions. Jesus asked the young man to do what the couple above did, sell all his possessions, and the young man ran off because he loved his possessions more than he loved Christ.

So why bring up this comparison? Well I just find it odd that in this day and age someone would actually sell off all that they have. Our society, our culture bases it's status on your possessions. Now this couple gave up all they owned so that they could merely bicycle around the world, would they have done the same thing if Christ would have asked them too? Now I do not know this couple, nor do I know if they are saved I am merely stressing the point that it's a rarity when someone sells off all they own.

Christian the question I pose to you is what are you holding on to? Is it a house, a car, money? What in your life blurs your focus or better yet obstructs your focus on Christ? The couple above sold all they own for earthly pleasure, what are you selling off for an eternal treasure?

A couple of things I want to note from the article above, the trip was life changing and it caused them to see things differently. Isn't that what the transforming Word of God does to those who sell all their worldly possessions and follow Him? Our lives are changed in the fact that we do not seek what our culture is selling. We do not need the fancy car, the large house in the right part of town and we do not need to look like everyone else to gain cultural acceptance. As my kids always say, "It's all going to burn". If we sell off all we own, if we live like we are not of this world then our lives will be changed. We will live a much more rich life, one that is filled with pleasing God and loving Him solely.

Christian once again, what obstructs your vision of Christ? Sell all and follow Him.

When You Gotta Go......Well you Know

As I was reading through the news sites tonight I came across an article that was about a woman who had been on the......well....uh....ummm....OK the toilet for 2 years. Yes you read that right 2 years. Now since I am dedicated to only posting on things that I know are true I found this incident posted at The Associated Press, Yahoo, MSNBC and FoxNews. Well all I can say is, it must have been a slow news day.



Now I am going to point out a few quotes from the articles that I found quite funny, not that this whole incident isn't a knee slapper.

Quote 1: "We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital," Whipple said. "The hospital removed it." Well that's comforting to know. Kinda' sick but still if you've been on the toilet for two years I sure you get quite attached to things.



Quote 2: "She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body," Whipple said. "It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself." Well now there's a new one, stuck to the toilet. I guess...no let me rephrase that...I know when Mr. Whipple (how ironic Charmin had a Mr. Whipple) says he had a hard time imagining this, I bet! I can honestly say that I would never imagine this incident, not in a million years.


Quote 3: "And her reply would be, `Maybe tomorrow,"' Whipple said. "According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom." This was the boyfriends comment when he would ask the lady who got stuck if she wanted to get up off the toilet. The thing I got a kick out of is that this was an acceptable answer. I'm sorry if you want to use the bathroom.......for 2 years....GO HOME! I sure hope this guy had more than one bathroom. Could you imagine? He would go down to the Piggly Wiggly and ask day after day if he could use their bathroom.....for 2 years.


Quote 4: "She said that she didn't need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave," he said. Once again....this was acceptable? Help!?! She needs a lot of help, although needing fiber would not be one of those helps.


Quote 5: "It really doesn't surprise me," Ellis said of the bathroom incident. "What surprises me is somebody wasn't called in a bit earlier." OK, this is hilarious. This is a quote from the neighbor and he said that this does not surprise him? What in the Wide World of Sports? What kind of neighborhood is this? Then he comes back with the "No duh" comment of the year when he IS surprised that someone didn't call sooner.


Well hopefully none of you run into this problem.....oh did I say run?

Like Being a Kid Again

Last night the kids and I watched the Space Shuttle take off. It is truly an amazing sight to see. If you have never seen it I would recommend you do. The NASA web site normally archives the video and there are some great pictures there too. As I watched the shuttle take off there were a couple of things that came to my mind.




Fist, my family when I was a kid used to sit around the television and watch the rockets take off. That made a huge impression on me about the bravery of these men. As I was talking to my kids about it and talking through how the space capsules used to land in the ocean I just couldn't help but feel like a kid again. The visual experience is always like no other and since this was a night time launch the light show really was unbelievable. I though about the pictures I had seen as a kid from space back to earth. I remember thinking how small Earth was in comparison to space. The beauty of space has always captured my imagination.



The second thing that came to mind was the two Space Shuttles that exploded upon take off. I think at times we take for granted that these astronauts are putting their lives on the line. When you realize how much fuel the are sitting on with a flame shooting out the back end of this thing you start to realize this is no walk in the park. The commentator for the launch said that by the time the shuttle reached the top of the tower that stands next to the shuttle it will be going 100 mph. He also said that inside of 7 minutes the shuttle will be 1000 mph. That's amazing! I would some day like to drive a NASCAR car, but even that will only go 145-150 mph. 1000 mph?!?! Man that's movin'!

The second thing that came to mind was the two Space Shuttles that exploded upon take off. I think at times we take for granted that these astronauts are putting their lives on the line. When you realize how much fuel the are sitting on with a flame shooting out the back end of this thing you start to realize this is no walk in the park. The commentator for the launch said that by the time the shuttle reached the top of the tower that stands next to the shuttle it will be going 100 mph. He also said that inside of 7 minutes the shuttle will be 1000 mph. That's amazing!

Another thing was I started to think about how big our God is. I started to think about how to our finite mind a shuttle being launched into space is such an awesome thing. A good Psalm to explain what I was thinking is Psalm 19.

"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."

Our God is bigger than space, He is bigger than the Sun and He is bigger than anything our minds can fathom. Our God is everywhere at the same time. Our God knows our thoughts before we even think them. O what comfort, O what joy to have a God that is in complete control of all things.

Divide and Conquer

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose. For members of Chloe’s household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.” Is Christ divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name! (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless.
1 Corinthians 1:10-17

In studying for an upcoming lesson in the college group I studied this passage. As I read it I couldn't help but be reminded of our current religious landscape. It seems that it has become popular to claim allegiance with a man, a certain man's blog or a certain man's ministry, not that this was ever really non-existent. What has made this more out in the open though is the Internet. With the advent of the Internet we now have chat rooms and blogging. In these places we start to see religious lines drawn based solely on the person or people they follow theologically.

As some of you may know from reading this blog I attended John MacArthur's church, Grace Community, here in Los Angeles. As I attended that church I appreciated the constant reading of God's Word from the pulpit. It was a challenge every week to search the scriptures and to prove out what Pastor John had said. The more I got into leadership there I started to notice that people were just at Grace Community for John and when John didn't preach....well that's a vacation day from church. Now that's not just there at Grace Community. Many church's all over have people in there congregations like that. Also it is not John MacArthur's fault that people are more interested in his celebrity instead of his exposition.

These days with the many blogs out there people are followers of various bloggers. These people accept their personal beliefs of theology and instead of searching scripture they say "I am blogger "A", I am of blogger "B"" instead of focusing on Christ and in rejoicing in salvation in Him and through Him. I have read several blogs over the years where the blogger came down on another blogger or came down on another preacher and the followers of that blog just blindly accept the criticism and the harshness it's done in.

Just this past week I saw a question posed by a commenter on a certain blog about Mark Driscoll and his confession about having failed his congregation. The blogger responded by saying that it is usually a lack of humility that poses a preacher to confess such things before his congregation. Really? Does this blogger see the hearts of men now? What kills me the most though is not the bloggers comments, but how his followers just blindly accept this.

I firmly believe that Satan is at work in all of this. He gets us to divide against each other on non-salvific issues and to develop allegiances based on those opinions. Once that happens then we all end up battling against each other instead of battling sin in our culture. Remember Christian blogger "A" did not die for your sins. Remember Christian Blogger "B" was not crucified for your sins. Also even the best of Pastors, MacArthur, Piper, Dever and Mohler they did not die for you so that you can have eternal life.

Believer I hope and pray that you would live your Christian life on your own foundation and not on other's. Believer turn to scripture and use it as a filter before blindly believing.

Is the Church Going to the Dogs?

In reading the news tonight when I came across an article that talks about a ritual in Nicaragua where the people take their dogs and dress them up so that they can parade them in front of a statue of a saint. They do this so that the dogs....well...I let this quote from one of the people who brought her dog to this parade let you know why,"We brought him so he does not get sick," said local resident Nora Espinosa, talking about her six-month-old Basset Hound, dressed in a soccer outfit." Really? Do they have a statue of a saint that they parade in front of so that they don't get sick? or is it just the dogs that are so fortunate? If so what do they dress like?......well let's not go there.


Is this what we've resorted to? Parading dogs in front of a statue, expecting the saint that this statue represents to grant good health? to dogs? What about cats? The part that killed me is the fact that these people dress their dogs up to go before this statue and they really think that this statue will grant their dogs good health. What if you didn't dress the dog up? does the saint not look favorably on your dog? If a family goes all out with the dress up portion does the dog get extraordinary health?



I just can't believe what people will resort to. Some of you people reading this may think that this is crazy, well....Here just remember here in the United States we get our dogs medical insurance. In a country where not every human being has medical insurance you can get medical insurance for your mutt.

I can remember when we had just picked up our dog the vet told us that if we got medical insurance for our dog the shots and any medical attention he needed would be so much cheaper. I remember thinking "gee doc does it come in an HMO or is just a PPO plan?" What if not all vets took my insurance? What a dilemma!

In the United States dogs are treated like human beings so why should things like this ritual in Nicaragua shock us? In this article it states that we, as Americans, spend around $36 billion on dog stuff. So whether you ascribe to taking your dog before a statue of a saint or just getting dog medical insurance just remember that your dog isn't like mine.......

......an Ewok. Boy insurance for Ewok's is hard to find. I think I'll make a trip to Nicaragua.

What Did The Phari....See?

The past two weeks I have been studying on religious tolerance and not just that but tolerance in and of itself. Now before all you "Campites" (followers of Steve Camp) and Pyromaniacs freak out let me explain myself. In studying this topic I studied the fact that as true believers we can not tolerate an abhorrent religion that claims to be Christian.

Sidebar: Now understand that I really and truly hate the word religion. Religion to me is a glorified and for some a sanctified club. Instead of focusing on being Christian we become Baptist, we become Presbyterian, we become Episcopalian or even Evangelical instead of being Christian. One of the things I appreciated about Grace Community Church was that it was non-denominational.

Back on topic: Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” We cannot and must not tolerate a Gospel that accepts sin or tries to minimize sin. In order for you to call yourself a Christian you must accept Christ as your LORD and SAVIOR. By saying He is your Lord you obey Him fully and completely. You submit your life in total to Him. By calling Him your Savior you say that you repent of your sin and require salvation.

Now also in my studying I looked at the fact that as believers we need to be tolerant of each other. 1 Peter 3:8-9 "To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing." Some believers, especially those in the blogosphere, feel that it is their personal duty to correct all of us that don't have the same system or orthodoxy as them. At times I find it funny that people will critique based solely on what they have read or heard from blogs and teacher/preachers. Do these people ever go check it out for themselves? As I stated in a past blog....where have all the faithful Bereans gone?

It's funny to me that Christians will call themselves reformed and tout the fact that they believe as the reformers do. Really? Do you really believe all that Luther believed? Be careful.....remember he wasn't out to start a new church but to reform the Catholic church. Do you as a reformer accept all that Calvin believed? How about Augustine? Baxter? Spurgeon? Well let's leave Spurgeon out of this after all he smoked cigars and defended his actions. Have you even studied these men enough to say that you accept there works and beliefs lock, stock and barrel? To many believers are to quick to say yes I believe as so and so believes, but then don't search out all their teachings to see if that is true. It's kinda like saying that you are a a-, pre-, post-millenniest but don't fully understand what any of those three are. A wide seminary Prof. at The Masters Seminary once told me that he had been studying the tribulation for 10+ years and didn't know where he fell yet and until he knew where he fell on the subject he would not give an opinion swaying a person one way or another. We as a body of believers need to be like that more in all things not just the rapture. I know of far to many people that believe on way or another because their favorite preacher or book writer or theologian believes that way....almost like "Well if they believe hat way than who am I to disagree?"

Tolerance within the church body has got to be at it's all time low and that saddens me. It is possible for us as a body of believers to not have the same beliefs on non-salvific things and still be Christian brothers. I will give you an example, I happen to appreciate the ministry of Mark Driscoll, CJ Mahaney,John Piper and RC Sproul, but that does not mean that I take their teachings and approve of everything. I think I disagree with all of the men above on one thing or another. An example would be that RC Sproul is an amillenniest and believes in infant baptism (not as a way to salvation), but at the same time he has educated me the best in the areas of church history and sanctification. Driscoll on some of things he says,boy I wish he would say things differently sometimes, but at the same time he has challenged my heart to be missional and to not be afraid of the culture but to engage it for Christ.

As an example of how Christian brothers should act towards each other, last Sunday as Mark Driscoll got up to preach on the Regulative Principal he shared with his congregation the council he had received from John Piper and CJ Mahaney. He apologized for his his failing to serve them. If you go to Tim Challies site you can listen to the audio of this and I would encourage you to. As a body of believers we need to take note of what Piper and Mahaney did. They loved their Christian brother Mark so much that they confronted him in love and are helping him to be a better preacher instead of slamming him on the internet.

I have to honestly tell you that in my 20 years of being a Christian the people who have been the least loving and hardest on believers are other believers. I have been a victim of this, my kids and wife have and I have seen friends of mine have believers criticize their ministry and it's sad. As believers we should be loving to one another, correcting yes, but loving in that correction. I have stopped reading a couple of blogs because of the caustic method they use to point out error in another person's ministry. I stopped reading a couple of blogs because they foster the same caustic behavior amongst their and do not correct them for that.

I would hope and pray that if a believer finds something in my blog, my ministry or my life to be in contradiction to a Christians life, as set out in the scriptures, that they would inform me. I desire to grow in my walk with the Lord, but not at the expense of someone else's orthodoxy or personal beliefs. My fear is that some believers have become the new Pharisees. I challenge you believer to check yourself, check your motives before you critique. Check the beliefs you trumpet and how you trumpet them. Do not come off as a noisy gong, but be constructive in your criticism. Do not become a Pharisee.

Besides the next thing you will be telling me is that Christian rap music isn't Christian music at all.

Dizmas New Song is Awesome

OK I just downloaded the new Dizmas song "Yours" off of iTunes and it is awesome. You all should go to there web site and listen to this song. A week from Friday my family and I are heading north to their hometown of Lancaster to see them in concert. I have had the opportunity to talk to Zach,the lead singer, and I can tell you he is a solid guy. Go listen to this song and them buy this song.

Goddess Retires?

Yesterday as I was doing my daily reading at the news web sites I frequent when I came across an article about an 11 year old goddess retiring. This sparked my curiosity because I only know one God and having studied His attributes take comfort in the fact that He will never retire because He is eternal. As I read the article this 11 year old goddess is part of the Hindu religion called a Kumari. In Nepal young girls are chosen to be Kumari's or living goddesses. The article I read said this "Selected as toddlers, living goddesses usually keep their positions until they reach puberty, meaning that Sajani (the Kumari who is retiring), at age 11, is retiring slightly early." So retirement was inevitable and apparently being a goddess is a short time gig.

So as I read this article I wondered how do you get this "job" of goddess? Do you perform miracles? Do you display some type of super natural ability? Do you have to prove you are a deity? Well the article I read said this about the process of becoming a goddess, "They are required to have perfect skin, hair, eyes and teeth, should not have scars and should not be afraid of the dark." Other than the dark skin that describes my wife (boy I hope she doesn’t read this, it would just affirm her feeling that she should be treated like a goddess). The thing that really got me about this is the whole "not afraid of the dark" thing. Geesh, I would sure hope my god or goddess wouldn't be afraid of the dark. I mean what kind of deity is that?

In this article it also spoke about how this goddess was stripped of her title last year because she came to the United States to promote a documentary on Nepal. A goddess was stripped of her title? How does that happen? Fortunately for Sajani she was more popular than a prom queen at a local high school, because the people forced a reversal of the title stripping and was made goddess once again. Man......phew......that was a close one......almost lost a goddess over her promotion of a movie.

The article I read said that Sajani had come of age and was no longer able to continue as goddess anyways. A quote from the article says this, "Jaiprasad Regmi, chief of the government trust that manages the affairs of the living goddesses, said Sajani is to be replaced because she had "come of age" and said the decision had nothing to do with last year's row." A manager of the affairs of "living goddesses"? Wow, how do I get that gig? Do you get to do shopping for them? Do you merely keep their appointments for them? Man what a job. I could just see introducing myself……”Hello, My name is Tom and I am the affairs manager for the living goddesses”.

As I read the article the thing that crossed my mind the most was "I am so glad that my God is an eternal, all knowing and sovereign God". I am so glad that I do not have to enter into contract negotiations with him to get Him to continue being my God. I believe in a God that knows all, is all and is everywhere at all times. I believe in a God that is 100% wrath and 100% love. I have a God that determines my fate, I don’t determine His. I take comfort in Psalm 139:

"O LORD, You have searched me and known {me.}You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. {Such} knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is {too} high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night," Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike {to You.} For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, {And} skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained {for me,} When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take {Your name} in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

As much as this idea seems hideous I feel compassion for these people. I pray that these people would have someone share the Truth with them. I pray that someone would be able to share with them the greatness of my God.

How sad that they turn to children to worship them....oh wait a minute we do that here to. You know this article can be us too you know. We may not give our kids the title, but we can surely treat our kids likes mini-gods and goddesses. Also the idea of supplanting your god. I do believe that in our culture we believe that god is who we make him. Since our culture does not accept an “absolute” truth then how can we accept an “absolute” God. It just makes me ask “Where is your focus Christian?” Is God central to your life or someone you renegotiate the terms of your deal with whenever He becomes to intrusive? Read Psalm 139 again and see what kind of God we have.