What We Hold As Convictions...

We love to judge others by what we hold as convictions.  All the while, we are seemingly oblivious that things we are doing may not be considered holy enough by someone else.

This is not a personal jab at someone.  I'm not here to start a 'holy war' among the self righteous. I'm not here to condone the practice of habitual sin. I'm writing this blog today to remind you, and me, that we will all stand before God for ourselves, and He will judge each of us. I also want to remind us all, that the Bible says that each of us should work out our "own soul's salvation with fear and trembling."

In the last two days I have been approached by as many people who want to address my 'relaxed stance' on purchasing Starbucks coffee, or actually allowing my daughters to purchase it. See Starbucks is very pro-homosexual in its worldview and is known to support homosexual marriage. I don't support that, or even agree with the ideology. My worldview is undeniably Christian. Yet, I haven't stopped my daughters from their patronage of the said establishment and for that I am perhaps being misunderstood.

What I'm hearing from these folks is that some may see that choice to not stop our patronage as hypocritical. I understand that. I have even been right there! In 1996 when the Southern Baptist Convention boycotted the Walt Disney Company for it's "anti-Christian, anti-family direction", I participated even though I'm not Southern Baptist. In 1997 when Ellen Degeneres came out as openly lesbian and ABC Television chose to air her show 'Ellen', I was very disappointed and, for a while, was determined not to watch ABC.  In 2005 when the American Family Association called for a boycott of Ford Motor Company, I was in! I was determined that I would do my part to make the difference! ...But where were all the bold Christians in 1996, 1997, 2005?  I felt alone then. Just a few of us were willing to take a stand and I was a little put off by their lack of action.

Now, let's fast forward about ten years from that last date.  Today, September 22, 2015, I am being questioned for my stance as perhaps being too soft and appearing hypocritical. For the record, as far as I know no one has called me hypocritical, but concerns have been expressed that my lack of boycott might be seen as support. Again, I understand that but let me say on record, my values have not changed. I still believe that marriage is to be only between one man and one woman.  I still believe the Bible is true and that it declares the homosexuality is a sin, just as it declares that heterosexual sex outside marriage is a sin. I still believe God will judge all sin, of all types. I also believe in boldly declaring it!

Today however, we live in an America that is far different than it was when I grew up. In this society there are extremely few non-homosexual supporting corporate entities out there.  Yet there are multitudes of companies that do support homosexuality.  Here's a list of 379 companies that urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex marriage.  Do you use the products or services any of these corporations in your daily life?  Probably. (Amazon, Apple, CBS, Colegate-Palmolive, DirectTV, CVS Pharmacy, Ebay, Estee' Lauder, Facebook, General Electric, Google, Johnson & Johnson, J.P.Morgan/Chase Bank, Levi Strauss & Co, Microsoft, Nationwide Insurance, Office Depot, PepsiCo, Starrtek, Target, United Airlines, VISA, Verizon, Wells Fargo, Wyndham Worldwide Corp... and 354 more.)

We have arrived at a day when it's virtually impossible to buy anything without supporting someone with whom we disagree morally. The previous list only includes a fraction of those who actually support the homosexual agenda, they are the few that spoke up on behalf of the agenda to the Supreme Court.  A great number of others are on board as well, but didn't address the Supreme Court. Among those are favorites like Walmart, Nabisco, Frito-Lay, and the list goes on. 

So where does that leave us, as Christians?  It leaves us to consider our own convictions.  To me, today's issues seem very similar to an early New Testament Church issue. People of differing convictions, tried to decide whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols. One group of believers considered it completely unethical. Another group of Christians, including the Apostle Paul, saw no danger in it. Paul dealt with this topic in 1 Cor. 8:4-13, and then dealt with our Christian liberties in 1 Cor. 10:25-32.  The basic ideas found in these scriptures would teach us to not judge one another for seeing things differently, but to also try not to offend one another with our liberty. 

Here is my conclusion: I'm not willing to give up my faith!  I'm not willing to compromise my values.  I am not willing to turn my back on the Bible, or to wink at sin. However, on issues like this one I am willing to concede the 'culture war', for now. The only hope for America is revival! We need Jesus! It's too late for boycotts! Also, judging others for their convictions only divides a Body of Christ that really needs to be in unity right now. I urge you to stand for your own convictions. I urge you to not bow to religious persecution. I urge you to pursue God and grow in your faith! What we hold as convictions may slightly differ. What we hold as convictions may be used in judgment against us by God one day if we ignore them... so live by them! Yet what we hold as convictions should guide us, they should not divide us. 

Easy Isn’t The Goal.

Easy isn’t the goal.

We are all human and often we look for the easy way out in situations.  Why not? If there is an easy solution, why not take advantage of it? Right?

Well, serving the Lord isn’t always easy.  As a matter of fact, sometimes it’s downright hard. The modern gospel doesn’t usually present it in that way, but it’s still true.

Jesus said that the world would hate us, because it hated Him first.  The Bible makes it clear that those who live Godly, in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Persecution is an ugly, hard word. I don’t even like the implications! My carnal man wants things to be nice and comfortable, and 'easy' plays right into that. So, easy is what I want!

Some things are easy, and I’m thankful that God designed them that way.  It’s easy for us to have relationship with God, because Christ Jesus already did the hard stuff at Calvary when He died as a substitutionary sacrifice for my sin, and yours .  He has even given each of us a measure of faith, to allow us to believe. Our faith in Him for salvation and relationship, is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  It’s easy for us to know Him, if we will just allow that faith to come alive.

Sometimes, though, doing or saying the right things isn’t so easy. Sometimes operating in our calling isn’t easy.  Sometimes living holy in the midst of temptation isn’t easy. Neither is getting out of our recliner to go out into the world to witness of Him. These things aren’t easy because our flesh is too dominate and it causes our spirit man to have a difficult time following the ways of God.

It’s hard to say "no" to peer pressure. It’s difficult to give people a biblical answer that goes against what they wants to hear.  It’s uncomfortable to stand for Christ in a culture that celebrates sin. Let’s face it, it isn’t always easy to do the right thing.

It’s never easy to tell someone that according to the Word of God, they have to forgive that person who hurt them terribly… and it’s even harder to live it yourself. It isn’t easy for us to hold our tongue and let God vindicate us when someone is speaking falsehood against us. It’s not a simple thing to overlook offense, or to control our anger, or to bridle our tongue, or to repent if we’ve done wrong… but these things please God.

There are lots of things that are difficult when trying to serve the Lord in a God pleasing manner…But after all, easy isn’t the goal: Christ-likeness is.

Lindsey ❤️

This post is different. It is directed to one person, my oldest daughter Lindsey Rae, but I don't mind if you read it too.

Lindsey, I'm very proud of you. You are a great Godly example to others. The last few days, weeks, months, that example has shined! I love you and I am very proud of the young woman you have become.

I've seen your last two posts on Facebook, the blog you wrote and the other one you shared and I wanted to tell you something...

Somewhere there is a young man who can hardly wait to meet you. He is a great guy who loves the Lord, like you do. He knows about honor and respect and long term love and commitment like you have seen exampled, because he's witnessed it too. He's probably good looking, even if a little skinny (lol). And he will give you a lifetime of love and happiness and together you will serve the Lord side by side. 

He's waiting too. Waiting for that young woman who has kept herself for him. I don't know where he lives, or what his name is. I don't know if he comes from a family with money or one who works hard for every penny. I don't know if is eyes are blue or green or brown or something else, but I know his eyes are on God, I know he will take care of you and I know he will be a good provider. I know that he will treat you like the lady you are. I know that even on days when he's getting on your nerves, you will be sure of your love for him.

I know these things, (except the skinny part) because your momma and I have been praying for him since he was a just little boy. See we started praying for your future husband while you were a just little girl (just as we also do for Lauren's future husband). 

He's headed your way now, and probably doesn't even know it. He will get here in God's timing. Perhaps soon or maybe in still a little while, your lives will intersect, and then run parallel, and finally merge to become one. 

I know how hard it is to be alone, waiting, because I had to wait on your momma.  I also know it's worth it.  Don't worry, the wait isn't too long.  :-)

Christianity is a Love Affair!

Christianity is a love affair with God.  Being led by the Spirit is about romance with a Savior.  This might sound odd, but Christianity is about God’s love for us, and our love responding to Him.

About 24 years ago, I met a young lady who completely changed my world.  Her name was Tracy. She was beautiful, intelligent, witty, loving, and had a sweet disposition.  Yet she was passionate and fiery and feisty, and was not to be crossed.  When I first noticed her, I was instantly attracted to her but with an introduction and time, that relationship developed. In a while, I realized that she was pursuing me even more so than I had been pursuing her. Once I got to know her, I just couldn’t see my life without her.  I loved everything about her, from her tenderness to her fiery personality.  Finally, I made her my wife.  And all these years later, I’m more in love with her now than I was even back then. Her love has captured me and because of it, I want to be with her as much as possible. 

About 44 years ago I met someone else who completely changed my life. His name was Jesus. He was beautiful, intelligent, witty, loving, with a sweet disposition.  Yet He was passionate and fiery and not to be crossed.  When I first became aware of Him, I was instantly attracted to Him but with an introduction and time that relationship developed. In a while, I realized that He was pursuing me even more so than I had been pursuing Him. Once I got to know Him, I just couldn’t see my life without Him.  I loved everything about Him, from His tenderness to His passion.  Finally, I made Him my Lord.  And all these years later, I’m more in love with Him now than I was even back then. His love has captured me and because of it, I want to be with him as much as possible.

Our relationship with God isn’t about legalistically following a set of rules, it’s about love. Just as faithfulness to my wife, isn’t only about the vows I made to her, it’s about the love I have for her… So it is with my relationship with Christ Jesus. I follow Him in holiness, not just because I’m required to by the Law of God, but because I am passionately in love with Him.  Love causes the Law to be fulfilled in my life. 

I have this little thing that I often say to my wife when she asks me to do something that I may not really want to do. I say, “You know I’d do anything for you babe.” And I mean it! I may not want to do it but if it makes her happy, or makes her life easier and she has asked me for it, I can hardly ever say no. That’s not because it’s required, or because I’m weak, it’s because I’m in love and it gives me pleasure to make her life better.   

The same is true for my Jesus. I will do anything He asks because I’m madly in love with Him. I may not necessarily want to do it, but because he asked me to, I will. I love to make Him happy. I live for Jesus simply because I love Him. I do what I do because He desires it. When His Spirit draws me toward something, or away from something, I joyfully conform because “I’ll do anything for Him.” 

If our love is as strong as it should be, we will willingly comply… not because of the rules, but because of the love. Christianity is a love affair with God.  Being led by the Spirit is about romance with a Savior.  I’ll follow you anywhere Jesus! “Anything for you Lord.”

Why Are We So Willing To Keep Dividing The Body Of Christ?

Last I checked there was reportedly about 41,000 Christian denominations.  That number is up from an estimated 21,000 in 1982.  (Wow! In thirty-two years the number of Christian denominations have almost doubled!) The names of these groups range from Amish to The Way, with thousands in between and perhaps there are even others before and after those names, which I'm unaware of.  This number includes churches that are Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and whatever else.

Nearly one third of the population of Earth claim 'some form of Christianity'.  Yet it seems that just about every church sees things a little differently, and some a lot differently.  Personally, I'm not sure God recognizes denomination!  Jesus said He would build His Church upon the rock of truth that; He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.  Most, if not all, denominations have been built by man and not so much upon that rock, but other bits of truth that we feel are important. Yet God does have a people who are His.  Perhaps that Church includes people who are members of each of these denominations. Certainly our denominations aren't what it takes to save anyone and there is a purpose in the world for the Church to fulfill, but I'm not sure denominationalism is  really helping.

I've asked myself, are these designations useful?  Perhaps denominations within the Church serve a purpose.  Because of denomination, we can go to a church in one location and then another and have a similar experience, even hearing similar doctrine. For example, you can go to a Southern Baptist Church in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and hear basically the same doctrine as if you attend a Southern Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington. Just as you could attend an Anglican Church anywhere in the world and find similar faith.  The worship styles may differ, the length of service may not be the same, the culture may impact the proceedings, yet the basic doctrines are usually standardized within each individual denomination.  From a human perspective, it may serve a purpose.

Why do we keep dividing ourselves though?  There is only one true church. What does 41,000 different sets of beliefs do for the one who is looking for Christ?  And how does this dividing benefit the Kingdom of God in the grand scheme of things?  These are all valid questions that seem to recirculate over and over in my mind.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks on these things.

So what should we do?  Should we stop attending denominational churches? Should we stop attending church altogether? (Not necessarily, and No.)  Certainly Jesus foresaw this.  He even addressed it!  God's word forbids us to stop assembling ourselves together in Hebrews 10:25.  We need each other desperately... And divisions within the church were addressed in the Bible on several occasions, first by Jesus himself and then by the Apostle Paul.

In John 17:20-23 Jesus prayed for all believers.  He prayed that we be one, even as He and His Father are one.  That is amazing unity!  They are so united we cannot distinguish where Jesus ends and the Father begins, because they are one.  Jesus claimed that by unity within the Body of Christ, the world will see that He was truly sent by the Father.  Division in the Church then, hinders our advancement of the gospel and ultimately our presentation of Jesus Christ as God's Savior for a lost world.

In 1 Corinthians 1:10, the Apostle Paul said, "I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought."  He continued the thought in Chapter 12 when he told us there were many different parts of the body, with differing functions, but that all were important and there should be "no schism", or formal divisions within the Body of Christ.  Ephesians 4:3-6 also tells us to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

So, again, what should we do? Why are we so willing to keep dividing the Body of Christ?  Most of our divisions are caused by human pride.  Yet, I think the answer to our division is simple.  It's a four letter word that we say easily, yet find more difficult to live out.  A word that can only be lived out if we are living a Christ-Centered life. I believe the answer is love.  Jesus said in John 13:34-35, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

What about that church that baptizes differently? "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."  What about the church who meets on a different day of the week? "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."  What about the church that seems to exploit or manipulate the goodness of God's grace? "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."  What about that church that speaks in tongues?  What about that church that doesn't? "As I have loved you, so you must love one another."

Let God deal with all that... Just love.  It's not your church anyway, it's His. We have a purpose in the world that must be completed... So love!  Instead of looking at how different we are, we should remember the admonition of Jesus to his disciples in Mark 9:40, "whoever is not against us is for us"...and we should love.

How Should the Local Church Respond to Ferguson?

If anything, the many recent tragedies of Ferguson and subsequent protests and riots across the country, have shown us how divided this nation still is on the issue of race.  Yet my hope and I believe God's hope, for the Church at least, is that we realize we are not of this world. We are not black, we are not white, we are not Hispanic, we are not Asian, we are not Middle Eastern. We are not Jewish, we are not Gentiles... We are the Body of Christ, one new man, the redeemed, a Holy Nation, the hope of the Earth -through Jesus.  We are, together, members of His body, diverse in appearance and function yet one in essence.  We are all necessary to complete the diverse-unity that is in Christ.

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Gal. 3:26-29) 

Sure, we all have different heritages and that is not objectionable.  On the contrary it's wonderful!  Individually, we should consider our heritage as very important to us.  It's what makes us who we are.  We are the sum of all of our parts!  You are unique and special to God just as you are!  

I believe that we should all personally celebrate our heritage. It's not wrong for African Americans to celebrate their identity, such as is the case with 'Black History Month'. But neither should it be considered socially unacceptable for those of white European descent to celebrate who they are.  The same should be acceptable for the person of Asian descent, or Native American, or any other. I have a friend who nearly every day, reminds me with pride that he is Italian. I think that his pride in his heritage is admirable. Yet our personal celebrations of our national or racial heritage should never be at the expense of someone else, by tearing others down, or by exalting our racial group over any other.  I should be open to celebrating your heritage with you too, while relishing the fact that we are different and yet the same.

My family and I don't talk too much about our ancestry.  We are not ashamed of it, yet it isn't something we feel the need to be boastful of either. I am of German/Irish/Cherokee decent. My wife is a descendant of people who were English/Melungeon.  (Melungeon is a racial mixture of European, African, and Native American.)  We are very much the product of the American Melting Pot. So, does our ancestry even matter? Yes, but it only matters to me, my wife, and our children.  It doesn't matter in the church because, in the Church, our identity comes from Christ. We have 'put on Christ', therefore it's Him we should look and act like.

When it comes to the Church, as a corporate entity, we need to stop being 'black church' or 'white church' and start being "The Church".  We need to first be Christians.  We need to hold tightly to our spiritual heritage as sons and daughters of God, spiritual descendants of Abraham through faith.  We should NEVER allow our differences in heritage to divide us, and certainly our skin color should have no effect on us whatsoever.  The Church is one.

So how should the local church respond to Ferguson and other similar issues?  Certainly not with silence: I think our response should be completely non-racial, but rather wholly spiritual.  Remember, we're Christians first. Hatred, prejudice, rioting, bigoted talk, all stem from one root cause, that cause is sin (See Romans 13:13 & Eph. 5:1-4).  Through hatred, sin divides us... but WE have been washed.  We are new creatures in Christ, those old things are passed away and the new has come (See 2 Cor. 5:17).  

Racism in any form is a manifestation of prejudice, or 'pre-judging based on a generalization'. Prejudice is most often a form of hatred.  Sure, it manifests itself from white toward black, but just as commonly from black toward white, from Asian toward Hispanic, and so on.  But that is not who WE are... We are the Church!  We are one (worldwide) nation of believers who are begotten by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.  We are one people, of one blood, with one Lord.

A natural response would come from the flesh, but spiritual response must come from our spirit man which has been clothed in Christ. Just as the root cause of prejudice is sin, our spiritual response must have a root cause too. In the Church, our cause is Love.  If I'm forgiven, I'm required to forgive.  If I have received God's forgiveness, I will love.  Through that love and forgiveness we are unified.

As the Church we should be manifesting the love of Christ in such a powerful way that the world around us sees no division.  That's what Jesus prayed for (John 17:21). That's who we are called to be. They will know we are His disciples because of the love we have for one another (See John 13:35).  If love is manifesting correctly, my African American brothers and I will be standing together for Christ, and together against hatred.  I urge you reach out to people of other races and show them you love them in Christ.  This could do more to heal than you can even imagine. That's how we, The Church, should respond in Ferguson, or to any other example of racism... with love.

“What difference does Jesus make?”

As I write this, we are in mid November and in an early deep freeze.  The temp last night was 7 degrees, and we have, maybe, 4 inches of snow on the ground. I hear we have broken several temperature records. Yet a few trees still have beautifully colored leaves. This is a picture from my front yard showing the unexpected beauty we are experiencing. In a little more than a week Thanksgiving will be here, and then Christmas is only weeks away.

I often think about how things are now, and what they could be like if just a few minor things had been different.  This is not my way of wishing for something more, but rather a process of giving thanks for the great blessings in my life. I feel tremendously blessed. We don’t have anything extravagant, but we are blessed with all we need and more.

I was thinking along those lines just the other day and my mind went to Jesus and his great sacrifice of Love, for the whole world, but I especially thought of his great love for me and my family. Then the thought came to my mind, “What difference does Jesus make?”.

What if Jesus hadn’t come to Earth? There would be no Christmas of course. Whether you like the way Christmas is celebrated, or not, is irrelevant.  There would have been no nativity and therefore no road from Bethlehem to Calvary, no savior.

Time would be recorded differently, as the Gregorian Calendar which we commonly use counts from the believed date of the nativity of Christ. Many of our laws would be different.  Most of the organizations of the world that do humanitarian aid wouldn’t exist, and the list goes on and on.

That’s not really my point though.  When I consider what difference Jesus makes, I am considering a much more personal scenario. What difference does Jesus make… in my life?

Well, firstly, if it were not for Jesus I would be in some other line of work.  I certainly wouldn’t be a pastor, because there would be no Christianity. 

If not for Jesus in my life, I’m not sure I’d still be at that Caterpillar dealership either.  There was an issue that happened one year that brought me before the Vice President of the company.  After reviewing the facts he determined that my work performance, more specifically my character, spoke for itself.  He dismissed any investigation that could have ended in my termination.  Had I not known Christ and lived Him publically, I very well could have been involved in things that would have cost me my job.  Had my record with the company not demonstrated integrity, I would have likely been dismissed that day.

Without my relationship with the Lord, I probably wouldn’t have met my wife, Tracy, or had my girls.  I first saw Tracy’s beautiful face in church and shortly after, began my pursuit of her.  Even if we had met, it’s likely that we would have separated long ago because without Christ I wouldn’t be half the man I am today, and I would likely have mad devastating choices leading to our demise as a couple.

If it hadn’t been for Jesus I would probably not even be alive today.  Perhaps several things would have already taken me out of this life, such as my teenage love for driving way too fast, but certainly the wasp sting that nearly killed me in 1995 would have done me in.  I believe with all my heart, God spared my life that day to do His work.

I can think of hundreds of other such scenarios, and none of them end well, but the greatest difference that really matters hasn’t been mentioned yet.

What difference does Jesus make?  He makes all the difference!  If not for Him coming to Earth, taking my place in the wrath of God and dying for my sins. I would be unquestionably destined for Hell. There would be no hope for me.  I was too imperfect.  My heart was too stained. My life was too sinful to ever have any hope…  And you were there in the same boat with me.

Thank God for the difference Jesus makes!