Bro. Randy's Blog

John 3:16 Video Played During Broncos/Patriots Game

2012-01-16T10:14:00.002-06:00

If you did not see it, check out this video that ran as a commercial during the Broncos vs. Patriots playoff game on January 14, 2012. The commerical was paid for by Focus on the Family. There is no telling how many millions of people heard the life changing message of John 3:16. Wow!

If the video does not work, follow this link to see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIdq_SipL-A&feature=player_embedded

A Prayer for the New Year

2012-01-05T10:33:00.000-06:00

This prayer was written by Trevin Wax

Lord God Almighty,

I understand that I am unable to do anything without your help,

so I ask you to enable me by your grace to fulfill your will.

Give me grace to do whatever brings most glory and honor to you,

pleasure and profit to me,

and life and love to others.

Help me to number my days,

spending my time wisely,

living my life with all my might while I still have breath.

Humble me in the knowledge that I am chief of sinners;

when I hear of the sins of others,

help me to not look upon them with pride,

but to look upon myself with shame,

confessing my own sins to you.

When I go through difficulties and trials,

remind me of the pains of hell

from which you have already delivered me.

Place people in my path who need my help,

and give me a compassionate and generous spirit.

Fill my heart with such love

that I would never do anything out of a spirit of revenge,

nor lose my temper with those around me.

Hold my tongue when I am tempted to speak evil of others.

Thank you for the gospel and for the hope of glory.

Help me to live in light of these truths every day of my life,

so that when the time of my death arrives,

I will rest assuredly in you,

and you will be most glorified in me.
In Christ’s name…
- Trevin Wax (adapted from the first 21 of Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions),

The Real Christmas Story

2011-12-15T16:00:00.000-06:00

Luke 1:26-38

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible."

Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Matt 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Luke 2:1-20

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Gal 4:4-5

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

All quotes are from the NKJV

A Politically Correct Christmas Story

2011-12-08T17:16:00.001-06:00

I am not sure who wrote this account, but it sure does make you think. When I was a child this would have seemed ridiculous. In 2011 it sounds strangely familiar. From the pen of an anonymous sage, here is "A Politically Correct Christmas Story."

And Joseph went up from Galilee to Bethlehem with Mary, his espoused wife, who was great with child. And she brought forth a son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. And the angel of the Lord spoke to the shepherds and said, "I bring you tidings of great joy. Unto you is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:4-11)

"There's a problem with the angel," said a Pharisee who happened to be strolling by the stable. As he explained to Joseph, angels are widely regarded as religious symbols, and the stable was on public property where such symbols were not allowed to land or even hover.

"Besides," said a Sadducee who was with him, "there are no such things as angels, and telling a child that they're real will only hinder the child's emotional development."

"And I have to tell you," said the Pharisee, "this whole thing looks very much like a Nativity scene. That's a no-no, too."

Joseph had a bright idea. "What if I put a couple of reindeer over there near the ox and ass?" he said, eager to avoid sectarian strife.
"That would definitely help," said the Pharisee, who knew as well as anyone that whenever a savior appeared, judges usually liked to be on the safe side and surround it with deer or woodland creatures of some sort. "Just to clinch it, throw in a candy cane and a couple of elves and snowmen, too," he said. "No court can resist that."
Mary asked, "What does my son's birth have to do with snowmen?"

"Snowpersons," cried a young woman, changing the subject before it veered dangerously toward religion.

Off to the side of the crowd, a Philistine was painting the Nativity scene. Mary complained that she and Joseph looked too tattered and worn in the picture. "Artistic license," he said. "I've got to show the plight of the haggard homeless in a greedy, uncaring society in winter," he quipped.

"We're not haggard or homeless. The inn was just full," said Mary.

"Whatever," said the painter.

Two women began to argue fiercely. One said she objected to Jesus' birth "because it privileged motherhood." The other scoffed at virgin births, but said that if they encouraged more attention to diversity in family forms and the rights of single mothers, well, then, she was all for them.

"I'm not a single mother," Mary started to say, but she was cut off by a third woman who insisted that swaddling clothes are a form of child abuse, since they restrict the natural movement of babies.

With the arrival of ten child advocates, all trained to spot infant abuse and manger rash, Mary and Joseph were pushed to the edge of the crowd, where arguments were breaking out over how many reindeer (or what mix of reindeer and seasonal sprites) had to be installed to compensate for the infant's unfortunate religious character.

An older man bustled up, bowling over two merchants, who had been busy debating whether an elf is the same as a fairy and whether the elf/fairy should be shaking hands with Jesus in the crib or merely standing to the side, jumping around like a sports mascot.

"I'd hold off on the reindeer," the man said, explaining that the use of asses and oxen as picturesque backdrops for Nativity scenes carries the subliminal message of human dominance. He passed out two leaflets, one denouncing manger births as invasions of animal space, the other arguing that stables are "penned environments" where animals are incarcerated against their will. He had no opinion about elves or candy canes.

Signs declaring "Free the Bethlehem 2" began to appear, referring to the obviously exploited ass and ox. Someone said the halo on Jesus' head was elitist.

Mary was exasperated. "And what about you, old mother?" she said sharply to an elderly woman. "Are you here to attack the shepherds as prison guards for excluded species, maybe to complain that singing in Latin identifies us with our Roman oppressors, or just to say that I should have skipped patriarchal religiosity and joined some dumb new-age goddess religion?"

"None of the above," said the woman, "I just wanted to tell you that the Magi are here." Sure enough, the three wise men rode up.

The crowd gasped, "They're all male!" And "Not very multicultural!"

"Balthasar here is black," said one of the Magi.

"Yes, but how many of you are gay or disabled?" someone shouted. A committee was quickly formed to find an impoverished lesbian wise-person among the halt and lame of Bethlehem.

A calm voice said, "Be of good cheer, Mary, you have done well and your son will change the world."

At last, a sane person, Mary thought. She turned to see a radiant and confident female face.

The woman spoke again: "There is one thing, though. Religious holidays are important, but can't we learn to celebrate them in ways that unite, not divide? For instance, instead of all this business about 'Gloria in excelsis Deo,' why not just 'Season's Greetings'?"

Mary said, "You mean my son has entered human history to deliver the message, 'Hello, it's winter'?"

"That's harsh, Mary," said the woman. "Remember, your son could make it big in midwinter festivals, if he doesn't push the religion thing too far. Centuries from now, in nations yet unborn, people will give each other pricey gifts and have big office parties on his birthday. That's not chopped liver."

"Let me get back to you," Mary said.

In the meantime the Magi had been asked by others how much their gifts had cost, and when told the price several protested and said the money could have been better spent on the poor and homeless. "Besides," said one, "what can a baby do with gold, frankincense, and myrrh?"

"You don't understand," said one of the Magi, "we brought these gifts to honor and worship this child who has been born King of the Jews."

Whereupon the child advocates protested that adults should not pre-determine a child's future. "It should be left up to the child to decide for himself what he wants to be."

One of the shepherds called out from the back of the crowd: "The prophet Micah wrote that out of Bethlehem would come a Ruler to shepherd God's people"

"That's just a myth," said the head of the Prophet's Seminar who had just arrived with his committee. "We scholars have determined that the prophet's actually said very little of what they are credited with saying, and everything they reportedly said about a Messiah was added years later by other writers."

"How did you determine that?" asked Joseph.

The most intelligent member of the Prophet's Seminar was chosen as spokesperson and replied, "We cast lots."

After much talking, the various advocates agreed to meet again at a later date in a place more suitable for them and continue their discussions about the child's welfare. Gradually they drifted out of the stable and left the shepherds and the Magi alone with Joseph and Mary and the child.

Mary took Joseph's hand and said, "Husband, tell me again what the angel Gabriel said to you about our son.

Squeezing her hand, Joseph answered, "He said that we should call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

What Would You Do Differently?

2011-11-26T10:54:00.001-06:00

Have you ever thought about what you would do differently if you had the opportunity to live life over again? My wife and I had a conversation about that recently. We discussed the question from the perspective of our family and our ministry. There are some things that you do that don’t look so great when you look back on them later in life. I have made my share of dumb decisions that I wish I could go back and change. But there is one area where we both agreed that we would change very little. That is in the area of our family. That is not to say that we don’t have our regrets here as well. There is one thing that we did, however, that made all the difference in the world.

Very early in our marriage, we made some definite decisions before the Lord relating to our family. These early choices helped us make difficult decisions along life’s journey. One of the things that we noticed personally and also learned by research is that the children of those who serve in full-time ministry do not always turn out so well. Many of them leave the church as adults. In fact, some of them hate the church. To be honest, this scared us. We did not want to spend a lifetime of reaching other people’s children and in the process lose our own children. We read all we could about the issue. We looked at the family life of pastor’s families whose children grew up loving the Lord and continued walking with the Lord as adults. The decisions that we made relate to all families and not just a pastor’s family. They are presented from that perspective because that is the story of our lives. Here are the decision we made years ago that have guided us as parents.

1. We will raise our children. God entrusted our children to us. We are their parents. It is our privilege and our responsibility to raise them. We know we will give an account to God for how we do this. By this I mean that we decided to raise our children as opposed to paying others to do it for us. This produced great financial strain in our younger days, but I can honestly say that we have no regrets. But I also mean by this that we will decide before the Lord what is best for our children. We will not allow the opinions and expectations of others to determine our decisions as parents. For example, I was once contacted by a church that was interested in me becoming their pastor. As a part of our discussion, they made it clear that our children would be required to attend a certain school if I became their pastor. I immediately made it clear that my wife and I were the parents of our children. We would make all decisions relating to their upbringing. The church would have no vote and no voice in the matter. We would do what we believed was best for our children. The church had no further interest in talking with me (nor I with them). But I had no regrets about it. We had already made that decision years before when we decided that “we will raise our children.” Parents, you are responsible to the Lord for bringing your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. You must not allow peer pressure, cultural expectations, or nosy neighbors to determine how you raise your children. You must raise your children.

2. Our goal is adults who love the Lord. We greatly desired from the beginning for our children to come to know Christ at an early age and to live for him throughout their childhood and teenage years. But the true target that we had in mind from the beginning was that our children would leave our home as adults who love Jesus Christ who would continue in that love into adulthood. This meant that we had to try to model what that looked like in our own lives. We wanted to create an atmosphere in our home where Christ was exalted. It had to be real and not fake. Again, the goal from the beginning was to produce mature disciples of Christ who would follow Him into adulthood. It is important to note that this is not something that can be forced. Each person must choose for themselves whether they will love God or not. The issue here is intentional influence. I am well aware that this process is not yet complete. We have one child in graduate school, one in college, and one in high school. Our children could decide to go in a different direction. If they do, at least we will know that we did everything we could to influence them to follow Christ.

Our children have been involved in a variety of activities during their lives. Sports, piano, drama, and hunting have all been a part at some point along the way. As parents, we had to keep the goal in mind. We are not seeking to produce all-star athletes or concert pianists. If that is God’s plan for our children’s lives then that is fine with us. But that has never been our goal. I have known many parents that have lost perspective on this matter. They have allowed baseball, football or beauty reviews to become the primary focus of their children’s lives. They have spent thousands of dollars and thousands of hours trying to train Johnny to be a great baseball player. They have spent very little time by comparison in trying to train Johnny to be a follower of Christ. We decided on the front end that influencing our children for the Lord would be primary. Our goal is for them to be mature followers of Christ as adults.

3. We will spend time together as a family. I will be home on most nights with my family. This is a great challenge to most fathers. I am no exception. I have found that there is always a meeting to attend or an event where my attendance is expected. We decided, however, that most of our nights would be spent with our children. This has meant that we have had to say “No” to many good things throughout the course of ministry in order to be there for our family. The churches I have served have had church services on Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. As a family, we have always been faithful to attend all of those services. That is 2 nights a week that are blocked out and given exclusively for church attendance. The rest of the nights have been given to our family. This does not mean we are necessarily sitting at home. It means we are involved in each other’s lives on those other nights. What that looks like has changed through the years depending on the ages of our children.

There have been obvious exceptions to this through the years. My children have understood the importance of evangelistic outreach events and crisis situations that require my attention as a pastor. It is harder to convince them that I can’t help with their homework because I have to go to a meeting and listen to someone reading reports. I have travelled overseas on mission trips as have my children. My work week is normally 50 to 60 hours per week. But for the most part, I have held tight to that original commitment that my family would be a priority in my life coming second only to my personal relationship with the Lord. It is impossible for an absentee dad to fulfill the commandments of Deuteronomy 6:4-9. You have to be together to sit together and spend time together to fulfill what the Lord commanded us to do in those verses. I realize that many people work different schedules and have to figure out how to make this work for a shift worker or someone who has to travel with their job. But the bottom line is that families must spend time together. Somehow. Someway You have to make it happen. You will have to say “No” to many good things in order to make time for this most important thing.

I will be honest and admit that not everyone has understood my decision to spend time with my family. I have been criticized for not attending a sporting event or a meeting. But my children have thanked me for it. I am satisfied with that trade. I once read in a book that you are the only person who will fight for your family. Others may care for your family but they will not fight for your family. You must make the tough decisions that are necessary so you can spend time with your family. It is the only way you will be able to influence them. One of the things that kept coming up in my investigation of pastor’s families was the feeling on the part of the children that dad was never at home. They said, “He was always available to everyone else but rarely available to us.” One even described the church as his dad’s mistress. Very early in our marriage, my wife and I decided that we would not travel that path. We would spend time together as a family. We were aware that it might cause us to lose a church someday. But we decided if it ever came to that, we would prefer to lose a church and keep our family rather than keep a church and lose our family.

In the January 2011 issue of Christianity Today, there was an interview with Billy Graham. Some have estimated that he has preached to more people than any other person in history. During the interview, Dr. Graham was asked, “If you could, would you go back and do anything differently?” His answer is very important.

“Yes, of course. I'd spend more time at home with my family, and I'd study more and preach less. I wouldn't have taken so many speaking engagements, including some of the things I did over the years that I probably didn't really need to do—weddings and funerals and building dedications, things like that. Whenever I counsel someone who feels called to be an evangelist, I always urge them to guard their time and not feel like they have to do everything.”

The very first thing he said is that he would spend more time at home with his family. All of us should learn from the experience and wisdom of Dr. Graham. We need to make this a priority. We must spend time with our family. I realize there are those who may take this to an extreme and never serve in the church or do any kingdom work outside the walls of their home. That is a discussion for another day. I must say, however, that most people I have known have spent too little time with their family and not too much. They have spent too much time doing good things while neglecting this one important thing. Let me encourage you to have the courage to stand tall in this area. If you are going to influence your children for Christ, you must be with them. You can’t do that if you are always somewhere else. You will regret it one day if you do not make time with your family a priority. “We will raise our children. Our goal is adults who love the Lord. We will spend time together as a family.” These three commitments made early in our marriage have made all the difference in the world. I encourage every parent to make similar commitments before the Lord. You children will thank you one day.

Ghostbusters

2011-10-26T20:00:00.002-05:00

Ghost stories have been around for a long time. Belief in ghosts can be found as early as the religions of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Ghost stories were told in both the Greek and Roman cultures. Man has always been fascinated with what happens after death. Ghost stories are one way to explain what happens to a person after they die. Ghosts are big business in the modern world. Almost every tourist city has some sort of ghost tour. They are not free. It is amazing how many ghosts showed up in these places when people became willing to pay to hear about them. There are many ghost hunting shows on TV that are amazingly popular. It is hard to know if the people on the shows are merely actors or if they really believe the stuff themselves. In any case, it is hard to deny that people have a fascination with ghosts and ghost stories. This fascination is not new.

What about ghosts? Do they exist? How should we view all this as Christians? I once received a question about this during a Bible question and answer session. Below you will find the question and my answer. Perhaps it will help shed some light on a passage in the Bible that is often used to prove the existence of ghosts.

The Question

“Do ghosts exist? I hear ghost stories all the time, and I’ve always shrugged them off as just stories. I get confused, however, when I read 1 Samuel’s account of the witch raising up Samuel’s spirit at Saul’s request.”

My Answer

A. Things to consider:

1. Ghosts do not exist. The Bible is very clear on this issue. When people die, their spirit does not remain here to roam the earth. People immediately go to heaven or they go to hell. For the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8). The non-Christian finds himself in hell after death (Luke 16:22-23). There is no indication at all the people die and then roam the earth or continue to live in their old house. There are only 2 destinies. If ghosts are real then the Bible is not true. If the Bible is true then ghosts are not real.

2. Witchcraft, the occult, and attempts to contact the dead are forbidden in Scripture.

Deut 18:10-14 – “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.”

3. Demons are real. Some ghost stories and contacts with the dead are hoaxes. Some are demonic activity.

B. 1 Samuel 28:3-25 – Samuel’s appearance to Saul

1. Even Saul knew witches (mediums) were forbidden (v. 3). Why did he go? Desperation.

2. What happened in this passage was outside the normal (v. 12).

a. What the medium saw in this case was not what she normally saw. It was different from every other time she had done this. It terrified her. This was a special intervention by God.

3. Samuel did come back. It was not a demonic impersonation or a fraud. He told Saul that he would die the next day. Only God could send someone back for a visit. Samuel was not a ghost. He was not haunting the woman’s home. He was not roaming the earth. He was sent back on a special assignment by God and then he went back to be with the Lord. He was sent to bring a message of judgment to Saul. In different circumstances, Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mt. of Transfiguration with Christ.

4. The dead cannot be called back by a medium. This is not a power afforded to man or even to Satan. There is great power in the demonic spirit world. This is perhaps one reason we are forbidden to go there. But that power does not include the power to cause someone to return to earth after they have died. This was clearly a special intervention by God. It happened in spite of the witch and not because of her. Necromancy and the occult are still forbidden. This incident does not lend God’s approval to contacting the dead. It is a special and unique situation.

Sometimes You Need a Laugh

2011-10-03T13:01:00.000-05:00

Life is often serious and stressful. There are many weighty and important things with which we all have to wrestle. Sometimes you just need a good laugh. The Bible says that a merry heart does good like medicine (Proverbs 17:22). Sometimes it does not matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to get it going in the right direction. That was certainly the case for John Daker on this day. He just could not seem to get it together. I have been there and done that. Enjoy the laugh. Let it do you some good like medicine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi8beYR1iBQ

Not Ashamed

2011-09-20T08:49:00.000-05:00

There is a culture war raging across the United States. Sadly, it seems that those who profess to follow Christ are not reporting for duty. Our society is rapidly becoming an anti-Christian society. Those who do dare to stand for Biblical truth are thought to be the evil ones. Follow the link below to see an example of the culture war. You will also see a great example of someone who is not ashamed to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is time for people who profess to follow Christ to either shut up or stand up. Praise the Lord for someone who is willing to stand. May his tribe increase!

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6975407

I've Been Everywhere

2011-06-07T10:57:00.003-05:00

Last week, my family and I went to the beach for a week of vacation. Although the beach was our first stop, it was not the last stop for this trip. I traveled the world last week. I spent time in Florida, Nevada, California, Virginia, Illinois, Hawaii, the Philippines, China, and Japan. It was quite a few places to visit during the course of a week. I was able to spend time with everyday people like myself. I was also able to visit with powerful world leaders in Washington, D.C., London, and Japan. I spent a day with people in the witness protection program. I spent a little time working through legal cases in a few courtrooms. In the span of one short week, I was able to visit so many different places and see so many different people.

During my vacation, I was not only a world traveler, but I was also a time traveler. That’s right; I stepped into a time machine and went back to the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. I stood beside sailors as they fired their anti-aircraft guns at Japanese bombers. I listened in on conversations between Roosevelt and Churchill as they formulated a strategy to defeat the Germans and the Japanese. I also traveled even further back in time to the days of General Washington and the American Revolution. I marched beside barefooted soldiers in the cold snow. I loaded into a cold boat as General Washington crossed the Delaware River on a snowy Christmas night.

You may wonder how I could visit all those places and how I gained access to some of the most important people in the world. You may really wonder where I found my time machine. The answer may surprise you. I was able to visit all those places, see all those people, and travel back in time through the joy of reading. Through reading you can travel through time, visit any place in the world, and peer over the shoulders of world leaders and they make their decisions. Through reading, you can not only learn what happened but also why it happened. Through reading, the world opens before you. Through reading, you can go anywhere you want to go without ever leaving your house. Last week, I read some books that where based on historical events. I also read some fictional books. I call them cotton candy reading. They are fun to read but mostly light and fluffy. The choices are almost limitless.

If it has been awhile since you read a book, I encourage you to head down to your local library and see what they have to offer. Find something that interests you and take it home. Find a quite spot and rediscover the joy of reading.

The Lord Will Go Before You

2011-04-14T15:39:00.001-05:00

The Lord knows the end from the beginning. He knows what we will need long before we will need it. He knows how to go before us and prepare the way that He intends for us to travel. I had unique experience recently in Honduras that was a great reminder of this truth.

I was in Honduras teaching at the BMDMI Bible Institute. The class was for pastors who had already completed the regular program at the Bible Institute. There were 28 pastors who came to the one week intensive class. Our subject was the doctrine of Christ. We studied the person of Christ and the work of Christ. The pastors had many great questions about Christ. In response to one of the questions, I recommended that the students read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I felt sure it was available in Spanish. It would be the perfect resource to go in depth concerning the pastor’s question. But even as I made the recommendation, I knew that most of the pastors in the room would not be able to get the book. They do not have the money to buy it and even if they did, most serve in remote locations where such resources are unavailable. As we discussed the answer to the student’s question, one of the pastors said that he thought the book could be found in the library of the Bible Institute. Sure enough, he was correct. It was not long before someone brought the book to me from the library. I showed it to the students and recommended it to them again. This time, I knew they would have access to it through the library. I put the book on the table and continued teaching.

When we took our lunch break, I started remembering something about the Bible Institute library that I had not thought about in several years. About six years ago, our short term mission team stopped by the Bible Institute on our way back in from the village where we had worked for the week. As I walked around, I happened to stop in and look at the library. There were not that many books in there and most of them were almost worn out. I wished that I could do something to help. When I returned from that trip, the church I pastored at the time expressed a desire to help with some aspect of the mission in Honduras. That church is Berean Baptist Church in Hixson, Tennessee. They asked what they could do. I told them about the library at the Bible Institute. They immediately put $1000 from our church budget at my disposal. I was to use the funds to purchase books for the library at the Bible Institute. I was like a kid at Christmas. I identified the most helpful and useful books in my own library. I checked to see if they were available in Spanish. I searched everywhere to find the best prices. Finally, I ordered $1000 worth of books for the library and we shipped them to the Bible Institute. We were grateful that the Lord allowed us to have a small part in being a blessing to pastors in Honduras. After shipping the books and receiving a “Thank you” letter from the mission, I thought no more about the gift we had sent.

But as I ate lunch during our break that day, I began to think about the books that we had sent. And then it hit me. I said, “I think The Case for Christ was one of the books we bought for the Bible Institute! Could it really be? I left my food and returned to the front of the room. I opened the front cover of the book and there it was. I saw a sticker indicating that the book had been donated by Berean Baptist Church in Hixson, Tennessee. I began to give praise to the Lord. Who but the Lord could arrange something like that? Here I am in Honduras in 2011 holding a book that those students needed to read. It provides in-depth answers to some of their questions. But most of them could never purchase a copy of it. So six years before the Lord put it on the hearts of a church in Tennessee to purchase books for a Bible Institute in Honduras. They gave me the privilege of being the one who selected and purchased the books. One of the books I sent was The Case for Christ. I had no idea that I would be in Honduras six years later with pastors who needed that very book. So there I stood holding the book that was needed today but was sent by us six years before. The Lord went before me and prepared the way. What an awesome God we serve!

I also thought of the precious people who faithfully and financially supported the Lord’s work at Berean Baptist. We did not collect a special offering to purchase the books. The money came from the general fund of the church. It was there because God’s people gave faithfully. Some of those saints have gone to heaven since the time we purchased those books, but their lives and their gifts are still blessing pastors in Honduras. Their works are still following them.
Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them." Revelation 14:13

A Life-saving Station or an Exclusive Club?

2011-03-19T11:34:00.000-05:00

The author of this parable is unknown. I was once told that it was written in the 1950’s. It has much to say to the modern church. It is easy for us to lose sight of our true purpose. If we do not keep our focus on the Lord and His commands to us, we can quickly move from being a life-saving station to an exclusive club for members only. How about your church? It is more like a life-saving station or is it more like a club?

The Parable of the Life-saving Station

On a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and gave of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews trained. The little life-saving station grew.

Some of the members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. They replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they decorated it beautifully because they used it as a sort of club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The life-saving motif still prevailed in the club’s decorations, and there was a liturgical life-boat in the room where the club’s initiations were held. About this time a large ship wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick. The beautiful new club was in chaos. So the property committee immediately had a shower house build outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split among the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon life-saving as their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station. So they did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. It evolved into a club, and yet another life-saving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself, and if you visit that sea coast today, you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown.

There's a Party Going on in Heaven!

2011-03-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

In Luke 15, the Bible tells us that there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents. Well, there must be a great big party going on in heaven this week! There were 33 students who professed faith in Christ during Frontline 2011. The event culminated in our church auditorium last Friday night. It was amazing to see students praising God with passion. It was amazing to see students coming forward to make their commitment to Christ public. It was amazing to see students going and getting their friends and bringing them to hear about Jesus. What a great week it was. Thanks to all of you who prayed, fasted, and worked so diligently to make Frontline 2011 a reality. Praise to the Lord for allowing us to be a part of what He is doing in the world. Now is the time for us to do what they do in heaven when a sinner repents. Now is the time for us to rejoice!

“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

What Makes the Difference?

2011-02-16T20:00:00.001-06:00

On January 22, my family and I attended the National Championship Celebration at Auburn University. I have been an Auburn football fan for as long as I can remember. I pulled for the Auburn during those long desert years as a child when Alabama beat us 9 years in a row. I celebrated as an adult when Auburn pulled off 6 straight victories against the Crimson Tide. This year, however, was the sweetest season of all. Auburn ran the table and then capped off a perfect season by defeating Oregon for the 2010 BCS National Championship. The last time Auburn won a national championship was in 1957. I wasn’t even born yet. They have come close in my lifetime, but never quite made it over the hump. This year that all changed. I now am the proud owner of 2 national championship t-shirts and 2 national championship hats. It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger!

As much as I have enjoyed the championship, it is not the sole focus of this blog entry. I want to share some thoughts that have been rolling around in my head for a couple of months. I want to focus on Auburn’s coach; Gene Chizik. Coach Chizik’s record at Auburn is 22 wins and 5 losses. By anyone’s standards, he has been wildly successful. Winning the national championship in your second season at a school is no small accomplishment. He won just about every “Coach of the Year” honors that were awarded this season. Every Auburn fan is glad to have Coach Chizik as a part of the Auburn family. But it has not always been that way.

When Gene Chizik was announced as the new head coach at Auburn, most people thought the athletic director had lost his mind. Coach Chizik had only been a head coach for 2 seasons prior to his hiring by Auburn. He was the head coach at Iowa State University during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. His record was an abysmal 5 wins and 19 losses. He was not exactly the guy that most Auburn fans wanted taking the wheel of our football program. Sports writers and talking heads questioned the wisdom of the hire. When Auburn’s athletic director returned from hiring Coach Chizik, he was met at the airport by a heckler. This “fan” booed and yelled, “we want a leader; not a loser.” By the way, I wonder if this “fan” was at the championship celebration. Although most Auburn fans were appalled by the classless demonstration, many held similar views as that heckler. Why have we hired a coach that has a 5-19 record?

What made the difference? Coach Chizik went from being just another coach with a losing record to being the coach of the year with a national championship ring. How do you go from 5-19 at one school to 22-5 at another? I would like to offer a few suggestions. Although Coach Chizik’s story is the one I am using, these principles apply to leaders in any situation. They will certainly apply to coaches but also to pastors, business men, and church workers. How can the same person fail in one situation and be wildly successful in another. What makes the difference?

Skill

In order to be successful, a certain level of skill and competency is necessary. This skill must be combined with hard work. Some coaches have a 5-19 record because they are not good coaches. This is not the case with Gene Chizik. Coach Chizik is a skilled coach. He was an outstanding defensive coordinator before becoming a head coach. He was the defensive coordinator for Auburn’s 2004 undefeated team. He was the defensive coordinator for the Texas Longhorns’ 2005 national championship season. Gene Chizik obviously knows football. He has worked hard over the years to develop his skills as a coach. He kept learning and growing in his profession. Gene Chizik is a highly skilled football coach. But that was as true at Iowa State as it is at Auburn. There has to be more to the story than skill.

Situation

Sometimes the difference between success and failure can be found in the situation itself. It is almost impossible to win consistently if you find yourself in a losing situation. Iowa State football is the classic example of a losing situation. It is almost impossible to win there. Coach Chizik’s 5-19 record was not the first nor the last losing record for a coach at Iowa State. Since 1892, there have only been 7 Iowa State coaches who have had winning records during their careers there. Six of those coaches coached before 1920. There has only been one coach with a winning career record at Iowa State since 1920. Since 1990, Iowa State has only had 5 winning seasons. Their all time record in football is 492-584-47. Not exactly a winning situation.

When Coach Chizik came to Auburn, he did more than change schools. He changed situations. He went from a losing situation to a winning situation. Auburn’s all time record in football is 710-400-47. Multiple coaches have had winning career records at Auburn. The situation is entirely different from Iowa State. This does not mean that a coach will automatically win at Auburn or lose at Iowa State. It means that one situation is much more conducive to winning than the other one is.

This is often the case with churches and other organizations as well. The situation at some churches makes it almost impossible for a leader to lead them to reach people for Christ. Sometimes the church is structured in such a way that it inhibits growth. Sometimes there are politics and struggles for power that hinder growth. Sometimes the mindset of the people is a mindset that does not care about those who are without Christ. A pastor, staff member, deacon, or Sunday school teacher will struggle in vain to lead that type church to victory. It is hard to win if you are in a situation that is structured to lose. The same leader who struggled in one situation may be wildly successful in another. What made the difference? The situation made the difference.

It is true that that God can do the impossible. That is why a leader who finds himself in a less than desirable situation should give it his all and hope for the best. But even the Lord can’t bring victory without bringing change. Change is the last thing that is allowed in many situations. People want to move forward with God yet stay the same as they have always been. That is an impossibility. Ed Young, Sr., pastor of Second Baptist Church of Houston, spoke at a conference I attended last year. He shared a few things that will hinder the growth of a church. A few of the things he listed were a poor location, a committee led church, the “right size” mentality, a staff that does not function, a team without a leader, a threatening atmosphere to non-Christians, and shabby buildings. If these things do not change over time, that church will become an Iowa State church. It will keep doing what it has always done. It will keep getting the same results.

Staff

Another factor that helped to flip Coach Chizik’s record from 5-19 to 22-5 was his staff. I am sure the staff at Iowa State worked hard and were good men. The fact is, however, that is very difficult to attract a top notch staff to Iowa State (see history of program above). When Chizik moved to Auburn, he only brought one of his staff members from Iowa State with him. At Auburn, Coach Chizik assembled one of the best football staffs in the country. The situation at Auburn is much more attractive to assistants and I am sure the pay is as well. The success he has had at Auburn has as much to do with his staff as it does with anything else. Gus Malzahn is an offensive genius. Tracy Rocker molded Nick Fairley into a defensive monster. Coach Chizik leads the program, but without a staff that is committed to excellence, he could not be successful. This applies to everyone in the organization; not just to the assistant coaches. At the national championship celebration, Coach Chizik specifically thanked the equipment managers and the secretaries. He thanked them for doing their jobs well so he could focus on his job and do it well. These people do a great job of freeing the coaches to do what only they can do. They are not seen, but they are critically important to the success of the program. Imagine how things would be different if Coach Chizik had to put together press releases or make sure there were enough chin straps. I am certain Auburn would not be the national champions if that was the case.

In the book Who’s Holding Your Ladder, Samuel Chand argues that a leader will never be able to climb higher than the skill of the people who are holding his ladder. He states that the most important decision that a leader will ever make is selecting his leaders. The same idea is conveyed by Jim Collins in the book Good to Great. He compares organizations to a bus. Many people think that the most important thing is getting the bus headed in the right direction. Collins says that the most important thing is to get the right people on the bus. If this is not done first, it will not matter which direction the bus goes. This is true in the world of business, the world of church, and the world of football.

Signees

Another big difference between Chizik at Iowa State and Chizik at Auburn are his signees. These are the players. I doubt that Iowa State has ever had a top 5 recruiting class. Auburn has. I am sure that the young men who play football at Iowa State are good players who give it their all. It is hard to compete, however, with a whole team full of great players. Coaches teach and coach, but the players are the ones who make it happen on the field. Coaches never throw the ball or make a tackle. Players do. If you do not have great players, it will be difficult to win games over the long haul.

What if football teams operated like many churches? In many churches, the coaches (leaders) are expected to coach the team as well as run all the plays themselves. Most of the players watch the action from the stands. This is not Biblical. The role of a pastor is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Many church members would be great players because God has gifted them with many spiritual gifts, but they refuse to get in the game. The expectation is that the pastor and staff will do all the work of the ministry and the members will cheer or boo from the stands. This mindset is crippling to a church ministry. The Lord never intended that a few “professionals” do all the work of the ministry. They are to lead and equip the team to get the job done (just like on a football team). In college football, you can’t win without great players on the field. In the church world it is not the greatness of the players that makes the difference. It’s that “on the field” part that makes the difference between success and failure.

Support

I would imagine that the support that Gene Chizik receives at Auburn is radically different from the support he received at Iowa State. This applies to the school’s administration, boosters, and fans. People at Auburn are serious about football (this is true of most colleges in the SEC). They are all in. Everyone is committed to doing what it takes to be successful (sometimes too committed). I do not know for certain, but I doubt that Iowa State has that level of support for its football program. It is much easier for a coach to be successful when he coaches at a place where everyone is all in. It is much more difficult when that same coach finds himself at a place where people are not really on board. This support does not guarantee success, but it creates an atmosphere where success is much more likely.

The same thing holds true for a pastor or church staff member. When people are excited about the Lord and His work in their midst, it is much easier to lead them in the right direction. When the attitude is “Whatever it takes to reach people” (as long as it is consistent with Scripture), it is much easier to reach people. When people are willing to be flexible, give up their preferences, and go the extra mile, the results will be obvious. It is much easier to lead anything when you have the full support of the people. On the other hand, when people only think of themselves or if they really don’t care, the results will be disastrous.

Assuming the same skill level, how can the same person lose at one place and win at another? There are obviously many factors involved, but I think certain things can be identified. Situation. Staff. Signees. Support. These things can make the difference between 5-19 and 22-5. It’s true for Coach Chizik. It is true in your next business venture. It is true at your church.

Live for an Audience of One

2011-01-26T16:01:00.005-06:00

In our day, Abraham Lincoln is generally regarded as one of the most well-loved and respected presidents of the United States. Millions visit the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Every year, school children memorize Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address. We are accustomed to seeing Lincoln’s kind face on the five dollar bill. Hundreds, if not thousands, of books have been written about his life. According to Wikipedia, “Lincoln is regarded by the public and historians in numerous polls as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history, usually in the top three, along with George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt. A study published in 2004 found that scholars in the fields of history and politics ranked Lincoln number one, while legal scholars placed him second after Washington.”

Lincoln was not always so popular. In his own lifetime, Lincoln was hated by many people (if not by most). In the book The Day Lincoln Was Shot, Jim Bishop writes about the malice that Lincoln faced during his Presidency:

"The President was aware, on this day and at this meeting, that, in America, he was now a minority political leader. The entire South, temporarily disenfranchised, opposed him. The Democratic party of the North opposed him. The radicals in his own Republican party opposed him. Most of the influential newspapers opposed him. Even the mild Senator Morrill of Maine found it ‘truly most difficult to speak of the elements of Lincoln’s character without offending public sense.’ He was scorned, maligned, spat upon as a person lacking decision, character, intelligence and honor. He was an ape, a buffoon, a rascal of dirty mind and dirty jokes. He was held in low esteem by politicians and molders of public opinion" (pp 141-2).

Most people will never face the type of pressures that Abraham Lincoln faced during his Presidency. Just look at a photo of him before he became President and then look at one toward the end of his Presidency. The pressure of leading the nation through the Civil War is written all over his face. Everyone had an opinion about what should be done. The back stabbing and hatred that leaders sometimes face was in full swing. But Lincoln did not really worry about whether he was liked or not. He sought to do what he believed was best for the country. He once said, “I’ll do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right will make no difference” (Bishop pp 105-6).

We spend way too much time worrying about what people think of us. People sometimes change who they are based on what others think of them. Anyone who has ever led anything understands the pressure to conform. It does not matter if you coach a 5 year old T-ball team or if you pastor a church, there are always those who think they know how to do it better (it is strange, however, that most of them have never done it themselves nor or they willing to give it a try). It is often easier to compromise what you believe is right in order to get along with the people who disagree with you or who don’t like you. As followers of Christ, we must do what He has told us to do regardless of what others think of it. We must be willing to listen to wise counsel, but we must never compromise what we know to be right simply to please our critics. Jesus refused to do this with the Pharisees. We must refuse to do it as well. We must live our lives for an audience of One. Our sole passion must be to please Christ. “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or, do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10

The only evaluation that counts comes not at the end of the day but at the end of the age. It occurs not in the bleachers at a baseball field or at the back door of the church after the service. The only evaluation that counts takes place in heaven and it is done by Jesus Christ. Allow me to alter Lincoln’s quote with that in mind. If Christ is pleased with my life at the Judgment seat of Christ, then what is said against me won’t amount to anything. If Christ is not pleased with my life at the Judgment seat of Christ, then ten angels swearing I was right will make no difference.

Live for an Audience of One!

Don't Waste Your Life

2011-01-17T11:29:00.000-06:00

The sad fact is that many people waste their lives. We tend to take everything that God has given to us and consume it only for ourselves. A life lived only for oneself is a life of idolatry. That kind of life is a wasted life. Our lives should be lived with a passion for the glory of God. I read recently about a young lady who lived such a life. Her name was Brooke Bronkowski. When she was in middle school, she started a Bible study on campus. She used her babysitting money to buy Bibles to give away to her unsaved friends. Brooke did not live very long on this earth. She was killed in an auto accident at the age of 14. Her life, however, had a greater impact than many people who live to be 100. Brooke was determined not to waste her life and she did not. Her story can be found in the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan (p. 49). When she was 12, Brooke wrote the following essay:

Since I Have My Life Before Me

“I’ll live my life to the fullest. I’ll be happy. I’ll brighten up. I will be more joyful than I ever have been. I will be kind to others. I will loosen up. I will tell others about Christ. I will go on adventures and change the world. I will be bold and not change who I really am. I will have no troubles but instead help others with their troubles.

You see. I’ll be one of those people who live to be history makers at a young age. Oh, I’ll have moments, good and bad, but I will wipe away the bad and only remember the good. In fact that’s all I remember, just good moments, nothing in between, just living my life to the fullest. I’ll be one of those people who go somewhere with a mission, an awesome plan, a world-changing plan, and nothing will hold me back. I’ll set an example for others, I will pray for direction.

I have my life before me. I will give others the joy I have and God will give me more joy. I will do everything God tells me to do. I will follow the footsteps of God. I will do my best!!!”

Brooke’s life was short, but her impact was great. Over 200 students gave their lives to Christ at her funeral. The testimony of her life impacted them for Christ. What about your life? Have you impacted anyone for the kingdom of God? Your life is a gift from God. Don’t waste your life.

Be Ashamed to Die Until

2010-12-18T22:20:00.002-06:00

It all got started for me back in October. My in-laws 60th wedding anniversary was in October, and my brother-in-law had a great idea for a gift. My brother-in-law has been traveling on mission trips to Haiti for about 8 years. He went just a few days after the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010. He has a ministry relationship with a Haitian pastor, Pastor Kelly, who operates an orphanage. One of the other pastors who ministers at the orphanage lost his home during the earthquake. He has been living in a tent since the earthquake. The tent leaks badly, and he has to leave and seek shelter elsewhere everytime it rains. Ron has been helping rebuild a house for the pastor. He suggested that we all send money in honor of his parents for their 60th anniversary. He further suggested that we personally go to Haiti and help with the rebuilding.

On December 1, a team of 8 of us arrived in Haiti. Our building project had changed over the preceding 5 weeks. Others had already put a roof on the pastor’s home. As a result, our project shifted to constructing a building for the orphans to use as a school. For those of you who know me well (especially you, Joe), don’t worry. My role in this project was to move stuff around and lift things. My primary role on the trip was training pastors. I met with a group of about 50 Haitian pastors. Together, we learned about Biblical interpretation, preaching, the personal life of the pastor, and the doctrine of Christ. Allow me to share with you some of the things the Lord taught me.

The importance and power of prayer was the most important lesson. We saw several direct answers to prayer. My own personal praying was very intense. We prayed for protection from cholera and other diseases. We prayed for the equipment we needed to work on the building project. We prayed for healing for a translator that became sick. My own personal praying was very intense. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to use me as I taught the pastors. Jeremiah 33:3 became a living reality as we called to God, and He answered us. We needed scaffolding to do the construction project. No one knew where to find any. You have to understand that Haiti is an extremely poor country with very limited resources. We couldn’t even find a place to purchase a caulking gun. We got on our knees and prayed. My brother-in-law, Ron, led us in the prayer. He simply asked God to provide the scaffolding the next morning. We had scaffolding on the job site by the next afternoon. It was a direct and amazing answer to prayer. The Lord reminded me of the need to depend on Him and call out to Him. It’s so easy with our resources here in the United States to just take care of things ourselves and ask God later to bless what we do. It was different on this trip. If God did not come through, there was no other hope. I need to live with that same level of dependency upon the Lord every day of my life. I need to call to Him and trust Him to meet the need.

I had a great time with the pastors. They knew the Bible very well, and their questions pushed me to the limits of my knowledge. Their questions were deep and demonstrated a good understanding of the issues involved. I had not thought of some of their doctrinal questions since seminary. But the Lord is gracious, and He helped me to recall certain verses exactly when they were needed. I am thankful for the ministry of godly teachers who taught me so many years ago. I was thrilled to be able to be a part of carrying out 2 Timothy 2:2. Although I was prepared for the pastor training seminar, I felt unworthy to teach these men. They have suffered through so much. I felt as if I should sit at their feet and ask them to teach me how to serve God faithfully through the tough stuff of life. I pray the Lord will bless these dear servants of His as they minister in very difficult circumstances.

The Lord taught me about the importance of obedience during my journey to Haiti. I did not have the money to go on this trip. I prayed that if the Lord wanted me to go that He would supply the needed funds. He did within 1 week of that prayer. I knew that the Lord wanted me to go. As the time to leave for Haiti approached, conditions in Haiti continued to decline. The threat of cholera was constantly in the news. The political situation was unstable at best. Haiti held an election just 3 days before our trip. It seemed a certainty that there would be problems when election results were announced. Those results were announced just 1 day after I left Haiti and only a few hours after the rest of the team left Haiti. The country did erupt. There were protests in the streets and clashes with the U.N. Forces. The airport was closed. We got out just in the nick of time. My wife and daughter were both very uneasy about me going on the trip, but we all understood that it was the Lord’s will. I did not tell them until I returned, but I had a strange feeling before I left for Haiti that I would not be returning. My daughter told me later that she had the same feeling. There were many mixed emotions, but the will of the Lord was clear. When you know what God wants you to do, it is important that you do it. We must trust and obey as the old hymn says.

I was also reminded that the most important thing in life is the approval of the Lord. As a pastor, I have learned that it is impossible to please everyone. Some people are never satisfied no matter what you do for them. This is not true of the Lord. We can please Him. When we walk in obedience to His leading in our lives, we can hear the still, small voice of the Lord saying, “Well done!” I lived the past few months at a maddening pace. The relentless pace began to take its toll. I worked day after day with no break. I ignored the need for a Sabbath rest that the Lord built into creation. In spite of all the work, some people still demanded more. Some people believe that a pastor must be omnipresent like God. I have never really tried to live up to those types of expectations. I have always tried to simply do what the Lord wants me to do and let the chips fall where they may. For some reason, I went a different direction this fall. I tried to be that omnipresent pastor. By the time I left for Haiti, it had started to catch up to me. I must find a way to slow the pace soon, but I digress.

I tell you all that so you will understand the context of something the Lord did for me. The trip to Haiti came at a time when I was already physically and mentally exhausted. I knew it would be a demanding trip in both of those areas. As I sat in the airport in Port-au-Prince, I was tired and dirty. I had about 3 hours to wait for my flight back to the U.S.. As I sat there, I wrote down a few things about my trip, so I would remember to share them with my family. I suddenly had a deep sense of peace in my soul. It was the kind of peace that only comes from God. I sensed the Lord saying to me, “Well done!” I was satisfied with that. Ron had spoken the day before about the rest that God gives us down in our soul. I experienced it in the airport. Hebrews 4:9 says, “There remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God.” In that airport, the Lord refreshed my spirit. I wrote these words, “For the first time in months, I feel rest in my soul.” It was so wonderful to feel God’s approval. I thought about how wonderful it will be to hear a, “Well done,” from the Lord when we get to heaven. My experience in the airport made me desire to hear that, “Well done,” more than ever before. Let us serve the Lord faithfully so we will hear His voice of approval and affirmation when we get to heaven. What a tragedy to stand before the Lord knowing we lived our lives only for ourselves. Live today in such a way that you will hear a, “Well done,” one day. This leads me to my final thought.

Last week, my mother-in-law sent us a copy of a letter that Pastor Kelly sent her. It was a letter thanking her and her family for helping build what he called “The Moseley’s Home for Pastors.” It was a gracious letter, but it was the end of it that captured my attention. Pastor Kelly closed the letter with these words, “Be ashamed to die until you have scored a victory for mankind.” I knew instantly that those words were the best way to sum up our trip to Haiti. They are also a great challenge for how we should live our lives. As followers of Christ, we should be ashamed to die and stand before the Lord until we have made a difference in the lives of others. God placed us here and blessed us so we can share the gospel with others and minister to them in His name. There are people everywhere who need us to score a victory in their lives by witnessing to them, feeding them, and clothing them. When we do it for them, we actually do it for Jesus. Check out Matthew 25:31-40 if you have questions about that. In Haiti, we did score a victory for mankind and for the kingdom of God. We ministered to the very “least of these.” If you will open your eyes, you will see people all around you who need you to minister to them in the name of Christ. I challenge you to get out of the stands (or out of the pew) and onto the field. Score a victory in someone’s life for the Lord. The Lord is not going to reward us for sitting and watching other people serve Him. If you want to hear that, “Well done,” when you stand before the Lord, get in the game and help your team score a victory in someone’s life. I leave you with the words of Pastor Kelly, “Be ashamed to die until you have scored a victory for mankind.”

I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Give Thanks! Always!

2010-11-17T14:04:00.003-06:00

Now Thank We All Our God

“Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;

Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;

And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;

And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;

The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;

The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;

For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.”

This is one of those songs that we only sing in church on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. We stumble through it because it is sung so rarely. It normally takes us unto the third stanza to remember the tune again. By then it is over and filed away again until the next Thanksgiving. It is a song, however, that is worth a more in depth look. The song is a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. It speaks of “wondrous things” and “joyful hearts.” It speaks of the world rejoicing in God. It is a classic Thanksgiving hymn. The man who wrote these words must have been on top of the world. He must have found the happy side of life where everything is wonderful and the “skies are not cloudy all day.” If that’s what you think, then you need to understand the story behind the song. It will change the way you sing the song this Thanksgiving.

This song was written by a Lutheran pastor who ministered during the 1600’s. Martin Rinkart pastored in his hometown of Eilenberg, Germany. It was an extremely tragic time. Martin’s ministry took place during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). It was a time of bloodshed, disease, and death. Eilenberg was a walled city. Everyone wanted to live behind the safety of the walls. The city was plagued with overcrowding. The overcrowding lead to sanitation issues which lead to disease. The war and the disease claimed thousands of lives. At the height of the problem (1637), Pastor Rinkart was the only pastor left in the city. One pastor had left for a healthier place to live. Rinkart had buried the other two pastors who ministered in the city. During that terrible year, it is said that Martin Rinkart performed an average of 15 funerals a day. On some days, it was as high as 50 funerals. He buried over 5,000 people in that year alone. One of the funerals he conducted was for his dear wife. It was a dark time. It was a time of despair. It was the last place you would expect to find thanksgiving. But it was in that context that Martin Rinkart wrote the words to the hymn “Now Thank We All Our God.” He wrote it as a table grace for his children. He wanted to teach them the Biblical truth of giving thanks in every circumstance. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

It is not very difficult to be thankful when everything is going the way I want it to go. It seems, however, that thanksgiving disappears when difficulties appear in my life. I find it more difficult to praise the Lord when the skies are dark and my heart is overwhelmed with sorrow. The truth I need to practice more and more is that God is worthy of praise regardless of my circumstances. He is to be thanked in every situation (in every situation not for every situation). This is the lesson of Bro. Rinkart’s song. Give thanks to God regardless of your present circumstances. Go back and read the words of the hymn again. Think about the darkness and sorrow that surrounded him everyday. Out of that darkness came a bright light. “Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices…” If you walked in Martin Rinkart’s shoes, could you have written those words? Could I have written those words? We will never know for sure, but we can give thanks to God today regardless of our circumstances. He is worthy. Give thanks. Always.

The Boys of Fall

2010-10-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

This picture elicits an emotional response from me. It turns out it was the last time my two sons would ever play football together. Daniel is a senior. He is # 70 and plays center. David is a freshman. He is # 62 and plays right guard. The picture was taken during the next to the last game of the season. It has been a hard year for their football team. We lost about 6 starters off of a team of 17 high school players. David was forced to start as a freshman due to the number of injuries suffered this season. Unfortunately, David injured his knee during this game and had to miss the last game of the season. So this past week, I prepared myself to watch Daniel play in his last football game. I watched that game last night. Unfortunately, it was another loss. We finished the year with a record of 2-8. I would like to use this blog post to remind my boys of a few things. The rest of you can listen in if you would like.

I want you both to know how proud I am of you. It has been a joy to watch the two of you play side by side on the line of scrimmage this year. It is something I never expected to see, but it became a reality because of the team injuries. It did make it difficult at times to keep my eye on both of you. You both played hard. You both played with character and class. The season did not go as we hoped it would, but that is the way things sometimes turn out in life. Sometimes you play your guts out and still lose. There are circumstances that we all face in life that are beyond our control. I am proud of both of you for not giving up. You gave it your all every game.

You should know, however, that my pride in you really has very little to do with football. Football is a game. It is often greatly overestimated in its importance. People often say that sports builds character. I know there are many positive things that can be learned in sports, but there are also many people who play sports who have no character at all. Character (or the lack thereof) is revealed through sports. Character is built and formed by our connection to Christ and our obedience to the word of God. I have always told you to play hard but to also play with honor and character. You did that, and I am proud of you. But I am more pleased by the type of men that you are becoming. Football seasons come and go. Character lasts for life. The character that Christ forms in you will still be with you when you are 80.

It is also important to me that you keep things in proper perspective. Football can be fun to play. You should always do your best. But at the end of the day, football is just a game. It is not life or death. It is not war. It is a game. People sometimes get carried away about this game. One of the most popular songs this fall has been “The Boys of Fall” by Kenny Chesney. It is a song that stirs a lot of emotions for anyone who has ever played football. You both know that football has been a big part of our family. I played on 2 state championship football teams. I have coached both of you at some point in your playing career. We have watched film and worked hard. I have been a dad who was so football oriented that you will remember times that I made you run extra wind spirits after practice when I thought the coach did not make you run enough. I have rejoiced when you won and been disgusted when you lost. You know that better than anyone. You know I am intense about football.

I remind you of those things because I am about to correct the philosophy of a Super Bowl winning coach. In the “Boys of Fall” video, Sean Payton is addressing the football team at the high school where he used to play. Sean Payton is obviously a great football coach. He coached the Saints to a Super Bowl win earlier this year. He knows football but obviously comes up short when it comes to a Biblical philosophy of life. During the video, the coach is talking about the special feeling that you get when you play football on Friday nights. Coach Payton said, “That feeling goes away. It goes away and it doesn’t come every Friday night. It comes when you get married. It comes when your child is born. So you get it, but you just don’t get it every Friday night. You are going to miss that more than anything in the world.” Boys, take it from your dad. That is ridiculous talk. Don’t you believe it for a second. You will miss Friday night football. I still would like to play just about every time I attend a game. But to compare football to the feeling you get when you get married or when your child is born is just plain stupid. Sorry coach, but the truth is the truth. It is like comparing the pond down the street to the Atlantic Ocean. There is simply no comparison. If the feeling you got on Friday night is the same as the one you get when you get married or when your children are born, then you will have lived a pathetic life. It’s the tired old “these are the best years of your life” nonsense. These are good years. Enjoy them. But these are not the best years of your life. You have a lifetime of opportunities to serve the Lord ahead of you. Make the most of every day. The joy you got this past summer from carrying food to hungry people in Nicaragua is 1000 times better than any feeling you will ever get from a football game. It is something you can do at any point in your life. It is tied to faithful service to the Lord and not to a certain time period of your life. Life does not end after football or after high school. It has actually only just begun.

In football, sometimes people will call the other team the enemy. People who play on the other team are not your enemies. They are your opponents. You do have an enemy. He is known as Satan, and he will do his best to get you all through your life. You must resist him and stand fast in the faith. This is not a game or a joke. You have already seen firsthand what his handiwork will do in the lives of some of those you know. Every Friday night, it has been critical for you to wear your helmet and shoulder pads. It is even more critical that you dress yourself every day in the armor of God. It will protect you from the evil one.

Eph 6:10-18 – “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…”

Another quote from the “Boys of Fall” video is much more applicable to your lives than the first one. Near the end of the video, another coach addresses his team. He is not identified. He says, “On that day and at the end of your life, you look in the mirror and you know that I gave it all I had, and I gave it for a worthy cause.” He was talking about a football game. I want to challenge you to see the quote in a different way. You have been taught from the time that you were born that the kingdom of God is the most important thing in this life and in the next. It is my desire and earnest prayer that you will live your life for the Lord. I pray that you will be able to look into the mirror one day and know that you gave everything you had for the only true worthy cause of the kingdom of God. You are young now, and it is hard for you to imagine the end of your life. But each day that you live, you will have an opportunity to please the Lord and glorify him. If you live your life doing that each day, the end of your life will take care of itself.

Football is over for this year. For you, Daniel, it is over for the rest of your life. I have struggled the past couple of days coming to grips with that. I don’t know how I will ever make it through graduation.

Football is over, but life goes on. Keep on living for the Lord. The pressure to conform will be great. Keep standing strong. You both have been a part of the boys of fall. That is over. You have been for many years, however, boys of the Father. That lasts forever. Keep living so that at the end of the line you will hear your heavenly Father say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

For now, you should know that your earthly father is proud of you. I am not ashamed to look at anyone and say, “These are my sons in whom I am well pleased.”

Muddy Feet and Dirty Hair

2010-10-21T20:18:00.003-05:00

The most profound worship experience that I have had in long time occurred a few months ago. There are certain times when you become keenly aware of the presence of the Lord. You know beyond any shadow of a doubt that the Lord is speaking directly to you. This was one of those times. It occurred on a Sunday night in July. My three children were leading our church in worship. They had just returned from a mission trip to Nicaragua. It was not their first time to leave the country on a mission with God, but it was their first time to go without mom and/or dad. My wife’s brother led a team of young adults and youth to Nicaragua. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus going from village to village ministering to people and sharing the gospel. They had an incredibly hard week. It was both incredible and hard. They faced some extremely difficult circumstances. My brother-in-law has been on many missions trips. He was in Haiti just a couple of weeks after the earthquake in January of 2010. He has been to Cambodia and Vietnam. Out of all the trips he has undertaken, he said this trip to Nicaragua was the hardest one yet. But the Lord often blesses us abundantly when we are willing to forgo the easy paths in order to travel difficult ones. This team was able to feed the hungry and preach the gospel to the poor. They were able to see the first men come to Christ in a village church that only had seen women and children come to Christ. It was an incredible week.

As I sat and listened to them share their stories, I was filled with gratitude to the Lord. Many young adults and teens would have no interest at all in struggling through the mud in a remote area in order to get food and the gospel to people who need it. Yet my children begged to go and were bursting with excitement when they returned. The words of 3 John 4 ran through my mind, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” As they showed their pictures and told about their experiences, I laughed sometimes and wept sometimes. And then it happened. The Lord spoke to me through a passage and a picture that my daughter shared with us during the service. I knew immediately that the Lord was speaking to me.

A tropical storm had passed through Nicaragua before the mission team arrived. The mud was terrible. It was so bad in some points that the team had to walk in through the muck and mire and carry all the food they were taking to the village on their shoulders. They became human pack mules. The mud was so thick on the way to one village that their shoes kept coming off. They finally had to walk barefooted through it. People kept falling down in the mud and mess (yes there was lots of that too). They posed for a picture after that journey. You can see all the mud that is covering their legs and feet. This is the picture that was on the screen when my daughter began to tell about how the Lord spoke to her through this experience. The passage she used was Luke 7:36-50. It is the story of the woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped them with her hair. My daughter said the passage took on a whole new meaning for her after trudging through the mud. She reminded us of a Savior who got His feet muddy and a woman who got her hair dirty. God used it to speak directly to me. Suddenly I was no longer just sitting in a church looking at missionary pictures. Suddenly, I was worshipping the Lord Jesus.

We don’t often think of the feet of Jesus as being covered with mud and mess. I have never seen an artist’s rendition of Christ that showed Him with nasty feet. I have walked the streets of villages in Honduras on several occasions. It is impossible to navigate the area without getting mud and mess on your shoes. Jesus walked through this world without ever being stained with sin. But He did not walk through this world without getting dirt on His feet. He willingly waded into the muck of this world. He left the glory of heaven to walk the muddy paths of villages all over Israel. Jesus was a Savior who was willing to get His feet dirty in order to seek and to save that which was lost. (By the way, getting muddy was not the worst thing that ever happened to those feet). As I thought about this, I began to stand in awe of Christ in a fresh and powerful way. He is not a Savior who is distant and removed. He is God who became a man without ceasing to be God. He walked among sinners without ever sinning. But while walking where sinners walked, He certainly got muddy feet. God with muddy feet. Who would have ever thought it? As I thought about God in the flesh sitting at that table covered in nasty mud and mess, I worshipped. What a Savior!

The second part of the story from Luke 7 is about the woman who wiped those dirty feet of Jesus with her hair. This was a woman who was a known sinner in the area. Many believe she had probably been a prostitute. But she had been forgiven. She understood her sins against God were great. When Jesus forgave her, she knew that she had been forgiven much. She came to express her thanks. She came to worship. She was not ashamed to demonstrate her love for Jesus. She wept so much that her tears covered his feet. Then she knelt down and took her hair and began to wipe the dirt and mud from the feet of Jesus. It all sounds okay until you remember what his feet probably looked like. But that did not matter to this lady. She did not care about the mud, her hair, or what anybody thought about it. She was so grateful for forgiveness that she was willing to get her hair dirty for Jesus. It was a beautiful expression of love and worship. It was a wonderful expression of gratitude that shocked the people around her. The owner of the house thought it was inappropriate. He was more distant and shall we say formal in His approach to Christ. Jesus explained that the woman had been forgiven much and therefore loved much. This was the motivation for her extravagant worship.

As I sat there, I compared this woman’s worship to our own. It seems that our worship is often very cold and lifeless. It seems that we often come as spectators rather than participators. It became clear to me that night why that is often true. The problem is that we love little. We somehow have convinced ourselves that our sins are not as bad as the sins of certain other people. This is in direct conflict with the plain teaching of Scripture. The Bible says that if we keep all God’s law except one thing, then we are guilty of all. Every person who has been saved has been forgiven much. We may know this theologically, but the truth is that we simply don’t believe it in real life. Therefore, we love little because we believe that we have been forgiven little. This attitude shows up in our worship (or lack thereof). Many people won’t even sing for Jesus much less wipe His muddy feet with their hair. Worship flows from love. Love is rooted in forgiveness. If you think God’s forgiveness of you was a big deal, then you will love Him much. If not, you will love little. The difference will show in your worship and service to Christ.

I thank the Lord for using my 3 children to speak to me clearly. As I looked at those muddy missionary feet and was reminded of a God with dirty feet and a woman with dirty hair, I worshipped. I still stand amazed at a Savior who loved me enough to get mud on His feet. Those same feet were also pierced for my transgressions. If you really believe that, you will love Him with a fervent love. Do you love Jesus? You don’t have to answer. People will know by the dirt in your hair.

God's Word on Our Words

2010-09-30T17:31:00.002-05:00

On Sunday mornings, I am currently preaching through the book of James. James is Christianity in tennis shoes. He is very practical and very blunt. He allows for no middle ground when it comes to following Christ. One issue that keeps coming up throughout the book is the use of our tongue (speech, words, etc.). When you read what James says about the tongue, it becomes clear that many more people are claiming to follow Christ than are actually following Him. This week, instead of giving you my thoughts about an issue, I am going to give you God’s word about the tongue. The book of James mentions the tongue or things that we say in every chapter of the book. Here is a sampling of what God says to us about this matter in the book of James. Let each of us examine our lives in light of God’s word.

James 1:26
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.

James 2:14-17
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 3:1-12
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by @#!*% . For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

James 4:11-12
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

James 5:12
But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.

The Problem of Evil

2010-09-23T21:07:00.004-05:00

A couple of months ago I was asked some questions by someone who once professed to believe in Christ but now denies that belief. A friend of mine was originally asked the questions. They were forwarded to me for assistance with answering. The heart of the questions related to the problem of evil. If God knew that man would sin, then why did He create the world? The specific questions were about why God created Satan if He knew he would rebel. The subject of @#!*% was also a problem for this person. Why did God create @#!*% if He knew most people would end up there? The questions were not asked with an antagonistic tone. I believe the individual was genuinely seeking answers. I asked several people to pray for me as I prepared my answer. I also asked my church to pray for the individual who asked the questions. Several people have expressed a desire to read the answers I sent. I decided to include the answers in this blog. I have edited the answer in order to remove any personal information that would identify the individual who asked the questions. I also changed the name of the individual. Perhaps the answers will be helpful to someone who has the same questions or someone who is trying to help some struggling soul somewhere.Note: The blog will not allow the word for the place where lost people go to be posted. It is automatically making a substitution)

Bill,

I am pretty sure that I will not be able to answer your questions to your satisfaction. I will try, but the truth is that when we wonder about why God did something we can expect to some up short unless He specifically tells us why. God is infinite and I am finite. It is not logical to assume that the finite can fully grasp why the infinite would do something. This is not a cop out. It is not wrong to ask why. It is simply a statement of fact that there are certain things that we may never fully understand. This is true in science as well as religion. Does light consist of waves or particles? It has characteristics of both. Science cannot adequately explain how this can be. This does not, however, cause any scientist to disbelieve in light. They simply assume that there is an answer and they keep trying to find it. The same thing is true of God. We may not fully understand why God did something. It is important to understand that up front. This does not, however, cause me to disbelieve in God. I assume that there is an answer and I keep digging. Even If I never find an answer that fully satisfies me, I do assume that God knows the answer. I plan to keep turning on the light switch even if there are things I don’t understand about light. I will keep doing the same thing with God.

That said, however, your question is an excellent question. It shows that you are thinking about things on a deeper level. God is not afraid of that at all. The problems of evil, suffering, and @#!*% have been the subject of debates for centuries. Your question is basically a question relating to the problem of evil (or some form of that question). Why did God create a world in which evil was possible? (evil includes Satan, the sin of man, and the results of that sin which are death and @#!*% among other things). It is a question that has been used by atheists for years to argue that the God of the Bible cannot exist. The famous skeptic David Hume (1700’s) formulated an argument that goes like this.

1. Both God and evil are realities that truly exist.
2. If God were all-powerful, He could destroy evil.
3. If God were all-good, He would destroy evil.
4. Evil has not been destroyed.
5. Therefore, there is no all-good, all-powerful God.

You have backed the question up a step and asked why God created if He knew what the result would be. The argument there might be that the Bible presents God as a good God who knows everything. God created a world in which evil (Satan, @#!*% ) exists. Therefore, either God is not good (or He would not have created it), or God is not all-knowing (He did not know this would happen). The ultimate end of the argument, however, is that there really is not a God at all. Chuck Templeton was a famous evangelist who was a good friend of Billy Graham. Many thought he was the better preacher of the two. Chuck, however, rejected his faith. This man who had preached to thousands came to the point where he said the God of the Bible cannot exist. The problem of suffering and evil in the world is what ultimately led him to that conclusion. These are important questions. How you answer them will turn you toward God or away from Him.

The area of theology where answers are given on this subject is known as theodicy. It is a combination of two words. The word for “God” and the word for “justice.” Here theologians seek to give answers which defend the goodness of God in the face of the problem of evil. You can Google the word and look at it from almost every angle. Some will be good and some will not be good.

Now to your questions. Why did God create Satan? You are correct in your understanding that God did know that Satan would rebel. He knew this before He ever created him. God knows everything. He declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10). Nothing catches God by surprise. It is possible that God could have created Satan (and man) without the ability to make a true choice. But if God would have created that way, He would have also created angels and people without the ability to love. Love is a choice. True love is not something that can be forced. The ability to choose to love also has built into it the ability to choose not to love. The greatest commandment in the Bible is for us to love God with all our being (Matt. 22:37). The relationship that we have with God is a relationship based on love. That, by its own definition, requires that we be given the choice to not love God. When God created the angels, He created them with the ability to choose to follow Him or not. When God created mankind, He created us with the ability to choose to love Him or not. Why? Every true relationship with God requires love for God. God could have made robots, but He chose to create people instead. People that He loves. People who are called upon to love Him. But that love requires a choice.

So why did God create Satan if He knew that He would ultimately sin? I don’t know for sure. I do know that if God would have created Satan without the ability to choose, He would have also created him without the ability to love. Satan did choose to rebel. In doing so, He introduced evil into the universe. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice and holiness. He must punish sin. He created @#!*% as an eternal place of punishment for the devil and the angels that rebelled with Him (Matt. 25:41). This is actually the technical answer to your second question (although I understand it is not what you are really asking). God created @#!*% for the devil. He chose to rebel against God, so there must be a place for him to be eternally banished from the presence of God. He did not want to love God and live in heaven under His Lordship, so God made an eternal place of punishment for him. It is not difficult for most people at all to think of the devil spending eternity in @#!*% . He made his choice. He rebelled against God. He refused to love God and is getting what he deserves. Again, most people do not struggle with this thought. Why would God create him at all if He knew he would rebel and ultimately end up in @#!*% ? Again, I don’t know for sure. Perhaps, he was a part of the plan to provide a true choice to mankind. That is purely speculation because the Bible does not tell us why God created Satan. It only tells us that He did.

I think the real heart of your question revolves around why God would create people if He knew they would end up in @#!*% . God knew Adam and Eve would sin and that sin would result in the Fall of creation. So why not create them without the ability to sin? Well, that takes us back to the issue of love. Love requires a choice. God created man with the ability to love Him. This also required the ability to choose not to love Him. So the choice then becomes either to create man or not to create man. God chose to create. It was a good choice. The Scripture said that God’s evaluation of everything after creation was that it was very good (Gen. 1-2). So what God created was good. The way He created it was good. Everything about it was good. So what happened? Who messed it all up? We did. Mankind, that is. Man chose (there’s that word again) to rebel against God. That sin brought death, suffering, and pain into the world. It was not God or even Satan who is responsible for that choice. Man is responsible. The sin of Satan introduced evil into the universe but it did not introduce death into this world. The Bible makes it very clear that sin and its consequences entered the world through Adam (Roman 5:12). Even Satan is not ultimately responsible for this. Yes, he was the tempter, but he has no power to force us to do anything. He did play a role by lying to Eve. But she chose to believe the lie. We do what we do because we choose to do it. We are responsible. This means that nobody will be in @#!*% because of Satan’s choice. People go to @#!*% because they choose to reject God and go their own way. That is at the heart of sin. We are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). Among other things, this means that man is eternal. We have a beginning but no end. Our soul will live forever. This is different from the animals. So God created man with the ability to choose to love Him or not love Him. Man chose to sin against God. You are created in the image of God and can’t just be snuffed out. Your soul was created to live forever. What should God do with those who reject Him? Justice demands that He do the same as with the angels who rebelled against Him. If you rebel like the devil did, you suffer the same fate as He did. God could not be just and allow those who reject Him into heaven. Why would they want to spend eternity with a God they did not want while on earth? G. K. Chesterton said, “ @#!*% is God’s great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the dignity of human choice.” We resist people who try to force us to do things we don’t want to do. Why then would we want God to force us to love Him? God gives man the ability to choose and then He respects that choice. People who end up in @#!*% do so because they choose that path.

I think there is something very important missing from your train of thought. I think you are forgetting about the cross. God does not want people to go to @#!*% . He certainly knows that many will, but that is not His desire. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God’s plan of salvation included Himself, in the person of Christ, becoming the ultimate victim of sin and suffering. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God come in the flesh. It also tells us that Jesus suffered the full penalty of sin. He bore in His own body all of the sin and sorrow that this world ever knew. This means that He suffered more than anyone else ever has or will. A person may suffer for his sins and even pay that price forever. Jesus suffered the full penalty for the sins of all men who ever lived. This raises an even more difficult question than the ones you have asked. Why would God create a world in which He knew He would become the ultimate victim of man’s choice to sin? I don’t know the answer. I do think, however, that God must have had a pretty good reason for creating things as He did if He was willing to suffer the ultimate agony Himself. He must have considered creating the world a better alternative than not creating it because it cost Him dearly to create.
God is a God of justice. He must judge sin. But God is also a God of love. He came in the person of Christ and took the punishment for our sins upon Himself. He did this to provide a way for us to come back to Him. This is pure love. God does not want us to go to @#!*% . Jesus went to the cross so we would not have to go there. If I choose not to love this God who died for me, if I choose to reject the One who died for my sins, I am choosing the path that leads to @#!*% . That is my fault, not God’s fault. This leads us to an obvious conclusion. I may not understand why God did certain things or created us in a certain way. But if I end up in @#!*% , the blame will all be mine.

As to your question about believing (the lukewarm comment). I would say that if you do not believe in Christ then it profits noting to pretend that you do. Remember a true relationship with God requires love. Love that is faked is useless. Salvation is the result of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). It is much more than saying a prayer when you were seven. It is either a reality in your heart or it is not. If it is not, then I encourage you to closely examine the claims of Jesus. If you turn away from Him and are wrong, the consequences are grave. With that said, I do not think anyone should say they believe simply to cover their bases. It has to be the clear conviction of your heart for it to matter anyway.

You mentioned that you no longer believe that all of this God/Jesus stuff is real. There is one issue that you can examine that will help you if you do it with an open heart. It is the resurrection of Christ. Christianity rises or falls on the reality of the resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead then none of this stuff is real. But if Christ arose from the dead then that authenticates His message. By the way, He believed in creation, Satan, and @#!*% . So all of that would be real if He was who He claimed to be. He predicted that He would rise again (John 2:19-21). Either He did or He didn’t. If you take the information that both believing and unbelieving scholars agree is factual and investigate it like a detective, you will discover that the resurrection is actually the most plausible explanation of what happened. A couple of books that will help you in investigating the case for Christ and for the resurrection are The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel and The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas. Not everything in the last book will interest you, but most of it will. I also encourage you to read the book of John in the Bible. If you really want to know the truth about whether it’s real or not, then these resources will be good starting points. I am assuming you do want to know or you would not have asked the questions.

Finally, I want you to know that I will be praying for you. I am also open to any questions that you may have about these issues or any others. I do not believe that God is threatened by questions. I do not always know the answers, but I am willing to give it a try.

Saturdays and Sundays in the Fall

2010-09-16T15:49:00.003-05:00

In my home state, weekends are dominated by two things: football and church. Saturday is a day set aside for college football. The two best known teams in my state are Auburn and Alabama. Jordan-Hare Stadium and Bryant-Denny Stadium cast long shadows over the state. Sunday is the Lord’s Day. Churches are found everywhere in Alabama. You can drive down almost any road and eventually you will see a church. On Saturdays and Sundays, it’s football and worship. I have noticed, however, that these two days are radically different from each other. Think with me about the typical Saturday and the typical Sunday on any given fall weekend in Alabama.

Saturday

Things are not so good on Saturdays in Alabama. There was a time when the stadiums were packed with passionate fans, but that day has long since passed. The stadiums today are half-filled with people. Fans sit as high in the upper deck as possible. The lower sections and the front rows are left basically empty. Both Auburn and Alabama have tried to entice more fans to the games by the elimination of ticket prices. All you have to do is show up and you can get into the game. The coaches and cheerleaders have desperately tried to get those who do come to move closer to the action. But alas, the front rows remain empty and the stadiums are half-filled. If it rains, it’s even worse. As one fan said, “Who would sit in the rain to watch a football game?”

The scene at the games is a sight to behold. The band marches into the stadium playing a funeral dirge written in 1867. As they march, they are out of step and playing off key. I don’t think many of them ever show up for band practice. The cheerleaders try in vain to get the crowd excited. They are met mostly with silence and awkward stares. If the team happens to score a touchdown, there might be some light applause, but most people refrain from showing any emotion at all. Commentators have discussed what type of message this sends to the younger generation. They fear that young people will begin to think that football is not something to be excited about.

Speaking of the younger generation, not many of them attend the games. People in the stands are mostly from the older generation. If not for them, the football programs at both Auburn and Alabama would have been shut down long ago. I recently heard an interview on ESPN with a man in his 40’s. He explained why he was not interested in football games. He said, “When I was a child, my parents forced me to go to football games. I hated those games. They were so boring. I swore that when I got old enough to make my own decisions, I would never go back to another one. I certainly would not make my children go to games.” During the interview, the man could still remember some things about the game of football. He demonstrated knowledge of some of the plays and formations. His son, however, was not able to distinguish a football from a basketball.

The game itself is also different than it used to be. In the past, the goal at both Auburn and Alabama was to win games. That is no longer the case. The teams are disorganized. No one seems to know what is going on. Quite frequently, the offensive line runs a different play than the backfield. At one game last week, an argument broke out in the huddle. After 5 delay of game penalties, the problem was discovered. The running back refused to run the play that was called. He said that his grandfather and father had both been running backs at Alabama. He had been there himself for 4 years, and no one could make him run that play. The game was stopped for 30 minutes while Coach Saban tried to gently convince the running back to run the play that was called. After the game, Coach Saban was in tears during his post-game interview. He said that the running back had his feelings hurt and was threatening to leave the team. Coach Saban said, “If he will just stay with the team, he can run whatever play he wants to run. I never meant to hurt his feelings. I don’t really care if our team wins or loses; I just want to make sure that we don’t offend anyone.”

The length of the games has also been changed. It is not reasonable to expect people to watch a game for more than an hour. They used to last longer than that, but that was in a different era. Now all games start at 11 a.m. and end at 12 noon. At about 11:50, people begin to fidget around and look at their watches. Last year, one Alabama game lasted until 12:30. Some people were so angry that they refused to come back as long as Coach Saban was still around. One angry fan was steaming as he left the stadium, “If they can’t do what needs to be done in the game in an hour, then I am not coming back.”

When Coach Chizik and Coach Saban were hired a few years ago, they naturally thought they would be the leaders of their respective teams. They began to install their own brand of offensive and defensive strategies. In fact, in their first few games, they actually dared to call their own plays. This soon changed. After the third game, Coach Chizik was met in the locker room by some angry fans. He was informed that the Auburn Football Constitution and Bylaws did not allow him to change the type of offense and defense that the team runs. “We were running this offense before you got here and we will be running it long after you are gone!”

Actually, the play calling is a very complicated matter. The coach gives his suggestion to the quarterback, but there are others who actually make the call. There is the offensive line committee, the tight ends committee, the wide receivers committee, the quarterback committee, and the running backs committee. They actually call the plays. They don’t often talk to each other about which plays they will run. In fact, they often call different plays at the same time. The line blocks one direction and the backs run the ball the other way. The coach rarely knows what play has been called. He is basically there to visit players when they are injured and to give pep talks before the games.

Both teams once had a coach that actually got the team on the same page and helped everyone to focus as a team on the goal of winning. Some fans still remember Shug and the Bear. The players all ran the same plays. The stands started to fill up with new fans. Passion and excitement started to be a part of the games again. Both teams had several outstanding seasons. After these coaches moved on, however, the season ticket holders decided that they would never allow a coach to run the team like that again. Now coaches come and go about every 3 or 4 years. Neither team has had a winning season in years. But as long as Coach Chizik or Coach Saban don’t try to change the way we do football down here in Alabama, no one seems to mind the losing. After all, it’s only football.

Sunday

Sundays are radically different from Saturdays in my home state of Alabama. Sunday is by far the most exciting day of the week. It’s worship time in Alabama! Excitement begins to build early in the week. The worship service is the talk of the town. From the grocery store to the barber shop, people can’t stop talking about it. Some people actually show up at the church a day or two early just to hang out and fellowship around the grill. And you have never seen anything like it when Sunday finally arrives.

Lines start forming about 4 hours before the worship service. People get there early to try and get a front row seat. They sing and shout to the Lord well before the service ever begins. The worship center is always filled to overflowing. It does not matter what the weather is like or what else is going on in the area. God is the most important thing to people here and our commitment to Him is clearly visible every week. The crowds have been so big that some churches have been forced to sell tickets for the worship service. It seems that people don’t mind paying $60 for a seat because they keep coming back. I heard that one guy sold his ticket to the Christmas service for $1,000. Those who can’t get tickets each week stay home and watch the service on T.V. It is not the same as being at the worship service in person, but at least it is something.

The atmosphere inside the worship center is electrifying. When the choir enters the building, people spontaneously stand to their feet and cheer. It always takes a while to calm them back down so the service can get started. But who can blame them for their excitement. It is God that we are praising after all. People sing with enthusiasm and passion. They want the Lord to know how much they love Him and how much they appreciate His gift of salvation. The services normally last about 3 hours each week. Sometimes a little longer if the Spirit is really moving. No one sleeps. No one looks at their watch. No one leaves early. People say that they were so into the worship that the time seemed to fly by. The singing is exciting. The preaching is straight from the Bible. The people can never seem to get enough. They are always wanting more and more.

Every person who is a member of the church clearly understands its purpose. They not only understand it, but they are radically committed to seeing its mission accomplished. Part of the reason the church is so successful is that its members are willing to sacrifice their own preferences for the good of the whole church. The pastor and staff lead a group of people who are committed to the cause. Everyone is eager to serve. People willingly work together and use their spiritual gifts in service to the Lord. No detail is left unattended. Because the Lord is the center of it all, everything is done with excellence and from the heart. Change is expected and welcomed. People don’t care who gets to do what or who gets the credit for it, they just want to make sure that their church is fulfilling the Great Commission. They want to please the Lord and honor Him.

The excitement and commitment of the church members is very attractive to those who don’t know the Lord. They flock to the worship services to see what all the excitement is about. They don’t mind the lines and the parking issues. They just want to see what it is that has so changed their friends and neighbors. If they can’t get in, they hurry home to watch the service on T.V. They will be sure to arrive earlier the next week. The excitement is so contagious that all age groups flock to the worship services. Grandfathers, fathers, and sons all share in the same worship experience.

At the end of the service, people are so eager to respond that they normally rush forward to make their commitment to the Lord. One Sunday, they even carried off the pulpit. Fearing that people might be injured, some churches now have their security personnel form a line in the front of the worship center just before the pastor finishes his message. This makes the invitation time more orderly and safer for everyone. People have been known to stay in the worship center for hours after the service is over. They keep shouting praises to the Lord and don’t want to leave.

Yes, Saturdays and Sundays are very different in my home state of Alabama. Come and visit us down here on any weekend during the fall and you will see it for yourself. On Saturday, you can attend a lifeless football game in a half empty stadium in either Auburn or Tuscaloosa. Don’t worry about getting there early; there will be plenty of seats. On Sunday, you can experience the thrill and excitement of worship at any number of churches. Just make sure you get there a few hours early if you want to get a seat. We may not care much about football, but we take worship seriously down here. Come and experience it for yourself. There is nothing like it!

Should Christians Burn the Quran?

2010-09-09T17:19:00.002-05:00

It is not every day that a small church in the United States becomes the center of a worldwide controversy. For the most part, churches are ignored by our political leaders and by the news media. That has certainly changed in recent weeks. The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, has been on the lips of everyone from President Obama to General David Petraeus. The church of about 50 members has declared September 11, 2010, as “International Burn a Koran Day.” They are planning to burn Qurans on that day to commemorate the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The President has urged pastor Terry Jones to cancel the Quran burning. He said it is contrary to American values and will endanger our military men and women. General Petraeus, the U.S. ground commander in Afghanistan, agrees. He said the act of burning the Quran would definitely endanger our troops. Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin said burning the Quran was “antithetical to American ideals.” It may be the first time that President Obama and Governor Palin have agreed on anything. The State Department has instructed U.S. embassies around the world to assess their security ahead of the planned burning on September 11.

So what about it? Should this church burn copies of the Quran?

This church has every right to burn copies of the Quran if they choose to do so. This is the United States of America. It is the “land of the free.” In our country, freedom of religion is guaranteed by our Constitution. This is what makes our country different from countries like Iran or Saudi Arabia. The Dove Outreach Center has the right to burn Qurans, Bibles, or even the Constitution of the United States. For years, the political left has argued for the “wall of separation between church and state.” In this case, it seems that they are now ready and willing to breech that wall. The government must not become involved in prohibiting the free exercise of religion. If this church believes that burning a Quran is in some way an exercise of their religious beliefs, then they have a right to burn a Quran. It will violate no civil or criminal laws in our country. So yes, this church has the right to burn the Quran.

But that was not the question I asked. The question was not about their right to do it. The question was, “Should they burn the Quran?” The answer is simple. Absolutely not! It will serve no useful purpose. It will cause much harm. Our goal is not to make statements about Islam. Our goal, as followers of Christ, is to win Muslims to faith in Jesus Christ. Why would any church want to offend people that Christ has commanded us to reach? The Muslim world will view this church’s burning of the Quran as being representative of Christianity in general. It will only stir up more hatred against us. It will cause persecution of Christians in Muslim nations to intensify (if that is even possible). It will damage the work of missionaries who are witnessing to Muslims around the world. It will put our troops at even greater risk. It will be used as a recruitment tool for Islamic terrorists around the world. The Bible commands us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Burning the Quran will burn many bridges to our evangelistic efforts among Muslims. It should not be done.

In case you are wondering, I am not one who has fallen for the line that Islam is a religion of peace. Islam is not a religion of peace. It has spread by the sword since its inception. It is a religion that tells its adherents to kill the infidel. Suicide bombers and airplane hijackers kill many innocent people. These people are operating in harmony with what Islam teaches. They are not just some kooky fringe element. They are honored as heroes among many in the Islamic world. I recognize that there are many Muslims who are peaceful, but Islam is not a religion of peace. The fact that so many are concerned about violence as a result of the Quran burning clearly demonstrates the point. Christians are killed every day in Muslim countries. It is a death penalty offense to evangelize Muslims or to convert from Islam. Bibles are banned and probably have been confiscated and burned. The embassies of Saudi Arabia or Iran do not need to be put on high alert after a Christian is killed in their country. They know that there will be no violent protests like the ones that will happen if the church in Florida goes through with their plans. Admittedly, there are professed Christians who do evil and violent things in the name of Christ. Their actions, however, are contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. He taught us to share His gospel with people all around the world.

I read recently about a missionary who worked among Muslims in Africa. One of his converts started a church in his village. Several people came to Christ as a result of the bold witness of this church. The chief and people of the village were enraged by the evangelistic efforts of these new Christians. They destroyed the church and tried to burn the Bibles. The pastor and his people were banished to live as nomads. If they returned to the village, it would be under penalty of death. In spite of the hatred and death threats, the new Christians still had a burden for the people of their village. A great need in that village was the need for clean water. The people had to travel about 4 hours to get water. It was not clean and many sicknesses resulted. The new believers along with the help of a mission agency paid for a well to be drilled to provide water for those who had persecuted them. The well is located less than 100 yards from the site of the small church hut that the villagers destroyed. The chief and his people could not believe it. They were so grateful for the well that they lifted the death penalty and now the new believers are welcomed into the village. No one has professed faith in Christ yet, but they are much more open to the gospel than they were before.

The Dove Worldwide Outreach Center should follow the example of these former Muslims who suffered severe persecution. Although they have a legal right to burn the Quran as citizens of the United States, they should not do it. They will only make things harder for our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. This church also has the right to raise money to pay for a well to be drilled in a Muslim village in Africa. No one would object to that. Burn a Quran or drill a well? Which will open more doors for the gospel? What would Jesus do?

A Must Read!

2010-08-29T21:34:00.002-05:00

The best book I have read in a long time is Radical by David Platt. Bro. Platt is the pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a must read for every disciple of Jesus Christ. It seems that it is easy for us to ignore what Jesus actually said to us and substitute in its place a religious version of the American dream. The book is Biblical, penetrating, and very convicting. It is a message that the church in America desperately needs to hear. The book is a reminder that Jesus has called us to follow Him. A lifestyle of following Jesus will appear very radical in an affluent culture like the one in which we live. “How Much is Enough?” is the title of the sixth chapter. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. The chapter describes American wealth in a world of poverty. The question naturally arises, “How can we keep spending all this on ourselves while the world in which we live is lost and dying in poverty?” The Lord used this book to help me to see certain things more clearly. It caused me to think, pray, laugh, and grieve. It is a true eye opener. One story that the Lord used to speak to me is found on pages 15 and 16. Bro. Platt wrote:
"I remember when I was preparing to take my first trip to Sudan in 2004. The country was still at war, and the Darfur region in western Sudan had just begun to make headlines. A couple of months before we left, I received a Christian news publication in the mail. The front cover had two headlines side by side. I’m not sure if the editor planned for these particular headlines to be next to each other or if he just missed it in a really bad way.
On the left one headline read, 'Baptist Church Celebrates New $23 Million Building.' A lengthy article followed, celebrating the church’s expensive new sanctuary. The exquisite marble, intricate design, and beautiful stained glass were all described in vivid detail.
On the right was a much smaller article. The headline for it read, 'Baptist Relief Helps Sudanese Refugees.' Knowing I was about to go to Sudan, my attention was drawn. The article described how 350,000 refugees in western Sudan were dying of malnutrition and might not live to the end of the year. It briefly explained their plight and sufferings. The last sentence said that Baptists had sent money to help relieve the suffering of the Sudanese. I was excited until I got to the amount.
Now remember what was on the left: “First Baptist Church Celebrates $23 Million Building.” On the right the article said, “Baptists have raised $5,000 to send to refugees in western Sudan.”
Five thousand dollars.
That is not enough to get a plane into Sudan, much less one drop of water to people who need it.
Twenty-three million for an elaborate sanctuary and five thousand dollars for hundreds of thousands of starving men, women, and children, most of whom were dying apart from faith in Christ.
Where have we gone wrong? How did we get to the place where this is actually tolerable?"

How indeed?