A New Year with the Same Old Tune

As we enter this New Year I am forced to wonder… Will anything really change in the New Year? We have a new president, with old ideas. We have another chance to start anew, yet we are doomed to fail because we are beginning just as we have countless times before. History always repeats itself because the starting point, mankind, is flawed and weak. We continuously look to redefine ourselves and change the way we are, but we cannot… Man cannot change his own nature for he is sinful. Sin can no more produce righteousness than darkness can produce light. Our nature and God's nature are opposites that do not attract. Man must be changed from within, reborn, with a new nature. Romans 3:10, 5:8

A Christ sent spiritual rebirth is the only thing that can save this nation from the path it is on. Yet, we have banned Christ from every aspect of our culture, government, schools, and lives. How can we expect to have a truly "Happy New Year" when our one savior is shunned and scorned in our society? We cannot! I fear that I have heard this song before. This is the song of New Year's resolutions, partying, infidelity, fornication, drunkenness, debauchery, lies, stealing, and greed.

No… This will not be a Happy New Year, just a painful imitation of years gone by.

May God save us from ourselves…

Assimilating the Gospel

The more I look at my fellow believers, the more I am disgusted. Not because I am some saint but because of the low bar we seem to set for Christians these days. We seem to tolerate so many sins that Christians are no longer distinguishable from the lost world we are called to bear witness too. We are comfortable with our "version" of Christianity, we seem to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. We change our beliefs based upon of feelings and emotions, not because of the truth in God's word.

Our problem goes far beyond denominations or translations; it is because we have not assimilated the gospel. The gospel cannot have its full effect unless it has been assimilated into the lives of believers. The gospel should shape and redefine our very existence. We no longer live for ourselves but for the God we serve and the witness we live out in front of others. Somewhere in the journey through the centuries, Christianity has lost this. We can no longer afford to order the gospel by our lives. We must begin to order our lives by the gospel, or the blood of the entire world will be on our hands…

Recession Proof Christmas

I heard recently that this Christmas was going to be an abysmal failure because of the current economic crisis. After listening to the report, all I could feel was an immense sadness. Apparently at some point in the past we decided that celebrating the virgin birth of the Christ wasn't good enough. Now we are so consumed with materialism and greed we have constructed around Christmas that we have forgotten the free gift of the Messiah to this lost and decaying world. Christ came to this earth and took on flesh so that we may know Him. Instead of honoring the Son of Man for His sacrifice, we spit upon His name every time we replace His love with the empty promises of this world.

True Christmas hasn't ever been, and will never be dependent on how much we spend on each other, feeding our greed. It is about the Father sending His only Son to this sinful earth to be the eternal sacrifice for our sins, back to the Father. If anything else is added to this, it is heresy and is straight from the lying, twisted mind of Satan.

I Could Not Ask For More

Grace, Mercy, Love, Patience, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence… These are the attributes of God that I find so amazing, so totally other. For God is the beginning and the end; all and everywhere. He is without beginning or end, without boundaries or limits. God has given us more than our dreams can imagine. I could not ask for more, because I cannot fathom more than God or His gifts to us.

But of these attributes there is one that is more amazing than all the rest. The fact that God sees all of eternity, knows all about eternity, and can change, manipulate, or destroy the universe/existence at will is not the most amazing attribute of God, however amazing. It is the fact that He loved us in spite of knowing, seeing, and being able to do all. He sent His son, Jesus, to die for our sins because He loved us. But He loved us while being able to literally do anything. There is nothing that required God to offer us salvation except that His love demanded it be made so. As scripture says "Love overlooks a multitude of sins". In this case God overlooked not just a multitude of sins, but our sin nature. "He made him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, that we may become the righteousness of God".

Amazing Love!

Made for More

One of the most saddening subjects I can think of is that of unrealized potential. It seems we have so many people living out ordinary lives, striving for ordinary goals, in a world that is begging for something extraordinary. We have settled for so much less than what we could be. We have prostituted ourselves to the carnal and temporal things of existence, rather than setting our sights on something much higher and nobler, the things of eternity. I often ask myself, Is this all there is? Or stating, There must be more than this. Then I must remind myself that there is! DL Moody once said that the world has yet to see a man or woman that is completely sold out to Christ, and I agree. We are called to lives as witnesses' in the glory and truth of Christ. We ARE made for more! We are called to change the world! With love and truth on our sides, there is no force than can stand against us. Not because of who we are, but because of the love of Christ we are called to show and the truth of Christ we are called to proclaim.

Depravity, Foolishness, Pride, and the Games Christians Play

The church is in decline, and we wonder why… In my previous job I came in contact with "Christians" on a daily basis. I got to see, up close and personal, how and why the church is declining.(My friend Matt knows what I am talking about) I however no longer ask, How? I now ask, Why? The How? Is a easily answerable: Depravity, Foolishness, Pride, these are the games we play. But Why? This question is not as easily answered.

When members of local churches come in and talk down to you as if they own you and you are beneath them. As if they have reached the insurmountable pinnacle of being a good "Christian" and they deserve your respect. Why?

When a pastor comes in the door: nose in the air, spouting off religious dogma, acting as if he has "arrived", as if you owe him something. Then an attractive lady walks by him, he instantly begins to "check her out". He moves from head to breast to buttocks, then repeats as necessary to ensure that he has "gotten the full view". As she notices him looking, he smiles and turns away. Why?

How?, is explained by our sin nature due to the fall, but why?, cuts to the heart of our Christianity. We Christians (more accurately translated, church goers) love to play the little game of public opinion. As long as people think we are nice, good, happy (insert whatever adjective you wish) we are content. We no longer focus on the heart, the inside, the soul. Character is no longer important it is what people see that we hold in high esteem.

We have become a church of sell-outs, fakes, imposters, and liars. We mock the truth of God with our lives, in 2 ways.

1. We mock the truth in the imitation Christianity we profess
   
2. We mock the truth in the pseudo-regeneration in our hearts we proclaim as genuine
   

Doctrine is now proclaimed as un-important and relative at best.
Conversion is now professed as a non-binding personal choice with no exterior implications.
Witness is now perverted into being a "good" person and doing good things to curry God's favor.

It is no wonder the church is in decline.

Latte Christianity

At this moment I am sitting in the middle of a local coffee shop. Conversation surrounds me with topics varying between today's events to playing online first person shooter games to the recent election. I listen and watch as the people around me are utterly consumed in their lives. They think not of tomorrow but only of today. They dwell on the moment and it dictates their emotions. They judge the world only through their tangible senses, scheming ways to intensify the pleasurable senses, and deaden the painful ones. I find myself feeling pity for these people, for they have not the same perspective on the world as I have. Many here are placing all their hopes for the future in a man. They talk of this man as if he is otherworldly, above us; as if he is from another planet that "gets this funky high on a yellow sun". He is their leader and they will follow him anywhere, because he promises the one thing they want… Change

They know not my Savior or His promises. Even if they know of His promises they are not reality, from their perspective. Christ's promises are so remote, so distant, so… relative. Truth is not something that is absolute to these people, it is something to be molded and mashed to fit the person. Tailor made for you and you only. One man's truth is another man's lie. Somehow this makes sense to them, but it is foreign to me. The church has failed these people, Christians have failed these people, I have failed these people…

Abba Father, can we ever recover from the selfishness of our pride? Can we change the world in the way that it needs to be changed? Will we ever win back the right to speak the truth in love to these people, after all that we have done? Will we once again be able to make a difference?

On the Mountains, In the Valleys

We who call ourselves believers often seek comfort from many different outlets. We will call: friends, neighbors, relatives, counselors, shrinks, psychiatrists, psychologists, and even psychics, before we will call on The Almighty, Jehovah God. Scripture tells us that He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother; that He will never leave us or forsake us. We must remember that the Bible is God's message to His beloved (us). In times of crisis and un-certainty we can do no better that to "Lean on the Everlasting Arms". We as believers and as a nation would do well to heed this, lest we never rise from the valley to be on the mountain. To truly live in the freedom Christ died for and promised us. To live as Christ…

Who Am I?

So many Christians are so consumed with themselves, that their witness in this world has been destroyed. Gone are the times in which we considered ourselves our brother's keeper. Gone are the days in which we were just fellow Christians worshipping the: One, True, Holy God. We are more concerned with peoples' appearance than their hearts; with their prestige, than their souls. Scripture tells us that: "our righteousness is as filthy rags". Romans 3:10 says, "There is none who are good, no not one". God owes us no favors, yet we cannot repay His grace and mercy. I submit that Christians, whether individually or collectively, will never be the influence we are called to be unless, we have a true biblical understanding of who we are. We are sinful, depraved, ungodly, filthy rags. And yet Christ came and died for us in spite of ourselves. Humbling…

Living a Resurrected Life in a Fallen World

I once heard a quote but I don't remember who said it (sorry whoever did). But it went something like this: "The reason the church is so ineffective is because when the world looks at the church, it doesn't see Christ, it merely sees a reflection of itself."
Why is it that we care more about the color of carpet, than the state of a sinner's soul?
Why is it that we care more about who is in "charge", than letting Christ lead us?
Why is it that we care more about who gets to bring the potato salad, than who is actually fulfilling the great commission?
Why is it that we care more about sitting around and talking about a problem, than actually doing something about it?
Why is it that we care more about spreading the latest gossip of the church, than pouring our hearts out to Jesus in prayer?
Why is it that we care more about reading the latest "Christian" romance or leadership novel, than reading the eternal Word of God?
Too many Christians have received that glorious spiritual resurrection but have continued to live as a children of the world. Instead of tyring to "be separated" we try to assimilate our old ways and put a spiritual twist on them.
Modern Christianity has reached a most crucial breaking point. We care more about the latest John Maxwell or Karen Kingsbury book than the eternal Word and the lost souls that it was meant for.
Assimilation does not work in the Christian life, only separation. We cannot reconcile the claims of scripture and live the lifestyle that so many of us "Christians" live. We cannot mash God into some 5 minute prayer and bible reading and expect Him to be pleased or to grow spiritually.
Considering this, we have now reached the point of no return. We as the body of Christ must grab hold to God's word, stand firm on it's promises and say "The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!" We must not wish or hope or dream for America to return to the ways of it's forefathers.
That is called apathy, and apathy is a sin! We must go forth boldly proclaiming the truth and love of Christ and His word, the bible.
False promises and fuzzy feelings of hope will not change America, or the world. Eventually reality will set in, then anger and hostility will ensue.
We must go forth and proclaim the truth of scripture, and let that truth change lives through the workings of the Holy Spirit.
There is no conference, program, nation, idea or man that will accomplish this needed change, only Christ!

What Have We Become?

What have we become, but a self-indulgent people?
What have we become, tell me where are the righteous ones?
What have we become, in a world degenerating?
What have we become?

These words recorded by dc talk, more than 10 years ago ring out as clearly today as they did then. We have perverted Christianity to be a mere shadow of what it truly is and once was. Today Christ is not on the throne of our heart and lives. Our prideful, self-righteous, sinful, unholy, depraved carnal will rules the day. We no longer honor Christ with our lives, but we mock Him with it. We no longer care what it means to truly be a Christian, we just want to feel good when we lay our head down at night. We no longer care about right and wrong, we just blend it together in what we call relativism. We no longer seek truth, we hide it with post-modernism.
We have become a new creature, just not the new creature Christ died to create in us.
We have become a society, culture, nation, race, and yes religion that allows the murder of unborn children, homosexuality, adultery, promiscuity, murder, genocide, tyranny...
Need I say more?
We who call ourselves Christians have turned "Christianity" into a: slogan, banner, mantra, phrase, status symbol, basically an idea that satisfies the moment. Instead of a change that lasts a lifetime.

Father forgive us for we know not what we do...

What have we become?