Accept the Gift

‎"There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside...there is none who does good... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Ro. 3:11,12,23. Bad news indeed, but the glorious good news is that God seeks after us so that we can be "justified as a gift by His grace...through faith apart from the works of the Law" (Ro.3:24,28). I'm so glad that God came after me and moved in me to accept His gift. That same gift of being declared right before God when we are in fact guilty, is available to all who by grace through faith accept Christ's sacrifice/death as the payment we deserve. When in repentance (turning from our sin) and faith (belief that Christ's death paid the debt I owe) we humble ourselves and turn to God through Christ, we are declared not guilty. Pauls says, that we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law. So many of us believe that if we just do enough of the right things God will accept us. WRONG! Doing nice things won't earn forgiveness. We are saved only by grace through faith in Christ--Ephesians 2:8-9. Why not accept the gift of salvation today? Romans 10:9-10 says, If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead we will be saved. For with the heart man believes resulting in righteousness and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation. So my friend, believe in your heart and confess with your mouth and be saved from sin, death, and eternity apart from God.

Good News

After an intense day of ministry (Mark 1:14-34) Jesus rose early to spend time alone praying. When His disciples found Him they urged Him to return to the crowds and Jesus replied, " Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for" (1:38). Jesus stayed on mission--to proclaim primarily that restoration back into right relationship with God and forgiveness of sins is available to all who believe His death on the cross paid the penalty they owe. Jesus did a lot of wonderful things, said a lot of important things, but if we miss that He sacrificed His life to provide a way for us back into right relationship with God we miss the Good News. I don't know about you but as I listen to all that is happening in the world I could use a little good news. Great to know that God knew that what we really needed is a Savior. Not an economist, not a military strategist, not a politician, not an educator. But because our greatest problem is that we are bent on living for ourselves in rebellion against God, He sent His Son to provide a way for us to be forgiven and be restored back into right relationship with Him. This is the good news Jesus proclaimed---"repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" and what we are called to proclaim as well.

God is in this Place

Jacob met God while sleeping on a rock. he was not looking for God, but God found Jacob (Gen. 28). in fact, Jacob had been a scoundrel, but God is in the business of seeking out and saving such people. jacob's response, "Surely The Lord is in this place and I did not know it" (28:16) is a powerful reminder to everyone. For those running from God it is a reminder of how vain it is to think He is unaware. For every child of God--especially those struggling to understand their difficulty or those feeling lonely or whenever we feel empty or like God is silent and not working--there is such wonderful, powerful, and meaningful encouragement in knowing, "Surely The Lord is in this place and I did not know it." He is with us even when we are not cognizant of the fact. Good news indeed.

The God Vacuum

Just today I was again praying for the families of the victims who lost their lives in the tragic massacre that took place last week in Newtown, Connecticut. The hearts of so many in the nation are deeply saddened and disturbed by such a senseless tragedy. We need to keep the families of those who lost loved ones in our prayers. What I'm going to express here is in no way intended to diminish the importance of remembering the real victims in this horrific act of violence. I was reading a few days ago in Romans chapter 1 and in verse 21 we read that "even though they knew God, they did not Honor Him as God...their foolish heart was darkened." The consequence of their idolatry and rebellion was that "God gave them over to degrading passions" (vss.26-27) and "just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do those things which are not proper" (vs.28). Verses 29-31 list those "things that are not proper" including murder. In America both privately and publicly there has been a tremendous effort to expunge God from life. Privately more and more people are turning away from God. The church has become more like the world in it's preaching and practices than different from the world. We have expelled God from schools and have sought to eradicate His influence by removing the 10 commandments from public buildings and banning nativity scenes from public lands. In Arkansas a church cancelled a showing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" intended for school children when a parent complained that the students would be traveling to the church to attend the play. Every year at Christmas there are debates over whether or not it is appropriate for public officials, businesses, etc. to say "Merry Christmas" or to use the less controversial and more PC statement "Happy Holidays." From the White House to the School House the term "Holiday Tree" is being used. I always wonder "what Holy Day" the tree commemorates? Can't be New Years for that is not a Holy Day. Must be Christmas. So why can't we say Christmas Tree? I still do. My point is that in America today even though we know God we do NOT honor Him as God. With the tragedy in Newtown even those who normally keep God out of the conversation (unless of course they refer to Him in some derogatory or defaming way with vulgarities) are found saying, "the victims and their families are in our prayers". There has been an openness to talk about God, about faith, about prayer since the tragedy that resembles the response of the nation following 9/11/2001. "We know God" in the sense that we know He exists (no atheists in a fox hole sort of thing) but we do not HONOR HIM as God. In tragic times the response of the elites who normally ignore God is to treat God like a genie in a bottle. When times are tough we rub the bottle in order to make our wish hoping that the God we have eliminated from our life will pop up and serve our utilitarian and self-absorbed purposes. How wonderful of us to treat God like our personal slave. We've missed that last part of Malachi 1 where God speaks through the prophet to the pretending people of God to tell them, " I AM A GREAT KING says the Lord of Hosts." The GREAT KING has been locked out of most of our lives, most of our public activities, and when the going gets tough we want to treat him like a bell hop. We should not be surprised to see a rise in "the things which are not proper" (Ro.1:28) like greed, envy, murder, malice, arrogance, etc.in our society. So when I see a tragedy like what happened in Newtown I see in the horrific act and in the response further evidence of a society with a God Vacuum...a people who have lost their moral compass, abandoned God, and who persist on "worshipping with their lips while their heart is far from him." The perpetrator of the horrific act was of "depraved mind", fallen, sinful, not controlled by God, but by Satan. The reaction by some politicians has been equally depraved in my opinion. Consider the knee-jerk reaction to push for stricter gun control. It seems pretty simple to me. The mother of this young man was negligent to let her son who was mentally unstable even near firearms. That is not the fault of the firearms, but of the mother and the son who should never have been allowed to handle them. Those pushing for gun control after this emotionally charged tragedy appear sanctimoniously to have the interest of the innocent victims in view. When I heard who was leading the charge in the quest for increased gun control I paused. Seriously, the women who are advocating for gun control to "protect innocent victims from violent acts" are the same women who are the most vocal proponents of murdering unborn children while they are still in the womb. These are the legislators who run for office as proponents of "a woman's right to choose." So they advocate that the government pay for abortions, for abortifacients, for abortion services. Think about this for a minute. The same women who are outraged that the second amendment is still upheld because of their concern over protecting innocent victims is the same group that vehemently, vocally, and venomously defends the need for abortions--that is the murder of millions of innocent children while still in the womb. So I ask, why are they so adamant about gun control to protect the innocent outside the womb,while they lobby for murdering innocent children inside the womb? Their concern, I would submit, has little to do with concern for the innocent victims or else they would be equally as disturbed over abortion as they are over what happened in Newtown. Consider for a moment that the second amendment is designed to provide protection for those who are under assault, to allow people to hunt and provide for their family, to provide recreation for gun users, to guard against tyranny. Now let me suggest that the real assault weapons that should be banned are those wielded by abortion doctors, and women who use abortifacients. These devices/drugs have one and only one express purpose and use--to take the life of an unborn, unsuspecting, and innocent child. The "weapons of abortion" cannot be used by the victims to defend themselves, they are not necessary to fend off tyranny, they are not for recreation (yeas I know that can be debated, but a life is in the balance), nor can these weapons be used to gather food to feed a family. Let me put things into perspective. There were 28 innocent lives taken at Newtown. There are 1.6million abortions per year in the U.S. That is over 4,000/day. That means the horror of Newtown is repeated over 200 times every single day in the U.S. Where is the outrage? Where is sorrow? Where is the outcry to stop this senseless taking of innocent human life? There is none. Just the opposite. The mantra is that murdering inside the womb is a "woman's right" So why was it not the mad man's right to shoot 28 people in Newtown. Of course this is a ludicrous thought. Murder is wrong...period. But we live in a nation with a God Vacuum where "doing what is not proper" is normal. So one man takes a number of innocent lives and that is tragic, horrific, heart-wrenching and WRONG. And everyday 200 times as many innocent unborn lives are taken and the general public pays for it, condones it, celebrates it as a step forward for women, and I say IT IS WRONG...terribly wrong. Where God is absent justice is twisted--In America we advocate stripping away people's second amendment rights in a futile attempt to prevent a tragedy that is a matter of human hearts turned away from God, but diligently defend the murder of millions of unborn children because that respects a "woman's right to choose." This is twisted indeed, but the answer is in seeing people's hearts changed, seeing people turn from sin, trust God, and live fully surrendered to the Lordship of Christ in their lives. But that is hard to legislate and offends our arrogant belief that we can control our own destiny. Such is life when God is absent. 2 Chronicles 7:14 comes to mind. In the meantime, I would advocate banning the assault weapons of abortion.

What to Boast About.

I woke up this morning with something heavy on my heart. Decisions always have consequences and I am fearing some unpleasant consequences from some past decisions. The most drastic of the consequences would probably be to my pride so we are not talking earth shattering stuff here. Nonetheless, I was in need of the Father's help, guidance, and wisdom so I spent time in prayer asking for "my will" submitting to His will and seeking some insight from the Lord. Later today as I was doing some reading I came across one of my favorite passages from Scripture...Jeremiah 9:23-24. "Let not the wise man glory/boast in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory/boast in his might, let not the rich man glory/boast in his riches; but let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows Me..." In my circumstance these words brought conviction. The verses indicate that we are to find our source of joy and sense of value/worth/importance in "understanding and knowing the Lord". It hit me that such was not the case for me. I could see that in my life there are circumstances in which I have, in the past, worked or am presently working subtly and yet sinfully to find joy and significance in being wise, powerful, and rich. God was graciously, lovingly, and yet clearly revealing to me that the consternation I felt this morning, the concern I had was rooted in misplaced dependency and idolatry. Were my relationship with the Lord--knowing that I am part of His glorious family--been the truest source of joy and provided the full sense of importance in my life then the unintended and unpleasant consequences I was distraught over would be seen as seriously inconsequential, trivial, and minor. I was deeply saddened to see how past decisions were, at their core, made in order to bring Me joy and a sense of worth from the very things Jeremiah says I should not glory in. A deep sense of sorrow, of contrition, of sadness over my idolatrous actions and over failing to glory fully in "understanding and knowing the Lord". How foolish for me to engage in efforts that I thought would bring joy and satisfaction somewhere other than in the Lord. In my Father's gracious working He brought me comfort along with conviction. Comfort in leading me to see the sinful approach to life, in pointing out to me that I have, and do, work to find joy and value other than from being a member of His family. While I was convicted of my sin, asked for forgiveness, and sought His help to keep me boasting in Him, I found great comfort in knowing I'm forgiven and in realizing that regardless of how things turn out in the situation I was concerned about, my source of joy and sense of worth are found only in "KNOWING HIM." I will only fear consequences that strip me of joy and a sense of importance, so if my joy and significance are found in KNOWING HIM then I need not fear a lack of wisdom, power, or riches.

Hait, Christmas, and Doing the Father's Will

Two weeks ago today my wife Marla and I were on a flight headed back to the U.S. from our first visit to Haiti--the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. We were privileged to join a team of folks for a one week ministry trip where our church has been investing time, money, and human capital for almost three years now. It was an opportunity for me to see first hand what is happening at the Consolation Center (a ministry that includes an orphanage for about 35 young girls that has expanded into a school for 250 students, and a medical clinic with plans for the opening of a community center) and the Village of Hope (a neighborhood development providing housing for displaced victims of the 2010 earthquake, clean water, a store, agricultural activities, and a church for the village and neighboring residents). It was great to see the girls at the orphanage, to spend time playing with them, showing interest in their lives, and encouraging them. It was wonderful to experience a different culture where we were welcomed warmly and treated graciously. It was wonderful to spend time with dear Christian folks on our team, to labor together installing solar panels, cleaning up for a dedication, burying electric lines, repairing a tractor, getting a tour of all the ministry activity, and to expand our understanding of the needs in the world. When I say "wonderful", I do NOT mean that everything was comfortable,easy,or without difficulty. Life in a third world country has it's challenges. As I have told the congregation here, "I saw what I expected, but I did not expect what I saw." It is one thing to hear stories about people unclean tap water, intermittent electrical supplies, open dumping of garbage, people living in extreme poverty, filth, and despair and actually witnessing it first hand. Pictures can never communicate the smell of what is burning in open fires, or the sounds of traveling down crowded and chaotic streets. Our senses were on visual overload. But the value our time in Haiti was much more than the sights, sounds, and stuff we accomplished. For me it was connecting with those who are knee deep in ministry--the director of the Consolation Center (Eddie and his wife Djoune--pronounced June), the Pastor at the Village of Hope (Wadsene and his wife Jasmine), and the missionary couple our church supports there (Les and Catherine DeRoos). What a joy it was for me to sit around and hear their hearts for ministry, to listen to their stories of what God is doing in Haiti and to their vision for what the future holds. The sacrifice of these saints brought both conviction and inspiration to my heart as I saw in them what our Lord modeled in the Garden of Gethesemane--a willingness for the Father's will to be done (Mt.26:39,42). These precious saints are sacrificing what they could potentially have in this world to serve the Lord by caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the needy. Each of these couples could be living here in the U.S. making a comfortable living, without the physical hardships of daily life in Haiti. But because of Christ, they are their seeking to reach out in love with the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life only through faith in Jesus. They are investing their lives on eternal things, living on little, in a place that is uncomfortable, where spiritual darkness is palpable because their faith in Christ is real. They have each surrendered their will to that of the Father and said, "yet not as I will, but as You will" (Mt.26:39). That sort of sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom is contagious. God is blessing their efforts. We took part in the first baptism at the church in the Village of Hope. Thirty four people gave bold testimony to their recent decision to trust Christ as Savior and what a blessed time it was to see them baptized in the river as about 200 people looked on. We enjoyed the meaningful worship of this local body of believers and I had the humbling privilege of sharing from God's Word during the service. Gathered around me in that Gazebo and well beyond it's reach were dozens of young and old alike riveted to the Word of God and the message about Jesus. At this Christmas season I think about Haiti, about the real meaning of Christmas--"God Sent His Son, born under the Law that He might redeem those who were under that Law that we might receive adoption as Sons" (Gal.4:5-6). The end game of Christ's birth was not the cradle, but the Cross. And what Christ sacrificed for us at Calvary saying, "Yet not as I will, but as You will" made possible our salvation and serves as our model. So that those who are God's children are challenged to follow Jesus in saying to the Father, "Yet not as I will, but as You will" which translates into our willingness to sacrifice so that others will Know Christ. It means willingness to give our money to sponsor orphans, to give clothes for the orphan girls at Christmas, to pray for our dear friends in Haiti and other parts of the world, to think about what I may be willing to do without at Christmas so that someone may have something, to clean off the counter out of love for my wife, to take the time to pray with my children at night, to lead our families into service and sacrifice for the sake of Christ. What sacrifice is too great to make for the sake of the One who gave His life as a ransom for many?

Post Election Thoughts

As I watched the election results come in Tuesday night I would describe my response as shocked, stunned, saddened. So many of us had been praying for a different result and I know some of you were mad at God. I did not find myself mad at God and I believe that is because even though I was cautiously optimistic I found myself wondering if all the prayers (mine and those of others) were more about achieving what was comfortable, what would make us happy and not what would make us HOLY. I truly believe that many were sincerely praying for revival, for a turn that would bring about a spiritual awakening as I have been, but God's ways are not always mine. So I was not mad at God (and I don't say that to make you think that I couldn't be, or that I was somehow "super spiritual" in all of this, but it was simply not an emotion I had). I have been struggling with anxiety (lack of trust) since the election and I'm repenting of that failure to rest completely in the hands of God. So what I witnessed on Tuesday was what I would describe as the "Secularist" triumph. As I wept in my office on Wednesday morning my tears were sourced in a deep sadness over the direction I see our country heading, over the abandonment of God, over the elevation of self-indulgence, over the celebration of decadence, arrogance, deception, and corruption on a scale that heretofore seemed impossible. We have just gone through one of the most difficult economic, political, international, and social upheavals in our history lead by a President whose policies have failed and whose promises have been broken. Yet 60 million people said, "Sign me up for four more years of this nonsense." I witnessed what I fear to be a defining moment in our country's history which will lead to a country more divided than since the civil war. America is comprised of people standing firmly in two diametrically opposed camps separated by a huge ideological and moral chasm. On the one side we have the "government as provider" secularists for whom larger government, more regulation, higher taxes, less personal responsibility, entitlement expansion, loose interpretation of the constitution, and moral relativism are essential. On the other side are the "government as protector" folks for whom smaller government, minimal regulation, lower taxes, increased personal responsibility, entitlement reduction, strict adherence to the constitution, and moral absolutism (abortion is wrong, homosexuality is sin, people should work to provide for their needs) are foundational. Both sides have their secularists, neither side is perfect, I'm merely pointing out that one side has become openly and patently secularist (removing God and His influence). As a Christian I think it stunned me to see just how far away from caring about the things God cares about the majority of our citizens have gone. So many celebrated the opportunity to take the lives of the unborn, to promote perversion, to perpetuate dependency upon the government, to limit religious freedom. So on Wednesday morning when I asked the Lord for some perspective He directed me to Amos chapters 4-5. As God delineated all of the tragedy He had brought upon His people He then stated, "Yet you have not returned to Me" (4:6,8,9,10,11). God's punishment rested upon His people because of their sin and He basically tells them...."DUH, I'm just trying to get your attention so you will turn from your sin and return to Me." America is not Israel, but a principle is still in play. 1Chronicles 7:14 is also about Israel with a similar principle. God punishes sin to turn people towards Him. As I see the degradation in America increase and the painful consequences of difficult times increase I think it is time for us to "Return to the Lord." We like to sing and say, "God Bless America" but God never blesses sin. I believe what we have been saying for many years is that we want God's blessing without our believing in Him or behaving like we believe. What we believe about God is reflected in our behavior and what happened on Tuesday indicates what most people in America believe about God based upon their convictions and conduct. Remember this is the party that took God out of their platform and adopted the sins of Romans 1 as their party platform. I believe Amos' words to God's people are what we need to hear and heed in America. After I spent time in Amos I went to Hebrews 11--that great chapter on faith. How fitting that I should be reminded of all the faithful men and women of God who "all died without receiving the promises, but having seen them welcomed them from a distance. All that God had spoken about that would be realized fully in the person and work of Christ, these faithful people looked ahead in faith to. They lived in hope on promises they never saw realized. I look back in faith on Christ like they looked ahead in regard to salvation. But all believers look ahead in faith for the fulfillment of the promises about fully experiencing our eternal inheritance and the blessings of heaven. A good reminder to be encouraged by their faithfulness so that I too will "fix my eyes on Jesus" (Heb.12:2) while I struggle here on earth. So I'm challenged to "Return to the Lord" and to encourage that returning throughout America. I'm hopeful that as God delivered Ninevah (see Jonah 3) He may be pleased to spare America. I'm also challenged to "Rely upon the Lord" who really is in charge and who will fulfill His promises. So I look at the election as an indication of America's spiritual problem. It's quite simple, "People need the Lord." Those submitted to the lordship of Christ will not pursue the sins of Romans 1 as their political agenda. That's why even though I'm shocked, stunned, and deeply saddened, I will NOT be silent. Of first priority for myself and the church of Jesus Christ is to share the Gospel of Christ with a lost and dying world. I will pray and ask the Lord to give me a desire to share Christ with those who disagree with me rather than despise them. I will ask the Lord to make me a merciful person who disagrees with sin, but who seeks to love the sinner. Believers must realize that we must speak about sin so that people will see the need to repent. We don't speak as those who are better than others, but as those who are forgiven who desire others to know God's mercy as well. I will seek to be salt and light to the world I live in and encourage others to do the same. I will speak out on behalf of the defenseless, the unborn, and those enslaved to entitlements. I will hope in what God wants to do in and through His body the church as we remain faithful even in turmoil. Bottom line is that for believers our citizenship is in heaven (Phil.3:20) from which we anxiously await a Savior. I don't see this as an excuse for abandoning my involvement in what is happening in the world, but it is a true source of comfort in the midst of chaos. "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" (Ps.34:8).