Welcome to the New America

^"Where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of the message preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength." -1 Corinthians 1:20-25, HCSB

This verse speaks of how Christians will be deemed foolish by the world, and in the United States, we've escaped much of this. Our nation has long been a stronghold of Christian belief and religious freedom, regardless of what the rest of the world might think.

But it is all changing.

Yesterday, Louie Giglio withdrew from participating in President Obama's inauguration. The popular pastor of Atlanta's Passion City Church, as well as the founder of the Passion Movement, felt that it was for the betterment of everyone involved if he backed out from the great honor of praying before a presidential election. Why would he feel this way?

Approximately 15-20 years ago, Louie preached a sermon in which he clearly stated the sinful nature of homosexuality. Bear in mind, he didn't rake homosexuals over without stating that everyone sins and that we are all in need of a Savior; from the view of a Christian, this shouldn't be any different that stating the clearly sinful nature of murder or lying. All three actions are sins, and all three will equally deem one worthy of Hell.

Apparently some liberal watchdog group found out about this sermon, and started causing an uproar about how no one should be praying at the inauguration that maintains that homosexuality is a sin. Later, the Obama administration put out a notice that they were sorry for any offense taken to their choice (Louie was chosen to pray due to his work with the President on the abolition of slavery all over the world, and not on any other grounds), and that they would never want to go against the "strength and diversity" of this nation.

Yet, having a scenario where Louie felt the need to step down from this honor is also going against diversity. Now, due to this precedent, no evangelical pastor who holds to Scripture (1 Timothy 1:10) and believes that homosexuality is a sin is eligible to pray over the president's inauguration. As the president of the Southern Baptist Seminary, Albert Mohler, stated:

 

"The Presidential Inaugural Committee and the White House have now declared historic, biblical Christianity to be out of bounds, casting it off the inaugural program as an embarrassment. By its newly articulated standard, any preacher who holds to the faith of the church for the last 2,000 years is persona non grata. By this standard, no Roman Catholic prelate or priest can participate in the ceremony. No Evangelical who holds to biblical orthodoxy is welcome. The vast majority of Christians around the world have been disinvited. Mormons, and the rabbis of Orthodox Judaism are out. Any Muslim imam who could walk freely in Cairo would be denied a place on the inaugural program. Billy Graham, who participated in at least ten presidential inaugurations is welcome no more. Rick Warren, who incited a similar controversy when he prayed at President Obama’s first inauguration, is way out of bounds. In the span of just four years, the rules are fully changed."

 

There are many times when I am not a huge fan of President Mohler, but his post on this issue was spot on. Religion, particular evangelical Christianity, is being pushed out of the way in this nation. No longer is a biblical worldview the norm, or even acceptable to many.

 

Now is the time, Church in America. Now is the time to figure out where you stand. I believe that the next 20 or 30 years will change the religious structure in this nation completely, as the "wise" continue to ostracize and mock the people holding to truth of Christ. If you look at Europe, and the fall of religion there, it isn't unlikely that we will follow suit.

 

During the time that Paul wrote the words of 1 Corinthians, the Greeks were considered the wisest people around. Their use of logic and knowledge of the world made them a brilliant empire, and one that we still follow after today. Interestingly (and sadly), the United States is becoming much like the Greeks: arrogant in their knowledge and prideful in their logic. Much of this country, particularly young people (my generation) believe that the ways of religious orthodoxy are obsolete, ignorant of the world, and even hateful towards the rights of others.

 

To all of this, I simply say: "Yet, to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is God's power and wisdom, because God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength."

 

You may mock us, disregard us, and call us whatever you like. My Savior died for me and I will reign with Him forever, regardless of what the world calls wise.

 

Persecution Spotlight: India

DISCLAIMER: This video is intense at times. If you aren't prepared to handle a video that YouTube makes sure you're 18 to watch, don't watch this.



This video was shared with me by my friend Daniela in Florida, and goes hand-in-hand with what I saw at David Platt's Secret Church service last Friday.

In India, Hindu extremists have been violently attacking Muslims for centuries. These two religious groups have been at it since 711 A.D., which is a really long time for those of you keeping score. If you want to see a good example of how that conflict has been playing out, watch the first 30 minutes of Slumdog Millionaire. However, in recent years, the Hindu extremists have turned some of the attention to the growing Christian minority.

Despite "having a freedom of religion" law in their governmental system, the Hindu majority has a tight grip on the nation and is giving more and more pressure on Christian groups.

Christian brothers and sisters, this goes right along with what I discussed in my latest post, which can be found below. The passion that the early church had for Christ isn't dead; it's alive in India. It's alive in places where the church is being beaten, burned, tourtured and killed. It's alive, and we need to do three things:

A) Learn from them. They are passionate about Christ, to the point of death. Would you be willing to die for Christ? Would we be Christians if it were illegal to be so? These are questions that need to be asked of ourselves (myself included).

B) Be thankful for what we have. In the Western world, we have carpeted churches, Christian bookstores, and worship CDs all over the place. These Christians are lucky to keep their lives, and maybe a Bible (or even part of one). We need to thank God daily for the blessings we have.

C) Pray for them. This is the biggest one. We need to pray for their effectiveness in spreading the Gospel. We need to pray for them to have strength. We need to pray for them to build each other up. We need to pray that they continue living for Christ, and that they never bend to the adversary that is Satan.

For more information on persecution in India, please go to: http://www.persecution.net/india.htm

Jesus and Your Five Dollar Foot-Long

Well, I was preparing a completely different approach for this blog, and in fact, a completely different topic. However, God decided that He had a different point for me to write on, and struck me with inspiration in one of the more unlikely places.

As I came home from work tonight, I went to the movie store, rented a movie, and then decided to grab a bite to eat. I received a Subway gift card for Christmas, and decided that, since Subway is in the same parking lot as the movie store, it would be an opportune time to use some of that gift card. Unfortunately, I failed to beat a middle-aged couple into the building.

Now, there are two major types of Subway eaters. I have observed this over the years. The first are the ones that get the same sandwich or at least a similar sandwich every time. They know what they like, and they rarely stray from it. The second group are the adventurous, indecisive type. They flit back and forth every time through the door, changing their minds as rapidly as a hummingbird flaps its wings. "There's a new sandwich?! Let's try it!" This middle-aged couple were definitely of the second group. Predictably, I am not.

As I stood in line for what felt like an eternity, I made an observation. As the adventurous sandwich-eaters ahead debated between the multitude of sauces available, I noticed just how many options Subway offers. It's almost as if there are options for every personality and interest. Are you a Spicy Italian or a Sweet Teriyaki? Part of the Green Movement? Try a salad. Believe in "going big or going home?" Have a Philly Cheese Steak. Rebellious? Have a pizza at the sandwich shop! It's almost mind-blowing. So many possibilities, so little stomach room.

This, to me, reflects the American way of life perfectly. There's something out there for everyone. Some kind of group, some kind of hobby, some kind of something to spark your interest. Of course, this attitude spills over into spiritual matters, and that's my focus here today.

Just like the Subway eaters, there are two types of religious people. Option A are the ones who are dead-set in their own religion, believe that it is the only way, and that no one else can be correct. Option B says that everyone has to find the religion or spiritual preference that suits their personality and needs. Option B says that Option A is narrow-minded and has "tunnel vision"; it's "their way or the highway." I'm here to show you that Option B is not a valid position.

Option B is known as universalism, and I believe it has come from two different parts of modern philosophy. The first is tolerance, and the second is individualism. Let's focus a bit more..

Tolerance has become the popular stance in America and no doubt the rest of the world, for some time now. Now, continue reading before sending me an email. I am about to make a clarification. Some tolerance is not only correct, but Biblical. Jesus has called us to love everyone. This means that any prejudices or racism or sexism that has infiltrated your life must be purged; you cannot love another person as you are called if you hold on to a negative prejudice towards a group of people. Tolerance becomes wrong, however, when it allows sin to continue or even be praised. The call for tolerance toward the gay and lesbian communities are the first that come to mind. Homosexuality in clearly against what the Bible teaches, as we can see:

"9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching ." -1 Timothy 1:9-10, HCSB

This attitude of tolerance has become the "politically correct" way to be, and is the Western standard now. If you do not accept everyone exactly as they are, you are an ignorant, self-righteous imbecile. Unfortunately, this has bled into the churches, and has weakened the strength of the Gospel. People are so afraid to say that someone may be wrong in their belief, as that "wouldn't be nice." Let me be frank: If someone doesn't believe in Jesus, you are condemning them to Hell by allowing them to believe that their choice of religion "could be right." Staying quiet doesn't seem as nice anymore, does it?

Individualism is another reason for the spread of universalist attitudes. This modern world is very fond of the saying "do what feels right." If you want spicy ranch on your sandwich, sure. If you want pizza at Subway, sure. If Buddhist meditation and karma suits your life better than Christianity, sure. As Burger King says, "have it your way." Many people, such as Oprah, believe that it is OK to have this stance towards religion. They say that it is all the same god, anyways, so who cares? Allah, Jesus, the Hindu gods: all the same deity, just expressed differently. I tell you that this is inaccurate.

The Quran, the holy book of Islam, holds many different views from the Bible. For instance, the Quran states that Jesus was a human prophet, and yet the Bible states that He is the same as the Father, and therefore the Creator of the universe. These two points right here clearly disagree, and are among the multitude of differences between Christianity, Islam, Judaism and others. If they are all disagreeing, how can they be all right? Simple: they cannot.

"6 Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" -John 14:6, HCSB

It can't be put anymore clearly than that. No one comes to God except through Jesus. He said it Himself. If there was ever a verse to dismiss universalist views, this was it. Mohammad? Nope. Buddha? Nope. Abraham? Nope. All of these men were just that: men, and men only. They had no ability to save you from judgment. Notice I said "had": they all died, and never came back. Only one man ever died and came back to life on His own power, and He is the only way to eternal life.

Are you looking for the correct sandwich for eternal life? I tell you that there is only one option, and his name is Jesus Christ, our Messiah and Lord.

Jesus Rolls Doubles

I stand amazed today at what it is that Jesus did for us. I have been reading through John Piper's book 50 Reasons Jesus Came to Die, and some of the chapters I have read today really hit home.

Think about this: God creates people. He gives you everything we would ever want and more. Yet, we screw it up. We sin- every last one of us. We have broken the law. Just like on Earth, when one breaks the law, they must go to court. If found guilty, one must go to jail. Here's a hint: we're all guilty.

Only one person hasn't broken the law: Jesus (who also happens to be God and human, simultaneously; that means he was tempted to break the law just like us, and it's His law!). Blameless, innocent Jesus has volunteered to be our lawyer, since we certainly cannot defend ourselves. Satan, warden of the prison, is licking his chops for another inmate on an eternity sentence. The evidence is presented before God the Father, who is the judge. We are looking doomed. We are declared guilty.

Then, out of no where, our innocent lawyer steps forward and says "I will take their punishment." WHAT?!

Jesus takes our sentence, and because He is innocent, we trade our records. We are marked innocent and Christ is branded as the law-breaker.

But wait! Since He is also God, Jesus rises again, breaks from the grips of jail and returns to us. The marks from His death sentence are evidence of His suffering. We are spared from the death penalty and eternity in jail. How great is that!?

This contrasts strongly with Islam. The interaction between God and man is not the type where God would die in His people's place. In fact, the entire point of Islam is that since people are rebellious to God and His Creation, we should all submit. I agree; doing God's Will is certainly a good thing. However, the Muslims believe that the only way to acheieve salvation is through the submission we do on Earth. Thus, the only way to Heaven is through our works here on Earth. This is directly in conflict with the words of the apostle Paul.

8 For by grace [freely given, unmerited favor and love from God]you are saved through faith, and this is not fromyourselves; it is God's gift- 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9, Holman Christian Standard Bible

See? We did nothing to deserve this. It's amazing that we could rebel as such, only to have God allow Himself to die for us! No other religion can claim their God not only would, but did, die for them. It's blasphemous, radical, and real. What are you doing today to prove how lucky you are? What are you doing to rejoice in the love of a blameless Savior who died so you wouldn't be punished for your sins? What are you doing to thank your own "Get Out of Jail Free Card?"