New Year, New Beginnings

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. -Genesis 1:28-30

This time of year is often associated with new beginnings. I saw it said on one post that since New Year's Day falls on a Monday, this year is the ultimate fresh start: new year, new week, yada yada. 

I personally love the new year because I tend to be a list-making, goal-setting, type-A sort of person. This time of year is made for someone like me: I can make all kinds of lists and goals and organizational charts, and it's culturally acceptable to do so (instead of simply just nerdy)! 

Here's the thing, though: I am not always super hot at following through on all my plans. I tend to start well, and then stumble and bumble along my way until December 31 rolls around, and then I start again.

This is not dissimilar to how Adam and Eve handled God's plans for them at the ultimate beginning, back at the beginning of creation. God laid out for them some very simple commands and guidelines, and Adam and Eve did well with them...until they didn't.

That's how sin entered the world. It's how everything got all topsy-turvy, and following God's commands has been a tricky enterprise ever since. We are by nature inclined to disobey and rebel against His good plans for us, and that's why all of us needed Jesus to save us from our rebellion through His death and resurrection.

That's the good news, though: through Christ, there is grace for us! Adam and Eve may have fallen short of following God's commands, but that doesn't mean that they were cut off from following God after their first failure. They were not out of opportunities for obedience.

God graciously gave Adam and Eve further chances to fill the Earth and subdue it, and they did. There is evidence in Genesis 4 that Adam raised his two sons to be a shepherd and a farmer, thus subduing the earth and everything in it (both plants and animals!). Further, Eve gave birth to these two boys, and several other children, thus doing her part to be fruitful and fill the Earth.

Adam and Eve may have failed to follow the Lord perfectly when the serpent tempted, but they did not fail forever. God had enough grace to give them further opportunities to obey, and He has enough grace for you and I as we start the new year. We will set our goals and resolutions, and we will likely fall short of them. I will probably not go to the gym as much as I should, and I will probably not make my quiet time every day, but you know what: God has grace for me. 

We do not become perfect overnight upon our salvation; rather, we become more like Christ through daily dying to self, repenting when we stumble, and leaning on the God of grace to give us strength to grow closer to Him. 

So don't quit on your resolution to take care of your body this year when you miss a day or two at the gym. Don't give up on starting a Bible reading or prayer habit. Don't surrender to laziness when you miss church one Sunday. Instead, remember the grace of God and continue on. That's what the daily Christian life is about: continually striving toward holiness while clinging to His grace when we inevitably fall short. That is the God-glorifying life, and that's how we need to spend our 2018. 

A&E, Suspensions, and the Return of Ancient Cultural Views of Christianity

Last night, A&E announced that Phil Robertson of their smash-hit "Duck Dynasty" was suspended for comments that he made during an interview with GQ Magazine. During the course of the interview, he made several comments that were "antihomosexual" or "antigay," including his stating that homosexuality was a sin (along with swindling, adultery and terrorism, to name a few) and a discourse on his lack of understanding as to why a man would choose a man over a woman. Naturally, the social media world exploded.

The hashtag #istandwithphil emerged from some tweeters, while others were enraged that the original Duck Commander would refer to homosexuality a sin. The point of my post today is not to discuss whether I agree with Mr. Robertson or not. I have posted on my thoughts about homosexuality before, and I get tired of one issue being the entire focus of the Church in the public arena. There are lots of issues that need discussing from a Biblical standpoint, not just homosexuality. If you want my opinions on that, go here or read Romans 1:18-32. Email me and we can chat. That's just not my focus today.

Instead, I want to briefly touch on what is rapidly becoming the norm: the media do not like Jesus.

It really isn't very surprising to me that A&E would make the decision to suspend Phil, and it all boils down to a very simple question: who was the most profitable group to keep happy? Would it benefit A&E more to keep Christians or the LGBT community happy? Think about this, if you can, from A&E's point of view.

They run a business, and it's primary focus is to make money. They had to make a business decision here. They had two options:
     1. Support Phil. This keeps Duck Dynasty untouched, which is easily their most profitable show,
         and it keeps their Christian fan base happy. However, the LGBT community would rake them
         over the coals, thus causing massive PR damage and potentially harming the channel in the
         future.
     2. Reprimand Phil. This option makes a stand for gay rights, and would win massive bonus points
         with much of the more liberal media types, considering A&E would be going against one of its
          biggest stars. However, this would potentially cause the Robertsons to pull out of Duck
          Dynasty, thus costing A&E its biggest show...ever.

They obviously chose option two. They probably assume that Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson will go into damage control, put together some sort of apology, and business will be back to normal. If he doesn't? Well, Duck Dynasty has had a good run, everyone has made plenty of money, and A&E can send the Robertson clan back to the Outdoor Channel. What this whole ordeal illustrates is just another example of a growing trend: Christianity is becoming marginalized.

It is no longer normal or even socially acceptable to be a Bible-believing Jesus follower in the United States. If you wish to be deemed intelligent, caring, loving, or with the times, then orthodox Christian values cannot be yours. We live in a day where adultery is nearly expected, greed is a cultural norm and several actions that the Bible clearly calls sin are now considered human rights issues. That is why A&E chose the LGBT community over the Christian community: being on the "wrong side" of a civil rights issue is bad for bottom lines. If you stand for a Biblical view of life, then you are deemed at best ignorant and pitiable, and at worst arrogant and hateful. This should not surprise us.

Like Duck Dynasty, the Church has had a good run in the spotlight here in America. Christianity came over when we still had British accents, and has been rooted in our country ever since. Many founding fathers were Christian, as have been many other prominent figures in our nation's history. Yet, we have something else in common with Duck Dynasty: it is shocking that it even happened.

I remember watching Phil, Willie and Jase on the Outdoor Channel with my brother, who was an avid fan of the Robertson family before they were on basic cable. He read Phil's book before it was renamed "Happy, Happy, Happy," and had a poster on his wall of them years ago. So, when it was announced that the guys from Duck Commander were getting a TV show, I was shocked. It was so weird to me. The bearded guys that paint their faces up and hunt are going to be on A&E? No way.

Count it double when the show actually took off. I still sit back and marvel at how that family went from the darlings of hunters to become America's favorite family. It's crazy. And yet, if the early Church leaders looked at the Church in American history, they'd be even more floored.

Think about it: eleven out of the twelve disciples were martyred, with the only survivor being the exiled disciple that Jesus loved, John. John the Baptist was beheaded, and so was Paul. The Church was beaten, stoned, and massacred by both Jewish leaders and Roman authorities during the time that the New Testament was written. The bodies of Christians were used as torches, lighting roadways in the Roman Empire. Riots broke out. It wasn't cool to be a Christian; you only joined The Way if you meant it. In fact, the name "Christian" was originally a derogatory term for these followers of Jesus, insinuating that they were lesser socially. Sound familiar? It should.

The name "Christian" no longer has the positive vibes around it that it once held in America. As I stated earlier, to follow Christ now means to be intolerant and stupid. We hate, according to civil rights activists. We paraphrase ignorantly, according to Macklemore. We don't even know our own God, according to those who claim that Jesus was only about love.

The truth is this: we are called to love, yes, but also to call people to repent. Jesus's first words in ministry were not "all we need is love," but instead "repent, because the kingdom of Heaven has come near" (Matthew 4:17). We are to follow Jesus in this ministry, begging people to turn away from their sin and to God. In order to call someone away from sinful behavior, we are declaring them sinners. We are stating that, like ourselves, these people are in rebellion to God. They have done wrong. As Phil said to GQ:

"Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God."

People do not appreciate being told that they are not perfect. I don't, for that matter. The fact is, however, that every person on this earth is born into a life of sin. We are all sinners, and that sin has us destined for Hell without turning from it and running into the gracious love of our Savior. This truth, this Gospel, is not deemed good news by someone who believes that they have not done wrong. Thus, just as the call to repent caused John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, and even Jesus to be hated, we will be hated.

The Church has, by the grace of God, had a long time of peace, acceptance and popularity here in the States. However, we are rapidly headed for a time where we will be hated. This is only the beginning. People will not suddenly enjoy the call to repentance; they will only loathe it more and more, and in turn, the same loathing will grow toward those who call. We must remain faithful, no matter what, and remember that the world does not like us. Satan has blinded the heart of the unbeliever, so we cannot expect those who are in rebellion to God to tolerate or accept us, even if they expect the same out of us. Persecution, intolerance towards God's people and a hatred for  the call to repentance has existed since the Church began; the Church in America is just seeing it with a different coat of paint.

Two Criminals and Red Pictures

 

"Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: 'Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us!'

But the other answered, rebuking him: 'Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!'
 
And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.'” -Luke 23:39-43, HCSB

Yesterday, we discussed the critics of Jesus that were underneath Him, laughing at Him and His position. Today, we look at the stance of two people, both condemned to death.

There were three crosses standing at Golgotha on Good Friday. One, the one in the middle, held Jesus. However, the two men flanking Him to His right and left were merely common criminals.

One guy (who I will call Rafael) was also mocking Jesus, questioning His power, but also calling on Him to save him from His predicament. Rafael almost seems to buy into the truth about Jesus, yet won't totally believe in Him until Jesus proves Himself, all for the benefit of this criminal. All in all, he won't believe that Jesus is who He says He is until something happens to help himself. Rafael wants what is best for Rafael. 

The other guy (let's call him Eric), meanwhile, calls out Rafael for mocking Jesus. He even goes so far as to admit Jesus' innocence, and supports a lifestyle of fearing God. We then see Eric asking Jesus to remember him when Christ goes into His kingdom, and Jesus tells him "today you will be with me in Paradise." Eric is saved from eternal death.

As I read this story, I was also thinking about the debate over whether the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender) community should be able to marry whomever they want. Some argue that religion should have no voice in the arena of government, while others claim that we should only have the Bible. Some claim that gay rights are the new civil rights, and some claim that they are not related at all.

Many of my Christian brothers and sisters have been rebuking those who support the marriage of same-sex couples. They have essentially been playing the part of the Eric, calling out the Rafaels for failing to fear God.

There is good in this. As long as rebuke is done with grace and gentleness, it is good to call people to turn from sin. A quick reading of any one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) will show that Jesus regularly did this. It is biblical and right to call for people to repent of their sinful lifestyles.

However, Eric did something that many Christians tend to forget in this debate. He admitted his wrong past. He told Rafael that they were both guilty and deserving of death.

Christians, we are not more righteous in our lives than any other "sinner." We are not above the LGBT community. If you would like to look through the Gospels, you'll see that Jesus regularly ate and hung out with the "sinners," the people that the over-righteous Pharisees shunned for their lifestyles.

Back then, it was tax collectors and prostitutes. Now it's lesbians and transsexuals. Same story, different roles.

I am not supporting a gay/homosexual lifestyle. I believe that the Bible condemns such a lifestyle, and that all who live like that should repent and come to God. However, Christians, we are not to cast stones and beat people down and act like we have it all together. We're sinners, too. We also once (and many still act as such) were living self-centered, self-pleasing lifestyles of the flesh.

We are a broken race, we humans. Gay, jealous, lustful, hating, drunk... the list goes on. Whichever sins have defined your life have made you just as guilty before God as anyone else. That's why we all needed grace, the undeserved gift of Christ's death for us on a cross. It was on that cross that He took the wrath of God for all sin: homosexuality or judgmentalism. Let's show love and grace to all, and show everyone the nature of God in our actions and with our words.

We must point people away from themselves and their selfish, sinful desires, yes. But if we point ourselves instead of pointing to Jesus and His greatness, we're failing at our rebuke and are sinning ourselves.

Call to repent, Christians, but in doing so, don't forget that someone once had to call you to repent. Otherwise, you'd still be dead in sin, too.

For more of my thoughts on this, check out these two posts I wrote a while back from my unChristian series, which was about how Christians are often viewed, and how Christians should act instead:

unChristian, Part Three: Antihomosexual
unChristian, Part Six: Judgmental

The Prize, Part One: What's In Your Rearview?

I have a few books in God's Word that really impact me regularly, and I'm bringing a passage of one of them today. Check out this passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians:

"...But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly [or upward] call in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13b-14, HCSB

What a great passage, right?! I mean, what an approach to life! Let's break this down and see how we can live this out:

1. Forget what is behind
-Your past doesn't mean a thing. I'm not saying to totally forget your past; I'm not one those types. What I am saying is this: no matter what is in your rearview, it is in your rearview. No matter what I see behind me when I am driving my truck, it is still behind me. Good or bad, I have driven past it and it is relatively unimportant to my further travel.

Yes, our past shapes the present and future. If I just drove through a rainstorm, my truck is now covered in water. If I just left the gas station, my tank is full. The events of our past often direct and effect the manner and appearance of our travels. Yet, we must also move on.

The bad things, the rain storms in your life, can be seen in a new light in Christ. I am not saying they will go away; if anything, I've found that the radar gets more shades of red and orange the further towards Jesus we go. However, our approach to these hard times can be altered by His guidance. If you are in a storm, trying to navigate on your own, it can be easy to get lost. Discouraged. Hurt. You may even veer off the road in the torrential downpours of life if you have no guidance.

With guidance from the Lord above, however, you are able to approach these storms with confidence. You can know that He will guide you through the heart of the difficulty. He will never abandon you, nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).

In the end, we must forget the past. Our life before Christ is filled with not only storms, but rebellions, lusts, mistakes, lies, troubles... the list goes on. We cannot proceed toward the glory of God if we continue to carry all of this baggage with us.

In the book Pilgrim's Progress, our hero is loaded down with a massive load on his back. Before we come to Christ, we all have a similar load. Like the hero in Pilgrim's Progress, we must have that load removed before we proceed toward God and His purpose for our life. That load, that burdensome past of sin and troubled heart can only be removed by one Being: Jesus Christ.

He died and rose again to remove those burdens from our backs! Our past, no matter what has happened, can be and will be removed by your Savior the moment that you place your faith in His great gift of grace and salvation, calling on Him as your Lord and Savior. Put your past in the rearview! He can put it behind you; allow Him to do so!

Check back next week for the continuation of this passage. We've got the past behind us, so the question is: what's on the road ahead?

The Defeat of the Impossible

"For nothing is impossible with God." -Luke 1:37, HCSB

How many times have you heard that verse, right? It is a favorite verse of the underdog and athlete, the troubled and addicted.

 "There's nothing God can't help us achieve, and there is nothing that can stop us with Him at our side."

This is very true, but there is a definite asterisk next to this truth: nothing is impossible with God when He decides to do so. The passage that this verse comes from is the same passage in which the angel Gabriel is telling Mary that she will give birth to the Son of God. She is obviously flabbergasted and confused by this news, and so she asks (very humbly) how this could happen, considering that she was a virgin.

The angel proceeds to tell her of how her relative Elizabeth was currently preggo at an old age, and that "nothing is impossible with God." God is all powerful, but this verse is not meant purely to inspire us on fourth-and-goal with time expiring. It is showing that nothing will stop God on His mission. Nothing will prevent God from ruling the world, and nothing can stand in His way.

Old age? Nope.

Virgin? Not an issue.

Your past addictions? Nothing He can't overcome.

Your physical condition? Not a handicap in the working of God.

God can use whomever and whatever He so chooses to accomplish His plans. He's running the ship, and nothing can slow Him down.

You may wonder in this moment: "what role do I play in this? If God is in charge, and He is looking to accomplish His goals and plans, what do I do?" You do exactly what Mary did.

"'I am the Lord's slave,' said Mary. 'May it be done according to your word.'" -Luke 1:38, HCSB

We humbly accept God's power and lordship, and do as He says. We are His slaves, and He is our Good Master. He will accomplish great things through us, so long as we are humbly looking to accomplish His great things.

Perhaps God's purpose in your defeat of the impossible is to win a football game and give Him glory for it. Perhaps His purpose in your defeat of the impossible is to overcome your physical limitations to show the love of Christ to others. Perhaps His purpose in your defeat of the impossible is to share your story of addiction and redemption in order to help someone else see the love and freedom of life with Christ.

You never know what impossible task God may want to overcome through you, but He already did one. Your salvation through the blood and resurrection is a miracle in and of itself; who's to say He doesn't have something else for you? Humble yourself, and look to accomplish His plans with His power and might.

A Rather Explicit Warning to Christians

Warning: this blog post discusses a graphic portion of the Biblical text. It is most certainly not a PG post. It also contains a graphic warning for all Christians to observe.

While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden, perverted men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him!” The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don’t do this horrible thing. Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine now. Use them and do whatever you want to them. But don’t do this horrible thing to this man.”

This is a messed-up scene, huh? A bunch of men, attacking a house so that they can have their way with some visitor to town. This is, on a scale of 1-10, probably a solid 11 in "what the heck is going on?!" I mean, the owner of this house doesn't want the crowd to have the guy, so he offers up his own daughter and the visitor's woman. This seems like a series of events worthy of some divine judgment, correct?

This did, in fact, bring judgment; the whole "entire town rapes visitor" thing is the camel that broke the camel's back and led to the annihilation of Sodom and Gommorah. But I didn't quote from the famous Genesis 19 passage at the beginning of this post. In fact, the above passage of Scripture is not describing a "pagan" town. No, the event I quoted above happened in a town called Gibeah, home to part of the tribe of Benjamin. As in, the Israelite tribe of Benjamin.

This heinous event mirrors Sodom almost perfectly, and it happened among God's people. And it gets worse.

The owner of the house, while the visitor is presumably asleep, takes this visitor's lady friend and throws her out of the house, just to satisfy the sexual desires of these men. They rape her, and she is finally left to collapse in front of the door of the house as the sun comes up. When her husband found her, there was no response (Judges 19:25-28).

I believe that God's current people, the Church, should look back to this event as a warning. Those of us in the Church can be quick to point fingers at injustice, all while passing over our own sin (which is often the same sin we condemn others for).

It is biblical to call for all to repent, turning from sin. We must not forget that we, too, are called to repent.