What has happened to the days of right and wrong? It seems most parents today are deciding to raise their kids to determine their own rights and wrongs. Sadly, this is prevalent in the church today. Are moral absolutes a thing of the past? Are they uncool? Is it the newest fad to be a Christian who embraces your sins?
Didn’t Jesus teach us to change our behavior? "…Go now, and leave your life of sin", Jesus said in John 8:11. So isn’t Jesus saying there is a right and a wrong way to live?
Please don’t misunderstand. I am not in favor of legalism. You know, no jeans at church, no dancing and the like. But if God say’s "no" in His Word, the answer my friend is "no". And let me say, following the rights and wrongs in the bible makes life much easier. You won’t be free from difficult times, but the difficult times you do have will be drastically reduced.
So dust off your bible and read of the many examples of rights and wrongs. It is my prayer that you can learn from the mistakes of those in the bible so you can avoid making the same mistakes in your life. If you have kids, don’t be afraid to teach them right from wrong and use examples from your life. It may seem as thought your kids are not listening, but they are.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Do you carry a "Jefferson Bible"?
I was recently reading some information about the "Jefferson Bible", Thomas Jefferson that is. As you may know, the "Jefferson Bible" is a book where Thomas Jefferson took the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and arranged them in chronological order. However, he also omitted sections that his mind couldn’t comprehend. For example, the virgin birth.
As I read this, I couldn’t help but think of a parallel to a movement today. A group of younger "believers" who have identified themselves as "postmodern" believers to some degree hold this viewpoint. They too, have personalized Jefferson Bibles, don’t they? I was talking to someone the other day about these postmoderns and I described them this way. They have decided it is okay to make their "Jesus" into what they what him to be. You know, "my "Jesus" is okay with my getting drunk every weekend, and I know your "Jesus" is okay with your homosexuality, so lets not judge eachothers "Jesus".
Whenever I hear this, I can’t help but think of Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever". Praise God for that.
As I read this, I couldn’t help but think of a parallel to a movement today. A group of younger "believers" who have identified themselves as "postmodern" believers to some degree hold this viewpoint. They too, have personalized Jefferson Bibles, don’t they? I was talking to someone the other day about these postmoderns and I described them this way. They have decided it is okay to make their "Jesus" into what they what him to be. You know, "my "Jesus" is okay with my getting drunk every weekend, and I know your "Jesus" is okay with your homosexuality, so lets not judge eachothers "Jesus".
Whenever I hear this, I can’t help but think of Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever". Praise God for that.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Please Pray for Cooper
I, as most people, have a soft spot in my heart for children. Within the last couple days, a co-worker of mine received the bad news that his nine year old son has Leukemia. His sons name is Cooper. He is currently in the hospital for tests and treatments.
Please take a minute to pray that God will heal Cooper of his leukemia.
Please take a minute to pray that God will heal Cooper of his leukemia.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
It's not the church they hate but the leaders
There has been a lot of speculation about why people won't go to church these days. One book claims that it is the church people hate, and the author wants to get out the wrecking ball and take down the church as we know it.
I have done a lot of thinking about this subject. I think the real problem is not the church in general, but the leaders specifically. We as Christians attend church under the authority of Jesus Christ and as an honor to Him we serve under the pastors of our churches. The problem comes in when these leaders fail and fail miserably. This failure runs the spectrum from liberal pastors to conservative pastors. I do not want to get into specific leaders names but you most likely will relate as you read some of the examples I have.
The first example I have is when pastors approach people who are attending their church and tell them they must begin to tithe. I have searched the Bible through and through and can not find verses to support the tithe or leave mindset. I personally know many people who no longer attend church because they were approached with this "you must tithe now" manner. A tithe is something Christians do between them and God. Remember, "God loves a cheerful giver", not a giver who has been shaken down by a pastor.
The next example is when a pastor or leader falls victim to the horrible sin of sexual immorality. This one seems to surface more then most. You hear of a leader who was having a homosexual affair or even a heterosexual extramarital affair. I'm sure you can relate to this one as it has recently happened and that unfortunately won't be the last.
One example, that has hit home with me, is when a pastor attempts to out think God and gets clever with his sermons. "If only I can make church cool, people will come". So they begin with gimmick preaching, you know repelling from the catwalk in army fatigues to start their sermon. That progresses into to sermons that question the literal interpretation of such Bible stories as Job, Jonah, and the Garden of Eden. These pastors begin to contradict everything Christians know to be true and they cause grief and confusion among the believers. They say things like, "I don't really believe in the Trinity", or "Hell isn't a literal place".
Yes, I think the church is just fine, it's leaders who take the Bible out of context or try to be "cool" to the world that people don't like. The overwhelming majority of people I know want to go to church, when they go to church, and that means returning to some of our more traditional roots. Let's stick to the example of the church outlined in Acts 2:42.
I have done a lot of thinking about this subject. I think the real problem is not the church in general, but the leaders specifically. We as Christians attend church under the authority of Jesus Christ and as an honor to Him we serve under the pastors of our churches. The problem comes in when these leaders fail and fail miserably. This failure runs the spectrum from liberal pastors to conservative pastors. I do not want to get into specific leaders names but you most likely will relate as you read some of the examples I have.
The first example I have is when pastors approach people who are attending their church and tell them they must begin to tithe. I have searched the Bible through and through and can not find verses to support the tithe or leave mindset. I personally know many people who no longer attend church because they were approached with this "you must tithe now" manner. A tithe is something Christians do between them and God. Remember, "God loves a cheerful giver", not a giver who has been shaken down by a pastor.
The next example is when a pastor or leader falls victim to the horrible sin of sexual immorality. This one seems to surface more then most. You hear of a leader who was having a homosexual affair or even a heterosexual extramarital affair. I'm sure you can relate to this one as it has recently happened and that unfortunately won't be the last.
One example, that has hit home with me, is when a pastor attempts to out think God and gets clever with his sermons. "If only I can make church cool, people will come". So they begin with gimmick preaching, you know repelling from the catwalk in army fatigues to start their sermon. That progresses into to sermons that question the literal interpretation of such Bible stories as Job, Jonah, and the Garden of Eden. These pastors begin to contradict everything Christians know to be true and they cause grief and confusion among the believers. They say things like, "I don't really believe in the Trinity", or "Hell isn't a literal place".
Yes, I think the church is just fine, it's leaders who take the Bible out of context or try to be "cool" to the world that people don't like. The overwhelming majority of people I know want to go to church, when they go to church, and that means returning to some of our more traditional roots. Let's stick to the example of the church outlined in Acts 2:42.
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