|
Simply Jesus:
- February 25, 2002
Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) This is a direct statement
from the Lord Himself. No hype, no clarification needed, no diversions or
cover-ups; just the plain truth. If Jesus is exalted, He will draw
everyone to Himself. If it is our desire to see people come to Jesus, then
it follows that we should believe His words and lift Him up. Simple!
But, what does it mean to "lift up Jesus?" In the
original context, as Jesus was speaking these words, He was thinking of
two things: the bronze serpent in the wilderness and the cross. In the
wilderness, the Israelites were doing their usual thing, grumbling and
complaining. God sent fiery serpents slithering into the camp. They bit
the people and the people died. But, in mercy, God gave Moses the remedy
for snake bite. He said, "Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a
pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he
looketh upon it, shall live." [9] "And Moses made a serpent of brass, and
put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any
man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (Numbers 21:8,9)
Simple! Yet, people still died. There were those who refused to look, they
felt too sick, it was too easy, they just didn't believe. God gave them a
simple solution and those who believed, lived.
Jesus was also speaking of the cross, His cross;
where He would, in love, bear the sin of the world. In that horrible
process, nails were hammered through His hands and feet. The rough hewn,
splintery cross was lifted up with it's captive, and dropped mercilessly
into a socket in the earth. There He literally was lifted up above the
earth, above the mocking crowd; suspended on that cross for all to see.
And men were drawn to Him, even in that condition. The soldier said,
"Truly this man was the Son of God." (Mark 15:39)
How do we lift up Jesus today? We have no need of a
bronze serpent, and we cannot recreate the crucifixion; so, what can we
do? The phrase, lift up, means to raise up, exalt or uplift; to place
higher in rank or dignity, to increase the strength, or intensity of, to
raise in rank, power or character, to elevate by praise or in estimation,
to glorify, to enhance the activity of. We must first believe, and be
committed to that belief, that Jesus is higher than us. That He is King of
kings and Lord of lords, the Creator, His own first cause, the Beginning
and the End. That there is nothing we can do, think, say, learn or be that
even comes close to the power, glory and majesty of our Lord. We must not
only "believe" in our hearts, but our actions must reflect that belief.
Exalting Jesus in our own hearts would cause us to be at peace while
walking fearlessly and selflessly.
Once we have established the truth personally, then
we are ready to "lift up Jesus" to the world around us. To our families,
our friends, at work and in our church. No conflict can stand against the
power of The Exalted Christ. If husband and wife are both rejoicing in and
bowing to Jesus Christ, their marriage would draw others to Jesus. If each
pastor and church member are walking in the fullness of relationship with
Jesus, and magnifying Him in their lives, business meetings would be a
time of praise and thanksgiving and mutual submission. Children and
parents would live in harmony under the reign and exaltation of the Lord.
Simple!
Oswald Chambers said its not always that way,
however. "Loyalty to Jesus Christ is the thing that we "stick at" today.
We will be loyal to work, to service, to anything, but do not ask us to be
loyal to Jesus Christ. Many Christians are intensely impatient of talking
about loyalty to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more emphatically by
Christian workers than by the world. God is made a machine for blessing
men, and Jesus Christ is made a Worker among workers."
Do you, sometimes, dethrone Jesus? Do you doubt that
just exalting Him, preaching Him, loving Him, living Him (Galatians 2:20),
is enough to reach people for Him? Sadly, we can think of so many other
ways to present the "gospel". Other things we can do to get people to come
to church, and then to keep them coming. Anything, but just lifting up
Jesus. George was preaching a message from Mark 4 & 5 last weekend and
something jumped out at me that I had overlooked for years. The passage is
about the demoniac who lived among the tombs. He was possessed by demons
that caused him to manifest extreme antisocial behavior. No one could help
him, because they couldn't get near him. Even when they bound him with
chains, he just tore them apart. He was in the mountains crying and
cutting himself. Sad, sad case. But Jesus came ashore and the Bible says,
"But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him..." (Mark 5:6)
We don't need more programs, more good music, more
exciting services, more people doing more things; we need JESUS. He will
draw all men to Himself, by His own power. No one is too good or too bad,
even the worst of mankind will worship Jesus if He is there to worship.
It's Jesus only, simply, exalted!
Burn Brightly Today, the World Needs the Light!
"The Match" is the email ministry of Rekindle the
Flame Ministries, George and Kathee Stepan. Rekindle the Flame is the
revival ministry outreach of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Palm Harbor
Florida. RTF is available to minister in local churches. If you would like
more information about the revival ministry, please email us at
rtflame@aol.com with your physical
address and we will send you an introductory packet. Or you can access
introductory information at our website:
www.rekindletheflame.org.
You can reach us by mail at: PO Box 1417,
Palm Harbor, FL 34682. You can reach us by phone nationwide: (727)
515-8233. Thank you for allowing us to share your busy Monday with you.
Daddy's
Girl:
There have been
many studies undertaken on the subject of family relationships, mostly
centered the husband and wife. Given the divorce rate in America, there
should be a lot of attention given to the improvement of the rocky
marriage. Perhaps lost in all the attention of family interaction is the
Father/Daughter relationship. Not much is said or written about this
subject and when you find something in print, you will probably find a
woman author. Most fathers do not pursue interaction with their daughters,
for the unwritten rule is “sons are for dads, girls are for moms.” It
probably is not as important to figure out why this prevalent attitude
exists, as it is to shatter this fallacy in our own family.
Have you ever
noticed a teenage girl refer to her father as 'Daddy?' The very word
implies a deep flowing adoration, cultivated from early childhood. Listen
for this word from teenage girls or even from married women. If a warm
understanding of the Father/Daughter relationship provokes your interest,
pursue conversation with this father or daughter. You will most likely
learn volumes on how healthy relationships work. However, on the darker
side of this issue, resides the likely low self esteem of a daughter who
never received her father's approval or never heard the words 'I love
you!' The house where criticism abounds will inevitably find children who
long for the peace of heart that only the father can give. Boys growing up
into manhood generally gravitate towards fulfillment in the work arena.
Girls keep seeking their father's golden touch but eventually will seek
approval from another man, usually from a man 'just like my dad.'
The tragic result is that this pursuit usually leads to a compromising of
moral standards in hopes of unconditional acceptance from the `man they
love.' Rarely will they find that approval in this search and come back to
seek it from their fathers, only to find that the father enraged about
this fellow. So the despondency grows in the daughter, as well as the ache
in her heart.
In order for a father to cultivate a Godly
relationship with his daughter he must confess that he is completely
inadequate to the task of rearing children. He needs to ask for God's
enlightenment from his living witnesses and God's word. The effort to
improve the relationship must come from the father, for the daughter is
almost always waiting for dad to make that first step. The father holds
all the power since it is he that holds the jewel that his daughter
longingly seeks to adorn herself with. A jewel she will show off to any
who express even remote interest. How can fathers do this? The first step
is a simple yet extremely hard decision to make, and even harder to live
up to. A father must decide to believe that his daughter is more important
than any activity in his day other than prayer and meditation upon his
heavenly father's word. Once this state of mind solidifies, action will
become easy when his little girl asks to spend some time with him. You
might not be able to imagine the delight of a little girl when her daddy
drops what he is grossly involved in just to have a tea party with her. I
notice a very dramatic change in my daughter's demeanor when I help her
set up the saucers and tea cups. I also see the instant degradation of her
spirit when I have a “need to finish this now” attitude. I know that most
fathers would never play tea party, because many men laugh and playfully
ridicule me when I tell them about this scene. Their laughter has no
impact on me, because I know that I will be long forgotten by them when my
little girl recalls the experience when she is grown. I know that when she
dances with me as her prince, she will someday walk over to me and hug me.
She may not recall a reason to do so, but will, just because she knows
that I love her with all my heart.
Perhaps the most obvious, yet most overlooked,
way for a dad to win his daughter's heart is just to look into her eyes
and tell her that he loves her. Men may never understand how this simple
and sincere action stills any stormy waters in her heart, but it happens.
It seems those three words are the most powerful that daddy's little girl
will ever hear. It will give her the confidence to face many of life's
challenges because if 'my daddy believes in me, then I can overcome this
present obstacle.' Be sure to tell her you love her and prove your love by
active involvement in her expanding life. Fathers, look each day for tasks
or works that your daughter has done and let her know what a great job she
did. She will live higher on that compliment than a day's worth of food.
Hold on loosely but don't let
her go
All fathers admit difficulties in understanding
their precious girl whose hormones have kicked in. After all, no man would
claim (at least in front of a woman) that they understand women. So why
should they be mystified about not understanding their daughter who is
turning into a young woman? Fathers must start looking to have their
daughter's wings spread as soon as possible. For example, I have a
telescope that is very important to me. I would not let my daughter touch
it 'till she turned four. Then I let her play with the controls if I was
present and watching. By the time she turns 8 or so, I believe she will be
able to use it without supervision. Even better I hope she will use it
outside when she is twelve.
A great deal of father and daughter disputes
arise when fathers unknowingly hold on so tightly to protect their
children from harm, that the children crave freedom to the point of
rebellion. Fathers, have you ever thought about extending the curfew for
your daughter by a half an hour per year or two. Otherwise, disputes over
the 10:00 curfew will escalate until the (unacceptable, in the daughter's
eyes) 10:30 comprise is reached only to be broken by an hour anyway. Dads
must let their trust be known to their daughters. Don't be afraid for them
to make mistakes, but don't be afraid to let them know that you fear for
their well being. If you have this outlook, you can tell them you trust
them to grow and decide things for themselves. The hardest thing any
father can say is, 'I am no longer in complete control of my child.'
However, it is better to let go in small increments than to face defiance
and have them rip control away in fits of rebellion.
Remember to hold on loosely, and you will never
have to fully let go, because daughters who know their fathers trust them
will never be far from their daddy's hearts. Fathers, do not drive
daughters away with an angry yet yearning heart, for the consequences may
be very high for both you and your daughter. Let love and trust be a
mantle piece over the doorway to your soul, always being the adored daddy
by your little girl.
- Andy Weeks
Her Daddy's
Love
Daddy you're the man in your little
girl's dreams
You are the one, that she longs to please
and
there's a place in her heart, that can only be filled
with her Daddy's
love
But if you don't give her the love she
desires
She will try someone but they won't satisfy her
If your
little girl rose up without your Daddy's love
She may feel empty and
it's only because
Her Daddy's love that she's looking for
Don't send her away to another man's door
Nobody else can do what
you do
She just needs her Daddy's love
And someday if you hear that here purity
is gone
She may have lost it trying to find
What she was missing
at home
Let the heavenly father heal where you fail
He can forgive
you and help you
Give her Daddy's love that she's looking for
Don't send her away to another man's door
Nobody else can do what you do
She just needs her Daddy's love
Lyrics & music written by Stephen
Curtis Chapman
© 1995 Stephen Crutis
Chapman
"Can King James's Bible Still Be
Defended?"
by Theodore P. Letis - July 25,
2000
The real question is, to whom should it have to be defended?
Analogously, to whom must we defend such unquestionable talents as Shakespeare,
Mozart, and Dickens? Certainly not to the literate and aesthetically aware.
Though these gifts to mankind are antique, their treasures remain timeless just
because of that quality, not in spite of it. Who would balk at free tickets to a
performance of Hamlet, or to a concert featuring A Little Night Music, or to a
dramatic reading of Dickens, with the inane argument that these are not
contemporary works? The only segments of society that would despise such
cultural giants are the profoundly ignorant or the insufferably modern
ideologue. Note what Shakespeare apologist Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of
Humanities at Yale University, has said about both classes:
Four centuries have only augmented Shakespeare's universal
influence.... Will that change in the new century, since deep reading is in
decline, and Shakespeare, as the Western canon's center now vanishes from the
schools with the canon? Will generations to come believe current superstitions,
and so cast away genius.... A journalist, scorning what he called any "lone
genius," recently proclaimed that the three leading "ideas" of our moment were
feminism, environmentalism, and structuralism. That is to mistake political and
academic fashions for ideas, and stimulates me to ask again, Who besides
Shakespeare can continue to inform an authentic idea of the human? (Shakespeare:
the Invention of the Human, pp. 715-716)
But here we must step back and observe further: surely this
literary gem of the English Renaissance while tending toward the newly secular
was greatly indebted to the Geneva Bible and the Book of Common Prayer for his
essential understanding of the human condition. It was precisely from this Bible
also that the Reformers, the Puritans, and the great literary and religious
giants of the English language have all heard the voice and discovered the mind
of God giving comprehensive meaning to what it is to be human. It would be
this very Bible that would attain its final refinement under
King James's patronage. It is also, however, this same Bible that now, like
Shakespeare, stands on the brink of disuse, both because of the decline of
serious reading and because of the rise of the smug
contemporary culture guardians promoting sweeping historical
revisionism.
And in the case of the Bible, one more factor is in play: an
entire profit-driven market of "modern" American Bible publishers. These modern
Bible marketeers have convinced an entire generation ‹ even those who would
otherwise be both literate and aesthetically sensitive ‹ to trade down from
antique majesty to modern mumbling, from the Ancient of Days to a wholly modern
god in contemporary garish dress. Renaissance Bible apologist, Gerald Hammond,
Professor of English, University of Manchester, has noted this parallel
trend:
While the Renaissance Bible translator saw half of his task as
reshaping English so that it could adapt itself to Hebraic idiom the modern
translator wants to make no demands on the language he translates into.... The
basic distinction between the Renaissance and the modern translators is one of
fidelity to their original. Partly the loss of faith in the Hebrew and Greek as
the definitive word of God has led to the translators' loss of contact with it,
but more responsibility lies in the belief that a modern Bible should aim not to
tax its reader's linguistic or interpretive abilities one bit. If this aim is to
be achieved then it seems clear that a new Bible will have to be produced for
every generation ‹ each one probably moving us further away from the original
text, now that the initial break has been made (The Making of the English Bible
pp. 2;12-13).
The situation seems bleak, but not hopeless. If Harold Bloom's
magnificent apologia of Shakespeare is the definitive cure for his neglect, then
the single most potent and comprehensive arrest of this development with regard
to the Bible of the Reformation/Renaissance lies in the reading of yet another
single book: The King James Version Defended, 4th ed., by Edward Freer Hills.
This study is nothing less than an encyclopedic redress of every major fallacy
about this Bible and every feeble plea that the antique qualities of the King
James Version now excludes it from consideration for everyday use.
In a brief but penetrating sketch, Hills traces the history of
Christian thought clearly illustrating that a decidedly Enlightenment mentality
crept into the Church in the 19th century by way of the then young discipline
known as New Testament textual criticism. Hills, himself a
well-trained classics major from Yale University with a doctorate in New
Testament textual criticism from Harvard, reveals in this study how a loss of
belief in the inspiration of the Bible led to the endless modern attempts to
both make it contemporary and familiar, as well as to reshape it to reflect not
the timeless, changeless truths of the Christian Faith but to reflect the
various academic fashions, trends and emerging ideologies that have invaded most
of the modern churches. For anyone interested in a thoroughgoing and compelling
defense of the Bible of the Reformation by a well-respected authority in the
field, this study is indispensable and is guaranteed to bring back to life a
love for the Bible of Shakespeare, of Milton, of the Puritans and of the authors
of the Book of Common Prayer.
Theodore P. Letis (Ph.D., Edinburgh) is president of
the Institute for Renaissance and Reformation Biblical Studies. He can be
reached at LetisT@aol.com
Copyright ©2000
Chalcedon Inc., PO Box 158, Vallecito, CA, 95251
We Are Losing Our
Children:
Remarks to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive
Committee Nashville, Tenn., September 18, 2001 By T.C. Pinckney
The events of a week ago today were a terrible
tragedy. The nation is rightly aroused, and we need to take effective
action. We mourn for the slain and we pray for their families. Yet having
said that, evaluated as a long-term threat and in numbers of lives
destroyed, the tragedy I want to discuss with you dwarfs, literally
dwarfs, the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.
We are losing our children. Research indicates that
70% of teens who are involved in a church youth group will stop attending
church within two years of their high school graduation. Think about that
statement. It addresses only teenagers who attend church and participate
in the youth group. What does that suggest about those teens who may
attend church but do not take part in the youth group, or who do not go to
church at all?
In a talk at Southwestern Seminary Josh McDowell
noted that less than 1/3 of today's youth attend church. If he is right
and 67% do not go to church and then we lose 70% of those who do, that
means that within two years of finishing high school only 10% of young
Americans will attend church.
We are losing our youth.
Why is this happening? Many strands go into weaving
a
tapestry, and surely there are many reasons this
tragic departure of our youth from Christ is taking place. However, I
believe the evidence clearly indicates that the primary reasons are,
first, our failure as Christian parents and churches and, second, the
intentional, persistent, and highly effective effort by anti-theists to
use public schools to lead children away from their parents and from the
church.
A Bit of History
About 1830 a group of wealthy Unitarians in Boston
became unhappy with the locally controlled, parent-run, church- influenced
schools then prevalent. They decided to try to establish a system of
state-run, secular schools. They sent two young scholars abroad to study
the main European school systems in order to decide which system to use as
a model. After a two-year study the team recommended and their sponsors
adopted the Prussian system as their model. Why? Because in that system
the state had complete control, parents had no influence, and children
were entered at the earliest age.
With that decision made, the group designed a three
part plan: (1) compulsory attendance, (2) a state teacher's college degree
prerequisite to certification as a teacher, and (3) state owned and
operated schools. This was the plan they proposed to the Massachusetts'
legislature.
Among themselves they agreed that if they could not
at first get all three elements approved, the most important part was the
required teacher's college. This was their priority because they agreed
that "If we teach them what to teach, they will teach what they have been
taught."
The first year's cost to establish the teacher's
college was $50,000. The Massachusetts legislature balked, saying the cost
was too high. So the wealthy Unitarians made them an offer they could not
refuse; they put up $25,000 if the state would match it. They did, and in
1837 the first state public school system in the United States was
established. Soon other states followed suit.
The Philosophical Foundation of Governmental Schools
Just 14 years after the Massachusetts state school system was established,
Auguste Comte wrote the following in his System of Positive Polity, vol.
I, 1851, pp. 35-6.
"The object of our philosophy is to direct the
spiritual reorganization of the civilized world. ...
[W]e may begin at once to construct that system of
morality under which the final regeneration of Humanity will proceed."
His "spiritual reorganization" was a long-term plan,
and it has been steadily progressing right up till today.
And you will recall that Darwin's great mythology,
Origin of Species, was published in 1859.
Of course Comte was not alone in this vision of a
future without God, of humanity without individuality, of rule by the
self-defined most capable over the less capable. In 1918 Benjamin Kidd
published in London a book, The Science of Power. On p. 309 he wrote:
"Oh you blind leaders who seek to convert the world
by labored disputations. Step out of the way or the world must fling you
aside. GIVE US THE YOUNG. GIVE US THE YOUNG and we will create a new mind
and a new earth in a single generation."
Ten years later in 1928 Ross L. Finney, Ph. D.,
published in the United States A Sociological Philosophy of Education. On
p. 118 Finney wrote, "Everything depends on passing out the expert
opinions of the social scientists to the masses of the people; and the
schools, particularly the high schools, are the only adequate agency
available for this function."
And on p. 117 he had just said, "It is the business
of teachers to run not merely the school, but the world; and the world
will never be truly civilized until they assume that responsibility."
Another interesting quote comes from The
Reconstruction of Religion by Charles A. Ellwood, Ph. D., Professor of
Sociology, U. Of Missouri, 1923, p. 177: "Human institutions, sociology
shows, are in every case learned adjustments. As such, they can be
modified provided we can obtain control of the learning process."
And the American Humanist Association understands
the importance of capturing the children for they have written: "In order
to capture this nation, one has to totally remove moral and spiritual
values and absolutes from the thinking of the child. The child has to
think that there is no standard of right and wrong, that truth is
relative, and that diversity is the only absolute to be gained."
Everyone has a worldview, a perspective of the world
around him. Bob Reccord referred to this as a "reference point." He may
not think of it in these terms. Indeed, he may not think of it consciously
at all, but you cannot exist without a framework within which you place
events and individuals, which determines your values, which values in turn
guide your actions and reactions to events and people.
Although there are many worldviews designated by
many exotic or not so exotic terms, they all boil down to just two types:
Your worldview will be man-centered or God-centered.
We are all familiar with Deuteronomy 6:7-9: "And
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them
for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine
eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy
gates."
Yet we seem to have forgotten or ignored God's
commands about education:
* Luke 6:40 (NASB) "A pupil is not above his
teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his
teacher." Do we want our children to adopt the anti-Christian,
socialistic, pro-homosexual, no absolute right and wrong beliefs
promulgated in government schools?
* Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." This is exactly what is
happening to our children. They are being spoiled by philosophies and
deceits "after the tradition of men."
* II Corinthians 6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" But this is
exactly what we do when we send our children to government schools.
Most Southern Baptists and most Southern Baptist
churches are failing to obey God's commands regarding our children.
Yes, we take them to Sunday worship and Sunday
School. Yes, they may also attend AWANAs or another church-centered youth
program. They may even have Bible study at home.
But two or three hours on Sunday and 20 minutes or
so of Bible study at home are overpowered by 30 or more hours a week in
anti-Christian government schools and the constant pagan media bombardment
which may add up to another 10, 20, 30, or more hours per week.
Now of course many schoolteachers are Christians.
And may God bless them as they do what they can. But they are strictly
limited by school policy, humanist textbooks, programs teaching the
validity of homosexuality, "make up your own minds" approaches to
morality, "safe sex" instruction, and on and on.
Why have we failed our God in this critically
important responsibility?
We have failed because we have been willfully,
blissfully ignorant ... and satisfied in our ignorance. We have failed
because the great majority of us have not made the effort to inform
ourselves of the facts ... even though there are books and articles galore
readily available. We have failed because--even when we have known the
facts--we have not had the courage to point them out to our people. We
have failed because we have been afraid to offend people. So we have
chosen to offend God rather than men.
What Should We Do?
The ideal, most biblical solution is for parents to
teach their children, to be homeschoolers. All our churches should welcome
and openly encourage home-schoolers. But clearly many parents cannot or
will not home-school. For their children we need to start large numbers of
Christian schools. And these schools need to be truly Christian:
* Christian in the sincere faith of the teachers and
all other staff,
* Christian in textbooks carefully chosen,
* Christian in their entire worldview.
Note that they should also teach about evolution,
about humanism, about post-modernism ... but in a balanced way, giving the
evolutionists' arguments fully and fairly, but also demonstrating their
weaknesses, the mythological presuppositions upon which these lies are
based, and the disastrous consequences for those who choose to live
without God. Our children must be prepared to live among, confront when
necessary, and triumph in debate with secularists. This is one area where
ignorance is NOT bliss.
It has been a privilege to be with you today. As
Executive Committee members you fill a critically important role in
Southern Baptist life, and indeed in Christian life throughout the United
States and the entire world. I pray the Lord will lay a burden on your
hearts for our children and their Christian education. And I pray that He
will lead you to encourage home-schooling and the establishment of more
and more truly Christian schools.
--------------
T.C. Pinkney retired from U.S. Air Force as a Brig.
General.
In June 2001, he was elected 2nd Vice President of
Southern Baptist Convention. He lives in Alexandria, Va., is the editor of
The Baptist Banner, and can be reached at (703) 780-1566 or TCP@TheBaptistBanner.com.
Devotional 06-23-2001 -
In the World, but Not of It -
The Christian Fellowship Devotionals
(Mat 9:10-12 NASB) And it happened that as He was reclining at the table
in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining
with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they
said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers
and sinners?" 12 But when He heard this, He said, "It is not those who are
healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
I admit this saying isn't too difficult for me,
because snobbery has always been a pet peeve of mine! Sometimes though, we
have the idea that we shouldn't have any non-Christian friends. Or we
shouldn't go to "secular" places, like certain movies. I have been told I
shouldn't go to a secular university. But I have seen God use me there.
For example, a classmate once said to me that I reminded her of going to
church, that she knew something was missing from her life, and that was
it. We are to be the salt and light for the world, and if we are not out
mingling with the world, how will we share the life-and-death message of
the Gospel with them?
(Mat 5:13-14 NASB) You are the salt of the earth; but
if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is
good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot
by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be
hidden.
To be sure, it's a balancing act. There are some "shoulds"
that "should" be in our lifestyle, e.g. we should not go to x-rated
movies. And we should not let non-Christians influence us; rather, we are
to influence them. But when we start getting into "shoulds," we can easily
slip into legalism, and alienate ourselves from the people who most need
our message of Christ's love. Most Christians are reached not by tracts
given by a stranger, but by the consistent witness of a friend. There are
many ways God can use us to draw people to the Gospel. By treating
respectfully the people we do business with. By listening to an agnostic
friend who is going through a divorce. By discussing a movie (i.e.
"Titanic") with a friend, including things that agree or disagree with
Christian beliefs. For example, I watched a Jeff Bridges movie once, about
a man who couldn't forgive himself for making an off-the-cuff remark that
caused someone to kill himself. It was a sad movie; the protagonist spent
his entire life trying to make up for his mistake. It struck me that if
the man had been Christian, he could have found release from the guilt,
and God could use the situation for His purposes. With the guidance of the
Holy Spirit and a little creativity, we can bring Christianity into most
any discussion. So think twice before you avoid certain people or places.
Jesus was out in the world, where people lived, worked, marketed and
discussed. He didn't isolate Himself, and neither should we.
Dear Lord, please help us to achieve that balance, of
separating ourselves spiritually but not physically from the world. In
Jesus' name, amen.
jan@cfdevotionals.org
The Christian Fellowship Devotionals - Pass
Them On!
To subscribe: cfdev-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To unsubscribe: cfdev-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org/
From Rekindle The Flame Ministry - February
4, 2001
Spiritual
Homelessness
We were eating lunch at a downtown deli the other day. It was about
fifty feet back from a busy street with tables and chairs outside and
inside. We sat at the counter looking out the window watching the people.
Right in front of the window was a trash can for the convenience of those
eating outside. Halfway through our lunch a man came walking through the
crowd toward the deli. He was probably in his 60's, shoulder length gray
hair tied back by a piece of string, ragged, soiled clothes, carrying a
well used backpack, holding a half eaten sandwich in his left hand. He
didn't acknowledge the people in the crowd, nor those sitting at the
tables. He walked straight for the trash can, which was directly in front
of us. In amazement we watched as he pulled the trash can toward him with
his left hand, still clutching the sandwich, and rummaged through the
trash with his right hand. Unfortunately for him an employee had just
emptied the trash and the man's search for food was in vain. But it didn't
seem to faze him. He pushed the can back toward the window, took a bite
out of his sandwich, and continued on down the street. My immediate
impulse was to grab the rest of my lunch and take it to this man, but I
just sat there wondering how and why this man was living on the street. He
had been someone's son, someone's brother, probably someone's husband and
father. He had once lived somewhere, gone to school, maybe to church. He
no doubt had owned a car, worked a job, paid taxes and gone on vacation.
But that day he was a nobody who ate out of trash cans, slept under
bridges, and carried all of his earthly possessions in a shabby, worn out
backpack.
How does homelessness happen? In today's society there are literally
thousands and thousands of people who are one paycheck away from losing
their homes and security. Over the years we have attempted to help 4 or 5
homeless people and families. We've paid for motel rooms, bought food and
clothes for their children, given them jobs, and even taken them into our
home. I don't know about all homeless people, but these we knew had one
thing in common: brazen, unabashed independence. Their common declaration
was, "I may not have anything, but at least I go where I want and do
what I want when I want to do it. No one is in charge of my life but
me."
Something in their life happened which caused these people to give
up shelter, warmth, family, security, routine, cleanliness and regular
eating habits in exchange for complete independence from every one and
everything. It's shocking, bewildering and unexplainable. But there is
something even more unbelievable and that's spiritual homelessness.
As born again Christians we have been adopted into the family of
God. We are joint heirs with Jesus Christ, priests, kings, victorious and
well supplied. To gain the life of Jesus, we simply lay down our lives,
accept the fact that we have died with Him, and allow Him to live His life
through us. In abandonment we receive abundance. It's a fair trade,
really. All of our temporality exchanged for His eternal spirituality. But
we've all seen them, the spiritually homeless. They wander in the crowds
of the world, eating the pagans' leftovers. They seem oblivious to the
call of God on their lives. Maybe they are too afraid of what God might
ask of them to give Him their life completely.
Janet Paschal sang a song years ago that said, "How could I
ever doubt a God whose hands hold the universe? How could I ever question
His authority? There's no place where I can go that He doesn't know the
things that trouble me. He's always aware of where I am and what I
need."
That's the God we serve, our heavenly Father; the Almighty, the
Friend of sinners, the Life Giver. We can trust Him with our lives, and
yet there is a cost. Jesus put it this way:
Mark 8:34-37 "And He
summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, "If
anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me. (35) For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose
it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it.
(36) For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit
his soul? (37) For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Don't allow independence or fear to put you in the street. Lay down
your life and take a seat at the banquet table of God's love and
provision. He's left the light on for you.
Burn brightly today, the world needs the light.
"The Match" is the email ministry of Rekindle the Flame
Ministries, George and Kathee Stepan. Rekindle the Flame is the revival
ministry outreach of Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Palm Harbor
Florida. RTF is available to minister in local churches. If you would like
more information about the revival ministry, please email us at rtflame@aol.com
with your physical address and we will send you an introductory packet. Or
you can access introductory information at our website: www.rekindletheflame.org.
You can reach us by mail at: PO Box 1417, Palm Harbor, FL 34682. You can
reach us by phone nationwide: (727) 515-8233. Thank you for allowing us to
share your busy Monday with you.
Living Forward, Understanding Backward - Marketplace Meditations -
by Os Hillman
The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it. - (1
Thessalonians 5:24)
When I was in my 20's, I participated in a wilderness training
course in a desert and mountain area. For our "final exam," we were
blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote
area. We were dropped off and told to meet back at the camp in three days.
We did not know where we were. We had to determine our location with our
compasses. It was a frightening experience for four young people who had
learned to navigate through the use of a compass only a few days earlier.
With our food and water on our backs, we began our trek. It had just
snowed that morning, so the way was difficult. We walked through valleys,
canyons, snow-covered hills, and forests. In all, we walked more than 60
miles in three days. There were times when we did not think we could go
another foot. Exhaustion and frostbitten feet were taking their toll.
However, we finally made it to our base camp successfully, and to our
surprise, we were the first ones among the other patrols to make it back.
At the conclusion of our journey, we were able to stand on top of a
ridge, look behind us and see the beautiful terrain that we had just
scaled. The pain of what we had just endured seemed to subside. We could
not believe we had actually walked through those valleys and snowcapped
hills. There was a sense of accomplishment.
Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but
understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we
can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual
deposits He has made in our life as a result. When you begin to realize
some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know
that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but
He was.
Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost
impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to
equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, "Wow,
look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley."
Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.
----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by Crosswalk.com.
It is written by Os Hillman, a businessman located in Atlanta, GA. His
email address is <os@wowi.net>.
For more articles and books by Os Hillman you may visit his web site
at
http://www.marketplaceleaders.org.
Incrementalsim - A Lie from the Pit of Hell!
By Flip Benham - posted
06/23/01 from Operation Save America
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org
There is a lie that has
infected the pro-life movement for the past 29 years. It has paralyzed the
Church of Jesus Christ. It has moved us from standing upon the Word of God
to end child killing, to relying upon our own ability to make compromises
with the enemy of God in order to stop abortion. This lie, more than
anything else, has rendered us defenseless and ineffective in the battle
for life. It is the primary reason that we still have abortion in our land
today. It has caused us to believe that we can legislate this evil out of
our culture slowly but surely by education, sound reasoning, and political
maneuvering. It is called incrementalsim. It gives the appearance
of accomplishing a desired end but, in reality, it only enables the enemy
to continue killing.
You've heard it from
well-meaning Christians time and again, "Can't we just get together with
those in the pro-choice community and find some common ground so
that we can educate them and win them over?" As if education were some
great panacea or light that, once revealed, would convert people to the
truth. The only problem is that education does little good to those who
refuse to see the truth, just as light does little good to those who are
blind. Whether or not one can see, according to the Scripture, is a
spiritual choice. If one is born again, he will be given eyes that see (John
3:3). If he is not, he will remain blind (John 3:19).
Attempting to share light with
those who are blind is a futile endeavor. Attempting to educate those who
already have their own "truth" is just as futile. Have you noticed how the
pro-choice crowd has admitted that the child in the womb is a human being?
We believed that if they were educated to that fact, the killing would
cease. Not a chance! The battle for the lives of children will never be
won by educating and seeking common ground with those who refuse to
see the truth. It will be won only when they are enabled to see.
Again, whether or not one can
see the truth is a spiritual choice. Just ask Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe
of Roe v. Wade, or Bernard Nathanson, the founder of NARAL . They
were both pro-abortion and instrumental in ushering us into the culture of
death. But today they are both Christians. Their eyes are opened to see
the truth and they are fighting for life. Jesus is the one who changed
their worldview.
You've seen the lie of
incrementalism in the "all or something" legislation proposed by many
in the pro-life movement to end Roe v. Wade under the auspices of
parental notification, parental consent, and the partial birth abortion
ban. The idea is that we can slowly but surely win a few here and win
a few there and ultimately end legal abortion. In doing so, however, we've
compromised some biblical principles along the way. We have been led to
believe by the political icons of the pro-life movement that standing on
God's Word alone will never make legislative muster. It won't work.
Politics is the art of compromise. One can't go for the whole enchilada
all at once. We will save some babies now, even though we can't save them
all at this time, with the sincere desire that slowly but surely the
ultimate "victory" will be won. Again, the idea is that we win one little
"victory" at a time and one day the battle will be won. Sounds right,
doesn't it?
After all, isn't this the way
God was expelled from school and banished from the schoolyard? Satan
slowly but surely removed God from our public schools over the years.
First, prayer was removed from school (Engle v. Vitale, 1962). Then
bible reading was removed from school (Abbington v. Schemp, 1963).
Then the Ten Commandments were removed from the walls of school classrooms
and hallways (Stone v. Graham, 1980). Now Satan is attempting to remove
student-led prayer from high school football games and graduation
ceremonies (Santa Fe School District v. Doe, 2000). Yes, Satan does
accomplish his murderous purposes slowly but surely. It is called
incrementalism!
A case in point would be
Satan's first appearance in the Bible. The murderous serpent made his
serpentine way to Eve and called God's Word into question, "… Did God
really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Gen 3:1)
Of course the serpent knew exactly what God had said and so did Eve, but
he began his temptation by calling God's Word into question. He did not
outright deny it -- not at first. That would never have worked. This
incremental slithering of the serpent ultimately did end in his outright
denial of God's Word to Adam and Eve, "You will not surely die … For
God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3:4-5)
What we see here, and what is
repeated throughout the pages of the Bible and history, is the incremental
way of the serpent. It works! It sucks us into sin slowly until we find
ourselves blind and dead to God. It is pragmatic and willing to compromise
principle for a "higher" end. Satan is the ultimate incrementalist!
Common in today's Pro-Life
thinking is that if it works for the devil, then it ought to work for us.
Attempting to use Satan's means to achieve God's ends, however, is always
a huge mistake. The ends never justify the means in God's economy. When we
convince ourselves that we can outsmart the devil at his own game, he has
outsmarted us. God's ways are not our ways!
Incrementalism is a
devastating lie that prevents Christians from standing upon God's Word and
God's Word alone. It causes us to make compromises with "the seed of the
serpent" that God would never have us make. Case in point, Parental
Notification and Parental Consent: it is not all right to kill
children when their parents have been notified. Neither is it all right to
kill children whose mothers have been given parental consent. A Christian
cannot sign on to legislation like this, no matter how well intentioned
the motive, for it is contrary to God's Word. Unfortunately,
incrementalism, has caused us to be ashamed of God's Word (Mark
8:38).
But you may say, "At least it
is a step in the right direction and think of the thousands of lives that
will be saved." This is the lie of incrementalism at its finest. It
causes one to make bargains with the enemy by compromising the Word of
God. Babies may or may not be saved but, in signing or sponsoring
legislation like this, you have just put yourself in the place of Almighty
God. He never gave you the moral authority (the bargaining chip) to make
this kind of a decision. Your duty is to stand on His Word and His Word
alone. All children are precious in His sight and all human life is
sacred.
Partial Birth Abortion Ban
is another example of incrementalism. It is not right to kill
children in the womb at any point from conception and beyond. What happens
here is that we begin to place higher value on the children that are
further along in gestation (third trimester) than the ones in first and
second trimester. When did God ever say that a child in the third
trimester is of any greater value than a child in the first trimester?
Recall Luke 1:41, when third trimester John leaped for joy in the
womb of his mother Elizabeth upon meeting first trimester Jesus. All human
life is sacred to God, and He calls us to speak for all of those who
cannot speak for themselves, from third trimester to one second old in the
womb. We are not called to make deals for their lives.
But you may say, "You don't
understand. We are not trying to make distinctions here as to who is more
valuable - first or second trimester. We agree that all human life is
sacred. We are trying to save as many as we can until ultimately child
killing in the United States of America is finished." I do not question
the sincerity of your motive to serve God and end all abortion, but you
have been sucked into the lie of incrementalism.
Instead of relying upon the
power of Almighty God to watch over His Word to perform it, you end up
relying on your own wiles to out-negotiate the enemy. Of course this
always involves the need to compromise God's Word. The devil demands this
of you, for the Word of God is intolerant of him and absolutely
unacceptable in the art of politics. To try to end child killing in
America by outwitting the devil will end in utter futility. It causes us
to rely upon our own ingenuity to accomplish God's purposes in our
culture. Incrementalism is not God's way!
What is God's way? Look at the
instrument Jesus used to defeat the devil during his wilderness
temptations. It was the Word of God and the Word of God alone that brought
Satan to his knees. There was no attempt at negotiation with this liar.
Standing upon God's Word without apology, without exception, and without
compromise is God's way.
The lie of incrementalism
is that we become as God trying to negotiate with the enemy the terms of
peace. This is not our job. The terms of peace have already been
negotiated at the cross. The victory has been won through Christ. Jesus
has made a public spectacle of the devil's defeat. Our sworn duty is to
represent our risen Lord's commands to an already defeated foe. There is
no need for negotiation. We win when we stand uncompromisingly on God's
Word. It is the only offensive weapon we have and the only one we need.
This is a Benham paraphrase of
a G. K. Chesterton thought: Modern philosophy and old seek to find common
ground between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman.
Christianity does not. There is hatred between the two seeds and
absolutely no common ground. Christianity says red is red (enjoy it in all
of its character and beauty). It says white is white (appreciate it and
enjoy it too). But Christianity has enmity toward the color pink (red and
white together). Pink, however, is the color that the devil and the
philosophers of our day demand. Everyone should be of the same color
(multi-cultural, multi-racial, gender neutral, etc.) - robbing the
particular individualism of God. The world looks for mixture while God
looks for distinction. He is seeking a peculiar people who will represent
Him to a lost world. |
free.