Have you been watching the History Channel’s “The Bible”? Join us each week at 7 p.m. Central time on my Facebook page as we live chat each episode. Keep your Bible handy and chime in with your questions and comments!
Tag: Bible
God’s Cartography
Are you “directionally challenged”?
I am.
I mean, I can read and follow a map, but if I make some wrong turns or get distracted, I tend to get disoriented. And don’t even try to tell me to “go north” or “turn south” when you’re giving me directions. I just don’t have that internal compass some people have. Heck, our church has had an “east campus” and a “west campus” for over a year, and I still can’t figure out which one is which. Thank goodness for map apps. Without those step by step directions, I’d probably still be wandering around out there somewhere.
But, you know what? I did really well in geography when I was in school.
When I can see the big picture, the whole map at once, the beginning, middle, and end of the journey, it’s a piece of cake. I never get confused about which direction is southeast or northwest. I don’t get distracted by twists or turns in the road. If I could just have this perspective when I’m trying to get somewhere, I’d never get lost again.
But life isn’t like that.
We live inside the road trip where it’s easy to get confused and go the wrong way. Where we can get distracted by the twists and turns of circumstances. Where we sometimes deliberately choose to turn off the right road and take a side trip that takes us farther than we wanted to go.
We can’t step “outside the map” and see the big picture of our life’s journey from beginning to end.
But God can. That’s where He lives.
…in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:19
And since He alone can see the big picture, He’s the only One who’s really qualified to give us direction. And that perfect direction can only be found in His word.
Just like my map app, He tells us our starting point:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:1-3
He tells us the detour we need to take:
…repent and believe in the gospel. Mark 1:15b
He shows us the right direction to go:
…what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness…
2 Peter 3:11
And he reveals our ultimate destination:
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Not using “God’s Positioning System”?
Recalculate.
(Don’t groan and roll your eyes. You should have seen that one coming :0)
SoteriObamaGigliology and You
Is Louie Giglio a living martyr or a coward? What do you think of our shiny new state church here in the U.S.? If you haven’t heard about The Giglio Imbroglio, allow me to bring you up to speed.
Pastor Louie Giglio was invited to say a prayer at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony later this month. Being a Christian pastor, it should have been expected that he would have preached at some point on what the Bible says about the sin of homosexuality. Someone with a pro-homosexuality group dug up a sermon from decades ago in which he had done just that, and, yada yada yada, Pastor Giglio – pressured, or not, by the Inaugural Committee (that’s a little murky at the moment)— decided not to do the prayer. Ok, are ya with me? Good.
I’ve read a bit about this debacle over the past few days (though I have a few disagreements with some points, all of the articles hyperlinked above are excellent) and most of what I’ve read seems to be focused on Louie Giglio. But Louie Giglio isn’t alone on the stage of this little drama.
There’s another player. Our President.
Although all the details and communiqués were being handled by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, as President Truman used to say, “The buck stops here.” Right at the feet of President Obama. Ultimately, he is responsible for the “unvitation.” If he felt that the Committee was out of line in their statements or actions, he could have intervened. Instead, he has been silent, which implies consent.
Our President consented to the press release from the Inaugural Committee which said in part:
“As we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.”
Translation: Louie Giglio’s Christian beliefs about homosexuality, which come straight from the Bible, do not “reflect this administration’s vision.”
Let me say that again. Christian beliefs about homosexuality, which line up with what the Bible clearly says, are opposed by our President.
Why is that important?
Because our President believes he is a Christian.
And so do a lot of other people who share his beliefs on things like homosexuality and abortion.
If that describes you, before you get mad and stop reading, in fairness, hear me say something:
Sanctification (progressively becoming more and more Christlike) is a process. People who get saved, especially as an adult, bring a lot of entrenched opinions and thought processes with them to the cross.
Am I saying you have to become pro-life and anti-homosexuality (notice, I did not say anti-homosexual) before, or in order to, get saved?
No.
Am I saying that five minutes or a week after you get saved, you’ll be pasting “Choose Life” and “One Man, One Woman” bumper stickers on your car?
No.
What I am saying is that a person who has genuinely been born again has a God-created desire to know, trust, and obey God’s word.
Even if it’s hard.
Even if you don’t like it, initially.
Even if you don’t completely understand it.
The desire, inextricably interwoven with your love and affection for Christ, born in your heart when you were born again, exists.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. II Corinthians 5:17
Do you have that desire?
Do you wrestle with the things in God’s word that are difficult for you –perhaps things like homosexuality- in order to understand, embrace, and obey them?
Or, do you war against the things you find in the Bible that you don’t like- rebelling against their inherent truth, rejecting them, twisting their meanings to suit your own opinions, and refusing to accept them?
If it’s the latter, you need to be afraid.
Be VERY afraid.
Because the Bible makes it clear that you aren’t saved.
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. I John 2:3-6
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ. I Corinthians 2:14-16
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4
Christians desire to keep God’s word, just like Jesus did. Christians lovingly call sinners to repentance from their sin and to faith in Christ, just like Jesus did. Christians think like Jesus did. Christians reject the world’s values rather than promoting them, just like Jesus did.
My dear friend, if you find yourself constantly battling against God’s word, I urge you, please examine your affections and the fruit of your life, thoughts, and behavior in the mirror of God’s word. It doesn’t matter if you’ve repeated a prayer, filled out a card, been baptized, taken communion, faithfully attended church, served as a teacher, deacon, elder, or pastor, had someone assure you of your salvation, or even if you just “feel saved”. If your life and heart don’t match up with what Scripture says is true of a Christian, you are not genuinely born again.
Please, turn away from your sin- all of your sin -and put your faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross, and in His bodily resurrection, as payment for that sin. If Cain taught us anything, it’s this: you can’t come to God on your own terms. You have to approach Him on His terms.
Or, to borrow from a mantra oft repeated by some in the homosexual community:
If you’re going to accept Him, you have to accept everything about Him.
E-BOOK SUPER SALE!!!
All e-versions of “Jacob” are on sale! Get a Kindle or Nook copy for just 99 cents, or other e-version at CBD for just 79 cents! (Click the hyperlinks here, or click on the “Books” tab above.)
You can give “Jacob” as a GIFT, too! At these prices, you can get one for all the women on your list!
And don’t forget your women’s Bible study group! You don’t have to have an e-reader or tablet. “Jacob” can be downloaded to your smart phone, laptop, or desktop, too. This is a much less expensive way (especially for small churches on a limited budget) to do a women’s Bible study than ordering a $15 workbook for everybody. And January Bible study classes will be starting soon!
Order your copies today– this is a limited time offer!
How Now Shall We Pray?
Last week, an unspeakable tragedy happened. We all wish there were something we could do to fix things and make things better for those who lost loved ones in Connecticut.
Well, there is something we can do. We can pray for them.
If you’re like me, your initial reaction is probably a feeling of, “That’s not enough. I need to do more.” Yes, it will be kind and compassionate to donate to the various funds that will be established, or to send a note of condolence. And if God moves you to do so, you absolutely should show His love in these ways. The families need to receive comfort and encouragement from God’s people, showing them God’s love.
But, if you think about it -especially if you’ve lost a loved one- you know that no act of kindness from a human being can bring the healing of the heart that these folks need. The only way these families will experience true healing, peace, and comfort is through the direct intervention of the Man of Sorrows who is acquainted with grief. We cannot truly help them, but He can.
So, how can we best pray for these heartbroken families? Pray that God will be glorified in this tragedy by:
1. Many coming to know Christ as Savior.
For some, a situation like this is a reminder of their own mortality and the eternity that will follow. Pray that people will bow the knee to Christ as the Holy Spirit woos their hearts, and be sensitive -wherever you happen to be located- to opportunities to share the gospel with people who are searching for answers in the wake of tragedy.
2. Bible-believing Christians and churches reaching out to the victims’ families with the love and comfort that can only be found in Christ. This is a time for the church to be the church and serve her neighbors.
3. God’s provision.
It’s likely that most of these families are not financially or logistically prepared to deal with the practical aspects of dealing with the death of a child or other family member. Pray that God will provide for the victims’ families and ease any struggles with “red tape” at this time. Here’s another area in which the church can serve them.
Please feel free to share this around. Let’s get as many people praying as possible.
