I keep thinking about the law and how it points us to Jesus. You likely notice me use this phrase quite often, "those who are honest with themselves". I use that phrase, because the law doesn't point all people towards Jesus. Many people just get mad when they are told that their deeds aren't right in the sight of God.
There are many ways to deal with the law that I've already touched on. Here are a few;
1. Convince yourself that there is no God.
2. Convince yourself that He isn't all that serious about sin.
3. Convince yourself that He is referring to someone else. He doesn't mean your sin, He's talking about other people who are like that. You're above the law of God.
4. Remind yourself that it's in the past and that there is nothing you can do to fix it anyway.
5. Meditate often to clear your mind and forget your troubles.
6. Think about other people who sin more than you do and tell yourself that your sins aren't as bad as theirs.
7. Count up all of the selfless good deeds that you have done. There must be at least 6 or so. That must count for something right?
I think most people fall into one of the above. There are however a great number of people who refuse to embrace any of these trains of tought. Even though they might have tried to pretend it isn’t all that serious, even though they have tried to drown their misery, the shame remains. In my mind, these are able to recognize that the blood of Jesus really is the only sufficient solution and sacrifice for sin.
So if you find yourself in a place where you just can’t soothe your conscience, I have good news for you. You are in that place where Jesus can help. He can’t do a lot with a stubborn, rebellious, self righteous heart – but He is able to mend those who have hearts that are humble and contrite.
If you are honest in your dealings with your conscience, I’m confident that you’ll eventually find the way. When you do, you’ll understand that the Way doesn’t revolve around a code of ethics. The way has come to us in the form of a man; a man who was more than a man.
Jesus
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Saturday, July 31, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
I don't know about you....
....but I spend much of my time feeling like a failure. This past weekend, one of the men in my life celebrated a birthday. His birthday was on the 24th of July.
He's the kind of guy that I'm told that we as Christians should spend much of our effort on. He is what you might refer to as on of those that society has cast aside. So, leading up to the 24th I planned on visiting him and bringing by a small gift. When the 24th came, I found myself short on funds and completely drained;both physically and emotionally. I don't know if you remember, but last week was quite hot and humid. After putting in a full week at the garage, I have to tell you that I was completely spent. So at the end of my week's work, I went home to heal.
I received a call from his this afternoon. The first thing that he said to me was, "Kevin. You forgot my birthday."
I know that some of you have in mind everything that a Christian should be. I just can't do it. I can't be all that.
He's the kind of guy that I'm told that we as Christians should spend much of our effort on. He is what you might refer to as on of those that society has cast aside. So, leading up to the 24th I planned on visiting him and bringing by a small gift. When the 24th came, I found myself short on funds and completely drained;both physically and emotionally. I don't know if you remember, but last week was quite hot and humid. After putting in a full week at the garage, I have to tell you that I was completely spent. So at the end of my week's work, I went home to heal.
I received a call from his this afternoon. The first thing that he said to me was, "Kevin. You forgot my birthday."
I know that some of you have in mind everything that a Christian should be. I just can't do it. I can't be all that.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Bad Sermon
Whenever I have the opportunity to speak, I usually have people who ask me, "So. How did it go?"
I never really know how to answer. To be honest, I really don't know how one guages such a thing. Last night, I read Act 7 where Stephen gives a sermon of his own. He was a very influential, motived Christian in the early church, holding a position in a front line evengelical ministry. He helped run a food program.
I'm being rather silly aren't I? We likely wouldn't have him at the front of the church to bring attention to his ministry. Would we? Living out his calling, he eventually gets into a debate with some local Jews, which lands him the opportunity to address the Jewish high council.
He gives a lengthy speech, walking through Israel's history, ending up with the death of Jesus. It must have been a bad sermon because in the end, this is how his audience responded,
"Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him." Acts 7:57-58
It must have been a bad sermon. He likely didn't tell enough jokes or warm up to his audience very well.
How do you measure the weight of a message? Do you look at the response of those who listen? What if you sell a lot of books after the show? Is that how you tell? I don't think so. The more pressing issue at hand would be to ask the question, "Were you faithful in delivering what was given to you?"
Most of the time, when I speak publicly, I can look you in the eye and say with condfidence that I have said what had been laid on my heart. However, that hasn't been the case lately. Perhaps someday I will give you the specifics, but for now, if you consider yourself to be my brother or my sister, I merely ask that you would pray for me, that I would make it right.
My audience was fine with the message. They listened and they smiled. To be honest, that's exactly the problem.
I never really know how to answer. To be honest, I really don't know how one guages such a thing. Last night, I read Act 7 where Stephen gives a sermon of his own. He was a very influential, motived Christian in the early church, holding a position in a front line evengelical ministry. He helped run a food program.
I'm being rather silly aren't I? We likely wouldn't have him at the front of the church to bring attention to his ministry. Would we? Living out his calling, he eventually gets into a debate with some local Jews, which lands him the opportunity to address the Jewish high council.
He gives a lengthy speech, walking through Israel's history, ending up with the death of Jesus. It must have been a bad sermon because in the end, this is how his audience responded,
"Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him." Acts 7:57-58
It must have been a bad sermon. He likely didn't tell enough jokes or warm up to his audience very well.
How do you measure the weight of a message? Do you look at the response of those who listen? What if you sell a lot of books after the show? Is that how you tell? I don't think so. The more pressing issue at hand would be to ask the question, "Were you faithful in delivering what was given to you?"
Most of the time, when I speak publicly, I can look you in the eye and say with condfidence that I have said what had been laid on my heart. However, that hasn't been the case lately. Perhaps someday I will give you the specifics, but for now, if you consider yourself to be my brother or my sister, I merely ask that you would pray for me, that I would make it right.
My audience was fine with the message. They listened and they smiled. To be honest, that's exactly the problem.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Stay Quiet, You'll Only Make It Worse
“Why are so many people in our churches just sitting in the pews and doing nothing for Jesus?”
As I continue to live out my calling within the church, I hear these kinds of questions on an ongoing basis. Rick Warren had similar words for his own congregation.
A non-ministering Christian is a contradiction is terms. However, what I never seem to get a clear answer for is this - "What counts as ministry?" Is it possible that some of the people we think to be inactive are quite involved behind the scenes? They might be more active than you or I know.
Whenever I hear questions like this or hear sermons about Christians who are doing nothing with their faith, I often wonder who they are referring to. I mean, I’m with them. Let’s get a list of names going, get the posse together and round up these vagrant Christians. Let’s flush them out and expose them for the dogs that they are.
As I walk through life however, I really can’t think on too many people that I would level such a charge against. So when I hear talk about non-ministering Christians, I wonder who they are in my life.
Is it the pharmacist? His work schedule varies a lot so he doesn’t help out regularly in the Sunday school program. He helps when he can, leads life group and spends a lot of time trying to walk with and mentor other men. Would he be on the list? Or the factory worker. Again, he only helps in Sunday school once in a while. Sometimes when he’s on a date with his wife he hands out a gospel tract. Does that count? Does it count when he spends time trying to be a big brother to a struggling student? Probably not. What counts?
I get the feeling sometimes, that in the eyes of other believers, I’m not ‘doing enough’ either. There are so many things being done in the name of Jesus with which I am not personally involved.
If we’re going to answer the question, ‘why are so many believers doing nothing?’, we need to begin by looking at the people we’re referring to. Maybe they really don’t know Jesus. If that is the case, are you really being the light that you are called to be in their lives? Have you clearly expressed the Gospel to them and done every reasonable thing in your power to introduce them to and counsel them in their walk with Jesus? How many years have you spent praying for them? Give me a number. 5? 10? 20 years? Have you even spent one solid week in prayer on their behalf, asking that God would cultivate their hearts and open their eyes? Or do you spend most of you time complaining about ‘them’?
Don’t brush me off. I expect solid, clear answers to my questions if you’re going to level charges against the people who bear God’s own image. I expect names.
So who are these non-ministering Christians anyway? Are they talking about you? If you aren’t about your Father’s business, why is that? I would like very much of you would consider the implications of this passage of scripture;
“In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honourable are those we clothe with greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen” 1Corinthians 12:22-23
If we’re looking at the church as a body, please think on what it is saying about the body. There are parts of our bodies that we put clothing over, parts that should never be in sight of the public eye. I won’t mention these parts, because that would be rude. Most of these parts are our genitals. It’s almost comical in a way. Nobody ever calls a person a hand or a foot, but the people of this world are known to call each other by some of the ‘less honorable’ body parts. Don’t they? Perhaps some of us have done the same.
“That guy is a real _______.”
These parts are clothed for the sake of modesty for the body. In the context of the church, some believers are meant to stay under wraps in order to protect the reputation of the church. So if you are that non-ministering Christian, maybe you’re an embarrassment. For modesty’s sake, perhaps the most responsible things that you can do on a Sunday morning are to sit down, lean back, keep your mouth shut and enjoy the show. Please put as much as you can in the collection plate.
As an outsider, looking at these horrible non-ministering Christians, what do you expect them to do? Have you told them what you expect of them? Are the things that you want them to do the same as what the Spirit wants them to do?
Who are these unmentionable parts anyway? Why doesn’t Paul give us some names and tell us what they are doing or not doing? I often wonder if these are the kinds of people that some of us might label ‘marginal Christians.’ I mean, you’re pretty confident in your standing before God so it can’t possibly be you. I must be in because I write book and blogs. Your pastor is in right? But there are those people that you just aren’t sure about. Aren’t there?
Your friends ask you, “Is she saved?”
“I’m not sure. She goes to church sometimes. She says she believes, but I just don’t know....”
These parts (people) that Paul is referring to seem weak in our eyes, but we’re told that they are actually , “the most necessary”. Our churches are built on the backs of those who seem less than spiritual. Through our Christian Coloured Glasses, they hold down unimpressive jobs, give to the work of the church and show up on Sunday mornings. They interact with people on a daily basis that you and I never come in contact with. Their children come to our Sunday School programs, and go to youth group. They help pay the utilities and help keep the staff employed full time in the service of The King of Kings.
You’re right, they really haven’t come along the way that a follower of Christ should. Maybe their life’s purpose is to demonstrate what it looks like when someone only meets Jesus half way. Their life may be little more than an example of Christianity gone awry. Or perhaps it isn’t about ‘them’. We might just be saying these kinds of things about you.
As I continue to live out my calling within the church, I hear these kinds of questions on an ongoing basis. Rick Warren had similar words for his own congregation.
A non-ministering Christian is a contradiction is terms. However, what I never seem to get a clear answer for is this - "What counts as ministry?" Is it possible that some of the people we think to be inactive are quite involved behind the scenes? They might be more active than you or I know.
Whenever I hear questions like this or hear sermons about Christians who are doing nothing with their faith, I often wonder who they are referring to. I mean, I’m with them. Let’s get a list of names going, get the posse together and round up these vagrant Christians. Let’s flush them out and expose them for the dogs that they are.
As I walk through life however, I really can’t think on too many people that I would level such a charge against. So when I hear talk about non-ministering Christians, I wonder who they are in my life.
Is it the pharmacist? His work schedule varies a lot so he doesn’t help out regularly in the Sunday school program. He helps when he can, leads life group and spends a lot of time trying to walk with and mentor other men. Would he be on the list? Or the factory worker. Again, he only helps in Sunday school once in a while. Sometimes when he’s on a date with his wife he hands out a gospel tract. Does that count? Does it count when he spends time trying to be a big brother to a struggling student? Probably not. What counts?
I get the feeling sometimes, that in the eyes of other believers, I’m not ‘doing enough’ either. There are so many things being done in the name of Jesus with which I am not personally involved.
If we’re going to answer the question, ‘why are so many believers doing nothing?’, we need to begin by looking at the people we’re referring to. Maybe they really don’t know Jesus. If that is the case, are you really being the light that you are called to be in their lives? Have you clearly expressed the Gospel to them and done every reasonable thing in your power to introduce them to and counsel them in their walk with Jesus? How many years have you spent praying for them? Give me a number. 5? 10? 20 years? Have you even spent one solid week in prayer on their behalf, asking that God would cultivate their hearts and open their eyes? Or do you spend most of you time complaining about ‘them’?
Don’t brush me off. I expect solid, clear answers to my questions if you’re going to level charges against the people who bear God’s own image. I expect names.
So who are these non-ministering Christians anyway? Are they talking about you? If you aren’t about your Father’s business, why is that? I would like very much of you would consider the implications of this passage of scripture;
“In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honourable are those we clothe with greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen” 1Corinthians 12:22-23
If we’re looking at the church as a body, please think on what it is saying about the body. There are parts of our bodies that we put clothing over, parts that should never be in sight of the public eye. I won’t mention these parts, because that would be rude. Most of these parts are our genitals. It’s almost comical in a way. Nobody ever calls a person a hand or a foot, but the people of this world are known to call each other by some of the ‘less honorable’ body parts. Don’t they? Perhaps some of us have done the same.
“That guy is a real _______.”
These parts are clothed for the sake of modesty for the body. In the context of the church, some believers are meant to stay under wraps in order to protect the reputation of the church. So if you are that non-ministering Christian, maybe you’re an embarrassment. For modesty’s sake, perhaps the most responsible things that you can do on a Sunday morning are to sit down, lean back, keep your mouth shut and enjoy the show. Please put as much as you can in the collection plate.
As an outsider, looking at these horrible non-ministering Christians, what do you expect them to do? Have you told them what you expect of them? Are the things that you want them to do the same as what the Spirit wants them to do?
Who are these unmentionable parts anyway? Why doesn’t Paul give us some names and tell us what they are doing or not doing? I often wonder if these are the kinds of people that some of us might label ‘marginal Christians.’ I mean, you’re pretty confident in your standing before God so it can’t possibly be you. I must be in because I write book and blogs. Your pastor is in right? But there are those people that you just aren’t sure about. Aren’t there?
Your friends ask you, “Is she saved?”
“I’m not sure. She goes to church sometimes. She says she believes, but I just don’t know....”
These parts (people) that Paul is referring to seem weak in our eyes, but we’re told that they are actually , “the most necessary”. Our churches are built on the backs of those who seem less than spiritual. Through our Christian Coloured Glasses, they hold down unimpressive jobs, give to the work of the church and show up on Sunday mornings. They interact with people on a daily basis that you and I never come in contact with. Their children come to our Sunday School programs, and go to youth group. They help pay the utilities and help keep the staff employed full time in the service of The King of Kings.
You’re right, they really haven’t come along the way that a follower of Christ should. Maybe their life’s purpose is to demonstrate what it looks like when someone only meets Jesus half way. Their life may be little more than an example of Christianity gone awry. Or perhaps it isn’t about ‘them’. We might just be saying these kinds of things about you.
I Haven't Learned Yet
There are many lessons in my walk which I keep forgetting on a regular basis. One of the big ones has to do with living out my callingg as I endeavour to point to Christ. Time and time again I succumb to the kind of thinking that tells me this;
'If you want to reach the world, you need to be like the world.'
In my days as a youth pastor wanna be, I'd often play videos. There is a place for technology and there is a place for using cultural references, but if it becomes integral to the message, it's dead isn't it?
The intro to my last post on Facebook read, "This Week on Tucker and Taz." For those of you who don't know, Tucker and Taz are two popular radio DJ's for a local rock radio station. In a way, when I chose that intro, I thought that it might compell some people to check out the link. So far, it's my least popular post. More people checked out the sports statistics for my children's soccer teams.
After all, my kids really do ROCK way more than Tucker and Taz. They've got nothing on my kids.
As a people who have been purchased out of this dying world, having discovered this pearl of greatest price, we each have the desire to see other's come to know Jesus. The more I write and speak, the more I ask myself how one can write and say things that nonbelievers will actually listen to. Having the desire for other to experience the depth of His love is part of the motivation behind what I do, but it seems that Christians are primarily the ones who read my stuff.
I mean, if you write a letter trying to tell nonbelievers about Jesus, where do you send it? Where do they gather? Do they have conventions where they sit down to discuss their doctrine and honestly consider teh life of Jesus? Or if you write a book, how do you paint the cover so that it will be picked up off of the Chapters Bookshhelf? OR when you write a blog, what can you do to draw them in?
Time and time again I discover that imbibing myself in popular culture and making reference to its fails to accomplish that purpose. As of yesterday, only one person had checked out, "This Week on Tucker and Taz". The funny thing is, I believe that the one who viewed the page may have done so accidenttally. It might have even been the Russian.
Why is that? I'm thinkig that for the most part, people who are fans of Tucker and Taz,or any other cultural icon really don't care about what a Christian blogger has to say. On the flip side, very few believers who are serious about their calling really care much about Tucker and Taz. So in the end, the whole thing is a dud. Noone from either side of the fence really cares.
I often wonder who I appeal to. When I write, I like to think that I'm speaking to a people who are sick and tired of contributing to the decay of this world, whether you have been united with Jesus yet or not. If you're a serioius lover of this world, then go do that. There are a whole lot of things to spend your time and effort on in this life other than your Father's business.
If by chance, you have clicked on this and you haven't heard - I want you to know that you have a REAL Father in Heaven, who sent His one and only Son to bring you home. His name is Jesus. Lay down your life and receive Him. If you don't know what that looks like, let me know. I hope I can help.
'If you want to reach the world, you need to be like the world.'
In my days as a youth pastor wanna be, I'd often play videos. There is a place for technology and there is a place for using cultural references, but if it becomes integral to the message, it's dead isn't it?
The intro to my last post on Facebook read, "This Week on Tucker and Taz." For those of you who don't know, Tucker and Taz are two popular radio DJ's for a local rock radio station. In a way, when I chose that intro, I thought that it might compell some people to check out the link. So far, it's my least popular post. More people checked out the sports statistics for my children's soccer teams.
After all, my kids really do ROCK way more than Tucker and Taz. They've got nothing on my kids.
As a people who have been purchased out of this dying world, having discovered this pearl of greatest price, we each have the desire to see other's come to know Jesus. The more I write and speak, the more I ask myself how one can write and say things that nonbelievers will actually listen to. Having the desire for other to experience the depth of His love is part of the motivation behind what I do, but it seems that Christians are primarily the ones who read my stuff.
I mean, if you write a letter trying to tell nonbelievers about Jesus, where do you send it? Where do they gather? Do they have conventions where they sit down to discuss their doctrine and honestly consider teh life of Jesus? Or if you write a book, how do you paint the cover so that it will be picked up off of the Chapters Bookshhelf? OR when you write a blog, what can you do to draw them in?
Time and time again I discover that imbibing myself in popular culture and making reference to its fails to accomplish that purpose. As of yesterday, only one person had checked out, "This Week on Tucker and Taz". The funny thing is, I believe that the one who viewed the page may have done so accidenttally. It might have even been the Russian.
Why is that? I'm thinkig that for the most part, people who are fans of Tucker and Taz,or any other cultural icon really don't care about what a Christian blogger has to say. On the flip side, very few believers who are serious about their calling really care much about Tucker and Taz. So in the end, the whole thing is a dud. Noone from either side of the fence really cares.
I often wonder who I appeal to. When I write, I like to think that I'm speaking to a people who are sick and tired of contributing to the decay of this world, whether you have been united with Jesus yet or not. If you're a serioius lover of this world, then go do that. There are a whole lot of things to spend your time and effort on in this life other than your Father's business.
If by chance, you have clicked on this and you haven't heard - I want you to know that you have a REAL Father in Heaven, who sent His one and only Son to bring you home. His name is Jesus. Lay down your life and receive Him. If you don't know what that looks like, let me know. I hope I can help.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
FM96 Theology
This week on FM 96, Tucker and Taz spent some time talking about the Ingersoll warden who used his credit card at a strip club in North Myrtle Beach amounting to nearly $800. In his defence, the warden claimed that the charges weren’t all his.
I don’t listen to Tucker and Taz very often and I forget which one took the time to share his personal wisdom on the matter, but I do remember quite clearly two rules that were given for men who just want to enjoy a similar night on the town.
Firstly – Do not use your credit card at a strip club, because the statement reveals where the money was spent.
Secondly – Don’t rat on your buddies, because they have wives and families.
I’m pretty sure that neither Tucker nor Taz read my blog, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t find it very encouraging. Or maybe they would.
I really have a difficult time understanding much of what happens in this world. I’m told that there is nothing wrong with a lot of things, but at the same time people try to hide the things that they say are perfectly fine.
Something is amiss in my mind with the whole strip club charges. Either going to a strip club is a perfectly acceptable thing to do or it is not. If it’s fine for a man to spend his money on alcohol and naked girls, then there is no reason why a credit card couldn’t be used for that legitimate and noble purpose. In that case, there is no such thing as ratting someone out. Nothing was wrong with it right? If nothing was wrong, then your buddies should have no problem with their wives and children knowing what they were up to. Isn’t it a good thing to be truthful?
It isn’t Tucker and Taz’s fault and I’m not bashing them. They’re just part of the human race and they wouldn’t have their jobs if they actually encouraged their listeners to be honest about the life they are living. They have to tell their listeners to keep lying in order to ‘protect their buddies’. We all know that we all do things that we aren’t supposed to do and instead of confessing and turning from it, we are programmed to hide and cover up. That’s just the human way.
Where are you in that? Do we all do that? Is the case of the Ingersoll Warden an isolated incident? Or does that sort of thing happen very often in our culture? I’m led to believe that this kind of life isn’t isolated in the least. About half of the marriages in our culture end in divorce. Is it any surprise? If husbands and wives continue doing things that alienate one another, how could the story possibly have a happy ending?
I realize that I talk about sin a lot and maybe I seem hard. I’m sorry if it bothers you, but if you are honest with yourself as you process life, haven’t you noticed? Very few things destroy relationships in the same way as old fashioned sin. Nothing alienates a husband or wife, friend or sibling quite so much as when you sin against them.
Do you intentionally do the things that you know will upset your husband or wife? Even if we don’t get ‘caught’, what happens to the relationship when you continue to live in hiding? Can you be completely intimate with someone you are hiding from?
If you aren’t a believer, do you even know what sin is? Do you want to know the ways in which you are destroying some of the best relationships in your life? If you are a follower of Jesus, are you living as a person of the light, or do you still have to hide?
Maybe you can’t reveal everything to the whole world, but where there are still areas of hiding in your life, I urge you to find someone with whom you can confide in; someone who will call it what it is and encourage you towards Christ.
For the record, I see nothing noble or right about spending one’s time or money at a strip club, even though I have frequented those kinds of establishments myself. Did you hear that? I said I’ve been there, done that and I’m not pretending that it was ok. I’m not Mr. Self Righteous trying to justify my actions or to hide them. Maybe my thoughts are bad advice, but it’s much more liberating than living a life in isolation from the ones who love me most.
And if Tucker or Taz ever do read this – I want you to know that if you ever get tired of living life the way the world lives, I’ll be your brother. You’re funny guys.
I don’t listen to Tucker and Taz very often and I forget which one took the time to share his personal wisdom on the matter, but I do remember quite clearly two rules that were given for men who just want to enjoy a similar night on the town.
Firstly – Do not use your credit card at a strip club, because the statement reveals where the money was spent.
Secondly – Don’t rat on your buddies, because they have wives and families.
I’m pretty sure that neither Tucker nor Taz read my blog, and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t find it very encouraging. Or maybe they would.
I really have a difficult time understanding much of what happens in this world. I’m told that there is nothing wrong with a lot of things, but at the same time people try to hide the things that they say are perfectly fine.
Something is amiss in my mind with the whole strip club charges. Either going to a strip club is a perfectly acceptable thing to do or it is not. If it’s fine for a man to spend his money on alcohol and naked girls, then there is no reason why a credit card couldn’t be used for that legitimate and noble purpose. In that case, there is no such thing as ratting someone out. Nothing was wrong with it right? If nothing was wrong, then your buddies should have no problem with their wives and children knowing what they were up to. Isn’t it a good thing to be truthful?
It isn’t Tucker and Taz’s fault and I’m not bashing them. They’re just part of the human race and they wouldn’t have their jobs if they actually encouraged their listeners to be honest about the life they are living. They have to tell their listeners to keep lying in order to ‘protect their buddies’. We all know that we all do things that we aren’t supposed to do and instead of confessing and turning from it, we are programmed to hide and cover up. That’s just the human way.
Where are you in that? Do we all do that? Is the case of the Ingersoll Warden an isolated incident? Or does that sort of thing happen very often in our culture? I’m led to believe that this kind of life isn’t isolated in the least. About half of the marriages in our culture end in divorce. Is it any surprise? If husbands and wives continue doing things that alienate one another, how could the story possibly have a happy ending?
I realize that I talk about sin a lot and maybe I seem hard. I’m sorry if it bothers you, but if you are honest with yourself as you process life, haven’t you noticed? Very few things destroy relationships in the same way as old fashioned sin. Nothing alienates a husband or wife, friend or sibling quite so much as when you sin against them.
Do you intentionally do the things that you know will upset your husband or wife? Even if we don’t get ‘caught’, what happens to the relationship when you continue to live in hiding? Can you be completely intimate with someone you are hiding from?
If you aren’t a believer, do you even know what sin is? Do you want to know the ways in which you are destroying some of the best relationships in your life? If you are a follower of Jesus, are you living as a person of the light, or do you still have to hide?
Maybe you can’t reveal everything to the whole world, but where there are still areas of hiding in your life, I urge you to find someone with whom you can confide in; someone who will call it what it is and encourage you towards Christ.
For the record, I see nothing noble or right about spending one’s time or money at a strip club, even though I have frequented those kinds of establishments myself. Did you hear that? I said I’ve been there, done that and I’m not pretending that it was ok. I’m not Mr. Self Righteous trying to justify my actions or to hide them. Maybe my thoughts are bad advice, but it’s much more liberating than living a life in isolation from the ones who love me most.
And if Tucker or Taz ever do read this – I want you to know that if you ever get tired of living life the way the world lives, I’ll be your brother. You’re funny guys.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
No Such Thing
This has been an alarming week for me. I have discovered that a close personal friend of mine has listened to Michelle Branch. After the original shock wore off, I began thinking on how the role of music has changed in my life as I have grown in Christ.
Without making any new Christian laws, I will say that I now listen very little to what is often referred to as secular music. To be honest however, I really don’t know what secular music is. Some people say that Thousand Foot Krutch and POD are “Christian” bands. I personally beg to differ, because to me, they seem to have very little to do with Jesus.
In truth, is there such a thing as secular music or a secular life for that matter? What is secular anyway? My dictionary defines ‘secular’ as pertaining to this world or this present life, in contrast with the religious or spiritual. In its purest sense, being secular merely describes life in this world.
We all live life in this world, so in a literal sense, we are all secular creatures. Whether you like it or not, there is a physicality to our nature that has its feet firmly planted on this profane earth.
The way that I understand it, it isn’t possible to separate our lives in the physical world from the spiritual world. We live out the truth of our spiritual nature in the secular realm. If I am completely and thoroughly a part of this dying world, then my life will demonstrate that underlying fact. So we see people who live lives the way that this world lives. (Sexual immorality, drunkenness, jealousy – that sort of thing)
Those who have been purchased out of this world continue to live in it, but over time grow to live lives that reveal the inner working of the Spirit of God. (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience…that kind of stuff.) Our secular actions reveal to us the authenticity of our spiritual nature.
What many Christians abhor and demonize as being ‘secular’ isn’t so much about life in this physical world, but about a life that intentionally wants nothing to do with God. With regards to music, most of the music of this world intentionally excludes God from the dialogue.
If we live lives that want nothing to do with God, then it should come as no surprise if we perish when this world perishes. If on the other hand we have been joined to Christ, then we have been purchased out of this decaying world.
Is it wrong then to listen to music that doesn’t mention Jesus? I won’t give you a yes or no to that. You can answer it for yourself. Living in this physical world, there are some songs that I continue to like that don’t specifically mention or proclaim some spiritual truth. Perhaps my favorite is a song by Three Doors Down and it’s called Away From The Sun.
I know it isn’t a Christian song, but I often receive it as if could be. (With minor tweaking of course.) It wouldn’t take much work for it to be Away From The Son. You might not like the music, but my heart breaks when I watch the video. It makes me think on the people in my life who are away from The Son. They continue to struggle through life being weighed down by the burden of their own sins, all the while being tormented by the people who cross their life’s path. I realize that some people really want to live in their disobedience, but many or most are just trying to get out from under the burden, but just haven’t found The Way. Life on the outside is often all smiles, but it doesn’t take much digging to uncover the hurt.
If you’ve watched the video, maybe you have just committed some great crime against Christianity. In my opinion however, if you can watch that young man in his struggle and still have no heart for his pain, then I was wrong. You are completely secular.
Without making any new Christian laws, I will say that I now listen very little to what is often referred to as secular music. To be honest however, I really don’t know what secular music is. Some people say that Thousand Foot Krutch and POD are “Christian” bands. I personally beg to differ, because to me, they seem to have very little to do with Jesus.
In truth, is there such a thing as secular music or a secular life for that matter? What is secular anyway? My dictionary defines ‘secular’ as pertaining to this world or this present life, in contrast with the religious or spiritual. In its purest sense, being secular merely describes life in this world.
We all live life in this world, so in a literal sense, we are all secular creatures. Whether you like it or not, there is a physicality to our nature that has its feet firmly planted on this profane earth.
The way that I understand it, it isn’t possible to separate our lives in the physical world from the spiritual world. We live out the truth of our spiritual nature in the secular realm. If I am completely and thoroughly a part of this dying world, then my life will demonstrate that underlying fact. So we see people who live lives the way that this world lives. (Sexual immorality, drunkenness, jealousy – that sort of thing)
Those who have been purchased out of this world continue to live in it, but over time grow to live lives that reveal the inner working of the Spirit of God. (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience…that kind of stuff.) Our secular actions reveal to us the authenticity of our spiritual nature.
What many Christians abhor and demonize as being ‘secular’ isn’t so much about life in this physical world, but about a life that intentionally wants nothing to do with God. With regards to music, most of the music of this world intentionally excludes God from the dialogue.
If we live lives that want nothing to do with God, then it should come as no surprise if we perish when this world perishes. If on the other hand we have been joined to Christ, then we have been purchased out of this decaying world.
Is it wrong then to listen to music that doesn’t mention Jesus? I won’t give you a yes or no to that. You can answer it for yourself. Living in this physical world, there are some songs that I continue to like that don’t specifically mention or proclaim some spiritual truth. Perhaps my favorite is a song by Three Doors Down and it’s called Away From The Sun.
I know it isn’t a Christian song, but I often receive it as if could be. (With minor tweaking of course.) It wouldn’t take much work for it to be Away From The Son. You might not like the music, but my heart breaks when I watch the video. It makes me think on the people in my life who are away from The Son. They continue to struggle through life being weighed down by the burden of their own sins, all the while being tormented by the people who cross their life’s path. I realize that some people really want to live in their disobedience, but many or most are just trying to get out from under the burden, but just haven’t found The Way. Life on the outside is often all smiles, but it doesn’t take much digging to uncover the hurt.
If you’ve watched the video, maybe you have just committed some great crime against Christianity. In my opinion however, if you can watch that young man in his struggle and still have no heart for his pain, then I was wrong. You are completely secular.
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