Come to Me

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Here, in the gospel of Matthew, is a call and invitation to rest by faith in the completed work of Christ. Jesus is not asking for everyone to come, He is commanding everyone to come.  He says to all men indiscriminately, “Come to me and I will give you rest.” He did not merely make an offer, He gave mankind a command. (Acts 17:30)

If you have been laboring to please God for a long time and are weary, find refuge in Christ. (Psalm 31:1) If you are trying to live according to the Law of God and find yourself exhausted in every imaginable way, rest in the completed work of Christ for He has already earned the favor of God. (John 7:37)

Christ led the perfect life, never disobeying the Law. Christ is the perfection we need and by faith His perfection is our perfection.  He is our righteousness before God; rest in Him and what He has done. (Hebrews 4:15-16)  Christ lived as we should so that we may be saved from the punishment we deserve. No one will ever satisfy what is lacking in their performance. He alone is our all in all.

Are you tired of trying to please God in your effort? Are you burdened by hard things? Are you overloaded with guilt for failing to live up to what you know God requires of you? Come to Christ and He will give you rest.  No one else has the words of Life. (John 6:68)

Believe in Him who died and suffered for sinners just like you. Focus your eyes upon the One who shed his blood so that we might live forever. Turn your head towards Calvary where the Savior died a cruel death at the hands of both Jews and Gentiles so that His people would be reconciled to God. (Hebrews 9:13-15)

Turn from your own efforts, they only earn you more trouble and debt. (James 2:10)  Forsake your attempts at pleasing God for Christ has fully pleased the Father. See the Cross that redeemed us from the curse of the Law.  Embrace forgiveness by faith. See the love greater than all our pride.  Come to Christ and live.

A Reminder of the Good News

Death comes swiftly and death comes expectedly for none of us escape its call. Suffering, death and decay are all effects of the fall of man where sin entered the world and so, too, did death.  Through Adam’s transgression, his single disobedient act of the will against the Law of God, all of us will see death; yet those who believe in the gospel of Christ will escape its finality.  No one avoids their funeral, but we can be rescued from our final judgment. Like Adam, we eat what we shouldn’t eat and think what we shouldn’t think and as a result we will be held accountable for each and every action and heart attitude.

However, those who trust Christ as their Savior and righteousness will not taste the tomb forever.  Those who know Him know that just as the Lord’s tomb was found empty, one day in the final Day of the Lord, their tomb, too, will be vacant. And not only that, but when it comes to the time where the Lord of all Creation examines their life in accordance with His prescribed Law, they will be found guiltless.  This verdict will not be because of their righteousness or ability to ever have lived up to God’s requirements, but rather their freedom from punishment will be because they, by faith, believed in the perfect work of Jesus Christ. He was sent here by the Father to invade time as a man so that he could accomplish fully the redemptive work of our Triune God.  Christ paid what we owe in full and He alone was qualified to do so.

It was His flawless life in thought, word and deed that is accepted by God.  It was His sacrificial death at the hands of the world where He paid the penalty owed by His adoptive faithful; where the wrath of the Father was poured out into His every being – where the satisfaction was satisfied. His atoning death covers the sins – past, present and future – of all who believe that this gloriously good news is true.  God proved the truth of Christ’s mission on earth with a resurrective seal of authenticity. Christ being raised from the dead on the third day proves that this grand narrative of God’s ultimate work in human history is not merely a fable.

Helpless men radically corrupted by sin, incapable of rescuing themselves or even fully understanding just how deep they are drowning are saved by the grace of the Living God so that God may receive the glory of his mighty work in salvation. God changes hearts so that they will believe and worship in spirit and in truth. This, friends, is the good news. The good news is not what God will do for you; the good news is what has already been done on behalf of His people.  The gospel is not man-centered self-help, it is a Christ-centered miracle that points our eyes to the Cross where the Lord of Glory died so that men who deserve nothing from Him might live forever in perfect fellowship with their Creator.

Jumping through Hoops – Part III

In our last installment of the interview we hear a few words of warning and encouragement to both daughters and their parents as to the dangers and unique challenges of the collegiate sports world.

What advice would you give parents whose daughters are involved in collegiate sports?

I think it is important to talk about this issue with them particularly with college-aged daughters.  I didn’t deal much at all with this in high school but it is definitely becoming more of a problem at that level now.

If you suspect anything hinting at homosexuality going on around your daughter, ask her about it. Teach her the biblical stance on homosexuality and make sure that she knows that it is a sin against God, no matter how many of her friends are doing it.

If they lack a substantive defense based in the truth and in why they believe what they do, when they are presented with the opposite belief amongst their peers, they will fold because they can’t combat it. On the other hand, if they have a deep understanding of the Gospel then they have the greatest weapon there ever will be in fighting the battle. Also, make sure that you are not telling them to hate homosexuals or to treat them wrong because of their lifestyle.

Make sure they understand that just because they are telling someone what God’s word says and they disagree, doesn’t mean that they are unloving or judgmental. In fact, that is the most loving thing your child can do- share truth in love. Ensure that they have a strong sense of family and feel loved and accepted showing them proper affection for the more love they get from home the less likely they will go looking for it elsewhere.

And don’t be naive.  I have seen it happen a lot where the parents of a girl who is involved in a homosexual relationship are being lied to because the girl is so fearful of their parents finding out. If you see anything suspicious developing, don’t turn the other cheek and say that there’s no way your daughter would do that. Try to get to the bottom of it.

What advice would you give the girls who are entering collegiate sports?

Man, there is so much I would love to say to each girl- including giving each one a deep, rich presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation for all those that believe.. But in general, in speaking to the Christians, I want to tell you that you have no business entering this environment of collegiate sports unless you have been specifically called by God to do so. I know this may sound really extreme and harsh, but take it from me.  I’ve been on a long spiritual journey with the Lord through this; most of the time learning the hard way. Make sure that you are not entering this environment looking to consume it for your own lusts. You will be disappointed every time, if you do. Sports will let you down 100% of the time when you put your trust in it. Especially at the college level, where the temptation to make it your life is increased because they demand so much of your time.

I give you that warning because if you are not spiritually equipped beforehand you can get swallowed up. The temptation is great. The trials are even greater. Without being rooted in the word you will have no foundation to stand on. And soon enough, you will find your life morphing into one that looks just like everyone else’s around you.

Also, make sure that you find a group of people inside and outside of the athlete world who are like-minded and who will build you up in your faith. It is always good to have a group of sincere Christians who don’t care one bit about how well you perform in your sport, but instead want to see you grow in holiness. This is crucial. You need that balance after hearing all day about your sport and how it needs to be number one in your life. Find a great local church that preaches the unadulterated word of God and welcome the accountability and support in your life.

As far as homosexuality is concerned it is hard to predict what kind of situations you will find yourself in, but no matter what, do not compromise what you know is right. It may mean that you are the ‘weird Christian girl who always talks about the Bible’, but trust me, it is all worth it when you think about what it is you are there to do.

Don’t shy away from building relationships with girls that you know are homosexual. Some of my best friendships have come from teammates of mine that are gay. I care about all of them deeply and I make sure that they know that I love and care about their lives outside of them being on the basketball court with me.   People respond differently to you when they know that you genuinely love them

Make sure that they know they can talk to you about the issue without you condemning them to hell in the process. This is why having a deep understanding of the Gospel is so important. Knowing the doctrines of human depravity and the like are crucial so that you are able to explain to them why being a homosexual is wrong, but also not placing them any higher on the sinner list than any other depraved human being…nor does is place them out of the reach of the glorious grace of God.

In short, always be ready and able to give an answer for the hope that lies within you. If you live your life for Christ, they will come up to you and ask you genuine questions about it- be ready to give an answer! And also, enjoy the opportunity that the Lord has blessed you with. It is by far an exciting time in your life and it is full of fun, but make sure you don’t lose focus on what it is we are here on earth to do- glorify God in all that we do.

Jumping through Hoops – Part II

Yesterday we heard about life in female collegiate sports and the challenge of being faithful in such a high homosexual context.

Today we continue the three part interview with Part II – The Struggle of the Hoops

As a Christian what challenges has this presented for you in living rightly before the Lord?

Well, first off… you are immediately placed in the minority. It can be very frustrating especially since it is not just the players that are living that way, but often times a coach or a staff member within the team and they are your authority.

Also, just the conversations around you that you know are so dishonoring to the Lord can really get to you. Keep in mind these people are like my family for about nine months out of the year. I see them more than anybody else in my life during that time and it can become overwhelming.

My greatest fear is to become jaded or desensitized since I’m around it constantly.  I always have to keep myself in check but mostly the biggest challenge is standing up for what I believe in and not giving in to those around me; acting as if there isn’t a difference between me as a believer and the rest of the world.  We all know that the flesh just wants to fit in with the rest, but I am thankful that the Lord sustains me.

Are your Christian views tolerated?

It is kind of odd, because in a way my views ARE tolerated.. kind of… I guess it is hard to explain, but because, by the grace of God, I have been able to share truth in love with my teammates and let them know that I am not just coming up with stuff to condemn them or make myself look better…I don’t really get that much flack anymore.

The hardest part is in the beginning when you are new to the specific environment and you have to start all over in sharing your views for the first time. But building relationships and getting the point across that I love them and just want them to know God and His truth is the key.

But at the same time, what I have to say isn’t always agreed with or tolerated. I find myself in situations where I know that if I were to speak up it wouldn’t be tolerated or taken well so I do have to pick my battles. I have to trust God that He will provide me with opportunities to speak up when the time is right. And He has been doing just that for me, and it is such a blessing. Having one on one conversations really helps. So I guess my views aren’t very tolerated, but I am. They have to put up with me since I’m one of their sisters that they see everyday.

Have you seen other girls struggling with being in this environment?

Oh my goodness, yes I have and it is very hard to watch. I’ve seen people who are so far in that they don’t even consider any other way, and I’ve also seen the ones who are uncertain get sucked right in. One of the most shocking things that I have experienced as a Christian living in this environment is having girls that are struggling with this actually approach me on the issue. Not wanting to argue but wanting to know what it is the Bible truly has to say about it. It opens up clear pathways for me to tell them the truth and share the gospel with them. There are some who never thought they would ever be caught up in it but found themselves acting once upon a ‘feeling’ they had and are now ’stuck’ and unable to get out. It is very difficult to watch, but at the same time it is encouraging to know that I possess the very thing that can set them free – and that is the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This makes sharing the truth with them a lot more urgent when you see them so stuck in something that their flesh is incapable of getting out of. I have gotten the opportunity to talk to a lot of girls one on one and even though not all of those conversations lead to the person being delivered from their sin, I was blessed to be able to see God change one girl’s life right before my very eyes last year. Not only was she delivered from homosexuality, but she has since grown into a strong believer and follower of the Lord who graciously saved her form her sins. If sharing the truth with her was the only reason God put me where I am today then it is all worth it.

Would you consider it a dangerous place or a young woman to be in?

While I won’t say that this environment is too dangerous and should be avoided at all costs, I do think it is necessary to shed some light on some of the dangers. Many girls are destroying their lives through their involvement in homosexual activities and they aren’t really aware of it. Girls who have a lot of insecurities are strongly affected because the temptations prey on their lack of emotional stability.  I know that sounds broad, but it is true and for a young Christian girl she can easily become disillusioned.

Take someone who is very strong in their beliefs and put them in this environment day after day and you start to see a numbness develop. Unless the Lord has specifically called you into it and prepared you for it be careful.  I certainly don’t underestimate the power of our amazing God, but we have to be cautious.

God is a God of reconciliation and He draws sinners unto Himself so that they may be reconciled to Him and forgiven for their sins. It is hard for me to write this environment off as ‘dangerous’ and leave it at that because I have seen God work in so many incredible ways through it all. Not only did He use it to bring about circumstances in my life which ultimately brought me closer to Him, but He also does the same in so many other young girls’ lives. All the glory goes to Him.

[Tomorrow: 'Advice to Parents'  Part III ]

Jumping through Hoops – Part I

A Christian friend of mine, who is a Division 1 female college basketball player, recently lamented about the state of female athletics in her school. Over time it has become increasingly more difficult to function freely as a heterosexual since that environment has become overrun with lesbianism.  In order to share her insights and experience I decided to do a three part interview with her for the blog.  I pray that it will help other girls in similar situations or their parents who are unaware of this problem or who are contemplating sending their girls off to play college sports.  Here’s part one.

When you got into sports whose decision was it?

I got into sports at a very young age, and even though my parents and brothers were athletes, it was my decision to start playing. My family having a very athletic background definitely influenced me, but I couldn’t wait to be a part of my own team once I was old enough to do so.

When did you get into sports? What sports have you played (childhood history)?

I come from an athletic family with older brothers so I was pretty much involved with sports from the time I came out of the womb.  According to home videos… I started playing sports outside in the backyard around age four and joined my first official team when I was five (softball) and joined my first basketball team when I was in 3rd grade.

In my younger years I balanced softball, basketball, and even a youth tennis team but shortly after getting into basketball I realized it was my favorite, so I began to play year round in about the 7th grade.

Golf was another sport that I loved to play and would have played in high school if it wasn’t the same season as my travel basketball team. I still played fast pitch softball all the way through high school, up until my senior year when I was fully concentrating on basketball.

Did your family encourage you or were you viewed negatively for pursuing sports as a girl?

My family definitely encouraged me. Like I said, growing up with older brothers it was all but expected that I play sports. Never once did my family look down on me for being an athletic girl, in fact it was seen as a great and exciting thing. The only exception would maybe be my grandma who begged me to at least settle for playing golf in college because to her basketball was too rough for a girl! [laughs]

You’ve mentioned that there are a lot of homosexual women in college basketball; what percentage of the players in your experience are practicing lesbians in the league?

Wow. That’s a hard question because you try not to let a few spoil your view of the entire group since you don’t come in contact with EVERYONE in the league to be sure of a number. But sadly I would have to say that as time goes on, it isn’t even a case of a few spoiling the whole anymore. It has got to be at least 60-65%.

That is a figure with absolutely no research or stats to back it up, but if you talk to my peers they will most likely agree with it. And as it becomes more and more open and accepted in society, that number just keeps getting bigger. It used to be kind of hidden and covert, but that is not really the case anymore.

What do you think is the cause? Is it that the sport attracts them or is it that the sport turns them? What is the reason for such a high percentage?

From what I have seen, it is a little bit of both…it is one big vicious cycle. When a girl grows up in the environment of competitive basketball there are a few things that are pretty much inevitable…spending countless hours in the gym, traveling to  tournaments, wearing lots of sweatpants and sweatshirts and basketball shorts and tees, and spending hour upon hour with a group of girls that become like your sisters to you…

And … there is a stereotype out there that girls that dress like ‘that’ are a bit masculine and even possibly gay. It is almost like the devil himself has injected that stigma into the sport of women’s basketball, and is now having a field day with it.

A basketball player who doesn’t have a boyfriend (probably due to the countless hours of being in the gym) and who wears athletic gear around their campus (high school or college) is often times deemed gay from the start from those who don’t really know her.

And the devil can easily prey on those girls and immediately start to put lies into her head about her sexuality. For instance “you’ve never had a boyfriend and you’re how old? Doesn’t that tell you something” or “you already dress kind of manly, and people think that you are gay already, so maybe you really are?”

So that would be an example of the shaping influences that you find in the sport that one could say can be used to ‘turn’ someone in the wrong direction. Then when you get these girls, who are already questioning things and they too easily get sucked right in. They are lonely and guess who is there to take them in? Homosexual girls who are dying to connect emotionally with someone. It is a false illusion of true love and dependence, which I could talk about for hours, but let’s just say it is a very dangerous temptation disguised as security.

And there’s another common variable at work… in my experience the overwhelmingly majority of homosexual girls that I have come across have had some sort of broken relationship with their father. I’m not going to say that in every single case that is what has caused it, they have made a choice in their life …but there is no doubt that this plays some contributing role.

The amount of broken homes these days is saddening, and even in families that aren’t broken, a faulty relationship between a daughter and father can be so damaging. I’m not saying that if a girl is gay then it is her father’s fault. Please don’t take it that way… but I will say that the girls that claim to have been gay from a very young age have almost all had a very dysfunctional father/daughter relationship or some sort of unhealthy relationship with guys close to them at a young age.

The Lord has always protected me from giving into this particular temptation and I can honestly say that I’ve not even considered it even though I’ve been surrounded by it for so many years. Yet I’ve had thoughts that maybe I was gay, I mean  I never had a boyfriend until I was twenty-one and I  grew up kind of tomboyish… played a lot of sports… so maybe I was really gay. This wasn’t something that I struggled with on a daily basis but it definitely crossed my mind a few times. I praise the Lord for His grace and protection over me.

[Tomorrow: Part II - 'The Struggle of the Hoops']

Gospel 101

The following is a brief presentation of the gospel.  Much of what we hear today in modern evangelicalism is a watered down version of the truth that has been sprinkled with palatable breath mints grown in a Finney-esque hydroponic barrel.  Far too many so-called proclaimers of truth speak of God loving everyone wily-nily as if He were the headmaster of a can’t-we-all-get-along-and-agree-to-disagree love fest.

There is little talk of wrath and even fewer words about repentance and the cost of discipleship.  The great apostasy lingers before us as most who profess the Cross of Christ sound like Schullerite crystal pops snuggling up to their shiny Lakewood posts of positivism.  “Glory be to me and thee!” is their rally cry.  As the Gospel essentials are gutted and discarded thousands are led down the wrong alley that leads to an imaginary regeneration and a false salvation.

I pray that pure beauty of Christ’s work will be displayed before men clearly till the day when He is no longer defiled.  Amen.

God has said we must turn and believe

The Gospel is a divine command from God to all men that they must turn away from their sin and put their trust in Christ for there is coming a day whereby all men will be judged by Him according to how they have lived their lives.

“Truly these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.” -Acts 17:30

Everyone is corrupted and guilty before God

No one will escape being judged by God at the final examination when they die and go before Him.  Everyone will be held to the same standards and requirements as given to us by God in His commandments. By looking at God’s Law we see just how guilty we truly are before a holy and just God.

Consequently, no man can escape condemnation since none of us live perfectly.

“…No one is good except God alone.” – Luke 18:19

Everyone is spiritually dead and helpless except the God-Man Jesus

Ever since Adam willfully violated one simple command we have been separated from God and are born spiritually dead and morally bankrupt.  And since God requires righteous perfection, a morally corrupted sinner who is incapable of pleasing God cannot of himself remove his own penalty. Only someone perfect can do that.

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” – 1Corinthians 15:22

Faith in Christ alone saves us from His wrath

Therefore, we must put our trust in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, fully divine, and was also truly a man who lived perfectly while on the earth.  And as a result of His deity and his spotless humanity, Christ, and Christ alone, is uniquely qualified to be our substitute.

“…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” – Hebrews 9:14

Christ was punished in our place

In order to save His people from destruction, Christ was punished in our place by being crucified at Calvary.  He allowed Himself to be tortured and killed as a payment for man’s sin.  He was completely innocent, guilty of nothing, but loved humanity in such a tremendous way that He was willing to suffer the wrath of God while he hung upon the cross.

“…while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:6-8

Christ completed His work of redemption

He paid the penalty and price for our sins so that we may, at the time of judgment, be able to escape the punishment that we deserve.  He died so that we could live forever. He laid down His life so that we could be free from eternal death and punishment.

And since perfection has already been offered and accepted by God through the obedient work of Christ as a sacrifice and payment for our sins, there is nothing more that we must do other than to believe and accept what has been completed.

“…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:9-10

We must believe that He justifies through faith

While the Law condemns all men, the work of Christ frees us from condemnation for through Christ our sins are forgiven.  It is Christ alone who justifies the ungodly. We must put our faith in Him.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10

The Resurrection proves the Gospel

And to prove that His message was truly from God and not a human concoction or counterfeit, Christ performed many miracles, signs and wonders culminating with His resurrection on the third day after His death where He appeared to hundreds of people.  Christ’s resurrection authenticated His power and victory over death.  Christ is risen from the dead and one day all of those who believe in Him will also be resurrected to live forever in perfect communion and fellowship with God and His people.

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.” – 1Thessalonians 5:9-10

The GREEN Mandate

Yesterday was Earth Day – A day when hippies from around the world unite in geothermal bliss reminding the world yet again that the sky is not just falling, but that the earth is dying as well. Now I know that not every earth-bug is a hippie and not every environmentally conscience citizen is an alarmist; but there is no doubt that when it comes to the ‘green topic’, nostrils begin to flare and sensibility usually gets beaten with hemp shards so that she can no longer speak.

What I find interesting in this ecological debate is the fact that many Christians are not leading the charge. We who know and understand what God has said should be the biggest and most vocal advocates of the Earth; yet like many things the godless have hijacked the agenda. Believers should be aggressively inventorying catalogs of eco-friendly solutions since God has given us the earth and has committed it to our care as blessed superintendents.

“…Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” – Genesis 1:28

To ’subdue’ and ‘rule over’ in no way indicates destruction, desolation, or pollution. We, and not cattle, are made in the image of God and we, and not lizards or snails or eagles or dogs, are the caretakers of the earth. The problem with the green movement is that it is motivated by a corrupted nature that sees the world upside down – a world where the creatures and the created are worthy of worship and the Creator is relegated into an old woman named Mother Earth.

We know that since the beginning of creation man has clearly seen God’s invisible attributes, eternal power and His divine nature through the very things that He has made. But due to his sin-corrupted nature, man does not give thanks to God for the beauty of the world. Instead, he becomes futile in his understanding and invents endless theories and speculations while declaring that he is wise.

As a result of man’s rejection of God as supreme Creator, man has created all manner of gods and goddesses and altars and shrines and stone temples. Mankind has exchanged the incorruptible image and glory of the true and living God for a plastic banana wrap in religious cellophane. Man has adopted the corruptible image of the creature and worshiped it rather than He. The truth has been exchanged for a lie.

So now we see large demonstrations of green-friendly people who have rejected the One who invented green and the ones who should be the most green somehow end up on the outside. I believe that we have a GREEN mandate, a mandate from God to be good stewards of the earth and we should be the loudest party goers on Earth Day, but not because we celebrate the earth itself. We should be the loudest voice because the earth proclaims the glory of our Father to a world lost in blindness.

The next time you see a green hippie use that moment to testify to the author of green whose intense wonder and glory and beauty and majesty is seen even in a small sprout.

Fiddle Faddle

Supposedly Nero fiddled while Rome burned. There are times when I think we’re just fiddling away as well. Time is vaporized within the redemptive narrative as we find ourselves as points along an historical line. But this time line is not without purpose or reason; it is not the random whim of circumstance. Instead, it is the divinely set course of events in redemptive history whereby the decrees of God are actualized.

Now any sane person would realize quite readily that they really can’t comprehend such a grand scheme, but most have only heard of the goodness. In fact, with the dilution of the gospel becoming a pulpit water sport in our modernity the notion of ‘wrath’ and ‘curse’ and ‘damnation’ are seen as remnants of days gone by when people believed in pitch-forked demons and cancers caused by cantankerous forces of doom.

Be that as it may, the reality of the Day of the Lord does not change. The reality of this world being cursed by God and under His wrath remains true. The reality of the coming judgment of Christ when on the unknown day and hour He will judge the living and the dead in final justice and mercy stays as true today as it was the first day it was revealed through the prophets.

Salvation from God’s wrath is only found by faith in the completed work of Christ by a heart that fully affirms and believes that He and He alone has fulfilled the divine requirements of perfection. I would like to draw your attention to great reminder of this curse and blessing by pointing you to a grandfather in the pulpit – R. C. Sproul.

Listen to this message and drop your fiddle.

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Persecution and Sacrifice

I just received a link to a story about the martyrdom of three brothers in Malatya, a Turkish province 300 miles northeast of Antioch. Read this account and pray. It is a stark reminder of what persecution exists in our dark world.

A Letter to the Global Church from the Protestant Church of Smyrna

Living without Worldliness

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” - Romans 12:2

The world. Such a simple word and yet it causes plenty controversy in the faith. Laying aside soteriological discussions I’d like to make a comment about the confusion between ‘the world’ and ‘the culture’ or between ‘worldliness’ and ‘cultural’ or to put it another way, the difference between being ‘in the world’ and being ‘of the world’.

Being worldly is to accept the things of this life as your rule of thumb. To be worldly is to find your happiness in the things of this life and to find your joy in them. To be worldly is to follow the philosophies of this life and its principles and wisdom, particularly when they conflict with what God’s Word promotes.  Worldliness shows itself in a lifestyle that finds God’s ways lacking and His portion unsatisfying.  Rather than being content with the heavenly banquet found in a focus on things above, a worldly person focuses on things of the earth.  Social status, income brackets, retirement packages, and coolness become the gauge and holiness, righteousness and obedience are seen as burdens and not privileged pleasures.

It is not a question of whether or not you are culturally aware, but rather whether or not you find your fill in it. What satiates your soul ? Do you spend more time watching certain things on television than you do before God in the presence of His Word? It is not the watching of television that creates worldliness; it is the loving of what you see and hear and especially the lack of renewal from proper biblical meals that fosters a sickly disposition. What makes your life worldly is when you are CONFORMED to this world by cultural influences using its guidelines as your own and ignoring the prescriptions of God.

When we see marriage as an arrangement of convenience and not a life vow we have been conformed.
When we say that we have fallen out of love with our spouse then we prove that we never knew what marital love was in the first place.”
When we center our homes around our children instead of teaching them to center themselves around the home we’ve conformed to the world.
When we send our wives into the market place at the expense of our household and the important task of childrearing we have been conformed to the world.
When we turn sin into disorder and syndrome and disease we have been conformed to the world.
When we hold grudges against those we should forgive we have become the world.
When we only obey our authorities if they are good and nice to us than we are just like the world.
When we show favoritism towards certain social classes and ethnic groups and instead make others sit in the bleacher seats we have most assuredly been taken in to the world’s system of thought. These are sinful ways and we should flee them.

Keeping oneself unstained by the world does not mean never living in it or spending time in the culture. What it does mean; however, is that we should avoid being influenced into varying our lives to match the acceptance of it.

We should avoid adopting its gratifications as our own and we should resist the ways that violate the Lord’s will for our lives. We can attend museum openings, concerts, plays, and festivals and not be stained. Our pleasure and desire is found with and in Him and we should stay clear of things that press our weaknesses, but bringing the glory of Christ to the world means that we must actually be in it for that is where the residents live.

Where should the light shine? In the darkest of places. Christ ate with the dregs of his day and ministered in the despised regions of Galilee and Samaria yet he was not of this world. He was not called a glutton and winebibber because he ate granola at home and sipped non-alcoholic champagne. We, like Him, can partake in the culture without being of it.

May we all learn to sojourn with a mentality to proclaim, influence, witness, and live out the truth of our new birth and the reality of the Gospel. See you in the streets.