Misdirection

A misdirection play is a used to make the other team go one way while the ball is actually going another way. Plays like can make a fool out an undisciplined defense and leave them looking like fools. Similarly, undisciplined Christians can be misguided by all sorts of things (work, school, etc). Recently, I learned that Christian can misdirect other Christians. I was on sermonsaudio.com listening to an interview with Paul Washer (A). To paraphrase the first question that was asked to Washer, the interviewer said, “What would you say to someone who was faithful to your ministry, but was not faithful to reading the bible?” Washer (after laughing about the question) replied with scripture "hearing but not hearing and seeing but not seeing."(Eze 12:2 (B)). Hearing him say that really made me think for a about my dedication to God. Though I try to engulf myself in a Christ centered life, I sometimes narrow my site and only focus on the tool and not the potter. If all I do as a Christian is follow the ways and teachings of a person and not God, then I gravely risk my relationship with God. Men are full of flaws, even the most humble and caring of men still commit errors, but God does not. He is the ultimate architect and he is the one the Christians need to faithfully follow. It is true that people are put in Christian lives to act as an example of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1(C)), but that cannot be the end all of a Christian’s faith.

Living in the Bible Belt has given me a chance to debate items in the bible that I never knew were worth debating. Items such as how often should someone take communion, should their people instruments in church, and are tongues appropriate have been question that I have had to consistently discuss with other Christians. Strictly my opinion, none of difference of these things are important enough to try to impose on someone else how they should live their faith, but people do. There are Christian that latch on to this idea that everyone needs to latch on to certain ways of practicing Christianity and they spend all their time trying to convince someone to, for example, not clap during a worship service. Once again just my opinion, but if a Christians action is not a sin and if it is an earnest attempt to please and glorify God, who cares how it is done.

To all my Christians: do not allow the small stuff to bring hostility between a body that is to be unified under Christ (Acts 2:44 (D)). Also remember that though you follow a mortal (fill in the blank) for spiritual guidance and leadership, it is Christ that should receive your love, affection, and attention, not the (fill in the blank.) As I close, if the reader of this remembers anything, remember this: don’t let mortal things steal the love and adoration that God fully deserves.

A:http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1229091954150 B:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+12:2&version=NIV C:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%2011:1&version=NIV D:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202:44&version=NIV

Prosperity

Solomon, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and David were all great men of God who were blessed with great wealth and prosperity, among other things, for their faithful servitude. God loves to bless his children (Jer 29:11(a)), and Christians today are no exception. Though the aforementioned men received blessings of money and power, God may not bless all his children in the same way. In the case of the rich young man (Luke 18:18-23 (b)) it was not in God’s plan for that particular person to be rich. This leads to the ultimate question for this article: why do people pursue God to get rich?

To illustrate what I’m saying and going to say, consider this story: Two children are given assignments from their teacher each week to complete. After completing each of the first two projects the children receive candy for their work. After these two occasions, the teacher stops giving them candy for completing assignments. One child quickly loses interest in the weekly assignments because the reward is gone. Still, the other child continues to work just as hard because that child knows the reward that comes at the end of the year. By the time school is over, the first child had completely given up doing the assignments, while the second child, though weary from a long hard year of work, did the work to near perfection. The teacher rewards the second child with a gift far greater than any reward these children had ever seen. The first child looks on in envy as the second child enjoys the prize; a prize that the second child will always have and that will bring true joy to the child forever. On the other hand, the first child is left with nothing; the child pursued a temporary gift and because the child’s sight was narrow, the child missed a chance to achieve the greatest reward of all.

These two children are like many Christians. The first pursued the short, temporary prize and second pursued an ultimate goal while enjoying the reward long the way. The first is like the Christian who follows God to achieve wealth and status. They work because they want to be rewarded immediately with money, good health, or some other worldly gain. Because they pursue worldly things, when the rewards stop, so does their love for God. However, the second child is like the Christian who seeks God no matter what. This type of Christian understands that gift will come along the way, but it is the pursuit of the kingdom that motivates their actions (Mat 6:33 (c)).

In the end, God test the hearts of all those who come to him (1 Thes 2:4(d)). He knows if someone is using him for selfish gain or if someone is following him out of love. I’m not saying that all Christians need to go and sell all their possession and live a complete life of poverty. What I am saying is don’t let your possession own you (Mat 6:19-21, 24(e)).

a: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jer%2029:11&version=NIV
b: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2018:18-23&version=NIV
c: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mat%206:33&version=NIV
d: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Thes%202:4&version=NIV
e: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mat%206:19-21,%2024&version=NIV

I Got Proof Part 3

Welcome to part three. I'm going to jump right into the message and recap afterwards.
(BTW this series was based on the song “I Got Proof” by Katalyst and Lecrae” (A).

GENTLENESS

In other translation of the bible, the word meekness is also used. The words gentleness and meekness often make people think of being weak and fragile, but that is not the case. For Christians, gentleness means empathy/sympathy. Gentleness is about understanding other people’s need, wants, and so on. A gentle Christian knows how to approach a person at his or her level. Without gentleness, a Christian cannot affectively interact with others; especially non-believers.

FAITHFULNESS

What if there is no heaven, no God, what if the bible is a lie, what if everything you believe is a lie? Ultimately, a Christian without faith will crumble at question like this. Faith is something that gives Christians assurance when attacked by doubt. Simply put, faith is what gives Christians the ability to believe and what motivates them to seek God in everyway.

SELF-CONTROL

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control" Proverbs 25:28. A city without walls has no defense from an onslaught. A Christian without self control will fail to obey God and will quickly fall into depravity. Christians need to know how to control their mind, body, and emotion. Self- control is not limited to spiritual matters, but also to how people managed their funds, how committed people are to getting work done, and other such things. As a Christian becomes more mature with these early things, they will become more responsible to God (1 John 4:20 (B)).

Doing this three part series has been a great pleasure of mine. By no means is what I say an absolute truth, but it is biblically sound and practical. It is very easy just to say a person is a Christian, but other Christian should be evaluating themselves and other members of their church to confirm this title. When I look at a duck, I look for feathers, a bill, a quacking sound, and so on. If nothing in a person’s life matches up with Christian characteristics, how can that person possibly be called a Christian? In conclusion, if you are someone seeking to live a Christian life, here are some useful questions you can ask yourself to help with your daily walk:

Do I love everyone as if they were Christ Jesus?
Do I find joy in being a Christian?
Do I seek God’s peace in trouble?
Do I show patience?
Do I serve others out of kindness?
Do I display goodness through obedience?
Do treat others with gentleness?
Do I exhibit faithfulness towards God?
Do I have self-control?

A:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsb-I2x12NU
B:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20john%204:20&version=NIV

I Got Proof Part 2

Only God can truly say who is a follow of Christ and who is not, but there are still ways that people can prove their faith. I am not talking about one time prayers or baptism but lifestyles. The way people conduct themselves on the daily is what proves their devotion to God. For the sake of this blog, I will continue to use the Fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23(A)) as the basis for proving one's faith. Last week, I talked about love (treating all people with the same love we would show God), joy (the celebration of being a Christian), and peace (finding rest in God). For this week's installment I will address: patience, kindness, and goodness.

PATIENCE:

Patience should be the easiest one of these fruits to obtain, but it is not. Patience requires just doing nothing; allowing things to happen then acting when appropriate. As the bible says, "Be still, and know that I am God (Psa 46:10)." However, worry and anxiety tend to override people's ability to patiently wait for God to act. Instead, people try to figure out a way to take control of their lives rather than humbly stepping aside and letting God wok. I am not saying that we are to be lazy (Pro 13:4(B), Ecc 10:18(C)), but rather put trust in God's power and plan. People do have daily worries, but a Christian does not let the worries of tomorrow interfere with the worries of today (Mat 6:34(D)).

KINDNESS:

There are many ways to display kindness, but my favorite is service. Many Christians think the only way they can serve is by going on mission trips, feeding kids at soup kitchens, or some other organized activity. Kindness, however, should be a regular occurrence in one's day: making cupcakes for everyone, holding a door open, taking time to help someone with work. Kindness though service does not have to be a big flashy show for it to be pleasing to God. It's like what Matthew 25:40 says "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

GOODNESS:

It is really easy to get pessimistic about goodness when you read certain verses (Rom 3:10,23(E)), but Christians can act out goodness in their everyday lives. Consider the story of Jesus and the rich man in Matthew 19:16-28(F). When asking what good thing he must do to get to heaven, Jesus replies, "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." As Christian, we have been given certain parameters to live by, and it is through this obedience that we display the goodness of God.

That wraps up the second edition of "I Got Proof" the final part will be posted next Sunday.

A:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal%205:22-23&version=NIV
B:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=prov%2013:4&version=NIV
C:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecc%2010:18&version=NIV
D:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat%206:34&version=NIV
E:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%203:10,23&version=NIV
F:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat%2019:16-28&version=NIV

I Got Proof Part 1

Christians are expected to defend why they believe what they believe. As a result, many Christian gather facts, do research, and try every possible avenue to prove that Christianity is true. I applaud this effort, but my question for Christian is a smudge different. How do Christians prove to others that they are actually Christian? Easy answers include baptism, praying Jesus into your heart, and similar arguments, but these are one time occurrences in a person’s life. How can doing just one or two things in one’s life prove they are a Christian? Christianity is a long process that must produce fruit, so, with that said, over these next three weeks I will be taking a look at The Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23 _(A)) and how they prove is if a person is Christian. For the first installment, I will look at love, joy, and peace.

LOVE

I could make this section real quick by just saying go to Romans 12:9-21 _(B) or 1 Corinthians 13_(C). These two scriptures give the most concise definitions of love found in the bible, but I want to take it a step further. This past weekend I have been grumpy and rude because of (insert excuse). Because of (insert excuse) I thought it alright to be short tempered jerk. I was then hit with a spiritual left hook: “if the people you have been mean to today were Jesus, how would you treat them?" This thought humbled me good. As a Christian I should be treating people with the same love that Jesus gives me and should not allow my sinful nature to prevent me from loving others. To sum up what I said, go read 1 John 4:19-21_(D).

JOY

First off, we have been saved from sin, been promised a heavenly home, and have been made heirs along with Christ Jesus. This alone should make Christians joyful daily, but I forget about this sometimes. I get so wrapped up in all the wrong I do and how undeserving I am that I forget to celebrate how great a God I have. This celebration is not something reserved for church worship or party, but should be an everyday part of our lives. God has given us so many reasons to be joyful that Christians need to stop frowning and down casting their heads and start enjoying the blessing that God gives us (within reason).

PEACE

Peace is something I find very easy. I put my full trust in the lord and know that he has made me a promise to succeed (Romans 8:28_(E)). Peace is something that everyone needs. Life is stressful and many people turn to different things to realize stress (smoke, video games, etc.) These things are worldly though, and they will fail. God however does not fail. He will always be there for us in and out of times of need. Furthermore, it is hard trusting the unseen, but to hold onto the promises he has given us in his word (Psa 23_(F)) (Lam 3:22-28_(G)) is something we need to do to truly have peace in our lives. A true Christian will be able to see beyond worry and stress and will fix his or her lift to the comfort that is the lord Jesus Christ.

This wraps up “I Got Proof Part 1” come back next week for the second installment.

A:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal%205:22-23&version=NIV

B:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%2012:9-21&version=NIV

C:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20cor%2013&version=NIV

D:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20john%204:19-21&version=NIV

E:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%208:28&version=NIV

F:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psa%2023&version=NIV

G:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=lam%203:22-28&version=NIV

Comfort Zone

I woke up today in a bed. I had a sink to wash my face in, clothes to put on my back, and food to eat. I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to survive today. I knew when I went to Blair Shannon this morning that there would be a bowl of cereal and a glass of milk for me. I may not be the richest man in America, but I do live a very comfortable life and thank God for the good that come my way. The problem is that I get too comfortable. I become apathetic to the suffering going around me and that is when I play "World View" by Flame off the “Our World Fallen” album (A).

The song is a powerful look of the struggles going on all around the world, America included. One line that particularly hit me was "Open your eyes step away from MTV, see into CNN." Before I heard this, the only news I cared about came from ESPN. My mind was stuck in the comfort of being a young adult in America, and I foolishly ignored the world's issues. While listening to “World View” one day I decided to get some information sent my phone, via twitter, from CNN and Breaking News.

At first I was overwhelmed by the pain going on all around the world, and I thought all my Twitter and Facebook friends should know about these pains too. I have calmed down since then, but the little updates I get daily still melt my heart. Getting updates from the various earthquakes around the world, prisoner trades, random murders, and so much more has soften my heart tremendously.

Christian artist Brandon Health wrote a song called "Give Me Your Eyes" (B) that almost makes me cry when I hear it. The song makes me wonder “how can God handle watching all the pain death, and suffering in the world? I know I couldn’t.” I also know that God can be grieved (2 Sam 24:16(c), Mat 26:38(D)). He sees the suffering going on all over the world, there is no pain in the entire world that is hidden to the eyes of God (Heb 4:13 (E)). Then there is me... I can barely stand being in a hot room without whining and complaining. I cannot live the rest of my life comfortable and expect to do anything substantial for God. I have to be willing to sacrifice for those who have nothing (Deut 15:11 (F)) and go places outside of my comfort zone (John 4:7-10 (G)). There is a lot of suffering in this world, but we must not make ourselves ignorant. To ignore the pains of the world, both foreign and domestic, is to ignore the opportunity to share the same love God gave us to others. It is with that said that I implore the reader of this to go out into this chaotic world, find the place that God sees best fit for you, and be a light to the people that are around.

A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpWfEeGtxNw

B: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY

C: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2Sam%2024:16&version=NIV

D: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mat%2026:38&version=NIV

E: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Heb%204:13&version=NIV

F: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deut%2015:11&version=NIV

G: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204:7-10&version=NIV

Father's Day 2010

I was not going to go to church today. I was going to allow my feeling to deter me from fellowship with the body. I was going to isolate myself in self-pity and depression and refuse the aid of the body. Why; because today is father's day. A day when sons and daughters celebrate the male parent(s) in their lives and that is something that I can not do on this world. My dad passed when I was 3, his father before I was born, and my mom's dad when I was seven. I knew what today's sermon was going to be about: it would be Mark standing talking about the types of father-child experiences that I never had growing up. It took so much motivation and grace from God to push me out the door, onto my bike, and down the street to church. As silly as this sounds, I changed my Facebook profile picture to my dad right before I left, a picture of him and me when I was a chubby little thing, just seeing that picture put me to tears. When I got to church, I was immediately greeted by many brothers and sisters, nothing out of the usual, I'm pretty sure most do not know of my particular family situation. Song, communion, and everything else preservative went by great and then it was time. The time had come for Mark to stand before the congregation and talk about stuff my heart would weep over. I was wrong though.

Mark's message just kept coming back to the idea of us as God's child (Rom 8:17 (A), 2 Cor 6:18(B)). I know God is my heavenly father, but like the ancient Israelite who wanted a human king to represent God (1 Sam 8 (C), I wanted a human version of my heavenly father. I wanted a hug from dad after a receiving a good grade, a tip for improving my jump shot, even a disciplining word when I was going through my greatest struggle with sin. What I lacked in the physical, I now can truly appreciate in the spiritual. Moreover, as my relationship with God has increased, so has my relationship with his church. That church that I tried to avoid today, was the same church that gave me a great day of fellowship saturated in joy.

In closing, I never will have another dad on Earth, but I will always have my God in heaven. He knows my needs and has given me a great church to help and support me. Today I thought about avoiding this great creation of God, but something said go and I did. The result: a great lesson, great fellowship, and firm understanding that in all ways I can go to God and he will be my comforter and father.

A: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom%208:17%20&version=NIV

B: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Cor%206:18&version=NIV

C: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20sam%208&version=NIV

I.T.C.N.O.I.

I live in this world, but I’m not of it; one of the most famous sayings in Christianity. Not only that, but it’s also a great song by Christian artists: Sho Baraka, Tedashii, R-Swift, Benjah, and Honey LaRochelle (A). I’ve heard people call this song an anthem because it’s a statement to the world that though I am here on this fallen planet, my heart, my mind, and my soul belongs to Christ alone. A question did manifest while I was reflecting on the idea of being in the world but not belonging to it, what about the other side? What about those who are in the church, but not of it?

Before I continue on, I want to make it abundantly clear that the church is not building. One does not go to church; one goes to a building to meet with the church. I have been wandering through Wal-Mart with my man Rudy and have had some great God centered conversation and reflection. To understand what it means to be “in the church, not of it” people must first understand that church membership is not limited to a little building visited once a week. It is a body of believers who fellowship in the name of the lord anytime, anywhere. (Mat 18:20 (B), Acts 2:42-47 (C)).

Membership in a church is an amazing experience and one of the key foundational components of Christianity. However, some people lose their passion and love for Christ and make no attempt to restore it. Instead, they put on a mask, go to the church building, think about whatever, and run back to the world as quickly as they can. By no means is this example the limit of the “in the church, but not of it” mentality: refusing to fellowship, serve, pray, read the bible, and the list goes on. As the bible puts it, you can tell a tree by its fruit (Mat 7:20 (D)). For example: if I pluck an apple off a tree, how could I possibly call that tree and orange tree?

As I wrap this up, let me state that Christianity is a long, difficult, and very narrow road. There are many Christians that will struggle, stumble, falter, and so on. This however does not act as excuse to live a life contrary to Christ’s example. The bible makes it clear that there will be many that will look like good strong believers, but when judgment comes, God will not know them (Mat 15:8-9 (E), Mat 7:21-23 (F)). Though they had perfect attendance in the building and played the role magnificently every Sunday, nothing about them desired God so their pseudo-faith fell short in the end. It’s time to stop with this hardly half-hearted “I go to church, so I’m saved mentality.” Being a member of a church extends beyond our Sundays, holidays, and meal prayers. To be a member of church means to live a life pleasing to a loving God, whose grace and mercy has blessed us with eternal salvation.

A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfS12DRq1tM

B: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat%2018:20&version=NIV

C: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%202:42-47&version=NIV

D: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat%207:20&version=NIV

E: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat%2015:8-9&version=NIV

F: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mat%207:21-23&version=NIV