Over two thousand years ago the most influential man in human history gave his life for the most important cause of all time. The person I am talking about is Jesus Christ, and the cause was his church. The church is defined as the people of God. Jesus purchased his church by shedding his blood on the cross, he established the church through his apostles, and now he builds it with his people. Jesus is passionately in love with his church, and is determined to see it become great and radiant (Ephesians 5:25-27).
So, why do I love the church? I love the church because I love Jesus. In order to love somebody, you have to value what is important to them. The Bible describes the love relationship between Jesus and his church like that of a husband and wife (Revelation 19:7 and Ephesians 5:22-33). In fact, Jesus is so connected to the church it is referred to as his body in chapter 12 in the book of Corinthians.
I know many people are discouraged and disillusioned with the church, and rightfully so in some cases. Unfortunately, too many pastors have fallen from grace, too many churches have split over petty issues, and too many churches have not been compassionate to those who are lost and hurting. None of these are God’s intention for the church. We have to deal with the reality that people are human and make mistakes. I know it is very disappointing to witness a Christian not act like one. For all who have been let down by the church, I deeply apologize as a minister of Jesus.
Even though the church has let people down in recent years, it still has a divine purpose on planet earth, and it is still the best place to meet great people. The church is God’s household, the pillar and foundation of truth in our society (1 Timothy 3:15). The church is also the institution that is designed by God to defeat all the spiritual forces of darkness in our world (Matthew 16:18-19 and Ephesians 3:10-11).
Because the church has such an important mission it is constantly under attack. Secular humanists who want to live immoral lifestyles are trying to pass legislation to eradicate the churches influence in our country. And the devil is constantly waging warfare against the church by trying to deceive, tempt and accuse God’s people. It is regrettable that many Christian’s have succumbed to his wrongdoing. That is why we need to put on the full armor of God to stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11).
The good news is that the Bible tells us the end of the story. The church is destined to be more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37-39). It will triumph over the devil and all his dark forces (Matthew 16:18-19). And the church will be presented to Jesus like a bride on her wedding day, without spot, wrinkle or blemish (Ephesians 5:27).
I love the church because it is Jesus’ body and his bride. I love the church because it has been entrusted with the greatest mission on planet earth. That mission is to destroy the devil and his works of darkness. I love the church because it possesses the power of God to bring transformation to a lost world. I love the church because it still contains the greatest people I have ever met.
If you love Jesus and appreciate all he has done for you, then you should prove your love by getting involved in a local church. The bottom line is that your love for Jesus will be reflected in your devotion to and service in Jesus’ church.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
Two Types of Sorrow
After watching “To Catch a Predator” on MSNBC Dateline, a feature about people who prey on children for sex by making initial contact with them on the internet, I started thinking about the two types of sorrow Apostle Paul wrote about in the Bible to the church at Corinth.
It was quite shocking to witness the reality of what people will do when they are addicted to their sin. First, these predators seek out children for sex on the internet by engaging in salacious conversations and sending pornographic pictures of themselves. Then, once they make contact, they drive to the house and audaciously enter the house of the child. They usually bring some type of alcohol or drug with them, and sometimes they take off their clothes before entering the house. There is no doubt they have every intention on acting out their sick fantasy. Many of the predators are previous sex offenders.
As they walk into the house they are greeted by a gentleman who works for MSNBC Dateline. He begins to question them about their motive and intent for appearing at the residence. At this moment, it is interesting to listen to what they have to communicate about their reason for being in the house, and sad to watch how they respond.
Initially, they all seem to be remorseful for their lascivious behavior. However, as they continue to sit through the interrogation and answer questions, it becomes painfully obvious that their sorrow is worldly and not godly.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorry brings death.”
Worldly sorrow is when a person is more upset about being caught for the crime than committing the crime. It does not produce a change in human behavior. A person with this type of sorrow is not willing to fully acknowledge the wrong they have done. In fact, this person feels they are the victim because they have to go through the inconvenience of being caught in the act. This type of sorrow always leads to death.
Godly sorrow produces a deep regret in a person’s heart for their sinful lifestyle. This sorrow is so sincere that it causes the person to change behavior, accept any punishment for what they did wrong, and make amends where necessary. This type of sorrow always leads to new life.
2 Corinthians 7:11 says, “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.”
Remember, these predators sought out children on the internet, drove in their car to their house, walked in the house, brought alcohol, condoms and drugs, and still pleaded their innocence when caught on video. All but one of the men in the feature pleaded not guilty in their court case. These men are the personification of worldly sorrow.
“To Catch a Predator” is a great reminder to all of us that our sin will eventually lead to death. It is also a reminder that the only sorrow that will produce eternal change in the human heart is godly sorrow.
Do you have godly sorrow or worldly sorrow for your sin?
I am sure it was a simple lustful thought that led to the wanton behavior of these internet predators. Maybe you are not a sex offender, but your sin will eventually bring a similar undoing and humiliation to you and those in your sphere of influence. After watching “To Catch a Predator”, it is undeniable that America needs more godly sorrow in its citizens.
It was quite shocking to witness the reality of what people will do when they are addicted to their sin. First, these predators seek out children for sex on the internet by engaging in salacious conversations and sending pornographic pictures of themselves. Then, once they make contact, they drive to the house and audaciously enter the house of the child. They usually bring some type of alcohol or drug with them, and sometimes they take off their clothes before entering the house. There is no doubt they have every intention on acting out their sick fantasy. Many of the predators are previous sex offenders.
As they walk into the house they are greeted by a gentleman who works for MSNBC Dateline. He begins to question them about their motive and intent for appearing at the residence. At this moment, it is interesting to listen to what they have to communicate about their reason for being in the house, and sad to watch how they respond.
Initially, they all seem to be remorseful for their lascivious behavior. However, as they continue to sit through the interrogation and answer questions, it becomes painfully obvious that their sorrow is worldly and not godly.
2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorry brings death.”
Worldly sorrow is when a person is more upset about being caught for the crime than committing the crime. It does not produce a change in human behavior. A person with this type of sorrow is not willing to fully acknowledge the wrong they have done. In fact, this person feels they are the victim because they have to go through the inconvenience of being caught in the act. This type of sorrow always leads to death.
Godly sorrow produces a deep regret in a person’s heart for their sinful lifestyle. This sorrow is so sincere that it causes the person to change behavior, accept any punishment for what they did wrong, and make amends where necessary. This type of sorrow always leads to new life.
2 Corinthians 7:11 says, “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done.”
Remember, these predators sought out children on the internet, drove in their car to their house, walked in the house, brought alcohol, condoms and drugs, and still pleaded their innocence when caught on video. All but one of the men in the feature pleaded not guilty in their court case. These men are the personification of worldly sorrow.
“To Catch a Predator” is a great reminder to all of us that our sin will eventually lead to death. It is also a reminder that the only sorrow that will produce eternal change in the human heart is godly sorrow.
Do you have godly sorrow or worldly sorrow for your sin?
I am sure it was a simple lustful thought that led to the wanton behavior of these internet predators. Maybe you are not a sex offender, but your sin will eventually bring a similar undoing and humiliation to you and those in your sphere of influence. After watching “To Catch a Predator”, it is undeniable that America needs more godly sorrow in its citizens.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Do Good Works Make Us Good? (Part 2)
It's amazing to me who the world exalts as a role model in our society today. The standard for righteousness is being reduced, if not lost, as our nation continues to ignore the truth contained in the Bible.
What makes the Bible unique is it teaches that no one is good without Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Romans 3:10, 12 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who does good, not even one.” It is this teaching about humanity that offends so many people. Apostle Paul reminded the church at Ephesus that there was no amount of good works they could do to ever earn their salvation. He writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—(9) not by works, so that no one can boast.”
So, what am I writing? Am I saying that people should never do good works? Not at all! The Bible teaches us that people are saved to do good works. Christians should do more good works than anybody else on the planet. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The difference is that our good works don’t make us good. It is the new nature that Christ gives us, and it is the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that makes us good.
The key to doing good works is the right motive. Without Christ, I believe our motive for good works is more about feeling good than actually helping people. In other words, it is selfish.
What is Angelina’s motive? Newsweek reports, “When I was famous for being just an actress, my life felt very shallow,” she says. “You’ve done nothing of any social relevance, and yet you have all these people interviewing you. You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You’re just trying to find yourself.” She pauses. “Traveling really did save me. I was just...happier. It was feeling that I was doing the right things with my life.” Could her motive be more about being happy than helping people?
Good works can make you feel good but they don’t make you good. I know what I am writing is controversial and not well-received in our humanistic culture where people put more trust in man than God. The simple fact is that truth has a tendency to be offensive. My simple goal is to teach truth even if it means being unpopular.
One final thought about good works. The main way you can determine the motive behind a person’s good works is by watching who gets the praise. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The good works that really count are those that give praise to God and not to people.
Hey, I know good works almost always impact people in a positive manner. And yes, I know good works are much better than bad works. I am aware that many people have been helped by Jolie’s humanitarian efforts. Her work around the world is a good thing, but it does not make her righteous. The truth is that her sin makes her immoral.
If she was righteous, her good works would bring praise to God. After reading the article, all the praise for Angelina’s good works went to her and not to the Father in heaven. Without Christ, our good works may get us favor with humans, but it will never get us favor with God. Without Godly motives, our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). There is only one standard by which we can judge and determine righteousness, and that standard is the Lord Jesus Christ.
My hope is that Angelina would receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior by repenting for her sins and asking God to forgive her. If so, maybe her efforts would do more than make her happy and do good things for people. What if her labor actually led people to Christ and transformed them for eternity? What if her work actually taught people how to live like Jesus so they could obey His commandments and experience personal prosperity instead of poverty?
If so, our Father in heaven would get the praise through her good works.
What makes the Bible unique is it teaches that no one is good without Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Romans 3:10, 12 says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who does good, not even one.” It is this teaching about humanity that offends so many people. Apostle Paul reminded the church at Ephesus that there was no amount of good works they could do to ever earn their salvation. He writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—(9) not by works, so that no one can boast.”
So, what am I writing? Am I saying that people should never do good works? Not at all! The Bible teaches us that people are saved to do good works. Christians should do more good works than anybody else on the planet. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The difference is that our good works don’t make us good. It is the new nature that Christ gives us, and it is the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that makes us good.
The key to doing good works is the right motive. Without Christ, I believe our motive for good works is more about feeling good than actually helping people. In other words, it is selfish.
What is Angelina’s motive? Newsweek reports, “When I was famous for being just an actress, my life felt very shallow,” she says. “You’ve done nothing of any social relevance, and yet you have all these people interviewing you. You don’t even know what you’re talking about. You’re just trying to find yourself.” She pauses. “Traveling really did save me. I was just...happier. It was feeling that I was doing the right things with my life.” Could her motive be more about being happy than helping people?
Good works can make you feel good but they don’t make you good. I know what I am writing is controversial and not well-received in our humanistic culture where people put more trust in man than God. The simple fact is that truth has a tendency to be offensive. My simple goal is to teach truth even if it means being unpopular.
One final thought about good works. The main way you can determine the motive behind a person’s good works is by watching who gets the praise. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” The good works that really count are those that give praise to God and not to people.
Hey, I know good works almost always impact people in a positive manner. And yes, I know good works are much better than bad works. I am aware that many people have been helped by Jolie’s humanitarian efforts. Her work around the world is a good thing, but it does not make her righteous. The truth is that her sin makes her immoral.
If she was righteous, her good works would bring praise to God. After reading the article, all the praise for Angelina’s good works went to her and not to the Father in heaven. Without Christ, our good works may get us favor with humans, but it will never get us favor with God. Without Godly motives, our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). There is only one standard by which we can judge and determine righteousness, and that standard is the Lord Jesus Christ.
My hope is that Angelina would receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior by repenting for her sins and asking God to forgive her. If so, maybe her efforts would do more than make her happy and do good things for people. What if her labor actually led people to Christ and transformed them for eternity? What if her work actually taught people how to live like Jesus so they could obey His commandments and experience personal prosperity instead of poverty?
If so, our Father in heaven would get the praise through her good works.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Do Good Works Make Us Good?
Jesus told his followers to let their light shine in such a way that people would see their good deeds and give praise to the Father in heaven. Over the next four weeks at Every Nation Tallahassee we will be teaching people how to "Get Lit" and shine like Jesus in our world of ever-increasing darkness. I hope to see you there.
Most people want to see the world changed, and many desire to be saviors. Can anybody shine brighter than Jesus Christ and replace him as the light of the world?
While reading the June 25, 2007 edition of Newsweek, I came across an article titled “Angelina Wants to Save the World”. The story is about Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian work. According to Newsweek, since 2001, she has evolved from a carnal libertine into a 32-year-old mother of four and good-will ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, visiting populations in crisis in Sierra Leone, Darfur, Thailand, Ecuador, Pakistan and elsewhere. She attends the World Economic Forum. She donates one third of her salary to charity.
Is Angelina Jolie our savior? Does all of her “good work” make her a good person? Well, that depends on how you obtain your worldview on goodness.
If good works made us good, then everybody on the planet would be good after one good work. Even killers like Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and Adolf Hitler did at least one good work in their lifetime, and that did not make them good. Their sin made them wicked and evil.
Life teaches us and history has proven that humans are not good. All we have to do is watch one night of evening news to be reminded of the evil that exists in people. In fact, most if not all, world religions and cults have some type of “good works” system by which they try to obtain their righteousness in vain.
For example, Mormons believe they are saved by doing good works, like missions and tithing, and by following the beliefs of the LDS Church. Muslims believe they can tip the judgment scale in their favor by doing good deeds that are compatible with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Hadith. Chief among those are the Five Pillars of Faith that each Muslim must perform. They include reciting the Shahadah, praying, giving alms, fasting and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Oh, and killing people for Allah will get you a special place in paradise with fine virgin women.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Do Good Works Make Us Good?"
Most people want to see the world changed, and many desire to be saviors. Can anybody shine brighter than Jesus Christ and replace him as the light of the world?
While reading the June 25, 2007 edition of Newsweek, I came across an article titled “Angelina Wants to Save the World”. The story is about Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian work. According to Newsweek, since 2001, she has evolved from a carnal libertine into a 32-year-old mother of four and good-will ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, visiting populations in crisis in Sierra Leone, Darfur, Thailand, Ecuador, Pakistan and elsewhere. She attends the World Economic Forum. She donates one third of her salary to charity.
Is Angelina Jolie our savior? Does all of her “good work” make her a good person? Well, that depends on how you obtain your worldview on goodness.
If good works made us good, then everybody on the planet would be good after one good work. Even killers like Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and Adolf Hitler did at least one good work in their lifetime, and that did not make them good. Their sin made them wicked and evil.
Life teaches us and history has proven that humans are not good. All we have to do is watch one night of evening news to be reminded of the evil that exists in people. In fact, most if not all, world religions and cults have some type of “good works” system by which they try to obtain their righteousness in vain.
For example, Mormons believe they are saved by doing good works, like missions and tithing, and by following the beliefs of the LDS Church. Muslims believe they can tip the judgment scale in their favor by doing good deeds that are compatible with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Hadith. Chief among those are the Five Pillars of Faith that each Muslim must perform. They include reciting the Shahadah, praying, giving alms, fasting and making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Oh, and killing people for Allah will get you a special place in paradise with fine virgin women.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of "Do Good Works Make Us Good?"
Monday, July 02, 2007
What Are Humans That God is Mindful of Us?
(1) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (3) When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, (4) what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (5) You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. (6) You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: (7) all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, (8) the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. (9) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Imagine this! You are sitting on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Alaska and there is hardly a ripple on the water. Surrounding you, as far as you can see, are snow capped mountain ranges with rolling vast forests on the side of them. Sitting perched on top of the trees and soaring through the air are several bald eagles. Looking to the left you see seals playfully swimming in the cool water. Looking to the right you see the whales spouting as they role through the water. And in the boat, a good friend has a 135 lb Halibut hooked on his fishing line with a grimace and a smile on his face. The temperature outside is about 70 degrees with a cool breeze blowing through your hair. There is not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky.
I just got back from a four day fishing trip in Alaska. What I described to you in the paragraph above was my day on Wednesday. It was one of the most beautiful days I have ever experienced in my life. That morning, during my devotional time, the Lord led me to Psalm 8. It’s funny how He has a way of doing that to me. O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth! When you find yourself in the middle of God’s awesome creation, you truly have to be a fool to deny His existence (Psalm 14:1).
While sitting on the boat that day admiring the handiwork of God, I had two encouraging thoughts after reading Psalm 8.
The first one was the fact that the Almighty God is mindful of me. In fact, He created me to have a relationship with Him. No one knows me better than my Creator. Because He is mindful of me, this means he will provide for me, protect me and guide me through life. While observing His amazing creation and thinking about the brilliance of His mind, it was quite comforting to know that He is mindful of me.
The second thought was the fact that human beings are the crown jewel of His creation. We were in awe every time we saw an eagle soar, a whale spout or a seal glide through the water. But, I began to wonder if an eagle, whale or seal could reason, what would they think about us? I bet they would be envious that we were created to rule over the work of God’s hands. An eagle can soar in the wind, but it will never be able to fly a plane. A whale and seal can swim in the ocean, but it will never be able to sail a boat.
And more importantly, the eagle, whale and seal can never know the mind of their Creator. We, as God’s people, are designed to have a relationship with the Majestic One. I pray that we would make the most of this wonderful privilege, and fully understand what it means to be crowned with God’s glory and honor.
O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Imagine this! You are sitting on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in Alaska and there is hardly a ripple on the water. Surrounding you, as far as you can see, are snow capped mountain ranges with rolling vast forests on the side of them. Sitting perched on top of the trees and soaring through the air are several bald eagles. Looking to the left you see seals playfully swimming in the cool water. Looking to the right you see the whales spouting as they role through the water. And in the boat, a good friend has a 135 lb Halibut hooked on his fishing line with a grimace and a smile on his face. The temperature outside is about 70 degrees with a cool breeze blowing through your hair. There is not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky.
I just got back from a four day fishing trip in Alaska. What I described to you in the paragraph above was my day on Wednesday. It was one of the most beautiful days I have ever experienced in my life. That morning, during my devotional time, the Lord led me to Psalm 8. It’s funny how He has a way of doing that to me. O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth! When you find yourself in the middle of God’s awesome creation, you truly have to be a fool to deny His existence (Psalm 14:1).
While sitting on the boat that day admiring the handiwork of God, I had two encouraging thoughts after reading Psalm 8.
The first one was the fact that the Almighty God is mindful of me. In fact, He created me to have a relationship with Him. No one knows me better than my Creator. Because He is mindful of me, this means he will provide for me, protect me and guide me through life. While observing His amazing creation and thinking about the brilliance of His mind, it was quite comforting to know that He is mindful of me.
The second thought was the fact that human beings are the crown jewel of His creation. We were in awe every time we saw an eagle soar, a whale spout or a seal glide through the water. But, I began to wonder if an eagle, whale or seal could reason, what would they think about us? I bet they would be envious that we were created to rule over the work of God’s hands. An eagle can soar in the wind, but it will never be able to fly a plane. A whale and seal can swim in the ocean, but it will never be able to sail a boat.
And more importantly, the eagle, whale and seal can never know the mind of their Creator. We, as God’s people, are designed to have a relationship with the Majestic One. I pray that we would make the most of this wonderful privilege, and fully understand what it means to be crowned with God’s glory and honor.
O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth!
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