New Year’s Resolution: God’s Will Be Done!

I propose a New Year’s resolution for every Christian—stop using phrases like “God’s will” and “the Lord told me” to get your will done.

Matthew 26:29 says, “Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

In this passage of scripture, Jesus is praying to His Father in heaven before he is betrayed, put through the mockery of a trial and crucified. I am so challenged in my own personal faith at how the Lord Jesus Christ stay submitted to God’s will for His life even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). This type of attitude, obedience and submission is a missing ingredient in the lives of many Christians today. Frankly, in today’s individualist society I have noticed many people of faith think God exists to bless their plans and dreams. Similar to the lead character in Bruce Almighty, their prayer is now, “My will be done.” I wonder if we have forgotten that we are saved to serve Him and others.

Another way “Christians bug me” (refer to previous blog listed below) is when they use religious cant such as “God’s will” to get their will done. We should be very reverent when we definitively say something is God’s will, especially when it affects someone else’s life.

Ephesians 5:17 says, “Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” I believe we should only say something is God’s will if we can find it in Scripture. For example, it is God’s will to pray continually, forgive, be joyful, give thanks in all circumstances, treat others the way you want to be treated, love your enemies, etc. God’s will is synonymous with God’s word.

When we fail to refer to Scripture in relation to communicating God’s will, we end up becoming fools. How many people have stated that God told them something and later were proven wrong? Trust me; I meet them way too often. God doesn’t lie or make mistakes. I will say it again. We should be very careful about how we use the name of God.

This blog was inspired by the recent events at North Florida Christian (NFC) School. I will comment on this situation for two reasons. First, many people have sought my counsel as a pastor to help them process this incident. Second, when somebody says it is God’s will to do something, I have a right and a responsibility to examine it as a Christ follower. Let me state clearly that my goal is to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), not attack anyone personally. So, here are my thoughts or “two cents worth”—Lord help me.

As a Christian, pastor, friend, and long time resident of Tallahassee, I grieve for all involved in this unfortunate scenario. As a long time resident of Tallahassee, I hurt for everyone in this city who has been negatively impacted by these events. As a Christian, I hurt because Christ was not glorified by the way things were handled. As a pastor, I hurt because many people are questioning the motives of a fellow pastor and brother in Christ in town. As a friend, I hurt for the Weldon family and how difficult it must be to process getting fired from a school they love and represent so well in our community.

Why was Casey Weldon fired? The only answer that has been given so far is that it was “God’s will”. Oh really? Are you sure it was not a conflict of personalities or a difference of opinions on how things should be done at NFC? Just like the rest of us, we know Casey isn’t perfect. Are you sure it wasn’t something he did or didn’t do as a coach? Did he violate an NFC policy? I don’t pretend to know all the details of this incident. In fact, I don’t really know anything. However, one thing I do know is what the Bible says is God’s will.

Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus instructing them concerning God’s will. He says in Ephesians 4:1-3, “As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (2) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (3) Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

If this was God’s will, and therefore, the way he wanted to remove Casey from his position, after taking NFC to two consecutive state championship games, then why has there been so much division and strife over this decision? How can you fire a guy, who is the “poster child” of your school, and who has been so successful without ever reprimanded him, and then say it was “God’s will”? God’s will should manifest in humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity and peace, especially when it involves Christians in the same spiritual family.

I don’t know if Casey should or should not have been fired. However, I do know the greatest commandment requires us to exemplify God with honor and treat one another with love (Matthew 22:37-40). I have yet to talk with one person in Tallahassee who thinks God was honored and love was demonstrated at NFC. This saddens me deeply because I want to see my fellow believers in Jesus succeed and represent Him well. So, to say this decision was God’s will when it has caused such heartache, pain, division, and confusion in Tallahassee and the NFC community is irresponsible and is simply religious jargon that poorly reflects Christ and Scripture.

For the sake of God’s glory, the reputation of those who minister the gospel and every Christian’s testimony, please give us the real reason Casey was fired. It will be the only answer that will make sense to people who are already cynical towards Christianity and bring closure to this awkward occurrence.

I pray for God’s will to be done. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Oregon State offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf has donated a kidney to the wife of Mike Cavanaugh, the offensive line coach. Laurie Cavanaugh has autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, which enlarged her kidneys.

Langsdorf was identified as a match through tests with 18 individuals. She said the process of finding a donor took about a year and a half. Laurie Cavanaugh said, "I remember being in San Antonio at a football convention in San Antonio and he [Langsdorf] came up to me and said, 'Hey, I'm a go,'" "I was like 'Wow!' After about 18 people, I was shocked and excited. At that point I was getting kind of hopeless, I didn't think I was going to get any one," she said.

Langsdorf said: "I didn't think it was right to sit back and not do anything, when I probably could have. So I decided to get tested. The fact that I was such a good match for her was such a positive thing."

Dr. John Barry, director of OHSU's kidney transplant program, performed the six-hour transplant surgery on Laurie Cavanaugh. Dr. Michael Conlin, associate professor of urologic surgery at OHSU School of Medicine, removed Langsdorf's kidney.

"When you work as closely as a coaching staff does, you develop some really deep and solid friendships -- I guess you could say this is the ultimate in friendship," said Mike Cavanaugh, who, like Langsdorf, is in his third season with the Beavers.

Laurie Cavanaugh fought back tears when expressing her gratitude to Langsdorf, who said he was a merely a friend who wanted to help.

"It reminds you that when you're feeling OK and things are going pretty good in your life, you shouldn't have many complaints," Langsdorf said. "That's probably the biggest thing for me -- to give something to a friend and have it work out."

Stories such as this one remind us that great gifts have three distinctive attributes that make them extraordinary. First, they are worth something. Second, the gift is invested for a specific purpose. And third, there is a particular need for the gift. Worth, investment, and need are the keys to giving good gifts.

What is the greatest gift ever given to mankind?

The gift of Jesus Christ is worth more to mankind than anything else on the planet. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

His investment into our lives changes us to be more like Him. His gift to us met a need that we could have never met on our own. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast.”

As you open gifts with loved ones on Christmas, remember the One who gave His Son to make this holiday the most wonderful time of the year.

May God bless you with a very Merry Christmas!

Are All Religions the Same?

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ (23) Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’"

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon apostle, in Mormon Doctrine said, “Mormonism is Christianity; Christianity is Mormonism….Mormons are true Christians.” If Mormonism is the same as Christianity, then why do the nicely dressed guys on the bikes who knock on my door always try to convert me to Mormonism after I tell them I am a pastor of a Christian church?

During the campaigns many people, such as Sean Hannity, have echoed the doctrine of McConkie stating that Mormons are Christians. There is no doubt that Mormons perform many good works and their good works resemble those of Christianity’s. This can deceive people to think that the two religions are the same.

Mormons use good works and the name of Jesus and the Bible to lead people to their religion. Then, they teach them another doctrine based upon the Book of Mormon that contradicts the fundamental teachings of the Bible. I am not being mean or judgmental about the Mormon faith. They have the right and freedom to believe what they want. I just wish they would clearly and honestly communicate their differences. My motive is not to disparage the Mormon faith; instead, it is an attempt to simply educate you on the dissimilarities of the Mormon and Christian faith.

Mormons may use the same terminology as Christians, but when you look at what Mormons really believe, the differences become apparent. In virtually every area of belief, the Mormon Church is unorthodox, which means it doesn’t follow traditional Christian beliefs. The discrepancies, according to World Religions and Cults 101 by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, are listed below.

The Nature of God

Mormons believe God the Father is an exalted man from another planet, He came from another species of gods, who existed before him in an infinite series of gods who were also men, God is ever evolving, God has a physical body, God the Father had physical relations with the Mother God, resulting in millions of spirit babies, and matter is eternal, but God in not.

Christians believe God is God, not an exalted man, there is only one God, God is a spirit, God is eternal, God does not change, and there has never been a time when God was not completely God.

The Person of Jesus

Mormons believe he was a created being and the brother of Lucifer (Satan), He was born as a result of Mary having physical relations with God, Jesus had to earn his own salvation, just like the rest of the created beings, Jesus is a “greater” being than other spirit children on the earth, but he has the same nature, Jesus was a polygamist, the atonement of Jesus took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and was for Adam’s sin only, our salvation begins with the atonement but is made complete by good works.

Christians believe Jesus is fully God and one with God the Father, Jesus was born of virgin through the Holy Spirit, Jesus did not need to be saved because He is God, there is no evidence that Jesus ever married once, let alone several times, the atonement of Jesus took place on the cross, and it was effective for all humankind, and there is no other way to be saved except by faith in Jesus Christ.

The Authority of Scripture

The Book of Mormon

• Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from the writings of ancient prophets engraved on gold plates he found buried near his home.
• The translation involved a “seer stone,” which Smith claimed gave him the power of God.
• The Book of Mormon contains thousands of words—including entire chapters—from the King James Version of the Bible.
• There is no decisive archaeological evidence for any of the ancient civilizations described by the Book of Mormon.
• Despite Mormon claims, the Book of Mormon is not prophesied in the Bible.

The Bible

• God used the Holy Spirit to inspire (literally, “breathe into”) 40 different human writers (called prophets) over a period of 1600 years.
• Several different individual church councils discovered which writings were Scripture by recognizing the writings that spoke with the authority of God.
• The Bible has been carefully transmitted and translated from the original manuscripts and languages to the current day.
• Archaeologists have uncovered more copies of ancient Bible manuscripts than any other document of antiquity.
• There is abundant corroborating evidence to confirm the claims of the Bible. Not every person, place, date, or fact in the Bible has been verified by outside sources, but many have, and not one has been shown to be false.

God was so wise to not let anyone be declared righteous in his sight by their good works (Isaiah 64:6). He knew that one of the easiest ways to deceive and confuse people was through a system of good deeds. Unfortunately, religion often becomes a system of good works and rituals made up by people to deify themselves. For example, Mormons believe that they are gods who will one day populate their own planet. Jesus taught that eternal life was to know God and His Son Jesus Christ, not the practicing of our religious traditions (John 17:3).

Christianity or Mormonism—big difference!

Relationship or Religion?

In John 17:3 Jesus prayed, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

In today’s culture, we refer to people of faith as religious people. Religion means a particular system of faith and worship or a thing that one is devoted to. Religion is simply the external expression of what we believe internally. Religion can be an accurate or inaccurate display of faith. Despite the tendency for modern day Christians to be judgmental and hypocritical (for this I deeply apologize), there is no doubt that throughout history Christianity has been a “religion” identified by its good deeds.

Christian religion should be easy to discern by others who observe the lifestyles of those who profess the name of Jesus. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” His statement was an admonition to all Christians that they should walk the talk. I concur. However, I have been recently wondering if he would have made the same assertion in today’s polytheistic culture?

For example, Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam all teach that good works are an important part of their religion. I believe this is the major reason some people think that all religions are basically the same. At times, through good deeds, the external expression of these different religions can look very similar.

I was reminded of this fact while listening to Mitt Romney’s speech on “Faith in America”. In case you do not know, Romney is a Mormon. The fact that we have a Mormon running for president has raised many questions from the media about Romney’s faith.

If you are wondering, let me state clearly that I do not think a person should be elected or rejected based upon their faith. The first amendment of the Constitution of the United States gives us the right to the freedom of religious expression. This also means the freedom to not believe in God. You might be thinking that my viewpoint contradicts my previous blog “Christians Bug Me”, but remember in that blog I was talking about endorsing (as an influential Christian leader) a president, not electing one.

For those who are not frequent readers of the Bible, you might find it interesting to note that Jesus never once mentioned the word religion. Does this surprise you? This is because Jesus’ goal was never to set up a system of good works or a system of religion. Jesus came to bring people into relationship with Him as the one true living God. Christianity is not a religion of good works; instead, it is a relationship with Jesus Christ. A Christian’s religious expression should flow from this relationship.

Apostle Paul reminds the church at Ephesus that good works can not gain us favor with God or save us. In Ephesians 2:10-11 he says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith (in Christ)—and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” What makes Christian’s good deeds unique is that they give praise to our Father in heaven and lead people to faith in Jesus (Matthew 5:16).

Relationship or religion? Big difference!

Stay tuned for Part 2…you won’t want to miss it!

Drop and Give Me Twenty!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

I believe, for the most part, that the universal body of Christ in America is weak. Although we might have a majority who believe in Jesus in this country, we have done a poor job bringing transformation to our nation. America lacks strong Godly leaders in government, the marketplace, education, the arts, entertainment, athletics and many other spheres of our society.

This is evident in our current presidential debates. For example, foundational to the success of any society is the institution of the family. Today, there is a good possibility a candidate that is pro-choice and supports gay marriages will be elected. By the way, I don’t hate pro-choice or gay people, I just disagree with them for reasons I will state in the next few paragraphs.

Why is abortion and homosexuality so devastating to the future of America? Because when we fail to procreate and when will kill babies that have been conceived, we devalue one of our most important inalienable rights—the right to life. We will cease to exist if we do not procreate. Remember, it takes a man and a woman to produce a baby.

The family, where husband and wife fulfill their duties as an affectionate father and mother, are statistically the best remedy for the social ills we face in America today. The majority of children that commit crimes or engage in delinquent behavior come from homes that do not consist of a loving father and mother.

So, why is the universal body of Christ weak in America? It is weak because we have lost our value of sacrifice. I ultimately blame this condition on weak preaching in the church. The kind of preaching that has been advocated by those who viewed the seeker movement as the cutting edge of kingdom advancement—Scripture-anemic, superficially practical, humanistic, therapeutic, man-centered, God-at-your-service, consumer-driven fireside chats has produced self-centered church attendees.

Jesus’ ministry was a message of sacrifice and commitment. He gave three requirements to those who desired to be His disciple. First and foremost, He taught that a disciple of Jesus must deny self. Second, a disciple of Jesus must take up their cross. Third, a disciple of Jesus must follow Him and live to fulfill the Great Commission. Sacrifice is the key to all three of these characteristics of a disciple of Jesus.

As the church begins to serve people with sacrificial acts of love, it will once again be strong and regain its place of influence in our society.

Now, drop and give me twenty!!!