Most preachers notice when members of the congregation are bored. Their eyes are open but there are no lights on. They may actually be looking straight at you and not see a thing.
There are others who are hanging onto every word. Their faces are animated. They smile, frown and even show disgust during the sermon. They may not like what the preacher is saying but they are fully engaged in the sermon.
Then, there are others who are agitated. There is something going on in their lives that they would like to end. They have come to church to dedicate themselves to the Lord so that He will take their problems which may also be their sins and throw them into the deepest sea. They haven't heard what the preacher has said. They read into every word a reference to their own problems. They come weeping down the aisle, telling the preacher how far they have strayed from the path and want to rededicate their lives to the Lord one more time.
They may or may not be back next Sunday. They think that this rededication is all that is needed.
Yes, the preacher will see them again. They will be in the same state and they will want to rededicate their lives again before long. Eventually, they learn that rededication alone doesn't work. It takes more.
Its funny how you can look at a scripture that you have read dozens of times in the past and find something new, isn't it? I was wondering about these people whose rededications never seem to stick. I believe the Lord directed me to a passage which I had read as recently as last week but didn't see what He was trying to teach me.
Joshua 24:15 (ESV)
15 And if
it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will
serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or
the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we
will serve the LORD.”
Do you see the key element in this rededication? It is found in the word "serve." There is no purpose nor lasting influence that comes from rededication oneself to the Lord without service. The person who simply wants to belong to the Lord never will until he serves with his whole heart.
Jesus will never be your Lord until you obey Him. Obedience requires service. Service is the glue that holds us to our dedication. I have never seen a growing Christian who was idle. That doesn't mean I haven't seen busy Christians who weren't growing. Busyness is just being busy. Service requires following the Lord. Following Him means that He is sought after and depended upon to supply everything necessary to complete the service one has been called to.
So, before you make that trip down the aisle of your church this Sunday, make sure that you realize that there is no true rededication without committing yourself to the Lord's service. That means more than simply sitting in a pew week after week.
Sure, you may rededicate yourself to the Lord again but it will be to a new ministry that He has given you. And guess what--it will stick!
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
New Birth Is Messy
Mark 2:15-17 (ESV)
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
My church* is full of sinners. Many of them use colorful language. Many of them have equally colorful backgrounds. Some of them don't know what a Christian is. I am glad they are at my church. I am afraid that there are churches who would have nothing to do with them. There are churches who would tell them that they have to clean up their acts before they can come to their churches.
So, tell me how we are supposed to see people come to know Christ if we aren't willing to be around them until they act like they have come to know Christ. We have no apparent appeal for them. The society we live in will more likely shun them for going to church rather than praise them. There is no status gained by church membership. Why should they come if we don't love them exactly the way they are?
I saw my children born many years ago. It was a messy business. I loved those children before they were cleaned up. I loved them before they would know who I am. I didn't tell them to clean up. They wouldn't have understood. I didn't tell them that I would love them as soon as they acted correctly. They would have learned conditional love that way. And I am afraid that they would never come to love my Savior if they couldn't understand unconditional love.
Sure, there are people who never use colorful language or have colorful backgrounds who also come to my church. They have been so changed by the Lord that they love people regardless of whether or not they know the Lord. They see themselves as sinners who are being changed by the grace of God. They teach Sunday School, feed people who can't afford food, serve others in the kitchen, visit the sick and do whatever it takes to take care of God's creation. They are lights shining brightly for the cause of Christ. They understand that Christ came for them but that they are not an exclusive group. He came for those who neither know the Lord nor act like they want to.
Sinners don't show up already clean. They come messy.
I have people visit my church weekly who come in and look at those in the congregation with tattoos and unusual dress and decide that they don't want to be in be in a church that welcomes people like this. I never see them again. They don't know that we would have loved them as if they were sinners, too.
*I do not own my church. I use this term to identify with the church I pastor.
15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
My church* is full of sinners. Many of them use colorful language. Many of them have equally colorful backgrounds. Some of them don't know what a Christian is. I am glad they are at my church. I am afraid that there are churches who would have nothing to do with them. There are churches who would tell them that they have to clean up their acts before they can come to their churches.
So, tell me how we are supposed to see people come to know Christ if we aren't willing to be around them until they act like they have come to know Christ. We have no apparent appeal for them. The society we live in will more likely shun them for going to church rather than praise them. There is no status gained by church membership. Why should they come if we don't love them exactly the way they are?
I saw my children born many years ago. It was a messy business. I loved those children before they were cleaned up. I loved them before they would know who I am. I didn't tell them to clean up. They wouldn't have understood. I didn't tell them that I would love them as soon as they acted correctly. They would have learned conditional love that way. And I am afraid that they would never come to love my Savior if they couldn't understand unconditional love.
Sure, there are people who never use colorful language or have colorful backgrounds who also come to my church. They have been so changed by the Lord that they love people regardless of whether or not they know the Lord. They see themselves as sinners who are being changed by the grace of God. They teach Sunday School, feed people who can't afford food, serve others in the kitchen, visit the sick and do whatever it takes to take care of God's creation. They are lights shining brightly for the cause of Christ. They understand that Christ came for them but that they are not an exclusive group. He came for those who neither know the Lord nor act like they want to.
Sinners don't show up already clean. They come messy.
I have people visit my church weekly who come in and look at those in the congregation with tattoos and unusual dress and decide that they don't want to be in be in a church that welcomes people like this. I never see them again. They don't know that we would have loved them as if they were sinners, too.
*I do not own my church. I use this term to identify with the church I pastor.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Identification with Christ
Our own salvation is a difficult thing to grasp. We think of ourselves as self-contained beings. This concept means that our minds and souls remain our own. Therefore, all decisions and changes we make are made internally. But when we come to know Christ, things change.
We never lose the responsibility for our decisions but we are inhabited by the Holy Spirit who empowers us to over-ride our fleshly desires and follow Him. It is through the Holy Spirit that we identify with Christ. This identification is so strong that though we were never on the cross with Jesus, we were indeed on the cross with Him in our identification.
A woefully inadequate illustration of this is seen in a marriage. My wife will charge something on a credit card that we share. Though I was never with her during the purchase, I am with her in my identification with her so that I am responsible for that purchase. Thus, I was on the cross with Jesus because of my identification with Him. I receive my salvation by His sacrifice on the cross. I have so identified with Him that I also died with Him.
What continues to connect me with Him? My fear of God and my love for Him keep me working out my salvation with fear and trembling. Yes, i am saved by grace but I cannot possess a grace that does not cause me to identify with my Lord. Again, let me use the example of a marriage.
Let's say that I married my wife but never lived with her. I never identified as one with her. I rarely, if ever spoke to her. What kind of marriage would it be? Wouldn't the marriage ceremony itself be a sham? Too many times I have heard a groom exclaim at his wedding reception, "It's finally over!" I say, "No, it just began!" Thinking that your salvation is complete at your baptism is like thinking your marriage is complete after the reception. There is much more. Much, much more.
So, today I renew my identification with Christ. I have to do so continually. I have to remember who I am now. I am not unto myself alone. I am His and He is mine. And I had better act like it.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
2 Corinthians 5:14 (ESV)
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
Philippians 2:12 (ESV)
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
We never lose the responsibility for our decisions but we are inhabited by the Holy Spirit who empowers us to over-ride our fleshly desires and follow Him. It is through the Holy Spirit that we identify with Christ. This identification is so strong that though we were never on the cross with Jesus, we were indeed on the cross with Him in our identification.
A woefully inadequate illustration of this is seen in a marriage. My wife will charge something on a credit card that we share. Though I was never with her during the purchase, I am with her in my identification with her so that I am responsible for that purchase. Thus, I was on the cross with Jesus because of my identification with Him. I receive my salvation by His sacrifice on the cross. I have so identified with Him that I also died with Him.
What continues to connect me with Him? My fear of God and my love for Him keep me working out my salvation with fear and trembling. Yes, i am saved by grace but I cannot possess a grace that does not cause me to identify with my Lord. Again, let me use the example of a marriage.
Let's say that I married my wife but never lived with her. I never identified as one with her. I rarely, if ever spoke to her. What kind of marriage would it be? Wouldn't the marriage ceremony itself be a sham? Too many times I have heard a groom exclaim at his wedding reception, "It's finally over!" I say, "No, it just began!" Thinking that your salvation is complete at your baptism is like thinking your marriage is complete after the reception. There is much more. Much, much more.
So, today I renew my identification with Christ. I have to do so continually. I have to remember who I am now. I am not unto myself alone. I am His and He is mine. And I had better act like it.
Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
2 Corinthians 5:14 (ESV)
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
Philippians 2:12 (ESV)
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
The World as You Know It Will End Today
I asked my staff today what they would do if they knew they had only one hour left to live. Each of them said they would spend it with family. I asked them what they would do if they had ten years. That caused them to scratch their heads.
Each of us thinks we may have ten years left to live. It seems that some people would come to the point when they stopped believing that but, without a known terminal illness, nearly everyone acts as they will live forever. I guess they can't imagine a world without themselves. Most people see the world as never changing no matter how many times they have seen it change.
This caused me to think about the world and its change. The world will never again be like it is today. Today will cause changes that will not be undone. Today will have changes in which tomorrow will be built. The opportunities of today will be gone with today if for no other reason than they can't be done as quickly if we had started on them today.
Essentially, the world as you know it ends today.
The greatest tragedy in life is wishing that you did something when you could. The sun is setting. The opportunities are growing dim. One of your tomorrows might find you sitting in a rocking chair wishing that you did something differently. You may lie to yourself and say you did all that you could but you will know the truth no matter how many times you say it.
Just think of the things that could be done in ten years. You could write a novel or a symphony or an opera, earn a doctorate, make a disciple, start a church, lose all the weight you have been meaning to lose, learn to play the piano or be known as a completely committed follower of Jesus no matter how people see you now.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Yes, I have heard that too. The road to hell is paved with missed opportunities too.
I believe the Lord has been telling me something that I must do. I have heard it from people who have walked up to me after church. The say as tears stream down their faces, "This is my last Sunday to be in church. My job requires that I work Sundays." Am I to say, "I really hurt for you," but do absolutely nothing about it?
So, I am meeting with a group of people with whom God has been speaking about this same issue. They know that we have to do something about it now. We have to provide a means that people who work on Sundays can worship. Therefore, we are working to start a Saturday night service for people who have either an impossible or hard time coming on Sundays.
I'll admit that it is easier to do nothing but how can I say that I have the love of Jesus when I simply tell people how sorry I am about their predicament when I could be doing something about it? The opportunity is right in front of me and those who are working to start this service. We have to do something.
Tomorrow today's opportunity to speak to someone about Jesus may be gone forever. There are people you may see that you will never see again. The things that the Lord leads you to do may not be available for very much longer. The world and all that is in it is changing. You have to act now.
The Bible says that the days are evil. Maybe I've been singing praise songs for so long that I have forgotten there is an enemy telling me that there is plenty of time to do whatever God has put on my heart. Maybe that's why Paul urges us to proclaim, "Now is the day of salvation." Tomorrow may be too late for some people.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Each of us thinks we may have ten years left to live. It seems that some people would come to the point when they stopped believing that but, without a known terminal illness, nearly everyone acts as they will live forever. I guess they can't imagine a world without themselves. Most people see the world as never changing no matter how many times they have seen it change.
This caused me to think about the world and its change. The world will never again be like it is today. Today will cause changes that will not be undone. Today will have changes in which tomorrow will be built. The opportunities of today will be gone with today if for no other reason than they can't be done as quickly if we had started on them today.
Essentially, the world as you know it ends today.
The greatest tragedy in life is wishing that you did something when you could. The sun is setting. The opportunities are growing dim. One of your tomorrows might find you sitting in a rocking chair wishing that you did something differently. You may lie to yourself and say you did all that you could but you will know the truth no matter how many times you say it.
Just think of the things that could be done in ten years. You could write a novel or a symphony or an opera, earn a doctorate, make a disciple, start a church, lose all the weight you have been meaning to lose, learn to play the piano or be known as a completely committed follower of Jesus no matter how people see you now.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Yes, I have heard that too. The road to hell is paved with missed opportunities too.
I believe the Lord has been telling me something that I must do. I have heard it from people who have walked up to me after church. The say as tears stream down their faces, "This is my last Sunday to be in church. My job requires that I work Sundays." Am I to say, "I really hurt for you," but do absolutely nothing about it?
So, I am meeting with a group of people with whom God has been speaking about this same issue. They know that we have to do something about it now. We have to provide a means that people who work on Sundays can worship. Therefore, we are working to start a Saturday night service for people who have either an impossible or hard time coming on Sundays.
I'll admit that it is easier to do nothing but how can I say that I have the love of Jesus when I simply tell people how sorry I am about their predicament when I could be doing something about it? The opportunity is right in front of me and those who are working to start this service. We have to do something.
Tomorrow today's opportunity to speak to someone about Jesus may be gone forever. There are people you may see that you will never see again. The things that the Lord leads you to do may not be available for very much longer. The world and all that is in it is changing. You have to act now.
The Bible says that the days are evil. Maybe I've been singing praise songs for so long that I have forgotten there is an enemy telling me that there is plenty of time to do whatever God has put on my heart. Maybe that's why Paul urges us to proclaim, "Now is the day of salvation." Tomorrow may be too late for some people.
Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Is It Persecution or Is It a Random Act of Circumstance?
Imagine having spoiled milk in your refrigerator. You want a glass of milk so you go to the frig. The smell tells you right away that you shouldn't drink it. But instead of throwing it away, you put it back in the refrigerator. Guess what happens the next time you want a glass of milk? The milk is still spoiled.
Sometimes I forget that the world is fallen. It has been corrupted by sin. All of creation suffered in the Fall. The world still has a remnant of its "good" creation but also contains the evil brought in by the Fall. Thus, you cannot count on the world to give you good. It continues to produce bad. No matter how many times you ask the world for something good, you have to remember that it has yet to be redeemed. It has been spoiled and will remain spoiled until it is redeemed.
Those who wish to live godly lives will find the world persecuting them. It may be through the greed of their employers. It may be the hatred of their neighbors. It may be through what appears to be random acts of evil. Yet, the world hunts down the godly to discourage and end their godliness. The world seeks to have each person like it is. The world is corrupted and getting worse.
I used to think that persecution had to be volitional. Many times it is. But sometimes things happen which knock you don't to your knees that seem like random acts. You set out to live a godly life and you lose your job. Your former employer doesn't have a vendetta against you. He or she is merely downsizing without regard to your status. Your employer doesn't know that you have recently made a commitment to tithe. It sure feels like persecution. It feels like there is someone who knows when and how to hit me. It feels like there is someone who wants me to forget my faith and live a life apart from God. Do seemingly random events have a purpose? Is this persecution? Is the time these things happen precise or is it merely random circumstances?
Of course, there is a danger in saying that every unwanted event is an act of Satan. Therefore, Satan gave me a flat on the way to work today and Satan caused it to rain on my wedding day, etc. But on the other hand why should I praise God when I see someone healed if the world only contains activities of coincidences? When are events seen as the acts of God or Satan?
Job interpreted his hardship to God. He had lived a godly life yet his family, wealth and health were taken from him. He didn't understand why these things had happened but he didn't see them as merely random acts. He knew that God had blessed him. He knew that he no longer had God's blessing. Was Job being persecuted? It sure seems so.
So, when do you see hardship as persecution? This requires godly discernment. The same set of circumstances may produce different results. A tornado may just be the result of a fallen world. The loss of a job may be the work of the world's persecution. One is something that happens to everyone. The other is particularly for you.
This must be the wisdom of the Spirit. No earthly wisdom can discern whether an event is from the world, Satan or even from God. What appears to be a blessing may, in fact, turn out to be something very bad. What looked like destruction reveals the grace of God. Sure, they are easier to discern in the rear view mirror but God doesn't want us floundering around wondering if there is any meaning in the things which befall us.
Suppose you have lived a godly life and get cancer. You suffer through the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. You endure the surgeries. Things continually get worse no matter what you do. You may not know why you are going through this. You have prayed and had countless others praying for you. Yet, you do not realize those who are watching you. The grandson or granddaughter whose faith is in doubt is taking note of your faith as you go through your difficulty. Is this persecution or an opportunity to give a final strong witness to those whom you love? The answer is not one or the other. The answer is "yes." That must be revealed by the Spirit.
So the world will remain fallen. There will be tribulation in it. There will be persecution through it. and God, by the Spirit, reveals what is going on.
1 Corinthians 2:6-13 (ESV)
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
Sometimes I forget that the world is fallen. It has been corrupted by sin. All of creation suffered in the Fall. The world still has a remnant of its "good" creation but also contains the evil brought in by the Fall. Thus, you cannot count on the world to give you good. It continues to produce bad. No matter how many times you ask the world for something good, you have to remember that it has yet to be redeemed. It has been spoiled and will remain spoiled until it is redeemed.
Those who wish to live godly lives will find the world persecuting them. It may be through the greed of their employers. It may be the hatred of their neighbors. It may be through what appears to be random acts of evil. Yet, the world hunts down the godly to discourage and end their godliness. The world seeks to have each person like it is. The world is corrupted and getting worse.
I used to think that persecution had to be volitional. Many times it is. But sometimes things happen which knock you don't to your knees that seem like random acts. You set out to live a godly life and you lose your job. Your former employer doesn't have a vendetta against you. He or she is merely downsizing without regard to your status. Your employer doesn't know that you have recently made a commitment to tithe. It sure feels like persecution. It feels like there is someone who knows when and how to hit me. It feels like there is someone who wants me to forget my faith and live a life apart from God. Do seemingly random events have a purpose? Is this persecution? Is the time these things happen precise or is it merely random circumstances?
Of course, there is a danger in saying that every unwanted event is an act of Satan. Therefore, Satan gave me a flat on the way to work today and Satan caused it to rain on my wedding day, etc. But on the other hand why should I praise God when I see someone healed if the world only contains activities of coincidences? When are events seen as the acts of God or Satan?
Job interpreted his hardship to God. He had lived a godly life yet his family, wealth and health were taken from him. He didn't understand why these things had happened but he didn't see them as merely random acts. He knew that God had blessed him. He knew that he no longer had God's blessing. Was Job being persecuted? It sure seems so.
So, when do you see hardship as persecution? This requires godly discernment. The same set of circumstances may produce different results. A tornado may just be the result of a fallen world. The loss of a job may be the work of the world's persecution. One is something that happens to everyone. The other is particularly for you.
This must be the wisdom of the Spirit. No earthly wisdom can discern whether an event is from the world, Satan or even from God. What appears to be a blessing may, in fact, turn out to be something very bad. What looked like destruction reveals the grace of God. Sure, they are easier to discern in the rear view mirror but God doesn't want us floundering around wondering if there is any meaning in the things which befall us.
Suppose you have lived a godly life and get cancer. You suffer through the chemotherapy and radiation treatments. You endure the surgeries. Things continually get worse no matter what you do. You may not know why you are going through this. You have prayed and had countless others praying for you. Yet, you do not realize those who are watching you. The grandson or granddaughter whose faith is in doubt is taking note of your faith as you go through your difficulty. Is this persecution or an opportunity to give a final strong witness to those whom you love? The answer is not one or the other. The answer is "yes." That must be revealed by the Spirit.
So the world will remain fallen. There will be tribulation in it. There will be persecution through it. and God, by the Spirit, reveals what is going on.
1 Corinthians 2:6-13 (ESV)
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
Monday, May 18, 2015
The Christian Life Is a Changed Life
I thank God that the church admits sinners. I would not have been able to enter if this was not so. I have acted like Paul predicted people would act in the last days. Yet, I am being changed and these characteristics are seen less in me than they once were. I can only praise God that He is changing me.
This morning I spoke with a young lady in my church. I told her that she gets it. I don't know her life before coming to my church other than what she has told me. Her own testimony reveals that God is changing her too. She, like me, is coming to the knowledge of the truth. I wish there were more people like her.
I see many people who come to church, attend Sunday School and give every outward appearance of knowing the Lord who never change. It is like they live too different lives. They act one way at church with service and dedication to the Lord and go home to live very secular lives in which none of what they should have known from their relationship with Jesus is ever seen. Sure, there are a few words of spiritual correctness given occasionally but it isn't enough evidence to determine whether or not they are truly Christians.
In fact, you will find that most people who call themselves Christians are acting like Paul's last day prediction. They love themselves, use nearly all their money on themselves, disrespect their parents in one way or another, care very little for others and certainly lack a true love for God.
Truthfully, I preach ever week and see very few being changed. They are happy to be the same people they have always been. They are happy to pretend to be everything the Lord wants them to be. It is as if they have chosen avatars to live at church. This is the life they imagine but their real life is much different.
So, no matter how much they come to church, no matter how many discipleship courses they take, no matter how many times they work in Vacation Bible School, there is never any significant change. They have learned the books of the Bible, know the stories and can recite John 3:16 but they never really come to the knowledge of the truth. Coming to this knowledge will never be intellectual. It will always be a matter of spiritual maturity.
I have met a few reasonably famous people during my life. I have had private conversations with some of them. But I know that I would be kidding myself to say that I know them. I wonder if that is what it is like for these people who call themselves Christians but never change. Are they basing their salvation on one conversation? Do they think that their faith is something that is ritualistic rather than life changing? Do they think its like a membership in a club? You pay your dues and get your privileges but that's as far as the commitment goes.
I guess I always thought that Paul was speaking of people being outside the church when he made his prediction of the last days. I never dreamed that the people would be in the church.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 (ESV)
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The Value of a Child
I have read stories of people who have accomplished much for humanity whose mothers considered abortion. The world is a better place because of them. I thank God that they weren't aborted but I also wonder why people think that these non-aborted people make a stronger statement about pro-life than the non-aborted children who remain anonymous.
Don't get me wrong. I love the stories from people who could have been aborted. I love to hear of their accomplishments. I just don't like saying that this child was more important than any other child who wasn't aborted. Why not a story of a child who became a bus driver or a steel worker or someone who assembles cars in Detroit? Do the people giving these statements realize that they are inadvertently supporting the idea that one life is more important than another?
The pro-choice people want to say that the freedom of the mother is more important than an unborn child. They give the mother's life more value than the child's. They have made a leap from preserving the mother's life to making sure that the mother has a future she has planned for.
Aborting a pregnancy has always been legal when it was done to save the life of the mother. The doctors performing the procedure would have liked to saved both mother and child but could not because of dire circumstances. Some see this as making the mother's life more important than the child's. The doctors know that the child will not live if the mother dies. It is not a matter of giving a greater value to the mother than the child. It is an effort to save one life.
This is where the leap is made though. The mother should not have to suffer the consequences of the pregnancy. They see this as giving the mother the same footing as the father. They give her more value than the child. Thus, it is okay to abort this child's life.
That's why we can't ask pro-choice people to consider whether or not their unborn children might become famous and make significant contributions to society and possibly humanity as a whole. That's their argument. We are simply saying that you might have a child that is more valuable than others. They are saying that the mother is the one who is more valuable. We are making the case for them.
No, the actual value of a person isn't determined by mankind. It is determined by the Creator Himself.
He is the One who knits each person together. It is His work that is interrupted by abortion. A person's worth is determined by God's love. That love is neither more or less because the person has great accomplishments for humanity.
A fallen humanity gives a greater value to one person over another. A revived believer loves each one that God loves. The value of the person is found in love.
Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Don't get me wrong. I love the stories from people who could have been aborted. I love to hear of their accomplishments. I just don't like saying that this child was more important than any other child who wasn't aborted. Why not a story of a child who became a bus driver or a steel worker or someone who assembles cars in Detroit? Do the people giving these statements realize that they are inadvertently supporting the idea that one life is more important than another?
The pro-choice people want to say that the freedom of the mother is more important than an unborn child. They give the mother's life more value than the child's. They have made a leap from preserving the mother's life to making sure that the mother has a future she has planned for.
Aborting a pregnancy has always been legal when it was done to save the life of the mother. The doctors performing the procedure would have liked to saved both mother and child but could not because of dire circumstances. Some see this as making the mother's life more important than the child's. The doctors know that the child will not live if the mother dies. It is not a matter of giving a greater value to the mother than the child. It is an effort to save one life.
This is where the leap is made though. The mother should not have to suffer the consequences of the pregnancy. They see this as giving the mother the same footing as the father. They give her more value than the child. Thus, it is okay to abort this child's life.
That's why we can't ask pro-choice people to consider whether or not their unborn children might become famous and make significant contributions to society and possibly humanity as a whole. That's their argument. We are simply saying that you might have a child that is more valuable than others. They are saying that the mother is the one who is more valuable. We are making the case for them.
No, the actual value of a person isn't determined by mankind. It is determined by the Creator Himself.
He is the One who knits each person together. It is His work that is interrupted by abortion. A person's worth is determined by God's love. That love is neither more or less because the person has great accomplishments for humanity.
A fallen humanity gives a greater value to one person over another. A revived believer loves each one that God loves. The value of the person is found in love.
Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)
13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
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