Going Backwards In Order To Go Forward

I love watching the Olympics. Track and Field has got to be one of my favorite things to watch.  Runners always move forward. You never see them go in the opposite direction. However, when it comes to the long jump, in order to move forward, you have to first go backwards, and the further back you go, the longer will be your jump.

The bible teaches that when we invited Jesus into your lives and surrendered to His Lordship, we were placed “in Christ” forever. Paul says that we were “made a new creation in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17).  Being “in Christ” has many wonderful benefits, such as:

In Christ, you are the very righteousness of God!  (2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:7-9)

In Christ, you are perfect!  (Hebrews 10:14)

In Christ, your sins are forever forgiven and forever forgotten (Hebrews 10:12, 14, 17)

In Christ, you are God’s friend (Romans 5:10-11)

In Christ, your redemption is eternally secure!  (Hebrews 9:14)

In Christ, you are God’s Temple, a member of His Church and body (Ephesians 2:19-22)

In Christ, you are sealed and gifted by God the Holy Spirit! (Eph. 1:13, 1 Peter 4:10-11)

However, I ask myself, since all this is true for me, why then do I still struggle?   The answer can be frightening. For many of us, in order to move forward, we need to go backwards. We have to go and revisit our past and deal with unfinished and unsettled issues.  

Such things may involve a bad decision we made that we often times regret or try our hardest not to think about. It may mean making contact with a person we don’t want anything to do with. It may involve reliving the trauma of being abused sexually and physically.

Underneath the surface of our lives, we continue to live in the negative patterns of our past which were shaped by our family origin and past experiences.  How we handle…

Conflict,

Gender roles,

Failure and success,

Parenting,

Grieving,

Singleness,

Money,

Pleasure, are often influenced by our past that messes up how we think and behave in the present.  

Personally, I do not like to go beneath the surface and travel back to my past.  It’s too painful.  Just the thought of having to revisit my life with both my alcoholic parents, the sexual abuse by my uncle, and bad decisions I made which almost wrecked my life and first marriage are taboo.

But if I don’t go and revisit the past – especially if such experiences are still affecting the way I think and behave, then the pain I am trying to escape only magnifies negatively and hijacks the beauty of my present reality.

So what should I do?  In order to go back to my painful past, I must travel back and interpret those experiences through who I am in Christ as a new creation.  Jesus’ work in my life frees me from self-condemnation.  How I was treated and what was done to me I cannot change. But in Jesus, I am a new creation, therefore, despite such things, I am changed by the grace of God.

It is only by the integration of the Gospel over time, does my walk begin to match my position in Christ. But it takes time and the courage to go backwards in order to move forward. There are still lessons for me to learn from my past that I have not yet fully understood. God does not waste a hurt. All things do work together for good.  Nothing which has happened to me, even the trouble that I have caused is not without golden lessons.

If I walk up to the line and try with all my might to jump forward, I will advance a few inches. However, if I step back, way back, and then look ahead and fun as fast as I can, when I come to the line and jump, I will advance several feet, much more than standing still.

Going backwards may seem scary. But moving forward successfully is not an option. It is what a person “in Christ” must do. It’s worth the journey.

Hell Will Be Populated With Sons of the Kindgom

I’ve been meditating on Matthew 8:12:  “But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness, in that place, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

It seems to me as I read the New Testament, those who are truly saved and become part of God’s kingdom do not go to hell. But here is a verse that seems to say the opposite.

If Jesus said, “the sons of the evil one shall be cast into outer darkness,” I would not have a problem. But Jesus uses the phrase, “sons of the kingdom.”

To be sure, Jesus is referencing Jews. Verse 11 indicates this: “Many shall come from the East and the West and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” Therefore, “sons of the kingdom” is referencing covenantal Jews who are in some way in the kingdom.

To break it down further, “sons of the kingdom” in this passage must refer to those who are lost or without Christ. How else can it be said that they end up in hell?

But are “sons of the kingdom” used also as a reference to the lost? Yes it can. Remember back in Genesis 6, where it talks about demons cohabitating with women? In Genesis 6:2 it states, “the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.” No doubt, the phrase, “sons of God” is used here as a reference to demons.  Therefore, the term does not always point to true believers or godly creatures. Only the context can define this.

Moreover, in Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells of a parable about the kingdom of heaven being compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. Then one day an enemy came and sowed tares. Both the wheat and tares grew together.

It was mentioned to the landowner if he wanted his servants to remove the tares from the wheat. His reply is quite instructive: “No, lest while you gather up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them” (v. 29). Then he adds: “Allow them both to grow together until the harvest” (v. 30).

So in the present kingdom of God that is invisible and in its mystery form (v. 11), saved and unsaved sons grow together until the time of the harvest (i.e. judgment) and then God will do the separating.

That’s why I am not surprised when I hear how the world has so many who claim to be Christians.  When you bring together the saved and unsaved – both claiming to be Christians, you will have a huge number or percentage.

I am also cautious about the fact that it just isn’t easy to know who is saved and who isn’t. Sometimes the saved live and talk like they are lost and the lost live and talk like they are saved! Jesus said, “Let them both grow together!”  If only they understood this during the time of the Crusades and Inquisition.

So having established that the lost can also be identified as “sons of the kingdom,” it is not a problem to see them being cast into outer darkness.

Man may not know the true condition of a person’s heart, but God does. In the end, He will make the determination and there will be no mistake.  

A Political Hot Button - The Mentioning of God

Reading up on the two political national conventions of both the Republicans and Democrats and how each group is using the name of God as a sign of being somewhat religious can be in the overall scheme a mistake.  Think about it: Aren’t these two political parties being somewhat blasphemous because they are using the name of God as a political hot button?

I have to admit, there are moments when I listen for such things, such as the mentioning of God. If a political party mentions God, then that suggests a sign of commitment on their reliance on God and to religious freedom. But does it really? Isn’t God being pimp in some way?  As believers, we certainly do not want to suggest that being a Christian has little to no meaning unless it is part of one’s national citizenship or a special interests group. Aren’t we instead called to live holy lives and be evangelists in sharing our faith with the world in a loving and effective manner?

Remember the Third Commandment – “You shall not use the name of the Lord, your God in vain” (Exod. 20:7). We usually think that the application of this commandment has to do with speaking politely about God. But is there more to it than that? 

In one of Michael Patton’s blogs on what does it means to take the name of the Lord in vain, he writes:

“The nations to which the Israelites were going had many gods. They were highly superstitious. Their prophets would often use the name of their god in pronouncements. The usage could be in a curse, hex, or even a blessing. They would use the name of their god to give their statements, whatever they may be, authority.

“To pronounce something in their own name would not have given their words much weight, but to pronounce something in the name of a god meant that people would listen and fear. They may have said, “In the name of Baal, there will be no rain for 40 days.” Or “In the name of Marduk, I say that you will win this battle.” This gave the prophet much power and authority…

God was attempting to prevent the Israelites from doing the same thing. God was saying for them not to use His name like the nations used the names of their gods. He did not want them to use His name to invoke false authority behind pronouncements. In essence, God did not want the Israelites to say that He said something that He had not said. This makes sense. God has a reputation to protect.”

Isn’t this how God’s name is being used today at both National Conventions? Hit the God-button in order to give false authority to the person using it.  When God’s name is used as a political hot button by politicians for the sake of their own glory and the glory of their party, it does tremendous damage to the ability of genuine believers who have bigger goals than witnessing their party win elections. Our purpose on earth is telling the lost that there is a God who loves them and sent His Son to die for their sins.

So, in one sense, it may be noble a gesture when God’s name was booed at the Democratic National Convention as way to stop trying to take the name of God in vain. God’s name should not be used as a political hot button. Those who did booed may not have understood this when they did, but their booing may have had a great spiritual significance.

We do not want to assume that just because Republicans using the name of God at their Convention are godly, and the Democrats at their Convention who do not are secular and ungodly.

Think about it: Would you elect someone to your church leadership just because they use the name of God in their vocabulary? Wouldn’t you look for internal evidence of a transformed life and a heart filled with the love of God as a better indicator?

It’s so easy to get all hyped up during this upcoming presidential election to miss the real issues. We all want change for the better and not change for the sake of change. But while we are praying for such an outcome, let’s remember that God is more than a political vote. He is our Sovereign Authority of the Universe who will fulfill His purposes in America and around the world no matter which political party runs the White House.

How To Spot Religious Abuse

Note: After posting these signs one by one on my Facebook wall, I had mentioned that when all had been posted, I would combined them together and place it all in a blog. Here it is. I originally ended with five signs, but I added one more that I had forgotten to mention. Keep these close by and refer to them as often as you need to. It will enable you to make the right decisions in choosing a church and also to keep the church you are presently serving in accountable to the Word of God.

We are blessed with so many wonderful and caring churches that teach the Word faithfully and impact the people who attend. But like people, not all churches are healthy. The reason is that not all people are healthy spiritually and churches are made up of people – the healthy and unhealthy. Some have more healthy people in it and others are plagued with the opposite.

When a church loses its focus which is to build up people and empower them to do ministry (Eph. 4:11-12), it can become toxic. When this occurs, people get turned off. No one wants to be part of a church that is judgmental, promotes conditional love, teaches salvation at a price, rules by self-righteous people, alienates itself from others and divides families.

However, what makes this kind of church worse is when its congregants believes it is doing right and acts out of a mindset that it is indeed biblical and healthy.  This then is quite deceiving when new people come for a visit and they don’t know anything of their group dynamics and control.

Therefore, if you are visiting a church for the first time and you want to know whether or not it is spiritually healthy (not perfect, but “becoming”), what signs should you look for?  You need information. Don’t be afraid to ask. You as a guest are expected to ask and inquire. I want to share with you five warning signs of an abusive unhealthy church by stating them as questions you need to ask.

Question #1: (To the Pastor) – “Who are you accountable to?”  Sign: Look for unchecked authoritarian leadership.

If the pastor tells you that he is only accountable to God, then a big red flag ought to pop up in your head. Danger and abuse are more assuredly in that church!

You see, the pastor may preach awesome messages, be well liked, spiritually caring and conservative, but if he is beyond confrontation and necessary correction, then he is serving as a loner and that is not healthy especially in ministry.  He is more likely independent and not part of a structure of accountability. He is a one man show. And God help the church member who gets in the way and makes waves by asking penetrating questions.

Abusive pastors often come from troubled backgrounds and are very insecure persons despite the “take charge” image they may project. They are power hungry people who crave visibility. Leaders who inflict spiritual violence often hide behind the smoke screen of authority to gain power. 

It is important to understand that religiously abusive church leadership is most visible when it demands public and private attention to be given the authority and control over the flock by the pastor. Often, in aberrant churches, this is not an easy thing to discern, and yet, it is frequently one of the danger signs that are too easily overlooked. Such leaders will seem too quick to chastise members, often in harsh forums of public rebuke.

Question #2: (About the Congregation) – “What are its overall spiritual condition?” Sign: Look for signs of imbalance.

Too often, church members of authoritarian churches are frequently comprised of young, spiritually immature Christians. This kind of church is successful because it is meeting basic human needs - the need to belong, the need to be affirmed, to be accepted and to be part of a larger family. It is not unusual for the leaders to assume the role of surrogate parents, especially for those young adults who come from dysfunctional family backgrounds.  Because of such deep yearning needs of those in the congregation, the authoritarian church pastor will attract and seek after in order to exploit his flock through manipulative control.

The abusive church leader or pastor will encourage in his membership an unhealthy form of dependency, spiritually and otherwise, by focusing on themes of submission and obedience to those in authority, i.e. himself. He wants to create the environment and impression that people just aren't going to find their way through life's maze without a lot of firm directives from those at the top. These firm directives are fleshed out in a demanding lifestyle rigidity that is actually a form of controlling and abusive legalism. A black and white view of the world is the mentality that is created in the minds of the abusive church's congregation.

Do's and don'ts found in church-supplied codes of conduct are taken so seriously that they have a stifling effect upon the spiritual liberty that Christians should enjoy and impose a dangerously controlling conformity upon the congregation.  Fear of messing up replaces joy of discovery. So then, a major component of such control is the usage of unspoken expectations: moral directives that everyone in the group knows are "the law", the way "things are", but which are never explicitly spelled out until one just so happens breaks one of them. It is then that personal punishment or sanctions are imposed.

So what you want to look for is a congregation that is being “empowered” to serve God and love their families by its leaders. You do not want to find people in the church who are simply “yes” people to its leaders, who will blindly do whatever they are told to. They ought to be people who are encouraged to “search the Scriptures” (Acts 17:11) in order to keep the leadership accountable to what they are teaching. You do not want to hear people say, “We do this or don’t do this because that’s what our pastor tells us.” Your aim is to be part of a church in which its members are encouraged to think for themselves, who are told that they can, with the Holy Spirit’s help read and understand the Scriptures, and if they mess up, God’s grace and forgiveness is in abundant supply.

Question #3:  How does the church handle people who leave? Sign: Look for two things: First, are the people afraid to leave the church? Second, do the leaders make people afraid to leave the church?

You see, what you want to discover here is this: The body of Christ is universal and not merely local. By this I mean, there is no one church that has it all. Some churches are gifted with great teaching and preaching, some would want to go there. Some are gifted with an awesome youth program, and some families need to go there. Some are blessed with inspiring praise and worship, some need to be there. Some have it all together with a budgeted mission and outreach ministry that reaches out to the world because members in this church are able to finance it. Some like this. Some like churches where they do not need to serve, but just sit and listen to the message, while others like a church where they are challenged to serve.

My point: No church has it all. And when someone within the church, senses the need to go to another church, does the congregation and leaders begin to ostracize the person or family in order to make them feel like they lost their salvation and are going to hell?

Beware of churches that warn of certain doom if you leave their “covering,” (i.e. you leave the church to go someone where else) or if you “break covenant” with them (membership). Once banished from the group, little compassion is shown. I have personally witnessed from experience and have talked to others, that former members of aberrant churches, when contemplating leaving the group, were issued dire warnings that they were backsliding, compromising and facing judgment from God.

As a means of preemptive control, the public teachings and private social life are regularly used to deliver indirect, yet unmistakable hints to potential "troublemakers" and the membership at large that one could never gain the same depth of spiritual truth anywhere else.  So in other words, this is the only church that fully and faithfully teaches the Word of God. All other churches are weak and deficient in this duty. Therefore, if you leave, you will be harming yourself and family spiritually and remember, “We told you so!”

Thus, only among the group could true insights into life be found, the real interpretation of the Bible be discovered, and the closest and deepest fellowship be experienced. With such carrots dangled on such long sticks for all to see, the reinforcement of the group's exclusivism is accomplished, making the fear of leaving to be the ultimate horror to be avoided at all costs.

Question #4: How does this church deal with sin? Sign: Look for signs of obsession with discipline and excommunication from the fellowship.

Church members who are seen as stepping out of line will find themselves being shunned or criticized by the so-called "true believers" in public, and will usually face much harsher treatment in the larger abusive church congregation. Some will go so far as to deny you to partake of the Lord’s Table (Communion Service).

Demeaning public rebuke, even ridicule from the pulpit is one means of religious abuse disguised as "discipline."  You’ll hear messages that are no mistakenly geared right at you.  But more often such power ploys are extended across the congregation or congregations in question through even subtler and indirect ways.

Question #5:  Does the church strongly encourage distancing members from those who are not part of its fellowship?  Sign: Isolation of members from outsiders.

Abusive church leaders want to maintain control over the flock. So one sure way is to prohibit any outside contact with those who are not a part of the church’s fellowship. In some instances, for church leaders to come out and say, “Thou shall not talk to any outsiders, would be a bit too strong and all kinds of red flags would be raised. So what leaders would do is plant more of a subtle approach. They will create bible studies and small group meetings during the week so that virtually every day of the week is a meeting that one must attend. The average family of this church will be so busy attending meetings on a daily basis that it would be literally impossible for involvement with outsiders to generate. Church leaders will teach and give the impression that the more meetings you attend, the more spiritual you are becoming.

It is not uncommon for such leaders to say things like, “Love not the world and neither the things in the world.” Or “Come out from among them (the world) and be separate.”  Or “Satan is the god of this world, and whoever is friends of this world is an enemy of God.” All of these are found in the bible, but they must be understood in their rightful context.

While it is true that Christians ought not to love this world system, nor put the things of this world above their relationship with Christ, isolation from the world was never Jesus’ intention. He was the one who said, “Be salt and light in the world” (Matt. 5:13-14).  One does not light a lamp and hide it where it can’t be seen and useful to others (v. 15). When abusive church leaders literally keep their saints locked away attending meetings after meetings and not encourage them to “go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19), this is a positive sign of religious abuse.

It is also not uncommon within these types of churches to observe that even family relationships within the group become severely disrupted and strained, since the demands for attention to be given to the "spiritual family" become all too important. Parental and marital bonds may be strained or shattered over the need for individual family members to more fully identified with the church group, and non-member relations outside of the group are often stunned at how cold and distant their once loving family members became when they "got religious” and began attending “that church.”  The abusive church's "spiritual family" then becomes the recipients of the warm family ties and affections that group members desperate need since they have withdrawn from their own family.

This is one of the most heartbreaking and shattering consequences of religious abuse dispensed by such churches. Many people who have suffered unspeakably agonizing losses of their marriages, children and parents at the hands of abusive group leaders, end up committing themselves to the church while ignoring the warnings of loved ones. Yet they are unaware that their relationship with their church leaders and their obsessive commitment to the church is far too spiritually polluting, smothering and destructive and it will produce disastrous consequences.  

You’ll hear stories like this one where a wife will come to her senses and leave the church, but the husband will remain and later be counseled to divorced her since his she has now become part of the world system.

6) Does the church encourage its members to withdraw and isolate from the “outside?” Sign: Look for signs in which the leadership discourages its members from rubbing elbows with other churches and its members.  This is known as “information control” and it is a crucial element to control its members’ minds. 

When you go to a church and you hear the same pastor preach week after week, and on top of that, he belittles other churches and pastors on a regular basis, you know something is not right.

Also, news events, local issues, and personal events are reinterpreted by the church leadership in such a way so as to lead the congregation to see the world as they wish it to be perceived. Bible verses are misquoted as divine sanction for these actions, citing the need to be separate from the doomed and satanic world order outside of the group's domain.

This contributes to the construction of a completely sealed society of people who effectively shut out the world from among them, even though they may continue to move within it. Newspapers, television programming, and even ordinary social interaction with other members of the larger culture become strongly discouraged. The issue goes way beyond a pious avoidance of tempting imagery and thought but actually is a means to stifle and control the thoughts, consciences and spiritual autonomy of the individual member.

Abuse in the name of the one true God who is the embodiment of love and grace is certainly one of the great tragedies of our time that have both broken His loving heart and aroused His wrath upon church leaders who have savaged His flock. The Gospel of Jesus Christ can never be served or proclaimed where fear, coercion, and outright spiritual trauma is inflicted. Only the cause of religious tyranny and megalomania is advanced.  Instead, love, sacrifice, prayer and a strong commitment by church leaders to empower God’s people with His Word and to live out daily Christ-likeness, are places of worship where you want to take you and your family and friends.

When Is It Right To Offend a Non-Christian?

Let me begin with this case study: Let’s say you have a neighbor you have been praying about for quite some time. He is unsaved. You have had talks with him and even invited him to church. You have done your best to behave like a believer around him.

Let’s say one day he sees you and says to you, “Mack, I’ve been thinking about what you have been telling me about Jesus. I just need a little more clarification. But I am starting to open up concerning spiritual matters. Would you like to come over for dinner on Saturday?” Your heart leaps for joy. This is what you have been praying for. This is an open door from the Lord! Obviously you say to him, “Yes, I will be there on Saturday.” Then you add this: “Bill, can I also bring over a friend of mine. He is a new believer. I’ve been mentoring him and I think he would really benefit from our conversation.” Bill says to you, “Sure bring him over. I’ll see you both on Saturday at 6:30pm.”

Saturday comes and you are at Bill’s home right on time. You also have your friend, “Joseph,” who is a new believer with you. He looks a little nervous, but you assure him that he is there just to listen and learn.

Bill lets you both in and tells you that dinner is ready so he shows you to the table. He has the table all nicely set. You see the nice green salad, mash potatoes and gravy, warm buns, ice tea to drink. The main dish is yet to be brought out. The smell coming from the kitchen is awesome.

Finally Bill comes from the kitchen with the main dish. He is carrying a pork roast. You can smell the seasoning and it looks great. Bill sets the pork roast on the table and says, “I’ve been working on this pork roast and dinner all day. I hope you fellas like it. Oh, I forgot the salt and pepper. I’ll be right back.”

As Bill heads off into the kitchen, Joseph, your young mentee says to you, “I have a problem.” You say, “What is it?” He says to you, “This pork roast. I cannot eat it.”

“What? What do you mean, you can’t eat it?”

Joseph says, “It’s my Jewish upbringing. I was always taught that eating pork is bad for you and a sin against God. Therefore, I feel like I shouldn’t eat it.”

Okay, now you are faced with a problem. You do not have time to explain to Joseph that in Jesus, he is free to enjoy pork.  So now you are faced with your own decision: Should you not eat the pork and risk offending your unsaved neighbor whom you have been praying for, or should you eat the pork and risk offending your younger brother in Christ?

You reason to yourself: “Well, if I offend my neighbor and not eat his roast pork, he may say, “Forget this stuff. I want no part of it.” But if you offend your younger brother, so what? At least he’s saved. He’ll grow up in Christ eventually and see that it’s not wrong to eat pork.”

Pause: What would you do? What decision would you make? Would you abstain from eating the pork and risk turning away your unsaved neighbor, or would you eat the pork in the presence of your younger brother in Christ and risk offending him?

Do you know that the Bible addresses this issue? Notice the passage below:

23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (In these two verses, Paul is stating a principle that he will expand on in the following verses. The principle is this: Although I have been given freedom in Christ to enjoy life, there are some things that I should not do, not because it’s wrong, but because to someone else, it is wrong.” Now he gives an example.

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”  (Meat sold in the markets back during this time was really cheaper than meat sold out of the market. The reason why the meat was cheaper was that some of it had been used in idol worship. The meat was not touched or messed with. It was simply put on an altar, given over to an idol and brought back to the market to be sold. The market had to sell it cheaper than other meats not used in idol worship only because it was used. But you know that the meat is still good. Nothing wrong with it. Now Paul is going to give a case study which is similar to the one I gave at the beginning.)

27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. (Don’t ask questions. The less you know where the meat came from, the better.) 28 But if someone says to you, (i.e. someone who is with you who may have issues with the meat), “This has been offered in sacrifice,” (he says, “Hey, this meat was purchased in the market. It was probably offered to an idol. I can’t eat of it) then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. (Did you get that? You have a choice: Offend the unbeliever or offend the believer. Paul says, don’t offend the believer.) 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. (You are abstaining from eating the meat not because you have issues, but for the sake of the other person with you. It is his conscience that is the issue, not yours!) For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? (In other words, “Why do I have to give up what I like to eat for the sake of another person’s conscience?”) 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? (If I am thankful and cool about it within my own conscience, why am I the one who has to abstain?)  In the next few verses, Paul tells why).

31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (First, you ought to do whatever it takes to bring glory to God. If eating meat glorifies God, then eat it! But if it doesn’t, then there is no question what should be done. Abstain in order to glorify God!) 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — (Second, don’t eat the meat if it will cause someone to stumble. You see, the issue is not whether it is good or bad to eat the meat. The issue is this: Will eating meat bought in the market tear down the faith of another member of the body of Christ? If eating meat sold in the market place does this, then I should not eat it. By doing so, I bring glory to God by not causing a member of Christ’s church to stumble.) 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, (Although I do my best to try to please everyone, I know that that it cannot be done. This is why Paul uses the word “try.” I try, but I am unsuccessful. So then what? Then this: I ought to live my life not seeking my own good, but the good of many!  Notice that Paul did not used the word “everyone?” He said, “many.” In other words, by taking a stand to give up your freedom for the sake of another person’s conscience, you won’t please everyone, but you will do good to the many.  This then is the third reason why it becomes necessary to be willing to give up our freedom: It brings with it the good of many. By trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one. But my doing what is right, you end up not pleasing everyone, but you will do the “good of the many”).

so that they may be saved – 1 Corinthians 10:23-33  (Fourth, in this situation, the best way to win the lost, is by loving your brothers and sisters who’s faith is challenged over such issues. God will use your love as a means to speak volumes to those who are lost and without Christ.)

How so? Here’s an example: Bill returns back from the kitchen with the salt and pepper and he looks to you and says, “Okay, we’re ready to eat.”

Right then you could say, “Bill, I have something I need to share with you. I hope you will not be upset, but if you are, I understand. Joseph, my brother in the Lord, grew up in a Jewish culture. He was taught from a very young age that eating pork is wrong. You see, the bible does mention this in the Old Testament. But he has not been taught on how his relationship with Christ has set him free from the dietary laws that were handed down by God to the Jews. So in his conscience, he cannot eat your luscious pork roast.

“And here is the thing, I cannot eat it too. It’s not because I feel the same way, I don’t. But I love my younger brother and I do not want his conscience to be offended. If I eat the pork and he is offended, I will also be offending God. So, please excuse us both from having to eat your pork. We’re so sorry. But we can still eat what you have here on the table and we are so grateful for your hard work and for inviting us over for dinner.”

Having said this, Bill has two possible responses: “What?  You silly Christians! Now I know why I did not want to become one in the first place!”

Or, “Wow, I have never seen such love demonstrated in all my life. I work at a job where it is everyone out for himself. I grew up in a home where little love and consideration was shown. But if you are willing to abstain from something you are able to do for the love of your friend, that shows support. Are all Christians like this?”

You laugh, “Well, we all got a lot of growing to do. But Jesus did command us to love one another and when we do, He said others will know that you are truly my disciples.”

“Now you got attention,” says Bill. “If that’s what Jesus taught and if that is how Christians ought to love, then I want to know more about your Jesus.”

Conclusion: You see, if I choose to offend my younger brother and eat the meat, hoping that by doing so, I could win Bill to Jesus, it won’t work! Why? Because God is also offended, I have sinned against Him, and now I expect Him to open up Bill’s heart and be introduced to Jesus? God is not going to bless where sin has the upper hand.

But if I do the right thing, and by doing so, I glorify the Lord by not offending my brother by eating meat that he believes was offered to an idol, God is pleased, and I stand a very good chance of winning Bill to the Lord. In fact, I stand a greater chance of winning Bill to Jesus by honoring my brother’s conscience, then I do by weakening it.

It is never cool to flaunt your freedom around as if you’re making a statement, “Look what I can do as a Christian!” Eating meat offered to idols or drinking alcohol are not signs of maturity. Anyone can do that! Abstaining from such things for the sake of a challenged brother or sister – a blood bought member of God’s family – now that’s real maturity that God will honor and as a result, He will showcase that kind of love for others to see.

Agape entails sacrifice. The world will not notice our agape by our freedom to do what they can also do. Rather they will come to see our agape when they see how much we love and care for one another. If we throw our own under the bus, then we are no different than those in the world.

Is It Possible For People To Be Good Without God?

More and more the culture in America is becoming increasingly secular. This is largely due to the influx of atheists and secularists who are hell bent on removing anything that represents God – whether it’s the Ten Commandments and prayer in public schools or ousting churches from using public school facilities.

Atheists and secularists will not stop until every aspect of Christian morality is supplanted by the new morality of the postmodern philosophers–a morality with no absolutes, and without God.

To give you a taste of the kind of thinking that is permeating our culture, Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz, an influential liberal partisan in the Culture Wars, believes that it is wrong to have faith in God as necessary for moral goodness. In Letters to a Young Lawyer, Dershowitz argues that obedience to the God of the Bible can often be immoral. We should not be good because we fear divine punishment, Dershowitz argues, but because we aspire to good character. “In deciding what course of action is moral,” he instructs, “you should act as if there were no God. You should also act as if there were no threat of earthly punishment or reward. You should be a person of good character because it is right to be such a person.”

But how does one know what is good unless there is an objective reference to go by?  If human beings are left to our own devices and limited to our own wisdom, we will invent whatever model of good character seems right at the time. Without God there are no moral absolutes. Without moral absolutes, there is no authentic knowledge of right and wrong.

So then, here is the point I wish to make. Since it is impossible to know right from wrong apart from God or some objective divine source, we should not be surprised when an atheists acts amoral. But what ought to bring to us a measure of disbelief is when Christians act in similar fashion.

I know that God is allowing one man – Mitch Kahle, to motivate the church toward greater advantages through persecution.  We must remember, however, to keep a proper perspective. Mr. Kahle is doing the church a great favor. He is getting us out of our comfort zone and complacency which is something we Christians often tend to gravitate toward.

Here in America, we know nothing or very little on what it means to be persecuted for our faith in God. About the only persecution we know is when people at work either laugh at us for standing up for something that is moral, or make sly remarks when we pray before we eat our lunch.

So when God allows someone like Mitch Kahle to give the church some challenges, we react by saying, “How dare he do that! I hope he gets what is coming to him. Who does he think he is?”

Mitch Kahle is acting normal. How can someone who is an atheist act morally right when he has no belief in God? If Mitch did act morally sound, then that would be for us a problem of epic proportion. How would we explain the moral behavior of an atheist?  We would have to then admit that it is possible to know right from wrong apart from God, and if that is so, then we got a lot of explaining to do.

Mitch is a blessing to the church.  He is acting exactly the way we want him to and expect him to. His behavior can booster our witness for Jesus Christ.

But what limits our witness and makes it hard to explain, is when Christians who have Jesus and therefore know what is right from wrong, choose to behave as if there is no God. We do not expect this to happen, but when it does, we just say, “Oh well, we’re not perfect only forgiven.” But when Mitch Kahle acts normal as a result of his beliefs, we look at him and think of a monster.

We need people like Mitch Kahle to wake up us Christians and hopefully as a result of being brought out of our slumber, to repent of our abnormal behavior and stop judging others for acting normal according to their beliefs.

Reality Check For the Church

Sarah and Matt live in an area of West Virginia that is prone to floods, so they’ve developed a plan to be prepared at all times: valuable heirlooms are stored in plastic in their attic, copies of important documents are kept in a safety-deposit box, and the car never has less than half a tank of gas in case they need to evacuate quickly. Sarah and Matt live in an area of West Virginia that is prone to floods, so they’ve developed a plan to be prepared at all times: valuable heirlooms are stored in plastic in their attic, copies of important documents are kept in a safety-deposit box, and the car never has less than half a tank of gas in case they need to evacuate quickly.

Because of the frequency of floods, it has kept Saran and Matt living in reality that there is a good chance there could be another one. You have to admit, the more floods that occur, the more people are prone to be prepared for future ones.

In the similar manner, God wants His people to live in reality. This means facing the truth, even if it does not sit right. God has sent judgments of the past – a flood, a fire and deportation. All designed to motivate His people to live in reality.

When I speak of living in reality with reference to judgment, here is what I have in mind: As a pastor, I often hear Christians wax eloquent on the Bible, God and Gays.  Everyone has their opinion and listening to them can be enlightening at times.

But one thing I have noticed when I listen to people who associate the judgment of God with the increase in gay rights is this: “God is angry with this country. It is only a matter of time before we will end up like Sodom and Gomorrah and be completely destroyed.” 

Because of the great influx of Christians who hold to this view – all or to some degree, their attitude toward gays is not that loving to say the least.

So, what I would like to do for just a short time is to give us all a reality check using the Bible of course, as our guide.

Let me begin with this question: “Why did God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?” If you were to ask this to the average believer, he or she would say, “Because the whole place was filled with homosexuals!”

But when I read the bible, that’s not what I discover. Look with me in Genesis 18. God and Abraham are dialoging about the subject of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham asks God this question: “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked” (v. 23)? Then Abraham goes off into a few scenarios:

What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing —to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. ”

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

To sum this all up, God is saying, “If you can find me just ten righteous people living in this city, I will spare it from judgment.”

Here was a city that had several thousand people living in it. God said, “I will pass this city by if I can find ten righteous ones.”

Well you know the story in Genesis 19. God rains down fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because of the proliferation of homosexuals?  NO! Because of the absence of righteous people! Did you get that? Reality check!  Don’t read Genesis 19 without reading chapter 18 with it. If you do, then you will come away with a distorted view of reality and why God brought judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

So then, since God destroyed both Sodom and Gomorrah, was it the gays who were at fault, or was it something deeper that most Christians look the other way from? Yes, Sodom and Gomorrah were populated with gays. But at the same time, these cities were unpopulated with righteous people – so what the in world was Lot doing all those years as he lived there? He was blending in rather than bleeding out the love of God. No one looked at Lot and said, “I want what he has!” As a result, the gay population increased while righteousness was found in less than ten people. Therefore, the fault clearly lies on the godly and not on anyone else. 

Still not convinced? One passage ought to convince anyone. But if you are still not convinced of what I just said, then notice what God says in Ezekiel 16:48-50: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.

49 “‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.

Again, this is God speaking. God says, “this was the sin of your sister Sodom.” What was the first sin mentioned?

1.    Arrogance. Is this only true of some people or do Christians battle with this?

2.    Overfed. Now this never occurs within Christendom. None of us can identify with this, right?  :)

3.    Unconcerned. Again, this only occurs among other people, not those who name the name of Jesus!

4.    Not helping the poor and needy.  And may I add that this also applies to members within our own family. I find it disheartening when I see believers going out of their way to lend a hand to help a stranger, but when it comes down to their own immediate blood, there is a deep level of lack of concern.

5.    Haughty (v. 50). Which reiterates the sin of arrogance.

6.    Doing detestable things.  Now you can add to this whatever you choose to, but one thing you cannot do is to subtract all the sins mentioned before it.

My point: Do you still think that God simply rained down fire from above because it was all a gay issue?  It was because of all these things that there was a lack of ten righteous people.

Still not convinced? Two passages ought to do it, but you are asking for more?

How about Jeremiah 5? Here is what God says in verse 1: “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,
    search through her squares.
If you can find but ONE person
    who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive this city.”

In the case of Sodom, God says, “Fine me ten righteous people.” Here regarding Jerusalem, God says, “Just fine me one righteous person.”  Jeremiah could not find one, and so God sent the Babylonians to invade the city in 605 and 586 B.C. and leveled the land and deported the people as slaves into Babylon. And by the way, Jerusalem was not known to be a gay city. When it came to judgment, it all boiled down to the lack of righteous people.

Remember reading about the flood in Genesis 6? God sent a universal flood that wiped out not only just a city or two, but the whole world! Why? Was it because of the proliferation of evil people?  Here is what God told Noah: “For you ALONE I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time” (Gen. 7:1).  It’s the same principle over and over. It is not the proliferation of evil people, but the absence of righteous ones that finally brings down the judgment of God.

Therefore, the church needs a reality check. Don’t read your newspapers and listen to the news and say, “Oh my God, we’re heading for hell in a hand basket! Look at all the sinners out there!”

Rather we all should say, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. Help me to be passionately involved in fulfilling the Great Commission which entails for me to go out and make disciples” (i.e. other righteous people). 

Because in the end, when America goes down, and it is only a matter of when, it won’t be because of the proliferation of gays, adulterers, fornicators, child-molesters, drunkards, swindlers, etc., it will be because of the lack of righteous people.  This then could only mean one thing: Judgment occurred as a result of the church not doing her job and living up to the standard God has equipped her to live by. Rather than bleeding out the love of God to those who do not know God, we blend in with the rest of the world our own form of judgmental attitude, hatred, strife, malicious gossip and a separatist holier-than-thou-mentality.

Again, here is a reality check: “For it is time for judgment to BEGIN with the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17). Make no mistake about it, God will judge sin and the sinner, but not before He deals with us.

What Can We Learn About the Colorado Shootings?

Americans woke up to the disturbing news of a mass shooting at an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater. A masked gunman burst through the emergency doors, set off smoke bombs or possibly tear gas and began shooting. At least 12 people were killed and dozens more, perhaps as many as 70, were wounded. The youngest victim is a six year-old child. Our prayers are with the victims, their families and our country.

Little is currently known about the shooter, 24 year-old James Holmes. He was reportedly dropping out of a doctorate program in neuroscience at the University of Colorado-Denver. Police report that his apartment is booby-trapped with “pretty sophisticated” explosive devices that could take days to disarm.

When senseless crimes happen that have mega impact, I ask, “Lord, what can we learn from this?” There is so much to learn. I like to share one perspective with you.

I have noticed through the years when a tragedy like this occurs, two groups of people emerge in the world: There are those who, regardless of how flawed or out of control they are, deep down want to face reality, want to understand what’s wrong with them, and are willing to confess their sins to God or man for their offenses.  Then there’s everyone else – those who despite all appearances to the contrary, don’t really want to face reality and aren’t truly interested in admitting their own failings or changing in any meaningful way.  For the latter group, there’s a tempting smorgasbord of options to help facilitate their escape from reality – one commonly used option is to BLAME!

Below is typical: Certain segments of the media this morning looked to blaming the Tea Party for what took place in Colorado.

Consider this exchange between George Stephanopoulos and Brian Ross, ABC’s crack investigative journalist, on “Good Morning America:”

Stephanopoulos: I’m going to go to Brian Ross. You’ve been investigating the background of Jim Holmes here. You found something that might be significant.

Ross: There’s a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea Party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year. Now, we don’t know if this is the same Jim Holmes. But it’s Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado.

Stephanopoulos: Okay, we’ll keep looking at that, Brian

Ross: Thanks very much.

Those in the liberal media are so desperate to smear the Tea Party that they don’t think twice about throwing out baseless accusations. There is virtually no violence that can be attributed to Tea Party members, but that’s where the media look first, because it is all about blaming.

You see, this is what we need come face to face with. We are all evil just like the shooter in Colorado. We are all born with the same sinful nature. We all have the potential to harm, hurt, destroy, murder, in the name of self.

Here is a hard hitting perspective that the bible offers:

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? ² You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ⁴  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you – James 4:1-10.

What causes us to fight with each other and even go so far as to murder? Verse 1: Your passions which are “at war within you.”  We all are born with selfish, evil, passions! But we do not want to admit this so we use “scapegoating.”  It makes us feel better about ourselves when we wake up and hear about how awful something took place in the world by another fellow human being.  Blaming someone else or something else enables us to feel better about ourselves. But the problem with blaming is that we do not look seriously at the evil in our own heart and the harmful potential we can turn out to be without divine intervention.

But let’s face reality. Listen again, or for some of you, for the very first time what the bible says about our true self:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17:9

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead – Ecclesiates 9:3

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23

For there is none righteous, no, not one.  There is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God. . .there is no one who does good, not even one – Romans 3:10-12

Therefore, we all are born with this evil nature that wars within us. And when we don’t get what we want, according to James 4, we fight with one another and if necessary, we will go so far as to commit murder, in order to fulfill our lustful passions.

We don’t like hearing this. It is like trying to tell a chronic drinker that he or she is an alcoholic. Admitting our own guilt and sinful passions and taking responsibility for the evil desires within us isn’t what sinful people like to do. It is so much better to put the blame on others so that they become the scapegoat and thus the responsible party for the evil we can’t explain.

Blaming is how the world deals with evil. You watch, we’ll be hearing people blame the problem on guns, or not enough gun control laws, or the shooter was bullied in school and not treated well, or he was abused as a kid growing up, or his association with Christians, or living under the eight years of President Bush, etc., you get the idea.

The same evil nature that exists in James Holmes also resides in us. You say, “Yeah, but Pastor Rich, I will never murder anyone!” Have you ever hated anyone? I’ll answer that for you – yes you have! According to the bible, you are a murderer. “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” – 1 John 3:15.  And if you already “thought” it, you are already a step away from doing it.

So what’s the answer? We need help, divine help. We need a new righteous nature to rely on and not just this evil nature which resides in us. The new nature is God’s nature that He gives to those who turn from their sins and receive His Son (2 Peter 1:4).

Would you think about driving your car or truck to work without brakes? What would happen if you had no brakes on your vehicle?  Your truck or car will lose control and cause destruction. So it is with your present evil nature. When you place your faith and trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He comes to live within you and helps you to live a life of construction and not destruction. His Spirit becomes your brakes enabling you from going out of control and hurting yourself and others. Apart from Christ in your life, you are no different than James Holmes. The potential to harm others and yourself is only a matter of time and convenience.

Tougher laws are not the answer, but transformed hearts are.  Use the tragedy in Colorado as a golden opportunity to examine the spiritual condition of your own heart. Is Jesus in it? He is only a prayer away. Don’t wait another day to ask Him in. He’ll give you a new heart, a new life, and an eternal home.

Would You Attend a Gay Wedding?

This past Regatta in Kaneohe, I was approached with a question – a very good one. I was asked: “Pastor Rich, if you had a close friend who was gay and was about to be married, would you attend the wedding?”

I love these kinds of questions because they deal with the nuts and bolts of life and one must carefully think through the issues before answering.

My response was twofold:  First, I said that as a Christian pastor, I would not do the wedding if I was asked. I probably would not be asked anyway, but if I were to be asked, I would politely decline. Second, I said, “Yes, I would attend my gay friend’s wedding.”

I asked my wife the same question and she said, “No, I would not attend the wedding.” I said, “Can I quote you on that?” She said, “Yes, go ahead.” I then asked, “Why?” She said, “I would support the friendship, but not the sin.  I do not want to give my other brothers and sisters in the Lord the impression that I am supporting a gay marriage.  I would not be ashamed of saying no. I would love my gay friend from a distance.”

So, my wife and I see things differently. Who is right? This issue would not be a matter of who is right, but what would Jesus want you to do about a particular wedding? You see, Jesus may give you permission to attend one gay marriage, and not another, because the circumstances may be different.

A good passage to keep in mind is this: “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). The idea is this: If you do not have a peaceful assurance about God’s direction in particular matters, then the best thing to do is to abstain and not go. To go without the peace of God within you as your motivating factor is to take matters into your own hands and make your own fleshly decision. When God is silent and you are still not sure, then it is better to politely say, “No, I cannot. I do not have God’s peace about it.”

Now I am going to give below why I would choose to go to my friend’s gay wedding. Although, in each case as in all weddings, whether gay or not, asking God’s permission is always the right thing to do. Just because someone invites you to a wedding, does not mean you automatically should be there. The bible calls this, “Seeking first His kingdom and righteousness. . .” (Matt. 6:33).

Let’s start here – Mark 2:14-16:

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

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.”

Several key points are worth noting here:

First, how did Jesus end up in Levi’s home? Jesus came across Levi (a.k.a. “Matthew”) and said to him, “Follow Me.” Matthew then followed Him. And then when we come to the following verse, Jesus is eating with a bunch of sinners in Matthew’s home! So how did Jesus get there? Who led who? Did Jesus lead Matthew there to his home to throw a party, or did Matthew lead Jesus to his home?

Luke 5:29, says that Matthew “gave a big reception for Him in his house.” It is clear that Jesus wanted to eat with sinners so He chose Matthew and his home to do it in.  I find it interesting that this took place “after” Jesus called Matthew to follow Him.  Therefore, for Matthew, to follow Jesus meant to join Him in eating with sinners in his own home.  

Second, who was the one uncomfortable? Mark 2:15 says that “many tax-gatherers and sinners were dinning with Jesus and His disciples.” Therefore, apparently, those sinners were not uncomfortable with eating with Jesus and Jesus was not uncomfortable eating with them.  Mark goes on to state that “they were many of them” (sinners) “and they were following Him.” In order for Jesus to get sinners to follow Him, He had to eat with them, which meant that He had to sit down at the same table, under the same roof and build relationships with sinners.  This could not occur, if He did not choose to attend the party in Matthew’s home.

But more important, notice, through implication how sinners are comfortable eating with Jesus.  No one said, “I am not going to eat with that holy man. He makes me feel so uncomfortable.”  Jesus had that way about Him. He was able to love the sinner while at the same time not condoning their sin. The only way this could be done is for Jesus to attend the party, but not take part in the partying. He talked story with them and ate their food, but did not participate in the drinking and bad jokes.  (Note: I am only assuming Jesus was not drinking the hard stuff, because the Pharisees said to Jesus’ disciples, “Why is He eating and DRINKING with tax-gatherers and sinners” - v. 16b.  There was no apparent correction made by both Jesus and His disciples. Jesus apparently did drink, but we would assume wrongly to say for sure it was strong drink. He may have drunk a little wine without getting intoxicated. We do not have enough data to make a strong conclusion either way).

Jesus had the wisdom and power to point people in the right direction both through His words and life.  It worked, because the verse says that the sinners were following Him.

Third, who were the party-poopers? Mark 2:16 tells us it were the scribes and Pharisees. Who were these people? They were the separatists who were extremely religious but void of religion. Although they breathed, they had no life in them. They were more concerned about the appearance of things, than they were about the need to be salt and light.  They were on the outside of Matthew’s home, judging, when they should have been on the inside of Matthew’s home building relationships with people who were a lot like themselves – sinners!  Of the three groups, these religious zealots were the only ones uncomfortable. Jesus was not and neither were the sinners.

Religious people are always the ones who are uncomfortable with such things. Religious people are the ones who tend to be legalistic. They have a holier-than-thou attitude. Instead of seeing how they can touch in a positive way the life of a sinner, they see in a negative way how a sinner can touch their life.  They are quick to say, “Impossible,” rather than looking through the eyes of God and believing in the “possible.”

When a believer goes after a sinner in love and does things that may appear not to be right, the biggest critics are going to be those who are ultra-religious!

Fourth, who were the ones outside of the will of God? Here is how Jesus answered His critics: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Jesus publicly confessed that His mission is not to call those who don’t see themselves as being sick, but those who do see themselves as sick and want to know what the Great Physician has to offer them.

Notice how Jesus compares the “sick” with those who are “sinners.” To be sick is not to be well. It is not natural, nor is it preferable. So it is with being a sinner. God wants people cleansed and made whole. To live one’s life as a sinner is like living day to day being sick. It is spiritually, emotionally and physically draining. It is not natural. Sick people need healing. Likewise, sinners need cleansing.

And the only one who is able to cleanse sinners is Jesus. Where does Jesus live today? He lives in the life of His people (cf. Col. 1:27).  Therefore, Christians have got to be willing and able to go and eat with sinners.   We have no problem in bringing Jesus to church or to a Christian function. But Jesus did not come to call the righteous. He same to call sinners. We need to go where they go, build relationships, and love them while not condoning the sin.

I think Christians need to always remember that they were not born into this world as Christians. They too were sinners at one time. Someone had brought Jesus to them and they in faith opened their heart, repented of their sin and believed in the Son of God and got cleansed from their sin.

I also think that we should not live our lives always concerned about what others think – especially those who are religious. Jesus had His critics too and He was never wrong in the things He did. We ought to know and understand our purpose on this planet. We are not here to formulate a good appearance to those who are religious, but to serve the gospel to those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

So, I would personally go to the wedding of a gay friend. I would also attend the reception and grind the food. I am not in favor of gay marriages, neither do I support or condone the gay lifestyle.  But when I look at my life, I know there are so many things about me that God does not support either. Whether we are gay or not gay, we all need the Great Physician to heal us and make us whole.

Do You Also Want to Leave?

“Do you also want to leave?” – John 6:67

Satan is a master of interruptions.  Have you ever noticed how when you’re with some friends in a circle and you are about ready to pray that there will come some sort of distraction – loud music from a nearby car, airplanes flying over, cell phones ringing, sirens from an emergency vehicle passing by, etc?  I cannot count the number of times I see this occurring. In fact, I have gotten to the place where I simply assume its going to happen and readily accept it.

Satan uses distractions – of all sorts!

A child riding in his mother’s shopping cart grabs a pack of gum when she’s busy paying the cashier. A young woman has maxed out her credit card, but decides to buy just "one more thing." In the quiet of his home, though he’s promised both himself and his wife he would stop, a middle-aged man powers on a computer holding images that will harm his relationships.

Tempted—driven by our feelings—we reach for that which shouts and grabs our attention. Distractions can be both positive and negative. When the devil uses such, it most surely is negative.

As a pastor, one such distraction that I come across often is the distraction of people leaving church, or a small group, or a ministry within the church, many of whom never say goodbye! Some, because their needs are not met the way they desire them to be, just pull up anchor and head off in a different direction.

Leaving is a part of life to be sure. We all leave, whether it's our jobs, our homes where once we have grown up in, our ministry because God has called us to something else, we all leave. Such leaving in these situations can be quite positive. But when people leave negatively as sort of a protest of what they don’t like, then the leadership must be able to handle such distractions – because leaving can very easily be turned into a distraction.

Jesus had scores of followers (disciples) following Him in John 6. How many disciples did Jesus have? John 6:60 says, “Many.” How much is “many?” “Many” is many!

Most ministries would be floored and overjoyed with the number of followers. To have “many” people in church, or “many” people part of a church ministry, or “many” people sitting in class listening to your teaching would certainly be a blessing! 

But right when things start to go well, something happens. Jesus began to push for commitment, sacrifice, self-denial and authenticity. What was the result? Verse 66: “Many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

Now at that point, here is what I would have done. I would have gone to my leadership committee and say, “Folks, what did we do wrong? How can we close the back door and keep people from leaving? Tell me more about those who left and what were their complaints.”

But Jesus did not do any of that. Instead, you know what He did? He said to those who were still following Him: “Do you also want to leave” (v. 67)?

You see, those leaving could have proposed a distraction to Jesus and His ministry. But instead of focusing on those leaving, He focused on those who remained. To focus on those leaving would constitute a distraction. To focus on those who remained would constitute a new beginning.

And those who remained had their moment to shine. Peter faced with Jesus’ words about leaving, said boldly, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68).

I don’t think it is right to put the spot light on those leaving. Instead, place it on those who have chosen to recommit themselves and stick it out and plug away in order to make a positive difference.

In the end, Jesus was faced with two huge blessings. He was blessed by those who left because of the potential troubles that could arise if they remain; and second, He was blessed by those who remained, because they had the heart and determination He had been looking and praying for.