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.