The Scope Of Your Influence

God has graced me with, what I think is, a good job with a good benefits package that includes vacation time. This week is vacation time with the first 2 days were spent watching our sick grandson instead of sending him to daycare which was a great time. Yesterday and today have been chore days, which makes me think this is not really a vacation after all, but it is good to not be bogged down with “work”.

This morning, before venturing into chore mode, I came across a video of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty/ Duck Commander fame. I was first introduced to Phil and his family via the Duck Dynasty TV series and first heard of the show in my Sunday School class. One of the teens in there said they were watching it and said that they were Christians, so I had to check it out. Now, let me be upfront, I have never been duck hunting in my life and only been any kind of hunting one time, for rabbit, which I felt bad afterward and never went again. I have the luxury of not having the need to hunt, but would and will if the need ever arises, so I do not think hunting is “wrong” and is actually quite “right”. If you watch the video series I post at the end of this posting you will hear just how God designed us as hunters.

During the video I heard a little about hunting, which is to be expected, but then heard a LOT about God. It was awesome and I soon began to realize that God had given these men favor, through hunting, to preach the Gospel. Their scope of influence is broad now, thanks to a love for hunting and God's working in their lives to put them in the a large scope of influence. This got me thinking about my scope of influence.

While my “world' is not as broad as the Robertson family has been given, my task is the same – Preach the Gospel to everyone I come into contact with. This means my job, when I go shopping, to my neighbor, to the mailman, the UPS man, the counter person at McDonalds and in my own home. Just because these men have been given a larger “audience” doesn't mean that we are to have a large audience to proclaim the Gospel. Everyone's audience is given by God for specific reasons. My audience could never be the same as Phil or Jase Robertson as I know nothing about hunting, but not a single Robertson can have my audience or your audience. And please don't misunderstand my use of the word “audience”, which is not meant in an entertainment since, but in a “who God puts in my life who hears my voice and who I can tell about Him”.

So I ask anyone who may happen across this posting, who God has put in my scope of influence, to look around you. Look at the opportunities that God places in your life everyday to tell of His glory. You don't have to keep asking “God please give me the opportunity to....” because He already does, they are already there. Turn that prayer into “God please allow me eyes to see the opportunities you have already given to me, to share your Gospel, to share your love”. I guarantee you He will and while you may never get a reality TV show you will be partaking in the Great Commission of making disciples.

I encourage each of you to watch these videos and see how God has placed hunting in their lives in order to share the Gospel. If you are a Christian you will be greatly encouraged. As you watch pray and ask God to show you the opportunities that you may have to do this same thing, in the scope of influence He has placed before you.  

Phil

(6 videos, about 10 minutes each)

Jase

(Almost and hour long, but great)

Christmastime: How Dareth Thou?

Ahhhhh. It's that time of the year. The time that the leaves are falling from the trees, signaling the arrival of fall, quickly followed by winter and Christmas. But hark, who goes there? Christians celebrating the coming of the Messiah? What? That cannot be! Who dares to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ; the greatest Miracle ever?

The chiding actually started on Facebook around Halloween time. I saw a scattering of posts deriding believers (in name only or actually true Christians) for joining in the celebration and festivities of Halloween, then quickly followed with "Yeah, they are the same ones that celebrate the pagan holiday of Christmas too". I admit, I never heard of the "pagan holiday of Christmas" until I joined Facebook a few years ago and had the privilege of coming across those that thought this way. Never did I know that I was bowing down to a idol when I set up a tree, put decorations around the house or gave gifts to people that I love. I was ignorant of such things being "pagan" and quickly learned that I may not actually be a Christian if I did, indeed, celebrate Christmas.

Wow! I was actually in shock and started doing some research. It seems that the celebration of Christ's birth was celebrated before moving the date to December 25th and was moved to that date to try and dissuade pagans from celebrating a false idol and instead show them who the true God is. So, the argument became "You celebrate a pagan ritual/ celebration of a sun god" and anyone who celebrates Christmas was indeed taking part in worshiping that god and there was no way that they could celebrate the coming of the Savior on that day. I wrote on some of this last year and just recently found out that I was incorrect in something, the celebrations by Christians was not an "alternative" to the sun-god worship. The celebration of Christ's birth was already taking place, only the date was changed to coincide with December 25th's pagan celebration.

I am still in the mindset I was last year: Christmas has been commercialized to a very high degree by the fallen culture we live in. Now, what do Christians do with that? Do they not celebrate Christmas because the lost society has "paganized" it? Or do Christians continue to celebrate the coming of the Savior? I'd say the latter, but with the assumption that everything situated around the holiday is Christ focused and honoring. So, pretty much the same as any other day of the year for a follower of Christ, but with one small bonus- We get the chance to actually tell others and show others what Christmas really is. We get a "free ticket" to be able to interject the story of Christmas and therefor tell why Jesus came to this Earth in the first place - to save sinners like us. We get a chance to tell the Gospel to folks that would normally not give you the time or day to do so.

Now, what about those that want to tell me that I am "participating in pagan sun-god worship"? I say: "Really?" These folks are under some very bad misunderstandings. I would like to know the process that leads someone to this viewpoint. I would like to know why they use pagan ways (Windows/ Bill Gates product or Mac OS/ Steve Jobs product) daily in bible study, work or entertainment and see nothing wrong with that. How can you shop at stores that have pagan owners, have pagan workers and buy pagan products and yet condemn a Christian (true or not) for celebrating Christ's birth? How can you call today Saturday when it is named after Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture? Or even venture out of your house on Sunday since that day was named after the Sun? I am not trying to throw a red-herring or straw-man in the mix, but simply show that many things around us may be "pagan" but that doesn't mean that we are pagan.

Take the Christmas season to show the love of Christ. If you choose not to celebrate Christmas, for whatever reason, then don't. Don't call someone a pagan because they do and I won't call you a Pharisee for trying to impose laws that are not there. Christ came to save us from sin. He lived a sinless and perfect life to atone for our sins. He died and shed His blood to wash us clean and I will tell that in any way I can, as much as I can, to whoever I can....... Even on December 25th.

Election 2012. The Fat Lady Has Sung

It's official. This country has gone to hell in a hand-basket. Why is that? Because Obama was just called as the winner of his second term? No, because if Romney were to have won I would be saying the same thing.

The fact that these two men were the ones chosen by their party was a judgment of God. One is a professing Christian that sides more with Islam than his professed religion, promotes greatly the murder of babies, blasphemes God and mocks His Word and has sent this country into a tailspin. The other is a professing Christian  but is a Mormon, which means he cannot be a Christian since that religion believes in a different god, Jesus, atonement, salvation, gospel, scriptures and so much more that has already caused Mormonism to appear more viable. Sure, each candidate has other issues, but those mentioned are enough to show that God has turned this country over to it's evil desires.

As I set watching the results through the night I was shaking my head at every state that was "called" for either candidate. I did start to realize that I am not a fan of the Electoral College system. It is not a true consensus of the true vote. It is what it is, but that doesn't mean it is a good thing. Is it really "fair" that a handful of states be able to elect a President for the other, larger portion of the country? I think not, especially if the popular vote for the "losing" candidate is higher than the "winning" candidate. It's a very faulty system.

What also is faulty is the "evangelical church", small c. It is also called the visible church, or the perceived church because it is what the majority of people see as the Christian church. Sadly the visible church is not the true Church of God, not that some of the visible church are not part of the true Church. Most of the public look at Osteen, TBN, Obama, Romney and Oprah as Christians, which shows that the public do not know what true Christianity is. Oh, they may have seen it, but they label it as "extreme" or fundamentalism, trying to discredit those that actually adhere to the bible.

Most professing Christians have jumped aboard the Romney wagon and are now left dejected and feel duped. I do not disparage anyone that voted for Romney, but still can't understand why so many professing Christians back(ed) Romney at the level they did. Because I cast my vote for candidate other than the "main 2" I was seen as weird. Not that my vote mattered anyway, as Kentucky was the first state called for Romney  but I voted my convictions and my vote went to a man that holds biblical values and professes to know the True God, been changed by the true Christ of scripture. Of course my candidate had no real chance to win, but why was that? I say it is a shame, since a lot of what I heard was "The 3rd party candidates had no chance of winning. Oh, it would be nice if they did, but it won't happen". I would say that it is because of that mindset and those that said that could have voted for the "better" candidate and could have campaigned and promoted a 3rd party. A huge chunk of the USA professes to be Christian, so if they pulled a "Chick-Fil-A" and stood up for something there could have been a much different outcome.

So, what is the answer? Reform, of course. Reformation of the Church, making the visible church into the true Church of Christ. Not that we would make a theocracy, but that God fearing men would be put into leadership positions and actually turn this country around. That's the only way this country will survive. Right now God has shown His disdain for "us". His judgments are many and most folks just brush it off or try to explain it away somehow. Not me, I see God's hand of judgment against us. I am not scared, for I know whom is really in charge. God. My faith is in the Lord, not men, not elections, not our President or the Electoral College.