Knowing Our Place In This World

I've neglected my blog for a while now. I partially blame this on Facebook, because I can make instant "posts" to what is affecting me in this world at any particular time. That one thing has severely hindered my will to write blog posts for a couple of years now. It's not that I don't have anything to say, I just say it multiple times a day, through a different outlet.

Saying that - some things require a different outlet, as a small comment window on Facebook, filled with blog post worthy ramblings will often go by unread, even if the content is spot on. People are just too lazy to read. But, that doesn't mean that God will not draw the attention and focus from those who He would have read the post, even if it is only one or two people.

I made such a rambling just now and knew that I had to put it in blog form, as my Facebook feed will go largely unseen. So here is my post, copied and pasted for the whole World Wide Web to possibly see, instead of my current 563 friends on Facebook alone. This is my heart right now, in light of the recent things happening in my world, in our world.

Sinners are going to sin. Period. It's not our "job" to call them out on it, it's our "job" to continue loving them. Period. This is the same as Christ's example of dining with tax collectors and prostitutes, because it was so radical in His day to do so.

I have friends who are sinners. I enjoy their company. I enjoy talking to them and building friendships with them. I may not have the bond with them as I do with a brother or sister in Christ, but there are bonds there.They do not agree with me on everything, and they still love me (like, some may call it because the term "love" is strong for some folks). I do not agree with them on everything and I still love them.

The world is our mission field. Our command is to "go, make disciples", not "go, tell people that they are sinners", although that topic will come up from time to time. God has placed each Christian within their very own, personal mission field no one else has your scope of influence, no one knows everyone in your circle, do not take it for granted.

The recent events in Kentucky have given me new perspectives. I am firm on my definition of marriage, because I know from God's Word what marriage is to Him- It is the earthly picture of Christ's love for His Bride, the Church and anything contrary to husband and wife is a distortion of that picture. But, the world is going to be the world. Those who do not know God are not going to follow God. That does not mean we cave or bend to the world, it means that we continue to stand on God's Word and show the world Christ's example. We do not say "yes, you're correct and we need to re-examine our stance in this time and understanding place in time" - We continue to say "This is what God says and even though I disagree with you I still love you, I still call you my friend, my brother, my sister, my mother, my co-worker, my son, my daughter, my boss, my server at the restaurant, my check out person at the grocery store, my tax collector, my banker, my ........".

We are salt and light to this world. We are to show how God has made us different. I have seen this example in others and have learned (discipled, if you will) into a better understanding of what Christ meant when He said those words. This doesn't mean that I condone any sinful lifestyle, this means I love my friends regardless, even when everyone else turns their back on them. This means that I extend my hand any time they fall and not say "I told you so". It doesn't matter the particular application, we are to simply be Christ to this world. Period. How that looks to each member of the Body will vary, but all will have the same goal - To glorify the Father through Christ.

I always stand on God's Word as authority, even in these dark days, with major issues in opposition to God here in the USA; especially in these days. I will not bend, I will not waver, but I will continue to love my neighbor just as Christ did.

I could go into the implications of standing firm for God, being called a "hater" a "bigot" ,etc. but nothing could be further from the truth. The reaction from the world should not deter or make us waver. Continue to love. Continue to extend your hand. Continue to be Christ, even to death if that is the final outcome, with the words of Jesus ringing true from your mouth, in hopes that some will be saved "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they do".

What Is Discernment?

Discernment. That word, these days, causes much strife and grief, especially among church folk. The question is then: "Should it?" As I begin this series I have my own opinion, but I am going to practice a little discernment off the bat and not interject my opinion at this point.

This series will reflect the biblical definition(s) of discernment, when we should practice it, when we shouldn't, how to practice it and other aspects. My plan is to have this be an ongoing lesson, hopefully with input from anyone who may happen onto this series. I have become increasingly frustrated with a call to not practice discernment, to just accept everything that adds the name "Jesus" or "Christian" to it as being orthodox. So many these days get upset, angry, that someone or something is pointed out as being in opposition to God's Word. That just shouldn't be. Why? We shall find out together.

I have no definite timetable or definite path that this series will run, only to be as biblically focused as possible. I cannot say that my personal viewpoints will not be seen and I actually think that they will be seen in detail. I have some very stern views, at this point, on discernment, but with the exploration within the series I am praying that I will be led of God to accurately divide what His Word says and apply it to myself and learn.

You are cordially invited to come along on this journey with me. To a destination of understanding and a pursuit of what God says about this topic.

Who better to start the series off with than Charles Spurgeon:

Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.

The Gifts To The Messiah

Over the past 3 weeks I did a short study with my Sunday School class on the 3 gifts listed that were brought by the Magi (Wise Men) to Jesus in Bethlehem. Admittedly I had thought, "Gold? Yes, I can see that. Frankincense? Uhm....... whatever. Myrrh? What is myrrh anyway?

In our culture we lose what these last two gifts actually are. To the audience that the Gospels were originally written there would have been no denying what these other two, seemingly lesser to us, gifts actually were.

I just wanted to briefly highlight the significance of each of these gifts. This is in no way exhaustive, but I would encourage you to do a deeper study to open the deeper meanings within these three "gifts".

Gold, as we know in our culture, is very valuable. I have seen, in my lifetime, gold increase in value from $39/ ounce to nearly $2,000/ ounce in 2011. That is a large range, but it shows how much value we place on material things. Of course, even in the days of Christ gold had great value, probably more than today as it was much harder to come by. Today we have heavy excavating equipment removing tons of dirt to filter out mere ounces of gold. There are even reality shows, such as Gold Rush, that chronicle the elusive search for the riches contained in the Earth. Just watch an episode or two of this series and you will see just how difficult it is to mine gold. It is not easy. So, I look at how valuable and scarce gold must have been 2,000 years ago and understand that you couldn't walk to your corner Zales and purchase a gold ring or necklace.


Gold in the days of Christ was, for the most part, owned by the elite, wealthy and royalty. So, the gift of gold was to signify that Jesus was royalty, the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16). 

Frankincense is one that we lose out on, because it has no perceived "value" in our society. We think, "Oh great, they brought Jesus incense." But when you realize what frankincense was to the audience of Matthew 2:11 it begins to open up a bit and reveal much more.
Frankincense was used in temple ceremonies as part of the worship to God. This was prevalent in the Old Testament, but was also mentioned in the New Testament, Jesus' time, as well. Our understanding of O.T. worship ceremonies is not really good, but the N.T. also uses this same type of worship ceremony (Matthew 2:11). We also know that the name frankincense in the Hebrew language meant "white", which we can also assume stood for purity. Putting all that together allows us to see that the gift of frankincense was an act of worship to Jesus the Messiah.

The last gift on the list was myrrh. This one was always a mystery to me. Even the name sounds odd and the spelling is quite odd in our English spelling. Myrrh is mentioned 16 times in the KJV version of the bible and as many as 19 in other versions (ESV). We know the myrrh was a spice and that it's most common use was as a perfume. Also, it was used during the burial rituals after the bodies were wrapped, the myrrh was applied. This was more than likely done to help mask the odors that would emanate from the body as it decomposed in the tombs. We also know that it was a very valuable commodity in the days the bible was being written.
If you read Matthew 26:6-13 you see the story of a lady that did something that some of the disciples got a little upset about. This lady, in the house of Simon the leper, came to Jesus and poured, what is believed to be, myrrh on the head of Jesus. They began to rebuke this lady for "wasting" the oil that she had poured upon Jesus' head and that it should have instead been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus stopped their rebuke and said; "“Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

We can then start to see that the gift of myrrh was to signify that Jesus would die, that He would be our Sacrifice. The myrrh was somewhat of a prophetic gift to the babe in Bethlehem. The obscure view that we have in the 21st Century would have meant very much to the readers of Matthew 2:11. Our view in this, as a side note to the gifts, means we must always look at the context of whom the bible was written. We cannot try to force into scripture our 21st Century lifestyles and instead should first look at the original audience and their understanding.
So, we now see a whole different and wonderful meaning to the gifts of the Magi. Instead of just simply being gold and a couple other expensive things we can see that each gift pointed to something wonderful about Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He was royalty, He was being worshiped and He was our sacrifice. No longer will I look upon the gifts as I have my entire life, I will see their beauty in proclaiming to the world that "God is with us!"

(As a side note: nowhere in scripture are there "3 wise men" listed. This is an assumption made because there were 3 gifts listed. The gifts would also be used by Mary and Joseph as they fled to Egypt to finance their journey and life in Egypt.)

I'll Do Better...... Tomorrow

It seems I've fallen into a trap. A self placed trap of laziness, of procrastination. I have largely shucked my "duties" of keeping this blog active for any length of time, other than the "Year in my life through pictures" series that I started on my birthday in 2010 and completed on the day after my birthday in 2011. The "Year in my life" series started out as a great idea, to chronicle a year of my life from a personal level, one picture at a time. It is a great concept, on the idea level, but on the practical level it became very tedious to me and I felt it as a chore rather than something edifying. I would not change the fact that I did it, but in doing it I was kind of jaded at writing (attempting to write) a blog with any consistent pace. So, I stopped pretty much, except for the occasional post here or there to vent or if some world event was unfolding. I became something I really never have been, a procrastinator.

I've usually fared well with tasks at hand. Maybe that is why it became an issue, it was a task to write a post, so I just put it off until later. Sadly the "later" never really materialized and I became a blogger backslider and forsook the very site that I know God has used to His glory. It has to be His work, because I lack many things that are normally required of writers:
1.) Knowing how to actually write
2.) Knowing proper sentence structure
3.) Being entertaining
4.) Ability to spell words correctly
5.) Knowledge to share

See, the only thing I had going into this blog was the desire to see God glorified, to edify brothers and sisters in Christ, to challenge the lost and to vent on occasion to what I saw going on in my world around me. Through the blog I planned on chronicling the quest for a new church home that never really panned out because God saw fit to place my family in the perfect church family. Then over the years I got apathetic and clammed up for not any one reason or another. For that I am sorry, to anyone who has ever read a post here, to myself for stopping and mostly to God for developing a spirit of procrastination.

I am going to look at this "revelation" as another way for me to seek God. It seems like these seemingly "small" issues are what God uses in my life as catalysts to ready me for "bigger" things. I will seek Him for what to clunk out on the keyboard and when. I will seek to glorify Him in what I write. I will seek Him in all aspects of my life on a higher level. These "small" things need tending to in "big" ways. I simply want to tell of the love the Father has for me, for you and for the world. I want to see the false teachers silenced. I want to see sinners repent. I want to see God glorified above all, in all and through all I ever do.

So please partner with me in prayer as I seek the Lord on how to proceed. I know it will be with regular postings as that is a current burden, but other than that I will not speculate. Well, and a new look to the blog which is easier to read. I also ask that if I write anything that goes against the Word of God that you call me out on it, be Bereans and question me. I am nothing apart from Christ and I am probably the most fallible person in the blogosphere, so please help me if you see I need it. I will readily apologize if I am wrong and correct anything that is wrong. I have done this several times and have gained much from doing so.

I cherish your prayers. I cherish your opinions. I cherish your input. Please send them all my way. -Jeff

In Search Of Christmas

Over the past couple of years there has been a struggle inside of me around this time of year. What is that? About Christmas. Why is that? The commercialization? Not really, but that does play part of my thought process during the Holiday Season.

I had a great talk today with dear brother in Christ, Whitt Madden, about an article that I posted on Facebook yesterday about Christmas. This article pretty much summed up a lot of what has been going on within me lately. To put it frankly, I am torn. I am battling 43 years of instilled holiday cheer with Christmas as it really is, where it is rooted and what it has become.

To sum up the battle in a few words - Christmas did not start out as a “Christian Holiday” (Holy Day), it began as a pagan festival in recognition of the sun’s position during the winter solstice. The Roman Catholic church did not like this and began to “Christianize” the festival and pull the congregation back from the worship of Saturn, the sun god. I will not rehash what is common on the web with all that was added or “Christianized” in the process, but much of it is still seen this day in same or slightly changed forms (Yule log, tree, etc.) Fast forward to our day and society has thrown Christmas back to pagan rituals with worship of money, giving gifts, receiving gifts, decorations, family get togethers, and so many more rituals that now begin even before Halloween.

So, what is Christmas this day and age? It is not a reverence to a sun god, but it is definitely still not reverence to the Son of God and His birth either. It is a mish-mash of Roman Catholic traditions (Christ-Mas, being the most obvious) and the love of “me” (what can I do to make me feel better (give gifts,, etc), what will I get this year, how pretty can I make my tree, how many people can I feed, how many people will come to my house, and on and on). But Christ is nowhere to be found.

Am I ready to throw in the towel for Christmas? Not entirely, but to continue in how the world “celebrates” Christmas, yes. I have seen both sides of this argument played out last year and starting to see it this year. In the one camp are the staunch “You better not be celebrating Christmas - it is pagan and you definitely can’t be a Christian and celebrate Christmas - you are a heretic” contrasted with the other camp “I love Christmas time of year, family, fun, giving, singing, mistletoe, Christmas tree up before Halloween, spiced cider. Oh, and Jesus too” camp that thinks the other camp is nuts for calling them nuts and back and forth. Ughhhhh. Alas, I fit into neither camp, but somewhere in between.

I am so thankful for brothers like Whitt that God has placed in my life. He has had very similar convictions as I have (as well as others around me too). After speaking with him today I think he had the most Christ centered reaction to Christmas I have ever heard - let it be about Christ and His glory. How novel is that? Instead of giving electronics or toys that will be forgotten or broken in a few days or weeks, give that money to Cure International and watch God work through that gift to show Christ to someone in need of medical attention. Do not give a gift that does not point to Christ, either directly or that will bring people together in the Name of Christ. Some things could be bibles, hand made devotionals, donations to Cure, donation to World Vision to buy livestock for families in impoverished areas, donation to Heart Cry Missionary Society to support indigenous missionaries across the world, donations to your local Church or ministry, giving your time to Christ based missions to show the love of Christ to others. So many ways that can make an eternal impact FOR the Kingdom rather than temporary splashes that will be gone tomorrow and have no impact whatsoever.

At Whitt’s website, Be The Domino, he is a few days in to a series called “Give This Christmas Away”. I highly suggest that you check out this series and let the heart of this series impact you. Go to God and pray how He would use you to give Him away this Christmas season instead of an iTunes gift card or blu-ray player or even a baby doll. Give a gift in someone’s name to a Christ based ministry, give that person a card and inscribe in it how that the money normally spent on the superficial is now being placed in the hands of God to do the Supernatural in someone’s life. Who knows what eternal impacts can be made from Christ focused giving this year and years to come.

I know that my focus on Christmas has evolved and is continuing to be sanctified and brought into a more Christ focused view. I will not, however, be calling anyone a heretic that continues to “celebrate” as I always did nor will I be confused over the other extreme in pointing the finger back and calling people “scrooge” for shunning the “pagan rituals” of this land. As all other aspects of my life I wish to glorify the Lord in this, especially since the Holiday was given His Name.

Earning Your Way Or Accepting His Gift?

Day 349 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Winding it down now. My birthday is almost upon me this year, which will finish out this series. What better way to help close it out than by telling a little bit about a place I used to visit when I was younger.

My picture today is of a place that happens to be the same building I used to frequent, but not the same establishment. Back when I would go there to waste time and just hang out it was called "Pete's Place". It was a large pool hall/ game room and I wasted many Saturday nights and many quarters there. I was never good at pool so I mostly played pinball or the newest video games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong or Galaga. I would also play pinball, which I never was good at either, but it was fun as far as I can remember. I'm talking almost 30 years ago and my memory is so shot that I can't even remember what clothes I had on yesterday.

This building now houses "The Pony" with the tag line "The Ultimate Strip Joint". I will not go into much detail, but it is a strip joint. Women take their clothes off and men give them all of their money. It is one of those "wages of sin" things. I have not been to the Pony and never will, unless it is to pass out tracts or pick up someone I know that might need a ride. I wish I could say I never have been in a strip club, but I can't say that.

Speaking of "wages of sin"... Romans 6 tells us about those wages that we earned in our sins. We actually earned our place in hell by our sinfulness. To put that into a better understanding, look at your job, you work and you expect to earn a wage for your labors. Now put that on your sins, laboring in sin to earn death and hell. But that's only the bad news. The Good News is that God has a gift for us, which means it is something that we cannot earn, we cannot deserve it and it is not owed to us for any reason at all on our part. It is a gift, which means something that is given freely regardless of anything we may have done. If it was given to us out of obligation then it would be a payment, which would mean we worked to get that as well, but Paul's language here is wonderful.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

One of those well known verses that people gloss over, but yet so rich in the love of God. Even though I earned my place in hell through my working for damnation, in an ever constant state of rebellion to the God of the universe, He loved me. He gave me the gift of His love, His Son shed His blood for me and granted me the gift of eternal life. Good news indeed.

You know what is sad? That even though I have this free gift, I still try to buy my destruction by sinning against my God. Do you know what else? The gift is unconditional. God gave me something I did not deserve and because He gave it to me, He will never take it back. If He did it would no longer be a gift and instead would become a payment for as long as I was "good". A lot of people call that "once saved always saved" and others call it "perseverance of the saints" I call it amazing.

Awesome Display Of God's Power

Day 287 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

I have to confess first thing, I did not take this picture, but wish I had. It is really cool. Probably the first I have ever seen with lightning and a rainbow in the same picture. It certainly beat any picture that I could have taken today.

Pictures like this catch a split second of time that will never be recreated. Now, with this photo, the split second awesome display of our God can be enjoyed for many years to come. I have been noticing more of nature that God has given to us. Even the mighty thunderstorms that rolled through this evening displayed the glory of God. The crashing thunder and winds only are a minimal fraction of what God can do. After all, look at the fastness of the Universe and see His glory on display. Why else would He create so many solar systems, planets and stars except to show us how awesome He is?

It does seem like we are smack dab in thunderstorm alley right now. Somehow our weather patterns have been more intense over the past couple of years. I know that the U.S. is not mentioned in scripture about the end times, but the weather is, so maybe this is one of the signs announcing Christ's return. No other time in history have as many prophecies been fulfilled. Are you ready? Is Christ Lord of your life? Have you seen your utter depravity and lack of ability to save yourself? Turn to Him and place all trust for all things in Him. Today is the day of salvation, you may not get another.

The Winds Of Change

Day 275 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Today is the 3rd of April. It is supposed to be getting warmer, but today's temperatures made it up to summer time levels, 83 to be exact. That is a record high for this day, but spells some drastic changes for tomorrow.

We have a cold front making its way from the Northeast and is expected to collide with this warm air in the late morning/ early afternoon and cause some major thunderstorms to develop. Hail, damaging winds, flooding and tornadoes are being spoken about by weather forecasters. All I know is that God is in control and if we receive damaging storms then it is within His plan. My faith and confidence is in Him and not in any weather man.

Of course Al Gore and his cronies say this weather is caused by Global Warming. Then again they said that the drastic winter weather we just had was caused by Global Warming as well. So, above average temperatures and thunderstorms are the result of GW and below average temperatures and more snow are both the results of GW? In the words of Sylvester Stallone's character Angelo Provolone in the movie Oscar, "That ain't proper". How can both extremes be caused by warming of the global temperature? Then again I do not have the qualification as ex-governor and ex-vice president to lean on either.

I say the weather does what God wants it to. If Romans 8:28 is correct (and it is) then all things will work together for our good. Those that are His children, that is. Even if God decides He thinks our house needs to be moved by a tornado, then it is for our good. We may not understand it at the time, we will probably be upset at the time and we will more than likely be at wits end through that time, but we can also rest in the knowledge that God allowed it to happen to work in us in some way. Who knows the repercussions of something like that? Look at the book of Job, which most people reference when "bad" things happen. God used the things that He allowed to happen to glorify Himself and show that He will keep His children, well, His children. Job did not waver because Job knew his Source. He knew where the gifts came from and He knew Who was in control.

I am not saying I could have the patience of Job or even have the faith of Job in the least. I will say that God has proven Himself over and over again in my life and I have no reason not to trust in Him. I just hope that I can show Him glory through any and all trials. He is worthy. He is awesome. He is God.

P.S.
The picture is from a local business that had a few banners hanging outside. They were being blown and damaged today as winds exceeded 50MPH at times.

Weather, You Like Or Not

Day 222 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

It happened again today. Another considerable snow event here in Paducah. We received about 3-4 inches, give or take. The temperatures were/ are really low, so everything that hit the roads stayed there today. They called school off before the bus came this time, unlike Monday when 20+ buses ended up in ditches. They have also already called off school for tomorrow. I've been wondering why they don't call off work too.

I have heard a lot of complaining about the snow. Personally, I like snow, don't mind driving in it, don't mind walking through it (as long as I have boots on) and I really do like the way it looks. Some have said that "Mother Nature" was not their friend any longer because of the snow. Some gripe about it in general.

I say that God is in control of the weather, so I am not going to complain about His handiwork. I may be inconvenienced from time to time by a wind storm or heavy downpour of rain, but I know that He has His reasons for those types of conditions. Who am I to call His judgments into question about what the temperature is going to be or how many inches of snow we are going to have. Weather is just a fact of nature. We must have rainy days and we must have sunny days, so just get over your self centeredness and accept the day God has made and allowed you to partake in.

Every day of life is a gift from God in which He pours His blessing on you by allowing you to wake up. Thank Him every morning for another day and ask Him to reveal to you how you may glorify Him each day. Believe me, the opportunities are there, we are just too busy or too me-centric to see them. We have many chances every day to share the gospel with people, be it family, friends, co-workers or the person waiting on you at Wal-Mart. We all miss these chances to tell of God's goodness because we can't see past our nose and miss everything that is going on around us.

Here's a challenge. Every morning for the next month, when you wake up, pray to God to show you where you can further the kingdom. Ask where you can be His hands or feet and keep your eyes open. Praise Him for allowing you to wake up. Praise Him for the weather situation whatever the conditions and think about why we need different seasons and different weather conditions. Ask to be able to see those in your path that God wants you to interact with and share His message of salvation. Then just go. Go into the world that He allows you access to and make disciples.

Render Unto Caesar

Day 217 in my "Year In My Life Through Pictures" blog series

Mark 12:17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at Him.

Tax time. The time of year when a lot of people pull their hair out and others look forward to because they receive a huge tax return or EIC check. Me, I really just would get it over with and come out even. Well, a little back is always nice and paying in is always not. But we are to do what the Lord said and "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's", so the income tax is commanded if it is the law of the land.

But money is one of those areas that a Christian should not really be worried about. Not that we shouldn't plan on bills and such and maintain employment, but that we shouldn't be so wrapped up in finances that it becomes a focus. It's a necessity, but always be aware of where the blessing of money flows. And it's not because you speak it into existence either.

In 1 Timothy 6:10 we are told that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. What? All kinds? Yes, all kinds of evil, but we are not told that money itself is evil, but the love of money. Just as any other love that is more than you have for God. Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 says that we cannot serve God and mammon (money) because we cannot serve two masters. This also is true for anything other than God that is your master, that consumes you and what runs your life. This can be some really good things too, like your kids or grandkids or a spouse, a job or the internet, Facebook or alcohol. When anything else is what drives you, then you are serving it. God does not allow that and if you truly are His child then He will take that idol away. So be wary of "things" in your life that take away from your relationship with God.

But then we go back to Mark 12:17 and see why it shouldn't bother us to pay our taxes, because it is Caesars/ the governments inscribed currency. We are to be laying our treasures up in heaven (Matthew 6:19-20) with God focused activities. What are those you might ask. Reading your bible, of course, is a given. Also there is serving others in the name of Christ while telling them of the gospel. Then there is fellow-shipping with your church family. Prayer is also a given and can be done throughout the day, every day, without ceasing. Worship God and acknowledge Him in all of your daily activities. Seek Him in every situation, lean on Him when you feel down, pick others up with words of encouragement of how God has seen you through difficult times. Just have a focus on God and everything else will fall into place.

Also, don;t forget we are commanded to pay our taxes as well. So get those forms filled out or your E-Filing completed on time. Remember that the IRS offices are available to help you prepare your returns. Maybe allowing them to do them for you would open a door for you to share the gospel with the agent.

Day 202: Winter Wonderland

It snowed. They said it was going to and it did. I am sure that made the folks that emptied Wal-Mart's shelves feel better and gave them a sense of accomplishment as they brought home the bounty for the 2 inches of snow that now blanket our fair city.

I love the snow. I always get that tingly feeling when they give a forecast that includes snow. It reminds me of the feeling when I was younger and they said it was going to snow. I would stare out of the window waiting for it and the first flakes always brought a smile. They still do, but without the anticipation that they will call off work, like they did school.

But something makes my heart skip a beat still at the sight of the flakes falling and the pristine ground covering. I find myself now looking at the individual snowflakes that land on my jacket or outside of my window and admire the intricacies of God's handiwork. It amazes me how the flakes are formed and how beautiful each one is. They seem so pure as the float to the ground, one by one and join together to cover everything in sight.

I am equally amazed at the rest of the Lord's creation. To gaze upon the stars on a cloudless night and wonder what each of their names are (Psalm 147:4). Or on the cloudy day looking at the clouds that are actually made up of individual drops of moisture that if weighed would be several tons. How do they float in the air? How do they not just fall at once to the ground below? How do the trees take that life giving rain and absorb it through their roots and make it travel upward nourishing the leaves? Oh, the mysteries that God has made in nature for us to behold.

Never be bored with your surroundings or your life. Always look for the fingerprints of God in your surroundings. Dwell on His workmanship and be amazed. There is no way you can be bored if you examine the things of God.

Day 163: Snow What I Mean?

Today was the first snowfall of the winter season. It was great to see the flakes falling and the intricacy of the flakes. I examined some that were stuck to my shirt this morning and how perfect they appeared.

I think it is amazing how God put order and structure into nature. Just looking at a tiny snowflake really opens that up for a person. Then to think of how the flake was formed in a geometric pattern to form just a single flake. Then for those flakes to start falling and blanketing the ground like a cotton sheet. How can anyone deny the Creator?

Then, what about other things that show order? How about the human body? How does life spring forth on its own? For those evolutionists - how did the first mammal decide it needed lungs? Why would it have the need to crawl from it's comfortable ooze? How would the newly formed lungs operate? How about the circulatory system for living beings? What was formed first, the heart, the blood or the veins and arteries? How would the others know to be formed and how could those already formed survive without the others? Do you explain that by them evolving in tandem? If so, then why would they have the need to?

It is a great leap of faith to believe in evolution. It would take more faith in man and their "explanations" to believe that we evolved by chance, from a mire of goo struck by lightening to create life. Think that one through too. If the first life was created, how did it survive? How did it know to consume something to keep living? It couldn't have an it would have died off as well. A great leap of faith to believe in what these scientists are passing off as facts. Then there is the big bang. Have you ever seen an explosion? Did you see anything orderly after the explosion happened or was there nothing but chaos?

So, next time you have the awesome opportunity to look at a snowflake think about the order that God put into motion. Think about how He orchestrates the laws of physics, gravity and life. Think of how He breathes His breath into every human created. It is all from Him and all about Him. We should definitely acknowledge that more in our every day lives.

Did I Choose God Or Did God Choose Me? The Recent Calvinist VS Arminian Debate

There is a unnerving debate going on right now. You may have heard a little about it, it is the old “Calvinism VS Arminianism” debate. Actually it has been escalated from debate to all out “you sere a different god than I do, a different jesus than I do”. So, I am perplexed. I am actually feeling pain from this as it is a strong tactic of the enemy to cause division among the brethren.

If you read over my posts here, you will probably be hard pressed to say which you would call me – an Arminian or a Calvinist. I simply call myself a Christian, although I do have scriptural basis for the actual “structure” of my soteriology. I am not about to go into that here, but want to start by saying that I have dear Arminian brothers and sisters and I have dear Calvinist brothers and sisters.

So what is the big deal then? Why does it matter if you either or neither of these? I don't think it really does matter, other than having a wrong view of the condition that man is in and what, if any, ability God has allowed or disallowed of Himself in the salvation process. I honestly believe people from each camp are going to be very surprised in heaven when they see or do not see certain people. I think that is why we are not to judge superficially and instead make our judgments based on the adherence to God's Word. One thing that should not be happening is exactly what has happened – saying the other structure is going to hell.

I think the current debate/ misinformation is actually the common misunderstand of what Calvinists actually believe. Mark Cahill has the common view that all Calvinists are actually Hyper-Calvinists, which is simply untrue. He has a caricature view of that view, possibly because he holds a wrong view of God and/ or humanity. There are also Hyper-Arminians around as well, but for the most part they are actually Pelagian or Semipelagian in their soteriology. I would even venture to say that most “churches” today are actually Pelagian in nature and neither Calvinistic of Arminian in their views of salvation.

So, what is a person to do? Do we say we are of Calvin or of Arminius? Not at all, just as Paul told the Corinthian church not to say they were of him or Appolos (1 Corinthians 3:1-16). What should be happening now is a searching of scripture, a study of the teachings of Christ and the Apostles and of the Old Testament Saints. We (modern Christianity) put too much stock in men's words and do not compare them to what God has revealed to us in His Word. That is the main reason we have so much heresy rampant these days. People are lax in their discernment and give ear to the many false teachers out there today.

I am not discounting true men of God and their work in the furtherance of the Kingdom. God has given us men that have a love and a passion for His Word and that same love for exposition of His Word. There are many authors and preachers alive today that God has gifted as true voices to a dying world. There are also many great saints of past that who had the same gifts from God. I will say that these men will also tell you that their words are not authoritative without their adherence to scripture. God has given these men to help us, to teach us and to help guide us along the path to His righteousness. I can also say without flinching that these authors and preachers will tell you to search the scriptures yourself, that anything they say or write has to come under the scrutiny of scripture, to the fullest extent. Do not take anyone at their word alone, ever, when it comes to teaching on the character and holiness of God.

I want to close by saying that I was brought up with a distorted view of God. I was taught many things in my youth that I question today, things that molded my view into a very un-powerful god. My views were like most of the professing Christians today. I had created a god in my mind that allowed many things, that overlooked many things and that was going to let me into His Kingdom just because I had mumbled and agreed to a few points when I was 8 years old. Only when I actually saw my standing before the most Holy God was I able to truly repent and turn from my sins and to that Holy God for my salvation. Did I choose Him or did He choose me? That is the question of the day. Better yet, was I able to choose Him would be the proper question.

Please examine scripture to see what God has to say about salvation, His will, His power, His Kingdom, His Word, His holiness, His worth, His demands, His love, His judgment, His world. It is all His and He has allowed us to be a part. How awesome is that? That the God that created the universe, has allowed us communion with Him? How awesome is it that we, as sinful creatures, are able to enter into His presence because of our Mediator, Christ Jesus. Why? Because He loves us.

Day 83: Church Family = Real Family

Today's picture is of a dear brother in Christ, Stan. He says that he isn't very good at speaking in front of groups, but I think he has done very well the times he has felt lead to speak. He has been shown a lot over the past few months and wanted to take an opportunity to let the rest of us know how God has been working in his life. His testimony of God's goodness really blessed me this evening.

Stan really means a lot to me. He has been a very good friend, has taught me a few things and is a wonderful man that God is using greatly. He challenges me sometimes when he asks "what's God doing in your life right now?" But I need that challenge, because I always need to be aware of just what God is actively doing around me. I do pay better attention, not to have something to tell Stan when he asks, but his questioning has just opened up a facet that I was ignoring. An area of understanding that was missing from my daily walk.

Stan is but one part of the body at Oak Grove. He is just as integral as the pastor or any other member of the body. We are all connected, we are all part. We should be just as connected as an actual body, when a hand is hurting then the feet should know. For the most part I think this is true there at Oak Grove. We are a tight knit group of people that realize our standing before a holy God. We know we are needy and we know that God uses the body of Oak Grove to minister to one another. I can attest first hand to that.

Oak Grove is also part of the larger body of Christ. We have the life blood bond of Christ. We may just be a little toe on the fuller body of Christ, but that little toe is needed. The other body parts are worldwide and we need fellowship with those other parts as well.

If you do not have a church home I implore you to seek God to show you where He would have you. Then search out a church family that is true to the Word of God firstly, then where you feel like you belong. Do not do those in opposite order as many "churches" out there cater to the flesh and are quite good at it. Seek a church that stands on the authoritative Word of God, salvation by faith alone , by grace alone, through Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. Do not fall for the slick gimmicks or the tickling of ears or the lusts of the flesh.

I know the struggles of being in a church that does not properly preach the Word of God. After God truly saved me, He allowed me to see a lot of things going on around me that I had always seen, but I then saw them with new eyes. This was the church I was raised in, that my mother still attends, so I had a lot of investment there. Thing is, God was not the draw any longer. The man centered, purpose driven philosophy had filtered in over the years. With the installment of the newest pastor, the church started a more rapid decline to a man centered message. I do not pray for that congregation nearly enough, but I need to. It would be awesome to hear that they have repented of their man centered ways and means and turned to God and His Word for everything. Out with the social club, in with the true Church of God.

The New Jesus Movie

Just wanted to take a short moment to let everyone know about this great ministry opportunity. We all have the chance to be part of the new Jesus movie, as producers. Well, not actually make the movie, but be able to give $10 towards the making of this movie.

Please check out the video below and the New Jesus Movie website for information. The producer of this movie is to be a Word for Word adaption of the Book of John, the vision of Bruce Marchiano. If Marchiano's name sounds familiar it is because he played Jesus in movie version of The Gospel of Matthew, which was also a Word for Word movie version of the Book of Matthew.

This is a great opportunity to make a high quality movie that will gain much attention and could be a tool used of God to save countless souls. The producers are not out to have a large box office, but rather have this movie on millions of iPods, computers and streaming across the internet. Monetary gains are not the goal, but the precious souls of the lost and the edification of Gods people.

Please prayerfully consider being a part of this wonderful ministry.


Frequently Asked Questions

Why another Jesus film?
Many great Jesus films have been produced over the years, and God has used them all for His glory. There are several focuses that make Jesus… No Greater Love unique and vital. To list only a few, our vision is to bring the Gospel story to film afresh using the latest cutting edge, big screen technology - to truly create a Jesus movie for a new generation of highly sophisticated film-goers.

Also, where Jesus films generally focus on the gospel events, Jesus… No Greater Love focuses on a revelation of "The Man" - his heart and person, impassioned, joyous, relevant, brimming with kingdom authority, driven "on a mission of redemptive love" - the Jesus of Scripture.

Who will be the Producer and Director?

Bruce Marchiano is our current writer/producer. Once funding is underway we will begin interviewing prospective directors as well as co-producer(s) to solidify the team.

What happens if you meet your film budget of $45 million and donations continue to come in?
We sure hope this happens. All money received beyond the $45 million will be used to release the film in different languages and to distribute these new versions around the world. We want to present the Gospel to as many people as possible. To meet this goal, we will sustain our fund raising efforts year after year so that we can continue translating the film into new languages.

What Bible translation will be used for your word-for-word film?
We are currently in negotiations with two different translation rights holders and will make this determination before end 2009.

Will Bruce Marchiano be playing the role of Jesus like he did in Matthew?
We are hoping Bruce will reprise the role of Jesus, but as in all kingdom endeavors, ours is not to presume anything. Thus we are intensely seeking God along with Bruce, keeping our hearts open for any fresh direction He might want us to pursue. We are counting on the Lord's clear leadership here, as we are with all critical decisions.

Why the book of John when there already is a film on the book of John?
There are depths, multi-layers and prophetic dynamics of John's gospel that have yet to be explored on film. As does John's written gospel, Jesus… No Greater Love literally begins "In the beginning," unpacking the revelation of Jesus in the Law and the Prophets of the Torah, presenting Jesus as more than a man who teaches and heals, but the living reality of the living God, I AM in human flesh, as prophesied for centuries and now fulfilled. This film uniquely presents Jesus in the fullness of "yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

Why film a word-for-word version rather than a dramatic script?

We believe that the power of God’s Word, portrayed by the right cast and masterfully filmed, will be immeasurably more powerful and impactful than any dramatization to date. The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). There is really no need to improve on what God Himself has written by adding story elements and/or fictionalizing. Demonstrating this distinction between man’s voice and the authoritative voice of God is vitally important to sharing the Gospel with a postmodern generation wondering if absolute truth exists and who, if anyone, has the authority to share it. We will not alter the words God has given, and we will trust His promises about the power of those words.

What if you do not raise enough money by your deadline?
To effectively produce the film, we must receive substantial donations within specified time frames. If we do not, by targeted dates, receive benchmark levels of donations, we will be forced to make difficult decisions regarding whether to continue the project. Our first critical target date for raising funds is March 1, 2010. If targets are missed and the decision is made, that we will not be able to complete the project, we will distribute the excess donations to a few selected ministries that are spreading the Gospel in creative ways. With this arrangement in mind, you can be sure that your contribution will be used to promote the Gospel, regardless of whether the film is successfully produced.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

In the United States, a resounding "Yes!" Marchiano Ministries is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization. All donations to the New Jesus Movie are tax deductible to the limits allowed by law.

Have a question not answered above?
Send it to us at info@newjesusmovie.com.

Blogging again shortly

Hi all! I am sorry I have not update/ posted anything new in a little while. My wife just had some pretty major surgery and is still in the hospital... which means that I have been in the hospital too.

Her surgery was quite a surprise and was more extensive than they though after they got inside. I plan on writing a post on this soon, so please bare with me just a little longer. God has definitely been glorified through this trial. I have learned what Philippians 4:6-7 says. Even after reading that passage hundreds of times, God finally made it alive to me and I truly thanked Him for everything through this.

God has been very gracious to us through this and even before in our marriage. We have grown so much as a couple in the past several months and then this comes and draws us closer to God and in turn closer to one another. That is what marriage is all about, it is the earthly example of our relationship with Christ. We are His bride, just as Chandra is my bride. I still need Him to help me love her the way I should, but He isn't finished with me yet and I praise Him for that too! I have learned trust and faith first hand and give Him the glory for the miracles He has done physically to my wife and spiritually for both of us.

God is good and He deserves more praise than we could ever muster up.

Issue on the homefront

Just sitting here in the hospital with my wife. She has been having some health issues lately, being admitted to the hospital from last Thursday until Monday evening. This morning back to the hospital for a arteriogram of an artery in her abdomen. She must now lie flat for 6 hours, which we are now a little over half way through.

She is now facing a major surgery to repair a “kink” in a major artery in her midsection. So I ask for your prayers that the Lord will see her through these next few weeks, with the surgery coming up on Sept. 15th. Please pray specifically that her nerves will be calmed as she (we) put our faith in God to see her safely through this surgery and the recovery phase. She is a strong person, but facing this type of surgery is enough to rattle anyone.

But, as I sit here in the chair watching her cat-nap I am reminded what the Lord has brought us through over the past few years. I have seen some very great times and some very bad times, but through it all God has proven Himself to be the Rock He promised to be. I have had to lean on Him through a very trying time with my son, a rocky part of my marriage that could have been very bad, the death of my dad and a lot of smaller things. If you read back through my older postings you will see some of the places I have been, that my family have encountered and how the Lord has been there to carry us through. Oh, how I praise Him.

God has also blessed us with a wonderful church family that has been through most of the things I mentioned right with us, carrying the burdens and lifting them to the Lord in prayer. He was so gracious to lead us to Oak Grove Baptist Church through a series of eye opening encounters with His Word. I stand in awe as I look back and see the path He chose for us. Granted when traveling down those paths I often stood by and said “what is this all about?” questioning the Father. How bad is that? I questioned the Creator of the universe about why I would be going through issues. I have been learning to just wait on Him and stop trying to fix things on my own. 2 years ago I would have been freaking out looking at my wife in a hospital bed with a major surgery on the horizon, but I can say that I know that He is in control. I am being still and waiting on Him. What other choice do I have?

I must learn to apply this to all areas of my life, not just the major issues. He is in control and I need to acknowledge that daily, even the “good days”. I pray that He will get the glory for what is happening right now in my life, my wife’s situation and beyond.

Praise God For The Furnace

I just read over once again an excerpt from A.W. Tozer's book "The Root of Righteousness" (chapter 39) called "Thank God For The Furnace". I have posted below the manuscript for this and am sure that if you too read it you will be blessed. It needs no explanation - just a few minutes to read and a lifetime to digest.

I have read Tozers "Attributes of God" book and will be adding this book to my stack shortly. May this be a blessing to you.

Praise God For The Furnace
It was the enraptured Rutherford who could shout in the midst of serious and painful trials, "Praise God for the hammer, the file and the furnace."

The hammer is a useful tool, but the nail, if it had feeling and intelligence, could present another side of the story. For the nail knows the hammer only as an opponent, a brutal, merciless enemy who lives to pound it into submission, to beat it down out of sight and clinch it into place. That is the nail's view of the hammer, and it is accurate except for one thing: The nail forgets that both it and the hammer are servants of the same workman. Let the nail but remember that the hammer is held by the workman and all resentment toward it will disappear. The carpenter decides whose head will be beaten next and what hammer shall be used in the beating. That is his sovereign right. When the nail has surrendered to the will of the workman and has gotten a little glimpse of his benign plans for its future it will yield to the hammer without complaint.

The file is more painful still, for its business is to bite into the soft metal, scraping and eating away the edges till it has shaped the metal to its will. Yet the file has, in truth, no real will in the matter, but serves another master as the metal also does. It is the master and not the file that decides how much shall be eaten away, what shape the metal shall take, and how long the painful filing shall continue. Let the metal accept the will of the master and it will not try to dictate when or how it shall be filed.

As for the furnace, it is the worst of all. Ruthless and savage, it leaps at every combustible thing that enters it and never relaxes its fury till it has reduced it all to shapeless ashes. All that refuses to burn is melted to a mass of helpless matter, without will or purpose of its own. When everything is melted that will melt and all is burned that will burn, then and not till then the furnace calms down and rests from its destructive fury.

With all this known to him, how could Rutherford find it in his heart to praise God for the hammer, the file and the furnace? The answer is simply that he loved the Master of the hammer, he adored the Workman who wielded the file, he worshiped the Lord who heated the furnace for the everlasting blessing of His children. He had felt the hammer till its rough beatings no longer hurt; he had endured the file till he had come actually to enjoy its bitings; he had walked with God in the furnace so long that it had become as his natural habitat. That does not overstate the facts. His letters reveal as much.

Such doctrine as this does not find much sympathy among Christians in these soft and carnal days. We tend to think of Christianity as a painless system by which we can escape the penalty of past sins and attain to heaven at last. The flaming desire to be rid of every unholy thing and to put on the likeness of Christ at any cost is not often found among us. We expect to enter the everlasting kingdom of our Father and to sit down around the table with sages, saints and martyrs; and through the grace of God, maybe we shall; yes, maybe we shall. But for the most of us it could prove at first an embarrassing experience. Ours might be the silence of the untried soldier in the presence of the battle-hardened heroes who have fought the fight and won the victory and who have scars to prove that they were present when the battle was joined.

The devil, things and people being what they are, it is necessary for God to use the hammer, the file and the furnace in His holy work of preparing a saint for true sainthood. It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.

Without doubt we of this generation have become too soft to scale great spiritual heights. Salvation has come to mean deliverance from unpleasant things. Our hymns and sermons create for us a religion of consolation and pleasantness. We overlook the pace of the thorns, the cross and the blood. We ignore the function of the hammer and the file.

Strange as it may sound, it is yet true that much of the suffering we are called upon to endure on the highway of holiness is an inward suffering for which scarcely an external cause can be found. For our journey is an inward journey, and our real foes are invisible to the eyes of men. Attacks of darkness, of despondency, of acute self-depreciation may be endured without any change in our outward circumstances. Only the enemy and God and the hard-pressed Christian know what has taken place. The inward suffering has been great and a mighty work of purification has been accomplished, but the heart [knows] its own sorrow and no one else can share it. God has cleansed His child in the only way He can, circumstance being what they are. Thank God for the furnace.

Waking Up Is Hard To Do

I first came up with the title of this blog and then a couple different thoughts popped into my head. Do I rant about my wife and how she relies on me as her alarm clock on the weekends or do I rant about the poor souls that are sleepwalking through life thinking they are on their way to heaven.

I then decided….. neither. If you read my past blogs, I am quite straightforward about the professing Christians and I am fairly sure if you come back in a few days I will have written something else about them as well. That is where my convictions are, because that is where I was for 30+ years of my life. I was “okay”. I had my “ticket” and I was on my way to heaven, even though I lived like the devil.

I did decide to write about my wife, but not rant. My wife is in the midst of a wonderful walk with the Lord. It is very exciting to see her growing in faith, by putting her trust in God. She is a very strong willed person and I really admire that, but it does sometimes hinder growth. That she is learning first hand and though it is painful at times for her, it is also great to hear her say, “God is good, I totally gave Him my problems and He deals with them and I am at peace”. In effect, she has done what Matt 11:28-30 says to do – give your burdens to the Lord, His burden is light.

She recently was faced with a really heavy trial, one that I had actually prayed to come about. Now before you get out the whip on me, it was something that was impeding her family life with the boys and me. I gave it to the Lord after voicing my opinion to her on one too many occasions. She became agitated with me for voicing my concerns about this and my stubborn self finally did what I should have done a long time ago as well – put my trust in God. I prayed in accordance with the Word of God, what He laid out for family life, but in that it was also a prayer to change her outlook as well. Guess what? It wasn’t any time until God had turned her 180 degrees and she was walking closer to Him and in turn with me.

Isn’t God amazing when you do what you know should be doing, instead of what comes natural? God is so patient and good to His children. Especially when we come to Him in all confidence with a request, which is in accord with His Word. Some times it takes us too long to get to that point, but as I grow in His Word and as I walk more with Him I find it much more conducive to give it all to the Lord. Not just problems, but everything. What Father would hurt their child or do something that is not for the betterment of them? Our God is good and he pleasures in us, especially when we are in communion with Him. Because when we trust in Him, He can be glorified in what He does for us and through us.

I urge you to place everything at the feet of the Lord and allow Him to direct your path. Believe me, that is the real meaning of trust and obey, because if you do trust the obeying part comes natural.

So what about the blog title and waking my wife up? I decided that it was I that had the issues, not my wife. I was being selfish and expecting her to know that she needed to get up with the sun like I do. That’s not to say that on a Saturday that there is something we planned to do I won’t be prodding her to get up, but what does it hurt for her to sleep in longer than I do? Nothing. Maybe I need to sleep in a little longer myself from time to time.

Is Worship really what happens every Sunday Morning?

Worship? What is it to you? How do you define your worship experiences? Is singing a song and clapping your hands worship? Is reading the bible worshipping?

In the truest biblical sense the act of worshipping has nothing to do with most Sunday morning services across the land. Most churches have “worship time”, “worship bands” or even “worship leaders”. My main question is: Are any of the things promoted as worship in most churches as worship really worship in a biblical sense? Most instances of worship through scripture also portray a physical act of bowing of the head or kneeling. Most are also a personal event or act and not a corporate event or act.

The first instance I can find of the word worship in scripture is Genesis 22:5, we are all familiar with the story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham told the 2 men he had as travel companions that he was taking his son Isaac to worship. So in the sense of this first verse of usage worship in it’s truest sense means to follow through with what God has set forth before you, or more clearly to bow down to God’s desire for you and do it. Most importantly here is that it is God’s desires and not your own. Did Abraham want to give Isaac as a sacrifice? Not in the least bit. But when Abraham followed through with Gods desire, then God made a way that Isaac would be spared.

Now what about Isaac’s worship? Most people glaze over the fact that Abraham was about to kill his son, but most don’t see that Isaac was a willing participant in this. There was no mention of a struggle, no mention of even a “Please don’t do this”. Isaac was probably the most worshipful in this story – if there are degrees of worship that is.

Now let’s look at the story of Job. This is said to be the oldest book of the bible. We all know the story, but have you overlooked the fact that Job after losing his children and possessions fell upon his face and worshipped God Job 1:20? He then proceeds to say that the Lord gave him everything and God had the right to take it all away. Is that your heart? If you lose a dollar out of your pocket do you think, “Well God allowed me to have that dollar and God decided to let it fall from my pocket and with that I am content?” One would probably not say that, as most people will go into a tirade and snort and fume over the loss of a single dollar. What if you lost everything? Or maybe that is the point; God wants us to be broken when we come to Him in worship. God wants us at our purest calling out to Him in adoration and thankfulness of all He does for us, all He gives to us and all His grace he bestows to us.

So, to me, that is worship. Not singing songs (my voice is not that good), getting in the mood to hear a sermon (you should always be in the mood to hear from God through His servant) or fellowshipping with other believers (fellowship is a fruit, not worship). Worship is the act of revering God as He should be, acknowledging God in His greatness, falling down before Him stripped and exposed with your hearts flowing praises to the King for His mercy of reaching out to you when all you really deserve is the opposite. One on One with the Father. We deserve hell and damnation and what does the Lord do? He supplied The Way of forgiveness through Christ, His Son that He offered a Sacrifice but did not make a different way. He was The Way, The Sacrifice, The Atonement. God spared Abraham’s son Isaac, but not His own Jesus.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is good that comes from the singing of hymns and songs that praise God, but you might want to redefine what it is called. Is it really “Praise and Worship” music? Or should it have a different label? Maybe just “Songs of Praise” or “Music Time”, but probably not worship music unless everyone falls upon their face and actually worship God.

Please check out the Real Truth Matters page. There is a very important and informing conference taking place on October 11th that I highly suggest attending. Check out the conference link for more information and sign up now as seating is limited.