A Year In My Life Through Pictures Day 2

As you can see by my second picture of my "Year In My Life" series, it is not a normal subject. This creature sits between Marion Illinois and Carbondale Illinois on Rout 13.

It seems that someone or some business in the area is protesting a IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) project. From the signage it is not quite clear what the project is going to be and I don't really want to invest any time in researching it, so I'm going to have to leave you all hanging on that aspect.

I saw this today on a daytrip with Chandra, just a little time away fom Paducah to get a bite to eat and see scenery other than Paducah. We like to do this fairly often, just to get away and be together. The car rides are a time that we can talk and just be together. Today I was trying to see something that might be a good subject for a picture of the day and I knew that it should be this demon/ pig/ dragon creature. It was confirmed by Chandra.

So what spiritual implications does this thing have? At first I thought it might have been a church that put this thing by the highway to issue a "turn or burn" statement. I can honestly say I was really relieved that it wasn't. I am all for preaching a turn or burn message, but it has to be done in the fullness of the Gospel. You must let people know their state of depravity, their state of rejection of the living God of scripture, their course in purchasing their road to hell and destruction. BUT - you must always follow that up with the good news, not just scare the hell out of someone, you must let them know that Christ was sent by the Father to atone for their sins and save them from their road to hell AND a sinful lifestyle that does not glorify God.

So that was going to be my post on this demonic blowup that draws attention on the roadways in Illinois. The IDOT protest just kind of ruined it, but in a good way. I already had some of the lines thought out about professing Christians that are shocking and deceiving in their message. They like to point fingers and go to the extreme to tell people they are going to hell (which they are) but never seem to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. These folks probably don't know the fullness of the gospel themselves. Pray for people like this who might mean well, or just might be mean. They need to see the love of Christ as well. Their boldness could be used in good ways instead of perceived hate.

A Year In My Life Through Pictures Day 1

This is a picture of my beautiful wife Chandra. What else could I have taken a picture of on day 1? Nothing. God has blessed me with my wife, she is His love gift to me. Our relationship has had many ups and many downs, but God used all of them to bring us closer together. Ephesians 5:25 is a very dear verse for me in which God opened up to me when we were going through a relationship valley. The valley which God used to actually bring us closer together as we learned what a real marriage should be, a reflection of Christs love for His church, His bride.

As a husband I was commanded to love Chandra as Christ loves the church. WOW! That is a very tall order, that I fail at miserably. But I discovered that I, as a husband, must give my life for my bride , maybe not in a physical sense but in a dying to self since. I would lay my life down for her physically if ever warranted, but I must lay it down daily as I strive to be more Christlike in my every action. She completes me, she supports me, she is my love and I can not bare to think of life without her.

For those reasons and more my wife, Chandra, is day 1 of my year long journal. She was acting shy for the picture, but she is normally very willing to be photographed. I am sure over the next 364 pictures she will be the focus or participant as well. I love my wife dearly and thank God for her constantly as she is my Lords love gift to me.

My Birthday, The Past 42 Years, The Next 365 Days

Today I celebrate my 42nd year of life. Actually I didn’t have much to do with it, my mom should be the one to be congratulated as she gave birth to my 8.9 lb of babyness.

The Lord has richly blessed me over the years. Even through my childhood years, young adult life and up until my conversion at 38 years old, He has been good to me. I was a false convert for 30 year of my life. Beginning at the age of 8 I put my hopes of salvation in a prayer of a child and in the words of a man’s assurance that I had taken care of it. But, praise be to God that He showed me the errors of what had been instilled in me.

I was brought up to believe that just saying a prayer was all that was needed to be saved. Actually, it is a lot more simpler than a prayer, it just takes trust in the Word of God to be truth. In that trust is found the repentance of ones sins, not just a momentary feeling of sorrow, but a real feeling of hatred for your sins against a Holy God. I never felt that, I never had that from the age of 8 up until the age of 38. I based my salvation on a fleeting moment of time as a child that didn’t even really know what sin was. But for the next 30 years I really delved into it and learned sin very well. All the time professing to know Jesus as my savior because I took care of it when I was younger. Never did I have someone tell me I needed to examine myself to see if I was in the faith. Never did I have someone tell me my sinful lifestyle was in direct opposition to what the bible describes a believer’s life to be.

Thank God that He saw ft to remove the scales from my eyes. After 30 years of asking God to forgive me of my sins when I went to bed, He finally did forgive me. He finally showed me my sins as they appear to Him. He showed me why His Son was put on the cross. He showed me that I was deceived by some very convincing lies, twisting of scriptures and vain words of men. He saved me. Something that I tried to do for 30 years by being “good” to others, not saying too harsh of curse words, not killing anyone, not lying (too much anyway). He convicted me of my sins and broke me and through His grace saved me.

Now my heart bleeds for those that are in the condition I was in. I had returned to my childhood church for a year or so and saw the same things playing out with the children there as they did with me. False assurances spewed from the preachers mouth, pats on the back as associate pastors gave comfort to those that were feeling conviction only to be pulled away from that conviction with, “Bubby, you know you’re all right. You just gotta get yourself right again, give your heart back to God and stop sinning’.”

Oh, how do we open the eyes of these poor, deceived souls? Short answer, we can’t. All we can do is sow the seeds of the True Gospel of Christ. We pour our hearts out to the Father to be merciful to these people that are living in deceptions, sitting in the pews Sunday after Sunday after being in the bars Saturday after Saturday. The one’s that are living in sin with their girlfriend or boyfriend, seeing nothing wrong with their choice to go against God’s Word. We must cry out to God to pull the scales from these peoples eyes as well. He did it for me, so why wouldn’t He do it for someone else? Someone was praying for my salvation and I may never know whom until I meet them in heaven one day. But someone did pray for me, someone did see my deceived mentality and they loved me and prayed for God to save me….. and He did.

Beginning today I am also going to start a series that I hope to update on a daily basis. I am going to call it “A Year In My Life Through Pictures”. I hope to post one photo per day of something that has touched me during the day. It may be something small and seemingly meaningless or something large like the birth of a child. The guidelines I want to use are: 1. The photo must be taken the day of its entry 2. The photo must contain a description of why I took it and what the photo means to me 3. I won’t try to get all “artsy” in taking pictures, just simple snapshots maybe even taken from my cell phone most days 4. Tell of how God used the subject in the photo to speak to me.

Fairly simple rules to go by. I am sure that it will be quite boring to some along the next 365 days, but I pray that it might be used to show that sometimes what we perceive as small or simple can and is used by God to accomplish something we may never realize without stopping to see the forest beyond the trees. I will post my first photo this evening, after the day has mostly passed because I want to take this day a little slower and reflect on God’s mercies and see what He places in my path this day.

Craig Groeschel's "The Christian Atheist" review (Kinda)

I did it. I finished the book “The Christian Atheist:Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist”. I actually finished it in fairly decent timing for me, 9 days. I am not the most avid of readers and another thing I am not is a book critic, but one of the main reasons I chose to read this was for that very reason, there were no reviews. Tim Challies, you have nothing to worry about from me. I can barely put 2 words together to make a thought, much less pass an adequate understanding of a book along to others.

This book piqued my curiosity. Its title caught me off guard one day, with the thought “Hey, that’s not even possible!” I even commented on a friend’s wall post (see earlier blog) on facebook and had a “conversation” as to the meaning of the book.

Before reading the book, my number 1 gripe with the book was the title. “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living As If He Doesn't Exist”. To me, before even reading the book its title alone was blasphemy. You can’t take the word Christian and tack the word atheist onto it to describe a person’s belief structure. Like I said, that was before I read the book. Now, after reading the book, I still say the same thing. The title is blasphemy through and through. So much that when I was reading he book, as I took notes I had to abbreviate it CA because I couldn’t bring myself to even write it down.

I want to first contrast the term “Christian Atheist” with another term “Skydiving atheist”. Not that the skydiver doesn’t believe in God, he doesn’t believe in parachutes. He has decided that he is ready to take up skydiving, he goes to a land school where they teach him all the terms, safety aspects, altitude dangers, etc. but most important, they teach him about his parachute. Without his parachute he will plummet to the ground, nothing to slow his fall and ease him softly to the ground he would end up a pile of broken bones and flesh. So, the new skydiver packs into the airplane so very excited at his first jump. The whole class is with him and he volunteers to go last, so he can take part in the others experience as they yell going out of the door. Finally it is his turn, he gets to the door and the instructor says, “Wait a minute. Where’s your chute? You’ll never make it without your chute.”
The newest skydiver looks steadfastly at the instructor and says, “Sir, I have listened to you for a week tell me the ups and downs of parachuting. I can recite everything in my sleep. I know it so well, I don’t need my chute. I believe that it can benefit me, but I definitely do not need it. Seeeee yaaaaaaa!” As he jumps from the plane.
No need to say what happened to him. Splat is the only word needed. But he believed in the chute. Isn’t that enough? Not at all. He did not put his faith in the parachute.

So, why can a story like that sound so ludicrous but not the picture that Groeschel paints? How can someone truly believe in Jesus, the Son of God, but yet not live like it? It is an oxymoron, it is not possible. To believe in God and the atonement of Jesus on the cross for sins is not a pick and choose kind of thing.

Now that I vented somewhat, I will actually say a little about what Groeschel has to say in the book. Actually I do not have many issues in what the book does say as much as the issues in what it doesn’t say. As I mentioned, the title itself is very offensive and blasphemous, the term “Christian atheist” used by Groeschel should actually be “professing Christian” and is what I used when reading the book. Professing Christian is exactly what the author is portraying in this book, someone who believes in the facts of God, but still lives like there is no God. This, my friend, is not a “Christian atheist” but a lost person.

Groeschel puts into 21st Century wording what most easy believism church pastors and evangelists have been saying all along. Another word that could is used interchangeably with Groeschel’s term is “backslider”. These terms and false theologies are very damning and are sending many to hell. At their core is the mentality that since you have “taken care” of your salvation you are free to do what you want, your sins are forgiven anyway, so you might as well keep on sinning. This, of course, is a far cry from the repentance and faith demanded by scripture.

Groeschel’s personal biography plays into the book from cover to cover. He is very free with his life story, which I applaud. He recounts a VBS story about being told to raise your hand then into mid teen years conversation with a pastor who pretty much told him to just do good things, stay away from evil and that’ll get you to heaven. After this his college days are talked about, when he started actually realizing something wasn’t aligning, that something was missing in his relationship with God. That “thing” actually was God that was missing. His “conversion” happened on a softball field where he fell down and cried out to God “take my life”, which I will not knock, it’s not the words one says, it is the heart condition that reveals if the conversion was true.

The years tick by, Groeschel becomes a pastor and gets wrapped up in his ministry. In fact his ministry actually is his god as he tried to “collect converts like Michaels Phelps collected gold metals”. Sadly, this too is the mentality of most pastors and evangelists today. It is more about the numbers than it is about proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.

I will not pick the book apart piece by piece, even though it is warranted to do so as Groeschel is supposedly relaying God’s Word to others. To sum the book up, it is basically the pats on the back self serving pastors give to the teenage boy that is standing in their office, wondering if they are actually saved or not. With 240 pages Craig Groeschel reaffirms the reader that they are okay after all, that it’s o.k. to not believe in God to the extent scripture dictates. The non – “Christian atheist” Christianity that Groeshel describes is a works based righteousness as well.

The Emergent theology is apparent in the closing chapters as Groeshel talks about a social gospel. Just do good to people and show them Jesus, preach the gospel and use words if necessary kind of philosophy is prevalent in his words. Of course he lists some of his accomplishments and how his church changed peoples lives, what his church did for those in his communities. Don’t get me wrong, these are good things, but without the gospel they are just good deeds done by some good people. One not need to be a Christian to do good in their community and any good done should be capped off with why that good was done in the first place. This is what Jesus and His disciples did. They gathered groups of hungry people, fed them all then proclaimed the truth of the gospel of Christ. They did not waste an attentive crowd to let it be known that these 13 men fed us and then left. Those that got fed also got a big dose of truth. Jesus never left a sinner without letting them know their sinful state and telling them to sin no more. Some even went away sad, some never got it like the Pharisees, but they always got the truth of the Word.

In that is our command, to spread the seed of the Gospel of Christ. Sadly, this book does not do that and only adds more to the arsenal of the lost, professing Christian/ false convert. The bit of truth that shines through in Groeschel’s words on page 233, “God created me in my image. I returned the favor and created Him in mine”. But he never tells of his repentance to that fact, never tells of the True God of scripture. What he does do is set a 3-line division between levels of Christianity. The first line believers “believe just enough to be saved”, but still love the world, still live a worldly life. The second line “Christian” have a little change, but do just enough to benefit and give a little back, as long as it doesn’t cost too much. The third line “Christian” are the ones that believe enough to give your life to “it” (Christ). He does say that the first 2 lines do not really seem like real Christianity to him anymore, but does not give a call to those still living there to repent and believe as commanded.

So it is not really what Groeschel says is any different than any other “pastor” out there. It is what he and the other do not say. They do not give a true account on what the bible says a true believer does, the evidences that a true believer will have (fruit) and that his 3rd line Christian is the only true Christian. He sidesteps the answer and says “they don’t seem to be” to him, not that they really need to examine themselves to see that they are in the faith. A person with the readership of Groeschel should be taking the opportunity to sow the seeds of the Word in his reader’s hearts and minds. He has done a dis-service to his readers and taken them to a comfortable level again, they are still lost, they are still comfortable with being false converts, still living in sin and still not concerned. They have their “ticket” to heaven and are going to live like hell on this earth. They now have one more catchphrase to use to describe themselves - adding to nominal Christian, worldly Christian, carnal Christian and the ever popular backslider. The term “Christian atheist” is an abomination and blasphemy. To mix the Holy Name of Christ with the term that is blatant disregard of Him is worthy of damnation.

I pray that Craig Groeschel will one day repent of making up this term. I pray that God uses this book to actually save souls, after Groeschel rebuts it for being forgiving of the unforgiven. Any book that invokes the Name of Christ and does not adequately portray Him is very dangerous. I recommend this book only to those that need to see the mentality of professing Christianity today. If you think yourself to be a “Christian atheist” then you are lost. You need to repent of your sins and believe in Christ. You need to get out of the church that condones this type of “theology” and into a true Church that leans on the Word of God for everything, that leans on Christ for everything.

I am sorry if you thought you were going to get a real review of this book. I am not a reviewer and I am not much of a writer. What I am is someone that loves the Lord and what He has done for me. I do not profess anything except to be His and be available to be used by Him in whatever ways He sees fit. This “book review” started with a post on Facebook that just gave the title of the book. Following the post was a local “pastors” comments about the book, how he was mentored by Craig Groeschel, etc. I asked a few questions and then realized I was talking about a book that I knew nothing more about than the title and what the dust jacket said. I was commenting about the title and knew I needed to read the book to see if my concerns were warranted or not. They were and so I needed to write a little about the book. I am really concerned with the social gospel that is being portrayed by the likes of Groeschel and the others that seem to be in the Emergent movement. They like to explain what the “Church” needs to do to reach the community, but always seem to leave out telling the true Gospel that Jesus and His disciples preached. They want it to be relational and pragmatic, the ends justify the means mentality. But, the end is more often the pits of hell, as they do not tell of the repenting faith that Jesus spoke of during His earthly ministry. Without that, building houses, cleaning up and painting brothels, helping an old lady across the street are but wood, hay and stubble. They are meaningless.

Is U2 A Christian Band?

The greatest question…. The one everyone is pondering……… The one that caused heated debate between a “friend of a friend” on facebook (not really heated, but he was not in agreement with me)……..
Was it “Did you choose God or did God choose you?”
No.
How about, “Should we not pray because God is sovereign and therefore our prayers don’t really do anything anyway?”
No.
Then it’s got to be, “Did Adam have a belly button?”
And, no again.
It was, “Are U2 Christians?” And I’m sure that if you have read even a single post on my blog, you already know what my stance is. A sound no. Well, I can’t say with a 100% certainty they are not Christians, but unless they have forsaken their sins, turned from them in repentance and put their whole faith in Christ it is a definite no.

By they, I of course mean Saint Bono and Saint Edge, the other guys are just kinda there and nobody knows who they are anyway. And by “unless they have forsaken their sins, turned in repentance and put their whole faith in Christ”, I mean nobody knows. They seem to wear their faith on their sleeve. Right? Well, not exactly.

In numerous interviews and quotes found throughout the internet, they (Bono and Edge) paint broad pictures of what their faith looks like. Thing is, it looks different all the time and not in a sanctification kinda way, but in a “We’re going to do what feels comfortable for us” kinda way. They refuse to say what their faith is based on and who that faith is actually in. From what I gather though, they have amalgamated a plethora (my $2 words for this post) of spiritual concepts into one big ball of jello that changes shape depending on which way the wind is blowing at the time.

What is really damaging is their use of Biblical themes in their music and even using Christian terms to describe some aspects of their beliefs. But, neither Bono or Edge have said “ I am a Christian. I follow the risen Savior Jesus Christ. The Bible is the final authority on my life and I lay my life at the feet of Jesus and am His slave.” Nothing even remotely like that. I have found where he says a lot of truth about Jesus and who He is and what faith in Him requires, but nothing that says without a doubt “I am a Christian”. And with that I will have to quote Martin Luther “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say”

U2’s faith is very reminiscent of Universalism, at best. Roman Catholicism is held in deep regard to the band. They have a pragmatic approach to their spirituality using humanitarian aid as a catalyst to their good works, as well as a sign for others to point to saying “See, they’re good guys, they help so many people”. I will not discount their generosity, but that is not necessarily a fruit of the spirit on display. (see my last post on non-Christian philanthropy). It is great that they try to help kids in less wealthy nations, but it is not proof of their spiritual condition. It could be, however, a condition of their conscience, the God given “voice” that points to God. The pragmatism of U2 is at center of their philosophy. The “ONE” movement that has pulled in many mainstream “Christian” bands and leaders is very works based philosophy. It is about serving the poor and needy, but makes no mention of God while doing these works. If you watch the video below you will see the pragmatism on display by Bono. He is somewhat knowledgeable of scripture and also the twisting of it. The “ONE” group/ movement has enlisted the likes of Bill Gates, Third Day, Rick Warren and Islamic Relief. So, as you can see the ecumenical push to join together for the betterment of mankind, to step join together and give credence to false religions and people and groups that are blatantly anti-Christian. I don’t think that is such a good idea and neither does the God of the bible.

I do think U2 have a lot of knowledge of Biblical things, but this can be said of most of professing Christians across the world. Knowledge does not equal conversion. Knowing a bunch of facts will not put you on the narrow road, but still leaves one on the broad path to destruction. Sadly U2 are pulling people that are headed to the narrow path back towards the broad. Actually U2 are embraced as full-fledged Christians by a lot of liberal professing Christians and especially those engrained in the Emergent movement. Bono and Edge truly are saints to those people. This is quite damaging as the lifestyles of the members of U2 are emulated. Chomping on cigars, cursing like a sailor and embracing other religions as true are very commonplace in both the liberal and emergent circles which would make U2 the poster children for either movement.

Conservative Christianity is under attack. Actually when you say Christianity the conservative part should be a given. The liberality that is the pursuit of so many stand in contradiction to most of the New Testament. They mention grace an awful lot, that they are free to do what is good in their own eyes, but neglect the command to be holy. They sin and sin and sin some more because “Jesus died on the cross for me”. They do have that right, but not in the way a true believer says it. Their context is “I’ll sin all I want, I have a license to sin and it’s the blood of Jesus”. The true Christian, however, truly see’s that Jesus did die for them on the cross, that Jesus did pay it all and they no longer desire to sin because of their sins that did put Him on the cross. They want to be Holy as He is Holy and strive to be more like Christ instead of still like their old self with the trinket of Christianity hanging around their neck.

So, is the band U2 Christian? Could be, but if so they would be the new creation talked about in 2 Corinthians 5:17. They would proudly profess Who their hope lies in and Who they are slaves to. Their wouldn’t be the omission and the broad paintbrush strokes to leave people wondering. To some that sounds radical or extreme Christianity, to actually live for Christ, to profess Christ in all that you do. It is radical that all things become new, but it is the fruit of the Spirit that start being produced. You might even say that those “radical” Christians that actually look like nut cases because they love the Lord so much are actually what normal Christianity looks like. Not like the mish mash of worldly entwined with whatever is convenient to a particular person at any given time. Christianity is a call to Holiness and Christ-likeness that is not found in a secular rock band, or any other thing that Satan uses to muddy peoples thoughts.

If there is even a little doubt if something is of God or not, I would strongly suggest to err on the side of caution. Do not try to justify a band, a relationship, a book, a movie, a website or anything else that you find interesting. If you must scour scripture to find something that is not there to justify something, then it is probably a bad idea. Scripture is clear that Christians are to be separate from the world.

In closing, this is yet another call to discernment. Any true Christian will desire holiness as a characteristic. They will seek righteousness and FLEE from sin, not try to justify. They will not condone sinful musicians, they will not justify a crass TV show, they will not find “the spirituality in” Twilight, Harry Potter or Gilligan’s Island. They will seek a true understanding of God in His glory and not use the Blood of Christ as a ticket to sin. So, where do you stand? Are you justifying sins, embracing the darkness of the world? Do you not desire holiness in your life? Do you care that professing Christ, but living like the world is blaspheming His Holy Name? Repentance is the first key to a true walk with the Lord. Turn from your wickedness and sin to the Holy God. Trust in Him for everything. Lay your life at His feet and say, “take me, I am Yours. Do with me what thou will.” And do not look back at the sinful past of your life. Flee from sin, put your hand to the plow and do not look back, truly trust in Him, for everything.


Bono’s pragmatic philosophy from his own mouth. Rick Warren will be proud.

Do You Give To Glorify God? Then Say So.

While we are to love those around us and serve the “least of these” doing it all out of love of our Father, is it really the gospel to simply “do good” for people? Yes, it is good to do good. That can be a fruit of the Spirit, having compassion for our fellow humans, feeding the hungry, clothing the homeless or leaving a big tip for the waitress that happens to not have given the greatest service, but looked to be frazzled.

Are those things biblical? Sure, I guess you could find scriptural basis for those things, but those things are meant to show the gospel to a dying and lost world. When you give a homeless man a pair of socks are you telling him of his need for a Savior or is it just a good deed? A deed that for yourself lifts you up because you did a good thing, but did you do the most loving thing and share what Christ has done for you? When you are handing out sandwiches at the community lunch pantry is the gospel shared?

True, Jesus used earthly things to draw a crowd, but they knew why they were there, to hear the truth of Christ. There was no doubt that they were going to hear a message about repentance and faith in God. Their bellies were jus the means used to get a group of people together, and then the real food was given. The bread of life was offered freely to the masses of people. Some took of the bread, others did not, but it was offered.

I am not dissing doing good deeds at all. I am just wondering why so many, do so much, while saying so little. I know Jesus said if you do something to the least of these, it’s as if you are doing it for Him (Matthew 25:44-46), but is that supposed to be the end? Are we to only give a cup of water to the thirsty and not use that opportunity to tell them about Christ? Are we to mow the neighbors yard and him just think we are a swell guy. I’d say no. I think our actions do speak volumes, but anyone can do good deeds or works. I’m sure many atheists are “good” people and do kind things. Look at Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, probably the two most well known philanthropists ever known, are they Christians? My research is inconclusive, but leans toward a no answer. Neither have shared their beliefs in the philanthropic giving that has been published. Which proves my point entirely.

If Buffet or Gates were Christians and gave money away like they do they would want others to know what drives them to do so. They would use their money, their gifts from God, to say “Here’s a million bucks to spend as you please, but let me tell you why I am giving this to you, what the hope that lies within me is, what God has done for me and I want to share it with you.” Isn’t that the same as working in a food pantry or giving a guy a ride on the highway? Wouldn’t it be the opportune time to share the Gospel with that person and not just leave him thinking that you were just a swell guy or gal?

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

I think that verse pretty much sums up my ranting here. Whatever you do, do it to glorify your Father, not take the glory for yourself. Tell the people you are serving food to what Christ has done for you. Don’t let your neighbor just think you are a nice person for mowing their yard, tell them about all the things God has given you and how you wanted to share that with them.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Even The Demons Believe and Tremble. Do You?

In Mark 5:6 we see a sight that doesn’t seem that extraordinary to us, a man falling at the feet to Jesus. That is, not extraordinary unless you read the rest of the passage. The man just so happened to be possessed. Not just by a single demon, but by a Legion, as they described themselves.

This demon-possessed man, whom had been chained by those of Gadarenes, had broken free of his chains and shackles. He screamed out day and night as he journeyed between the mountains and the graveyard. One day he happened to see a boat approaching and he recognized one of the occupants. Now, how could this man know who Jesus was? I’ll say he didn’t, but the demons that indwelt him knew fully that this Man was Jesus.

What happens next is what is truly amazing to me. This demon-possessed man fell down and worshipped Jesus. The most evil entities of the Earth fell to the feet of Jesus in worship, for they knew they must. This goes right along with James 2:19 – “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”

This is truly amazing if compared to most professing Christians today, who live in luxury and only seek God when things “get tough”. This most evil creature knew and recognized the deity of Christ and bowed in His presence. You all know the rest of the story in which Jesus called the demons from the man and sent them into the swine, which then in turn ran into the sea and perished. Jesus then set down with the newly freed man and conversed with him.


The other town’s people were frightened by what happened for some reason. Scripture does not say why, all we can do is take it at what is said. They did ask Jesus to leave. Why? The Bible doesn’t say, but the only one that seems to want Jesus to stay is the man freed of the demonic possession. This single man had been the whole reason Jesus journeyed across the sea, to show His glory and for this encounter to be recorded in scripture.

What I get from this is exactly how it appears; we do not worship our Lord, as we should. We do not recognize the deity of Jesus as fully as we should and we do not bow to Him in worship even close to the degree required. This is one of the areas where man fails God daily, hourly and by the minute. We do not acknowledge the God of the universe in all that we do.

What do we do about it then? We do as the demon-possessed man did and fall on our faces in worship to God and allow Him to heal us. We repent of our lack of worship of Him and ask for a revival of our spirit to be in harmony with His Spirit. This is true revival, not what is being hailed these days by the traveling “evangelists” Their call is to the lost (so they say) and is called a revival, what true revival is can be defined what revival sounds like – a return to the normal.

Cry out to the God of Abraham and Moses to revive you. Fall on your face and worship Him and Him alone. Know Him more intimately than you could ever imagine. Study His Word and hide it in your heart. Cry out for revival in your own heart and ask that it spread to your family, your church, your city, your country and the whole world.

Lost Season Finale (Or how I "lost" 6 years of Tuesday nights) part 2

If you have not read my first post about the season finale of Lost, please do so. This post is to just show the stained glass window depicted in the final minutes of the series finale. Pardon the bad photo, but I could not find any postings on the web yet.

I was confident that the depiction in the glass was for a Unitarian Universalism church, but not 100% sure. But after research that is what this glass would be from. There does seem to be a couple of insignia missing though, maybe as to not cause "too much" controversy. Those being the Wiccan pentacle, the Universalist's flaming chalice, the circles of time and a different symbol for the Islamic faith.

What is present are from top left:
1)Islamic symbol (also predate Islam as the symbol of the Moabites (an opponent of Israel)
2) The Jewish Star of David
3) Hindu Aum
4) A Cross
5) Buddhists Wheel of Dharma
6) Taoists Yin Yang

So, I stand with my original assertion that I will never watch Lost in any capacity again. I think that the producers overstepped their bounds to imply the "all roads lead to heaven" view of religions. Jesus said He was the only Way to the Father. Anything other than that is rank heresy and I cannot and will not support anything that does, especially a TV show.

I showed a lack of better judgment in watching the series in the first place. They peppered it with Christian titles and themes, just enough to hold my interest to see where they were going with things. It worked, I was fooled, but not again.

Lost Season Finale (Or how I "lost" 6 years of Tuesday nights)

As a fan of Lost for the past 6 seasons I have had about every emotion thrown at me. You kinda get to know the characters of a show that you invest so much time in. I guess I now would like a refund on the last 6 years of Tuesday night back.

The final season was a setup for the afterlife, one that the producers seemed to condone as an “all roads lead to heaven” kinda place. As of right now (within 30 minutes of the final credits) I cannot find the end all screen capture posted on the web, but when I do I will post it to this posting. By “end all” I mean my watching Lost, partaking of any extended series books, stories, TV shows, movies, etc. ***Update - just posted a screen capture of the stained glass window in my part 2 to this post***

I will not go into detail, but the ending was very disappointing to me, as a Christian. The “church” where the cast met to be taken into the afterlife had a stained glass window, prominently displayed, with many different religious symbols in it. I assume because they did not want to offend anyone of religions other than Christianity, so they represented several other faiths in the glass. It seems they would have wanted to start the “all roads lead to heaven” story a lot sooner than the finale, say maybe back when they were throwing in a whole lot of biblical references. I can’t seem to recall any Islamic or Taoist text being recited or shown carved in sticks. Christianity was just a side story line that I thought was just that, a diversion for some other central story. And it was, as Christianity now has been brought down to the level of the false religions of the world to many millions of people. But with one fell swoop, the producers have done what Oprah, Obama and so many other Universalists have been trying to do for so long, indoctrinate that all roads lead to heaven into the mindset of the masses.

I am sorely upset at the producers of the series. That is one emotion I have not even thought about throughout the 6 years I invested in their TV show. I have gotten angry at story lines, but not the makers… until now.

I guess it is now too late to boycott the show, since they did not throw this in until the last 10 minutes of the 6 years. Maybe that’s why, they knew that they would be forsaken and lose viewers. I suppose my boycott will now only extend to the re-broadcasts. Knowing the ending will now taint the whole series for me. Just wish I would have known this 6 years ago……..

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” In reference to Jesus

Christian Atheist? Is That Even Possible?

Luke 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

I’m going to admit upfront, no beating around the bush and no apology – I have not read the book I will be referencing in this blurb. The title caught my interest, which I assume is the reason the author chose it. Actually the book’s title is blasphemous and at best an oxymoron (I like that term for some reason), which again is probably the authors purpose in choosing it.
The book is “The Christian Atheist”. I first heard of it a few months ago and thought “Hmmm, that sounds completely ridiculous.” The author of the book is Craig Groeschel, “pastor” of LifeChurch.TV. Not really 100% sure what kind of church that is exactly, but from what I gather Groeschel’s “sermons” are broadcast to 12 locations across the US. Also of note, a local “pastor” calls Groeschel a mentor and has shown his videos, but as of now is not a LifeChurch.TV campus.

My better judgment lead me away from desiring to read the book initially, but my wife’s questioning of the book lead me to dig a little deeper than my discerning mind. To my astonishment I could not find a review anywhere by a reputable book critic. I had hoped that Tim Challies would have a review up, but I guess he is not into reading heresy just to dog it out. Still, I have not found a single reputable review of this book.

Not finding a review actually makes me want to read it to do my own review. The problem is I do not want to plunk down $15 for it. So if anyone knows anyone that would like to burn their copy, please have them send it to me so I can read it, I will then burn it for them when I am finished reading it. I am not what you would call a heavy reader and what I do read is by solid authors like Piper, MacArthur and even Ray Comfort (plus a few others, but you get the idea). I do not find myself wanting to read these types of books for their content, but instead for ammunition to be used to tell others to stay clear. I balk at reading also, because I know that what goes into your mind is very hard to get rid of and most of the time stays there indefinitely.

So the latest round in this books history with me happened on facebook. One of my friends posted – “Christian Atheist - one who says they believe in God, but live as though He does not exist.” A comment, or 3, from the “pastor” of the LifeChurch.TV’s local connection Brad, followed that. Look below for the screen capture of the discussion. He asked the poster if it was a Groeschel quote, which he knew it was but just wanted to flex his “Yeah, I know him” muscle – cough, cough. By the time I had gotten to the post to make a comment the poster and the “pastor” were talking about a lunch date, but I couldn’t resist posting my $.02 that went something like this:
“Someone that professes to be a Christian but lives as though God doesn't exist = a lost person. I believe scripture is fairly clear on that. Even the term Christian atheist is blasphemous.”

So, then I get the politically correct version from “pastor” Brad:
“Hey Jeffrey...
I think that 'lost' is the point of the book Christian Athiest from which that quote comes...
Basicallly(his spelling) that's what he means... The whole idea comes from a teaching focused on reaching the lost who think they are believers...”

Just so I will not get it wrong, here is the remainder of the comments/ conversation:
Me:
“Gotcha. Does the book focus any on the reason these people believe the way they do?”
“Pastor” Brad: “Typically, in America, the reason for stuff like that is consumerism. People are looking to consume services... They take, take and take some more... Wanting things like heaven, forgiveness, and money... But not wanting to take up their cross and follow Him.”
“Pastor” Brad:
“You just don't get one without the other”
Me:
“But aren't those all byproducts of something else? A failing to teach the Word as the Apostles and Christ Himself did? A message that has man at its centrality instead of Jesus? I don't think the root problem is the lost lining the pews on Sunday morning, I think it is the one standing behind the pulpit not accurately presenting the Gospel.
Going after the "Christian Atheist" is damage control, at best. To call these people "Christian" in any sense is blaspheming Christ’s Name. There are only the lost and those saved by God; there is no middle ground. One will not stand before the Holy Throne and say, "I believe in You, but I may not have lived like." If they believed they would have lived like it.”

And there it ended. No reply from Brad and no comments by the original poster, or anyone else. I was kind of disappointed that no one else had any input one-way or the other on the discussion. Not that I like to have disagreements on facebook or anywhere else, but I do like for people to take things a little deeper than face value.

The premise of “Christian atheism” is that someone has a belief in God, professes to be a Christian, does a lot of “Christian” things, but yet lives like there is no God. Actually that pretty much sums up about 90% of those that profess to be Christians today. But does the book address the cause of the terrible fact that today’s “gospel message” is sending countless millions to hell? That is the real issue here and “Christian atheists” are just a by-product of the message that is being spread. If the Word of God was preached in the power of the Spirit, then there would be practically no need of a book like this.

This book, according to the “positive” reviews, paints the picture of those that are on the 3rd road to eternity. This is in contrast to the only 2 roads scripture speaks of, the narrow and the broad. So, for anyone to assume that these “Christian atheists” are on some mid-road is borderline heresy. Jesus put it quite nicely in Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23 “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” So, to say that someone can be for God, but yet not live like it is openly saying that the scriptures are false.

Many times through the Bible we are told that light and dark can’t be together, you can’t serve two masters, do not have fellowship with darkness; if you live in darkness you are lost. So, how does Groeschel mesh his teaching of being an atheist who is also a Christian? That, I am not sure about and might have to read the book to find out. I just know that anyone that truly believes in God, that Jesus died for them, that He was risen on the third day and repents (turns from their sins and to the Holy God) and casts all their being on Christ will be saved. This salvation is not from just the pits of hell, but also from a life that is contrary to the Holy God of creation. Someone that has been truly born again is a new creation and will shun darkness and seek to be conformed into the image of the Savior. These people will not sit in the pews diddling with their cell phones and watching the clock with their only prayer being for the service to hurry up and get over so they can go watch the game.

These lost people were once called backsliders, but as everything with the more emergent folk, they had to come up with a new title for the deceived. I heard the term backslider thrown around much over my childhood life and a lot of my adult life. As a matter of fact, I would have been called a backslider because at the age of 8 I said a prayer, which automatically makes me saved. Saved from what, is the appropriate question there. I lived from the age of 8 until I was 38 professing to be a Christian while those 30 years I lived like the rest of the lost world. I smoked from age 14 through my actual conversion at 38, I drank, had premarital sex, cussed, lusted, lied, stole, blasphemed the Lord and broke every other commandment from God, all the time pointing back to my 8 year old experience, induced by an evangelist with the message of “you don’t want to go to hell do you”. So by all accounts I was just like the majority of professing Christians today, deceived. I was deceived by the modern American message of “just say this prayer” and “just say you’re sorry after you sin”. Never a mention of personal holiness or sanctification. Those words were only used to describe those that were at a higher level of Christianity than the normal Christian. In all actuality those “at a higher level” were those that were probably the ones that were actually converted and were striving after holiness and a closer walk with Christ.

In closing, these “Christian atheists” are lost to put it simply. They need our prayers and most of all need God to intervene. They do not need someone to tell them their Christian atheist title, they need someone to tell them they are sinners and are headed to hell. They need someone that loves them to tell them they are deceived and lost and need to repent or perish. They do not need a fancy new term to describe their “loss-ness”. The congregations need to hear the Word of God and not this ear tickling heresy that spews forth from these so called preachers. Their condemnation will be great on judgment day unless they repent themselves and start faithfully proclaiming the Word in truth.
Click on jpg above for original "conversation" with "Pastor" Brad about the book "The Christian Atheist"

Christian:
n.
1. A person who believes in and follows Jesus Christ, one who has repented of their sins and relies wholly in Christ.
Atheist:
n.
1.One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God

Is The National Day of Prayer Biblical?

Tomorrow marks the 59th observance of the “National Day of Prayer” in our nation. “Every president since 1952 has endorsed and supported National Day of Prayer except President Obama, who has decided not to endorse that,” is a quote from a local news website. Is that an accurate quote? Perhaps, and it would not surprise me. Obama did, however, back an exclusive Muslim day of prayer last September.

Does it bother me that Obama doesn’t support a sanctioned day of prayer for our nation? Not at all and it shouldn’t you either. If you think about it, a national day of prayer will be a day that many people (professing Christians, Jewish, Muslims, Hindu, Krishna, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormons and even Wiccans) will come together to pray to their chosen deity for whatever reason they do. To me this sounds like a common evening at any Masonic Lodge across the world, “just profess to believe in a higher power of the Universe and you can stand beside me in prayer” is the mantra for the day tomorrow.

So, should a Christian get all worked up about the president not supporting this event or the Wisconsin’s judge finding the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional? I say NO with a resounding voice. Tomorrow will mark a day of idolatry when fanciful prayers will be offered up to nonexistent gods, even by those that profess the name of Jesus. These are the modern day equivalence of the Pharisees of scripture. I would say that next to Christmas, tomorrow will be the most blasphemous day of the year.

Matthew 6:5-7 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Wow, Jesus sure made that clear, didn’t He? So, does this one passage of scripture refute having a National Day of Prayer? I’ll let you decide that for yourself. Personally, tomorrow will be as any other day for me, as far as my prayers go. I will awaken and thank God for all He does for me, allowing me to awaken next to my beautiful wife and thank Him for the gifts He has given me, thank Him for my health and ask to be used of Him to do what is pleasing to Him. My day will progress as any other day, I will commune with the Lord throughout the day. I will pray for brothers and sisters as they come to mind, I will pray for guidance and opportunity to share what He has done for me, to be mindful of opportunities to share the Gospel. I will thank Him for the meals He supplies to my family and me. In other words, I never really stop praying throughout the day. I am aware of the presence of God with me. I may not be 100% faithful in this, but God is teaching me to commune with Him and in turn I will sin less against Him and be conformed more into the image of Christ. I am definitely very far from that goal, but He is the Potter and I am the clay and He is molding me and shaping me to be what He wants.

So, I guess my point of this posting is to say, “chill out” if you are uptight about the recent events that are against a National Day of Prayer. Calm down if you think Obama is a Muslim against Christians. I am very certain that God has Obama in control and he doesn’t take a breath unless it is ordained by the Father. Do not bemoan a man sanctioned day of idolatry, I would even say do not take part in the day except to ask the Lord to turn those that are praying to their false idols to the One that can actually answer their prayers. Pray that God is glorified and exalted above all and ask how you can be used of Him to be a part of that.

Let me close by saying that I am not 100% against a gathering of God’s people joining in prayer to ask for the Lords will to be done. We do see in scripture the Church coming together with prayers, but they did not need a certain day of the year to do so. They came together in unison, with one voice, seeking the will of God. That kind of corporate prayer is very much needed today. True Christians need to come together with one voice to seek God as the body, to seek a return to the pure state of Christianity, a true revival of His church. I ask that you pray without ceasing and join others daily in prayer to the Lord. Just don’t plan a day, write out a long and exuberant prayer that will try to tickle the ears of those hearing it instead of petitioning the God and Maker of everything.

Oh, and stop posting prayers on facebook, myspace, youtube or sending them in emails. If those are your prayers to God, why do you post them for others to read? To bolster the readers spirituality? To show how spiritual you are? To show your immense vocabulary? I would very seriously caution posting a prayer to God anywhere. Pray to the Father only.

Pray For Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels, singer of 80’s rock group Poison has suffered a massive brain hemorrhage. I will not make light of Michaels condition and will not belabor his sinful lifestyle. I will say that Michaels, like we all were, is a sinner. He needs God’s grace to rush in and take over his life.

Michaels is in need of our prayers right now. He is part of the ultimate statistic of mortality, 1 in 1 will die. But, for Michaels, he is being afforded the opportunity for countless millions of Christians to approach the Holy Throne of God with the request to save this man, for health and his family’s stake, yes, but more importantly from the pits of hell.

As of now, it is unsure of Michaels’ cognitive condition. A massive brain hemorrhage doesn’t sound very good and I am no doctor. I know there is the real possibility he could be incapacitated, and not able to understand anything anyone says to him. But, I know God is exceedingly merciful and desires all men to come to repentance. This includes Bret Michaels. He is no more a sinner than you or I were at some point in our lives until God intervened.

So, I ask that each of you that read this little ol’ blog to take a moment and pray for Bret Michaels’ salvation. This could be the wake up call he needed to see how sinful he is and his need of a Savior. Pray that God puts people in his path that will adequately share about our Lord’s saving grace, about the redemptive work of Christ, whose blood was shed for him at Calvary. Pray that this will be used by God to convert Bret Michaels so his testimony and life change will glorify God and in turn work in others lives to bring a saving faith to them as well.

Remember, we were all sinners saved by grace. Michaels’ sinful lifestyle may have been televised and reported on to the public, but I can honestly say our sins are and were just a repulsive to God. Did He save you and take you from your sinfulness? Then why would you think a rock star is any different?

The Faith(?) Of Elvis Presley

"The world is more alive at night…it's like God ain't looking." - Elvis

John 3:19-20 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. - God

After writing the blog post yesterday on the Beatles alleged quote “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus” I started thinking more about Elvis. I had said that I had always heard you either loved Elvis or the Beatles, not both. I think that saying actually dissuaded me from liking the Beatles through life, mostly because my mom, grandmother, dad and brother were all Elvis fans, which naturally made me an Elvis fan. (On a side not that is how many people profess to be Christians as well)

So, I have often wondered about Elvis’ true spiritual condition. Was he a Christian? No doubt he was a great entertainer who loved music since childhood. Elvis was quoted as saying, “Since I was two years old, all I knew was gospel music. That music became such a part of my life it was as natural as dancing, a way to escape from the problems. And my way of release." This goes back to his upbringing in the Assemblies of God church in Tupelo as a child. His mother, no doubt, was a model for his musical and spiritual choices then and throughout his life.

Elvis was known to sing gospel songs during his concerts, during rehearsals and notably surrounded himself with famous Southern Gospel groups. These included The Imperials, The Sweet Inspirations and JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet. Elvis’ penchant for gospel music has been the influence for many gospel singers ever since, because of that you will likely hear his arrangement of “How Great Thou Art” in 99% of church services. Elvis’ live recording of this song always gives me goose bumps. But little bumps through my follicle system are not enough proof that Elvis actually meant the words he was singing. Elvis was also a huge giver. He was known to give cars away on the whim. But that also does not mean since he gave Sonny and Red each a Cadillac that he did so in the spirit of Christ but instead that he was just a giver by nature. This may be mostly in part that he did not have much when he was growing up and wanted to spread the wealth, not a bad thing but also not something that says “Yes, Elvis was a Christian”.

I have become very skeptical of Elvis actually being a born again believer. Many reasons are behind this, but most notably his lifestyle and that I never actually heard him profess to know Christ in interviews or print. After researching on the web, I still can’t find anything pointing to Elvis’ Christianity other than his singing of Gospel songs and his upbringing in a Pentecostal home. There are many people that would say I am being judgmental and that I can’t say for sure if Elvis was a Christian and I agree, I do not know for 100% certainty that Elvis was or was not a true believer.

I know that Elvis sang gospel songs, surrounded himself with gospel singers, talked of his upbringing in a Pentecostal home, had a bible and was very giving. But, I ask you, how many other people live this same lifestyle today? I know many people that profess to be Christians and back it up by things along the road of their life, even a prayer the recited as a child is pointed to. The question is, do these things make someone a Christian? Are these things fruits of a Christian? Or are these things simply a lifestyle instilled from childhood into a man that really loved and admired his mother?

One path Elvis lead through the later part of his life was spiritual in nature. But the spirit he was seeking was definitely not the God of the Bible. He was known to have been heavily researching Hinduism, Judaism, numerology, Theosophy, positive thinking, the new-age and meditation. None of these things beneficial or relevant to a true Christian. In fact, many in his inner circle were growing increasingly worried over his path into the spiritual realm away from the Bible. Presley was seeking something and that is proof that he did not have the True God present in his life.

Many people will by now be saying, “Jeff, you’re a little harsh here. Elvis was just wrapped up in his lifestyle and stumbled from time to time. Sure he made mistakes, sure he did things that were not good in God’s eyes, but hey, he was raised a Christian and sang Christ centered songs.” This is no more than what millions have done and continue to do daily, justify themselves. The bible says you WILL be a new creation in Christ, that God will not allow you to be taken from His hand. So if those are true, how does someone, with the rebirth in Christ, and remaining in God’s hand stumble into a constant and habitual sinful existence?

Elvis’ sinfulness is well documented. His bevy of women, penchant for drugs and cursing are all common knowledge. But, Christianity is not a balancing act between good works of philanthropy and songs being sang outweighing the lifestyle chosen to pursue. I would very greatly like to say that Elvis was a Christian. But I think I can say confidently, unless he truly repented of his sins before his death in 1977, he is burning in a relentless flame in the depths of hell. It is very possible that that night in ’77 Elvis did see himself as the sinner he was and his need for the imputed righteousness of Christ. I pray he did, as I pray that others I have known and have passed did.

The fact remains that many are still in the same situation as Presley. They are trying to work their way to heaven. They line the pews every Sunday, they donate regularly to their church and charities, they sing Christian songs and have Christian friends, but they have not trusted God’s Word and in the sinless Lamb who bore their sins. They know a lot about Him, but yet do not know Him personally, just as many know a lot about Elvis; they never knew him in a personal manner. If you are one that justifies yourself instead of trusting in Christ for that, then you need to repent now. Your sins are on your own head and you will be accountable before a Holy God on judgment day. You will stand before the Father with the Son beside you and instead of Him showing the scars of your sins as proof that He knew you, He will say “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

The Beatles Were Bigger Than Jesus - The Sad Reality

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the breaking up of the Beatles, although the “official” breakup did not happen until 8 months later in 1970. Like them or not, they made a huge impact on the music industry and countless millions of people. Not even being a fan, I could still probably sing along to several of their songs, that after years of listening to the radio just kind of sunk in to my memory.

A popular saying over the years has been “You either love the Beatles, or you love Elvis. You can’t like them both.” I guess I was the Elvis fan growing up in the 70s, so I may have been subconsciously affected by that statement and purposefully avoided anything the Beatles did. But I still can’t ignore the mark the Beatles made on society.

The most notable thing that stands out to me was the John Lennon quote, “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus”. I have even used this as ammunition to persuade people to not listen to the Beatles, kind of a trump card to say, “See, these guys slandered the Name of Jesus, you don’t need any part of them.” That was a mistake on my part. After reflecting after my conversion on music, these guys are and were the same as any other person out there. Any other musical group of marginal success could say the same thing today, and sadly be correct. Actually Lennon had never said this (real story here), but it was actually the sad state then and it is a sad state now.

What was attributed to Lennon was stating an obvious; they were bigger than Jesus in their day. They probably still are. But this was not some kind of braggadocios statement where the Beatles were portraying themselves as gods. The statement was actually a very good assessment of how their followers had MADE the Beatles gods to themselves. Sadly, this is the same state, if not larger today, of the public view of God.

Look at society today, the musicians are treated like royalty and God is mocked. You mention the name Jesus and you are instantly an outcast. I am fine with that, and any true believer should be, we are not of this world (John 15:18-19). But, take any group or person on the charts today, Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga (who is no lady at all), Beyonce’, Taylor Swift, Carey Underwood, Jay-Z and still even the Beatles, and compare their followings to that of God. You will soon see that the public makes idols of these performers. Not necessarily the performers putting themselves into that position, but being placed there by adoring fans. That is where the egos come in and these entertainers then start doing the same thing their fans do, they deify themselves. This is true for most of the professing Christian artists in the mainstream music category. I would even say it is true in the “Contemporary Christian Music” segment as well.

What it boils down to is idolatry. The supposed Lennon quote hit the nail firmly on the head when attributed to him decades ago. People are sinners and they need to fill the void that God put there to long after Him. Not a “God shaped hole”, but a desire to know the God of the universe. Music is but one outlet people use to fill that desire, drugs, alcohol, sex, video games, kids, sports and any other thing put before God is the same as what Lennon supposedly said, “------ is bigger than Jesus”, insert your idol there.

You need to examine yourself and see if you have a right standing with God. Try everything by fire and see what the all-consuming fire of God burns before His throne. God demands your full love and attention; He will not compete with your idols. I truly urge you to examine your life and see what excites you. Does the thrill of an action movie bring more joy than the thrill of witnessing to a lost person? Does the sounds of any song on the radio cause you to start singing along while you have a hard time remembering the words to “And Can It Be” during Sunday morning services? Does the sight of your spouse cause your heart to skip a beat, but the thought of God just make you want to turn the lights out to try and hide from Him? If you answered yes to any of those, then you have some idols. You have filled your heart with desires that God requires of you. But the good news is that God wants you to realize you have these idols and He wants you to give them up willingly. He will even help you with this; He will give you the desires of your heart if you just ask.

I will definitely not be using the supposed John Lennon quote to deter anyone from listening to the Beatles again. There are many more reasons to not listen to the Beatles instead of me misquoting yet again. God has graced me enough to know that anything can be an idol; anything can be taken and made to look like a golden calf in the sight of a jealous God. I ask God daily to take my idols and to turn my gaze upon Him, to look to Him for everything, to give me the thoughts of thankfulness for His grace to me in what He has gifted to me, a beautiful wife that reflects His love for me, kids that teach me how He loves me and wants me to be as forgiving as He is, people at work that do not know Him that give me opportunity to brag on what He has done for me, brothers and sisters that He has allowed me to become close to that reach out to me with His hands, music that radiates His goodness, food that shows that He is the bread of life and I need to feed on His Word as my body needs to feed on that food. I am thankful that God chose me, the Master and Creator who spoke everything into existence loves me and desires to show me just how much He does love me.

What Is Your Addiction?

Seems like we’ve got a bit of an epidemic on our hands. David Duchovney, Tiger Woods, Jesse James and now Bruce Springsteen. Anything familiar between these 4 men? These men are claiming to have contracted a newfound condition, which is called sex addiction.

Let me break it down even further and tell you what it is and what it’s not. First I will say that all men are addicted to sex, so yes, it is true these men suffer from the same thing all of us men suffer from. Men are inherently sexually natured, they thrive on it and if not kept in check leads to what these men are currently battling…… divorce. Actually every person ever born is addicted to sin. We can’t get enough of it, that is, unless God changes your sinful nature into a spiritual nature.

I will in no way condone or even give credit for the “sex-rehab: these men are or have already embarked on. These men are sinners against God and against their spouses. What God designed to be a reflection of the marriage between Jesus and His Church has been defiled and these men try to justify what they have done by calling it an addiction. Hogwash! Society now looks to what these men have done with a compassionate heart thinking “poor guys, they can’t help accidentally having sex with all of those women. They are the victims here.”

With the mentality of this being an “addiction” it joins the ranks of alcoholism and overeating. All of these things, if done outside the confines of their design, will bring destruction. Er, uh SIN. Call it what it is people. It is sin against a Holy God and trying to offer a man centered explanation is nothing more than justifying a wicked man. Check out Proverbs 17:5 for what God thinks of those that try to justify a man in sin. But this is just another example of societies downward spiral to destruction.

So, what can we do about this? All we can do is pray for these people, pray that God will be merciful and save them from their sinfulness. I will not entertain what these men claim to believe spiritually, because if it is not God centered it is false. If God was these men’s focus they would not be cheating on their wives and they would not have, to in turn, lie about their condition. I am not going all “Britt Hume” here, but these men need the God of the bible, just as we all did and still do. Outside of the grace of God, we would all be mired in sins trap. Only through the great richness of God’s love has He pulled me from my love of sin and focused me firmly in His Word and in His hands.

I can do nothing good without God’s mercy upon me; I was just as vile as all of these men before God saved me. I may not have ever physically cheated on my wife, but Jesus said that if you even look at a woman to lust after her, you have already committed adultery in your heart. (Matt. 5:28) Ouch. That kinda stings doesn’t it? He got to the heart of the situation, literally. Jesus was saying that your sins are not what people see, they are what is in your heart and mind. What people see are just the outward signs of the internal condition. He again addressed this with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30) but with his love of money. Jesus did not question his assertion that he had kept the whole of the law since childhood, He went straight to the young rulers heart, to his love of money.

Jesus said that your love of even your mother and father must seem like hate compared to your love of Him. (Luke 14:26) Can you say that? Or are the gifts of your family an idol to you? Through Jesus all things were created, so the Father, through the Son, gave everything you have to you. Do you love the gift more than the giver? Do you act like a spoiled kid on Christmas? With a “mine, mine, mine” attitude? Or do you praise God for His goodness to you? Being ever thankful for everything? Praising Him for the food you eat, the water you drink (or diet coke in my case) and everything else? (1 Cor. 10:31). If not, then you may be in the same condition as the rich young ruler. You may have a lot of idols in your life that you love more than God. This could be a sign that you do not truly know God, so I ask that you seek His Word and see that you are His. (2 Cor. 13:5, 2Pet 1:10). Repent and turn to God, seek and you will find Him, ask and it will be given.

Do not allow society to conform your mind to its lies. You must guard against these things and stay focused on the Truth of scripture. If it does not align with scripture it is false, no compromise. Call sin what it is and do not make it shiny call it addiction or anything else. It is sin, pure and simple and God hates it.

I Discern That You Shouldn't Discern ... Or Something Like That

“Allow me to discern for you, that you should not read discernment blogs to help you in your discernment.”

That is the message I am hearing these days. Especially now that John Piper has invited Rick Warren to the Desiring God Conference. These with the rally call to abandon discernment are the same ones that, before the internet and blogging, used to use the name “fruit inspector” for those that had a penchant for biblical discernment.

My question, when did it become acceptable to not be discerning? Why are blogs belittled for relaying information that is needed and usable in the aid of discerning what aligns and doesn’t align with scripture? I have a tendency to be on the discerning side, even in my writing. Maybe that is why I welcome brothers and sisters that have a gift of discernment in these dark days. Not to say that all discernment blogs are accurate, but I feel for the most they are usable tools to aid other believers in developing a view of what is attacking Christianity.

I would even say that NOT being discerning is dangerous. Just the happy-go-lucky attitude that everyone that invokes the moniker of Christian is a Christian is ludicrous. I do not even take a man at my doors word that he is the cable man if he doesn’t have proper credentials (fruit) to show that he is, in fact, the cable man. I would hope that any true believer would want to be more discerning when Christ’s Name is involved in anything, even a profession. I guess that is why I believe it is blasphemous for some to say, “I’m a Christian” when they live like the world, look like the world and desire nothing but worldly things. (See my blog on blasphemy and idle words)

I believe the proper course of anything that is labeled of God should be looked at very closely to see that it conforms to the Word. Be as the Bereans mentioned in Acts 17 and search scripture to be discerning, examine to make sure things mesh with scripture or are, indeed, false. This reminds me of a recent “conversation” with a friend over facebook. I had mentioned that Christians needed to be discerning when listening to the group “Philips, Craig and Dean” because their theology was heretical. Even though they claim to be Christians, sing “Christian music” and are “pastors” in a church is prime example that superficially a lot of things look of God, but with a little discernment things fall apart. PCD are modalists, a heretical view of scripture that denies the True God of scripture, therefore negating anything that they do or say of Godly things. They do know the terminology, but so do Mormons and Jehovah Witness’, which is the same extreme I place the modalism view. Just as Muslims say they worship God, they in fact have created a god in their own image and forsake the God of scripture.

If you look back over my posts, there is a call for discernment. I try to speak it loud and clear and I pray that I never become mushy and accepting of anything and everything that invokes God. I hope that if you are one that has always taken things at face value that you will scratch through the surface and start a discernment habit. I believe that any true Christian will thirst for truth and discernment. I also believe that if the Spirit is in you, then discernment is also in you and you need it awakened. Gods Spirit will bare witness to our spirit, if you feel uneasy about someone then there is probably reason for that. Just as “good” discernment is valid when you feel an instant connection with other believers where Gods Spirit brings our spirits together.

Just be wise and do not speak out because of a personal issue you might have. Make sure that you are being Spirit lead and not emotionally driven. Many times I get upset at things and after reflecting and seeking Gods council I am usually found to be wrong and praise God for allowing me to keep my mouth shut. Discernment is a great gift and tool from God that when actually given by God is very beneficial. But remember Satan also uses things that can seem of God, but are actually counterfeit to confuse, he has also used the word discerning to cause division. Be careful, but be correct. Do not allow false teaching, doctrine and professions to slander and blaspheme the Fathers Name.

John Piper and Rick Warren Closer Than Thought Theologically? Really?

John Piper, you have left many scratching their heads over your recent announcement that “America’s Pastor” Rick Warren will be taking part at the 2010 Desiring God National Conference.

When I first heard this a few days ago I thought that someone had mis-heard someone say something to somebody and just got the story mixed up. Boy, was I wrong. It is official and Piper has stated “I’m gonna need a lot of help to know why I should feel bad about this decision”. To which my reply would be – if you know there are major concerns by those in the same theological position and views that you have, then you already know WHY you should feel bad about this.

At first came my confusion. Then I realized, “Hey Jeff, John Piper has a lot more theological truths in his little finger than you have ever attained”. In fact Piper has been a teacher to me through his books and videos and I have a very high regard for him and his decisions. Just, right now, I do not fully understand this one. I am, however, becoming more open to see what the Lord has planned through this.

I, for one, know that someone can be full of many wrong views of scripture and of God. I know firsthand that God can and does bring people from those false teachings and beliefs to a better and more complete understanding of His Word and of theology in general. If you would have called me a Calvinist 5 years ago I would have argued with you that I would never even entertain the thought of the God choosing who He would save. But, the more I am drawn closer to God, the more understanding He allows me to attain. It is definitely baby steps for me. God had been very gracious to me over my whole life, from birth, to allowing me to live 30 years as a false convert in order to give me a heart full of compassion for others that believe the lies of the American church’s false gospel.

So, I am anxiously waiting to see what God has in store. I could give a whole laundry list of what Rick Warren says and does that do not align with scripture, but right now that is not needed. Right now I am being faced with the realization that God may have answered my (and many others) prayer that Rick Warren may have the scales taken off of his eyes and be shown the same grace and mercy I was shown, deliverance from a man centered gospel to a where the Gospel has to be, focused on God and not wavering at all.

Be in prayer that this is used by God to His glory. That lives will be changed, perceptions challenged and that Rick Warren will stand in front of the world and repent to the Father for his past stances on many issues, his man centered focus, his ecumenical flavorings and the other things I care not to mention right now.

Video from John Piper “explaining” his decision: