A Challenge for Today and Beyond: CD!

Here is a thought for today (and every day) - maybe better a challenge: Corum Deo- to live your life each and every day before the LORD.

What does this mean? After all, God sees all things - so everything is done and lived out "before God"! Coram Deo, simply put, is to intentionally live out our lives, our decisions, our words, and our hearts with God at the forefront. It is to really grasp that God is really Omnipresent, and so we also must come to grips with the fact that not a single action or thought in our lives is beyond God's view! It is also the vivid reminder that we all must give an account one day. Whether we be lost headed for eternal judgment in Hell and the Lake of fire because we are unregenerate sinners, or we are born-again, yet living outside of our professed faith (Jesus said if we love Him, we will keep His commands! - John 14:15). All must give an account.

Living Coram Deo means to live out our entire lives, every moment of every day, in the presence of, and in submission to God and His Sovereign authority.

To live a life of Coram Deo means to live a life of integrity. It means we will recognize that our lives paint a picture to the world (I have preached it as our lives as a living epistle to the lost world).

Living Coram Deo means that we not only keep Christ's commands, but that we most importantly act out of love, and speak Truth even in the face of opposition.

Coram Deo will rarely be the easy way. Indeed, living every moment of our lives under awareness of God's oversight and authority will indeed put all of the trifles and struggles, temptations and frustrations in proper perspective.

How has my life today honored and glorified God? Are my decisions today pleasing to God? Are the words I choose to use going to point others to the Savior? Are the priorities I set, God's priorities?

Won't you prayerfully contemplate the challenge?

A Day That Will Live In Infamy

Friday is the anniversary of a day that will live in infamy for me. I remember so vividly walking in to the library at Carlisle High School, passing through to the study hall room when Ms. Vanessa Haun, with tears and a shaky voice met me and asked if I had heard about an airplane hitting the World Trade Center.

We quickly got a TV out and hooked up to the cable-just in time to see the 2nd tower hit...

I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I remember the questions that flooded.  I recall the one know-racist and anti-American student who laughed and celebrated and caused me to come unglued.

And I remember praying. Praying like I had never prayed before. 

I remember watching the towers fall in on themselves.

I remember the initial reports of possible casualties upwards of 50,000 or more. 

I remember the somber "relief" that the number was far lower.

I remember when the third plane hit the Pentagon, which actually was the event that made me feel the most vulnerable, as that represents the center of the military that is our nation's defense...

And then he news of flight 93 going down, with the revelation over the next few days of the heroism exhibited by passengers.

And I remember the sadly brief unity our nation nearly saw. Unity to seek justice. 

Yet somehow, 14 years later, we now have a nation and leadership that won't even call such at tacks "terrorism".  A nation that now is offended by everything, and is afraid of insulting those who practice the religion that is at the core of those attacks in 2001. The religion that has perpetrated ongoing attacks in a smaller scale all around the world since then.

I am no war-monger. Indeed I am tired of the loss of life,with far less of a strategy than we had post 9-11. I grieve for those who gave their lives only to have the near victory surrendered to Islamists who are far worse than the enemies we faced a decade ago.

I am grieved that we have an administration that has chosen the path of evil, the path of surrender to cultists of Satan who are Hell-bent on destroying this nation. Instead, we ratcheted up the entertainment, the prosperity "gospel", and made hollow sales pitches based on unbiblical ideas. And now we have a nation more spiritually dead than ever, so easily offended by the slightest hint of offense. 

I am disgusted that our nation has so rebelled against God that the wholesale slaughter of millions of unborn babies barely stirs more than a minority of citizens, even when confronted with the butchery and profiteering coming from it.

We have become a nation of the offended. The slightest "offense" is grounds for riots and looting. Those in highest office have fostered a spirit of hate for law enforcement, claiming that police have declared an open hunting season on Black men, while actually encouraging the daughter of police officers.

I long for the unity we nearly saw right after the sorrows of 9-11.  Many turned to God and the Bible, giving an open door for genuine Christians an opportunity to live out the Apostle Peter's instructions To "always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..." (1 Pere 3:15).  An opportunity to draw people together in the Gospel. 

And now in the United States of America,smoke public schools are teaching the "5 Pillars of Islam", while the mention of "Jesus' Name" is forbidden. Where even a school band is barred from playing music the MELODY from a Christian hymn.

Where Christian, biblical values are the enemy, and where those who live in open rebellion against the Word of God are lifted up as brave heroes.

Come Sweet Jesus!

Freedom FROM Religion? Really?

I find it hugely ironic that organizations such as "Freedom From Religion", funded by and representing Atheists exist. Why, you might ask, is it ironic?

The answer is quite simple - you see, 100% of people adhere to a "religion" - even avowed Atheists! You see - "religion", at its simplest meaning is a system of beliefs that affect your life/how you live. Whether one is a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Animist, etc., your beliefs have an impact on your life. Atheism, the professed belief in NO God still directs how they live. Some might refer to their belief system as "secular humanism".

So, by railing against other religions (with a particular distaste for Christianity), they are actually imposing THEIR system of beliefs (aka - Religion) on the those around them.

So, remember the principal of "Freedom OF Religion" in light of the above. The Funding Fathers and the Constitution never even imagined a "freedom FROM religion" - because that is an impossibility, nor did those same Founders promote a LACK of religious expression in the public.

And a parting blow: Even the less religious of the Founding Fathers - those that many anti-religion zealots like to point at... those men were primarily Deists - they were welcoming of Christian values and did not express offense at the words and actions of their Christian fellow leaders. They worked side-by-side with them. They didn't insist on silencing the Christians. They even enjoyed Congress opening with a Christian preacher giving a sermon to open their sessions.

Be Thankful To Don't Get What You Deserve!

Have you stopped to think, even for a moment... while we make a big deal out of thanking God for particular blessings in our lives... and often even get a bit miffed when God doesn't give us what we want (or THINK we "deserve"), that maybe, just maybe we should pause, reflect, then truly fall on our faces before a totally and purely HOLY God - who indeed does NOT give us what we REALLY deserve! As sinners - we deserve nothing better than the unmitigated WRATH of God! And it is by nothing but HIS Grace, not based on any perceived merit on our part - that He withholds that wrath from us! And indeed - it is the same God who calls us unto repentance and redemption - forever staying His divine hand of judgment and wrath from us.

Dear sinners (of which I am among the chiefest), don't cry for what you don't have, or that you "deserve better" - for none of us do. But praise be to God that He gives us much better than any of us deserve!

US Supreme Court vs the Word of God

I am certain I will take a great deal of heat for this post. I have little doubt I will further be labeled a hater, a bigot, evil, mean, and much worse. Somehow that doesn't really bother me. The truth is the truth, and that is what I expect in response.

Today will go down in history as either a major win for evil and the "Evil One" himself - Satan, or it will be raised up on a poll and idolized as a great day for "equality".  The problem is  - there is nothing inherently "equal" about today's Supreme Court decision, nor is there anything in our Constitution that guarantees equal results or equal outcomes for any circumstance. But this fight was never really about "equality".  The issue is much deeper and darker.

You see - the Bible clearly speak, both in the Old and New Testament, about homosexuality. Indeed, the language is quite clear time and again. Further, marriage is referenced 100% of the time in connection to male + female.  Never in Scripture has marriage been depicted as a same-sex union.  Despite hundreds of years of attempts to change the meaning of scripture, and recent decades trying to rewrite the clear language in the Bible regarding marriage and same-sex acts, the definition of marriage, both in natural law, and by God's design is one  man and one woman joined for life.

But this presents a huge problem for those who refuse to give up, and instead just keep ratcheting up their war on God. So long as the majority believe the biblical version of marriage is correct (even if they often fail to be good examples of it), those who desperately desire to practice homosexuality will be marginalized.  But there is a "solution" - it is the normalizing of what God calls abnormal.  It is a mainstreaming of what God calls an unnatural and even an abomination.

You see, even the unregenerate mind knows, down deep, that homosexuality is wrong. It is not unloving to point this out. I know - people have been "driven" to kill themselves hearing such words. I am so sorry, but people have been taking their own lives for a lot of things related to the corrupt and sinful heart. That is often how sin works - destroying you from the inside. But far too many have chosen to continue to raise their voices while at the same time, undermining reality and the truth of God's Word.

Add to the equation, there are false teachers (as the Bible warns repeatedly about) who have thrown their support behind this issue, not as a means to "grace, but as a way to fill their bank accounts and pews, and to promote themselves.

Just a few years ago, a movement began to protect the definition of marriage through a Constitutional Amendment. Many notable politicians loudly objected saying that marriage was a right for each individual state to determine. Fast forward less than a decades and what do we see - they were flat wrong.  Maybe they were as guilty as those crying out for "gay marriage"?

The Southern Baptists (of which I am not a member of) recently had their annual Convention, at which they resoundingly voted to support the biblical definition of marriage, no matter come what may. I applaud their action, though I fear this will not be universally applied among their churches.

My own association, the Baptist Missionary Association of America began the two-year process of amending our national Constitution/Articles of Agreement to include the biblical definition of marriage. The local church I lead included a very clear definition of marriage in its founding Constitution as well.

I could spend my next days and weeks weeping and mourning for this nation.  But I refuse. This nation has bought its path, much as old Israel and Judah bought their own judgment and brought down righteous wrath from God. I could get ramped up and spew my own anger all over every form of social media, but that would accomplish little. So I will simply speak/write/post the truth. John 8:32 records the reassurance that "...the truth will set you free".

God's Word also commands that I love my neighbor - and that represents nothing new. It often is a struggle to love those who would rather you be silenced or even dead because you speak the truth, but indeed the command is still there.

But I also am under conviction from the Lord God who created me, and who designed marriage, to never willfully participate in or condone sin. Again, this is nothing new, yet the very definition of sin (according to the world and to the US Supreme Court) is being altered in that ongoing rebellion against God.

One final thought that I want to share (this is my blog, so it is my prerogative!): Those who practice homosexuality, particularly those who are celebrating this landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, you may celebrate for a time, and you may even find some level of "freedom", yet you will never, ever find genuine peace.  Even if your neighborhood "church" (using the term in a very lose way) gleefully climbs on board with this decision, you will find no peace in your heart until you call your sin what it is - SIN. And the wages, the just payment for sin is death - an very real and eternal punishment that is the just and righteous Wrath of God. Sure you can live a life of denial. But the reality is there before your eyes. You can file lawsuits. You can scream and holler.  You can play your "pride parade" games, while forcing good, God-fearing people out of business for refusing to condone or participate in your lifestyle.  But you still will find no peace apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Period. Oh - but you say you "prayed a prayer", or that you believe in a God who is love, not a god of wrath.  You had better check your Bible again! The Word of God is clear - those who are genuinely saved by faith WILL not continue in willful sin. Repent! turning from your sins and believe in the One and Only Jesus Christ - "The Way, The Truth, and The Life".

Just because black-robed judges who have chosen to completely change the meaning of words and laws, who have decided to twist and rewrite what is not even in their legal authority to do so have chosen to condone this form of sin, does not change God, nor does it change the definition of Sin in the eyes of the One you WILL stand before in judgment.

Quick Question - Does This Mean That?

This week, the nation's largest Baptist association, the Southern Baptist Convention, voted this week to firmly and resolutely uphold "God's definition of marriage" as between one man and one woman in a lifelong, covenant relationship. Of course, the responses were immediate and often filled with vitriol.

But my question (actually a couple), since I did title this "Quick Question" is this:

1. Does taking a stand on marriage, as based clearly on the Bible (what this denomination lays claim to being it's foundation to all things of faith and practice), automatically make the organization "anti-gay"? (Indeed - what does the term anti-gay REALLY mean?)
2. Does taking a stand on marriage, as based clearly on the Bible automatically mean that you "hate" anyone?

Does this not ooze of the same logical fallacies as the automatic label of "racist" when one opposes the policies and general political ideology of President Obama?

I am personally glad to see a major denomination actually taking an official stand on this issue.  I would like to say, in all fairness, that I would also like to see them take an equally firm stand on all sorts of sins that are plaguing our nation and world - there are plenty chiseling away at what little is left of our moral foundation as it is.

I'm also glad that the association in which I serve, the BMA of America, is also int he middle of the process to include the Biblical definition of marriage in our Constitution/Articles of Cooperation. And a summary look at the constitution of the little church relaunch that I lead will find that we too have articulated the Biblical definition of marriage into what we believe and live by.

The Ongoing Conviction of The Word

I have now been leading a regular Bible study (Coffee & The Word) at a local coffee shop for several weeks now. Unlike most Bible studies I've been a part of most of my Christian life, we are approaching the study in a somewhat different way (admittedly a format I should have adopted long ago)- beginning squarely with what is on the page.

And I will also confess that this outward study has been one of the greatest tools of personal growth for me. What's I saw as simply a means to engage others has become a tool God has used to bring heart-molding, life shifting conviction to my soul. Indeed, I am so very thankful for the personal growth I have experienced with the frank and open study with others.

But the unexpected side effect has been heart melting... every day I am more and more appreciating and understanding what the apostle Paul meant when he recorded in 1 Timothy 1:16:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

In-context, Paul had just mentioned in remembrance who he WAS before his conversion, but then uses the present tense in referring to himself as the foremost (or chiefest) of sinners. You see, the Word of God is indeed "sharper than any two-edged sword". And every time I open God's Word with an honest and humble heart, He convicts me with His Word. He motivates with His Spirit, and reminds me of the need for ongoing repentance each and every day. And oddly enough, I cannot get enough of it!

After all, God is molding me, transforming me into the likeness of His marvelous Son. And it is why I believe all who are redeemed should have a growing love for the Bible! Indeed, find yourself not only time to read, study, and pray God's Word, but find you a group in which to honestly mine the depths for the treasure found in the Bible! 

If you are in our area, consider joining us at Rock-N-Java on Highway 65 in Clinton, Arkansas!

If you really want to grow in your personal relationship with the Lord, and grow in Christ with others who are drawing near to The Word, you have a prime opportunity with the faith family of #NewHopeClinton to make a difference! http://newhopeclinton.com

if my people who are called by my name...

We hear 2 Chronicles 7:14 proclaimed as "the answer" to the ills that face the United States today. Sadly, we hear it often taken out of context and with little emphasis placed on the details it states. So, in this post, I will try to shed some real light on what I believe is the REAL problem today, and how we can accurately apply the 2 Chronicles passage to our current situation.

Context
We have to understand how 2 Chronicles 7:14 fits in to God's narrative. The entire chapter is the record of revelation following Solomon's completion of construction of God's Temple as well as the king's home. It is a time of celebration and blessings. After all, is it not an amazing opportunity to be the one given the honor of building God's house?

Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the LORD and in his own house he successfully accomplished.  Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. (2 Chronicles 7:11-12)

Warning & Problem
But God didn't want His people (or king) to become filled with pride or complacent. Indeed, as the fully omniscient God, He knew what was to come and gave Solomon the revelation of the appropriate response when the trouble was to come:

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, (2 Chronicles 7:13)

Notice the first word here: WHEN. Not "if". When God shuts up the heavens (drought), when He commands the locusts to devour the land (famine), and brings pestilence (disease and death).

We in the United States of America have a glut of food and beverage, we are left in need very rarely. Yet we most assuredly are living in a time of great drought and famine, not of physical food and water, but of the proclamation of the true and full Word of God. The Gospel preached by many today is little more than sugar-coated junk food. If we were to live on a diet consisting of only candy and other junk foods, what would become of our health? (I believe we see that across our culture as well!). For the sake of attractiveness, to "bring them in", and to meet the budget (not to mention the promotion of preacher reputations), the gospel has been compromised and the Word of God watered-down and sugar-coated.

I recently saw this meme posted in social media and thought it described a portion of our issues quite well:

I don't know who this "Ron Smith" is, but I must - at least to this statement - shout AMEN!  I believe many have fallen to a dangerous misunderstanding of the term "edify" in Scripture. The term means to "lift up", but not in the sense of building "self esteem" as has been popular in the pop psychology world for a few decades. Building up often involves conviction, and most assuredly requires genuine truth being spoken.

Appropriate Response
So let us get back to the text at hand - and the centerpiece of God's revealed appropriate response to the WHEN events of famine, drought, and sickness:

...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Here God gives four simple, clear, and direct mandates to Him "hearing from heaven, forgiving their sin, and healing their land" (and notice the priority list!):

#1 - If God's people will HUMBLE themselves. Some people argue that the writer of Hebrew changed this:

Let us then with confidence draw near the throne of grace... (Hebrews 4:16)

Interpreting this passage as throwing off humility is a huge mistake! Never in scripture are we to forget humility before God's incredible throne. We can only approach Him directly because of Christ's spilled blood. But that does not give us grounds for being flippant or full of ourselves. Indeed, the extreme price Christ paid for our salvation should cause us to have a genuine sense of awe and humility towards our Lord. So many have made God into little more than a great "Sugar Daddy in the sky", most obviously with the "Word of Faith"/Name-it, Claim-It charlatans who unabashedly proclaim that God owes us. But this line of thinking actually extends to many even outside of these heretical moments - to even mainstream, formerly conservative denominations and congregations.

#2 PRAY - Scripture tells us that we are to "pray without ceasing".  Jesus gave a model for prayer to illustrate what our priorities and heart should be when we pray. Yet so many give little more than lip service to prayer. I will be the first to admit that my prayer life isn't what I think it should be. I don't see any way I could ever be truly satisfied with my prayers. Yet it is possible to develop our prayer life, to grow in the maturity level and properly-focused attitude of our prayers. But prayers also necessitate the very next two phrases in God's command:

#3 SEEK my face - What exactly does it mean to "seek God's face"? I means pursuing His will over your own. It means following Christ's commands, not as a begrudging task, but as a genuine outflowing of our Love for Him and our gratitude for what He has done (and continues to do for and through us).

#4 TURN from their wicked ways! Uh, oh. Here we go meddling in people's lives. Another word for "turning from wicked ways (sin) is.... REPENT! How can we expect God to come sweeping in and fixing our issues, wiping away evil corruption, pain, and sorrows, if we are not willing to turn from our sins (which are the major reason we are experiencing the woes of the day)? Shall we call down fire on the evildoers in this world, without calling down that same fire on US when we continue to overlook our own sin? Which brings us back to my initial statement regarding drought, famine, and sickness-

There was a time in the not-so-distant past, where sinners were exhorted powerfully to repent, and to seek God in all things.  Preaching was intended not to give a pat on the back, a wink and a nod, leaving the listener superficially "uplifted and encouraged", but to draw sinners to genuine sorrow and repentance, to lead and exhort the redeemed to walk "worthy of the high calling", and to generally live out Christ's command to love God first and our neighbor second. How in the world have so many who call themselves "Christians" continued to live in hate towards their fellow man, to selectively cry out against certain select sins, while willfully ignoring their own sin? How can we claim to live in a "Christian nation", while systematically endorsing (often through our silence) the atrocities of our times?

How was Hitler able to round up and exterminate millions of Jews? Because many refused to take a stand and proclaim what was right.  How can we sit by and see the ongoing slaughter of millions of unborn babies (approaching 60 million since the Roe v Wade decision of the U.S. Supreme Court)? How have we arrived at a place in this nation where marriage is being redefined beyond the biblical (and natural) order of one man and one woman? Our nation, where our leadership in high offices tell us lies far more often than the truth, wonders at the distrust that overflows, and where seeds of discord have grown to foster race and economic hatred not seen in many decades.

What are churches preaching at teaching that, on a knee-jerk reaction to a perceived injustice results in thousands in a city not just protesting, but going on widespread violent riots, looting form business owners, and causing massive financial destruction? And further, that some who have coopted the title "reverend" or "minister" are given free reign to promote such behavior - yet calling themselves "Christian".

What do we have?  A land in a terrible famine and drought.  A land that due to said famine and drought, are seeing sickness grow like an epidemic ripping apart our society. So yes, some of us truly desire that God would "heal our land". But may we never forget that God commanded us to HUMBLE ourselves, to seek HIS will (face), to PRAY, and to REPENT - literally turning from our sin. This goes to the very Gospel Jesus gave us. The Word of God, not just the convenient, feel-good parts, must be returned to the church house, and the pulpits of every God-fearing, revival seeking congregation across this nation, from the big church on the hill, to the little house church in your neighborhood. Lest we forget:

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

I pray that my faith family, New Hope Baptist Church and I never forget or neglect the life-changing, world-shaking, unadulterated Gospel. And I commit myself, whoever I serve, to proclaim the full council of God's Word:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

War Room - A Film on the Power of Prayer

My wife Diana and I were privileged to be able to attend a pre-screening of War Room, the latest movie from Provident Films and the Kendrick Brothers (Sherwood Pictures/Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Georgia). Other movies form this line include Flywheel, Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous.  This film, like some of the previous films is being promoted intentionally towards a Christian audience, and is being released with a wide
assortment of materials and resources.  The obvious reasoning behind the producers hosting pre-screenings for those in ministry positions is to promote the film, as movie producers sink or swim based on movie attendance.

The host for this event opened with a now familiar concept: if we want good, Christ-honoring films in our entertainment options, then we must support them when they come.  And when a movie has the billing and potential to be not only Christ-honoring, but a powerful ministry tool, we should give it serious consideration.

In the case of War Room, the premise of the story revolves around prayer and its vital role in families, especially the picture of Matthew 6:6:

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

War Room is the story of Tony and Elizabeth Jordan (played by T.C. Stallings and Pricilla Shirer), a seemingly successful young couple with a young daughter Danielle (played by Alena Pitts), yet a family on the brink of collapse.  Tony is the top salesman at a pharmaceutical company, consumed with his career (and a little bit more), and Elizabeth the realtor who feels helpless in the face of a collapsing relationship with Tony.  Then along comes Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie), a widow lady who has her old home for sale. This launches us into a roller coaster of emotion as Miss Clara connects with Elizabeth, eventually introducing the latter to her "War Room", a closet in her old house where she spends time with the Lord in War, not with this world, but with the REAL enemy.

The Kendrick brothers have an almost predictable way with splashes of humor, while giving due reverence to the extremely important subjects handled in this film. One of the most enjoyable parts of this movie, outside of the heart-lifting character of Miss Clara, is that the producers did not shy away from the name of Jesus! This movie is unabashedly "Christ-centered", indeed so much so that the enemies of God will indeed be offended by it, and the marginal, lukewarm believer will likely leave the film deeply convicted.

Entertainment Value: 9 out of 10

Family Friendly 10 our of 10

God-honoring 10 out of 10

Spiritual Value for investment 10 out of 10

Values Promoted: Prayer, Grace, Faith 

I will go out on a fairly secure limb and add this to my list of "must see" films.  While there is little in the way of "big screen" action that make this a "movie theater experience", I would still take the time and make the investment to see this in the theater, with a big focus on the opening weekend.  Many are not aware that films are made or broken by their opening weekend performance. With a good box office, the movie will expand to far more theaters, getting much more exposure and reaching a much wider audience, while helping to encourage further investment in family-friendly, values-based films.  

Go see this movie! And watch out - you might even find yourself wanting to SHOUT (praise Jesus!). I can confidently say, your faith will be strengthened, and your heart may very well be convicted, all while seeing an enjoyable, entertaining, and family-friendly film.

Know a couple who's marriage is hurting? Know people going through hard times in desperation?  This film can help!

War Room opens in theaters August 28 (with a special early opening on August 27).

"How do you like your coffee?" (See the film to get the reference)

For more information, see the official web site of War Room

Christ's Death - When?

Here we are, on what is called by man "Good Friday". MEME after MEME extolling the beauty of the horrible day of Christ's death on the cross of Calvary. And a growing movement of those who disagree with the traditional day ascribed to Jesus' death.

I grew up seeing Friday as "the day", not for any particularly biblical reason, but because that is what I was told over and over. It is what I saw played out in the liturgical celebration every year. It was the tradition.

But over the years, I have grown in my faith, in my exploration and desire to be able to defend whatever I attempt to stand on. The grounds of "apologetics" are shaky when it comes to being dogmatic regarding a Friday crucifixion.

First - how do we reconcile the words of Christ in Matthew 14:40? For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Other descriptions within the New Testament of the "three days" can be somewhat explained by the oddities of how the Hebrew people treated their calendar, and when a day began and ended. BUT, in the case of the crucifixion, we have the passover, a Sabbath (some say at last two of them in one week - a whole other complicated discussion, connected to the Passover).

Others point to Wednesday as the likely day of the Crucifixion of Jesus, taking the math theme (and the double-Sabbath concept) to the other extreme. 3 Days x 24 hours (three days plus three nights in the earth) = 72 hours, requiring a Wednesday crucifixion.

But this conflicts with the record in Luke 24 and the two guys who were on the road to Emmaus "that very day" (the day of Christ's resurrection, as described in Luke 24:12-13. These guys, approached by the Risen Jesus (and not recognizing Him) described it as "it is now the third day since these things happened". So we are faced with an odd stacking of events:

- Luke records that the resurrection day was the "first day of the week" (Sunday). That this very day was the "third day" since all had unfolded (crucifixion and death).

- This would make Saturday the "second day since these things were done.

- This would make Friday the first day post-crucifixion.

- Leading to my own conclusion (though I am not dogmatic about it) - that Jesus' death and burial were on Thursday (day "0").

This is the only way I can wrap logic with what the Bible says. But I say all of this to bring out what is genuinely important (and what is far less important):

1. Jesus Died for my sins - past, present, and future! Each and every one of them, paying the sin debt I could not pay through the sacrifice of His own blood on that cross (regardless of it the actual day of the week was Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday!).

2. That Jesus arose from the grave, literally, bodily, and fully - proving each and every prophecy, each and every claim, and verifying the very Gospel we are to believe!

And it is this Resurrection that I will be preaching on, as the "lynchpin" of the entirety of the Gospel and the Bible this Sunday morning at New Hope Baptist Church!


* The timeline illustrations are from gracebiblestudy.net

Please, NO SNOW... Thank you LORD for the Snow!

If you are scratching your head at the title of this post, don't let it bother you. Just let me explain.  I am ready for Spring!  I am not alone in this sentiment by a long-shot. Just a month ago, my father began getting his boat and fishing gear ready, bringing up discussions on tactics and when/where to begin the hunt for fish, only to see a couple bouts of icy and cold weather roll in.  Then, as things begin to look like Spring (daffodils springing out), forecasts come from every direction - big winter weather event.

Sure enough, Wednesday afternoon, the medium-heavy rain transitioned to sleet, then to snow (we saw an accumulation of ½ - ¼  inch of ice plus 6-8 inches of snow at our house in Clinton). To be honest, I prayed that the forecast was wrong. I prayed for warmer weather. But God...

This morning, as I arose and peeked outside to see pristine, bright white reflection of the sun - an overwhelming feeling came on - a comforting assurance that both scripture and hymn remind us of...

Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

thought they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

Isaiah 1:18

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.

Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

(Whiter Than Snow, Words by James Nicholson, Music by William Fischer)

Are your sins forgiven, are they washed by the Precious Blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ? Where else by in the power of Salvation can blood turn what is already red with sin, to a white, more pure than snow? 

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  Acts 4:12

The Heaviness Engulfs Me

A heavy heart tonight. I won't go into details, just suffice it to say that I am grieving. I was led to a passage of Scripture when I got home that so fits whats going on. My faith has never been tested as now. I don't know what tomorrow holds. I don't know what next week or beyond holds. But I do know that God holds it all in His Sovereign hand.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ...Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."

I'm ready to rejoice, without having to look over my shoulder.

I will confess - I am questioning everything in my life right now.  Ok, maybe not everything - as I don't have any doubts about my love for my incredibly patient and loving wife, Diana, or my love for my precious gifts from God - Anna and Selah. One other thing that I have absolutely no doubt about is my Savior's love for me. That being said - I am doubting pretty much each and every other part of my life. In the words of Thomas Payne in his epic The Crisis, penned in December 1776: "These are the times that try men's souls."

Another fact that I have no doubt about - is that there is a very real spiritual war going on, particularly in my own context. A war that has left me bruised and beaten, and near defeat. I have spoken both privately and publicly from the pulpit of "putting on the whole Armor of God". Boy are those far easier words to say, than instructions to actually follow! Yet it seems that my best efforts to "put on" this armor simply lead to more fights.  Further - there are "fiery darts" that are finding flesh in the "cracks" between the armor. It's my fault - I don't spend enough time with the "Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God".  I struggle with personal righteousness. The command to "pray at all times in the Spirit" sometimes gets shorted on the "all" part. And to be totally honest, I'm reaching and searching for the "peace" associated with the shoes related to the Gospel...

Indeed, in some ways - I am troubled down at the very deepest recesses of my heart and mind. Have some of Satan's darts not just found flesh, but found innermost parts?

Discouragement leading to despair is before me. But I just cannot look back. Jesus said to look back is to be unworthy of the Kingdom...

I am weak. I am broken. I'm not just far from perfect, I am at the bottom of the bottom. Yet the harder I try to climb up - the farther it seems I fall.

I now better understand what Romans 8:26 means... as my prayers seem to be so very lacking and insignificant. in fact, James 5:16 is causing me quite a bit of grief right now "...the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." I feel neither particularly righteous nor do my prayers seem very effective these days.

I'm a great finger-pointer, yet I am reminded of the wise words I first heard from a dear friend who is already waiting for us in Heaven, "remember - when you point your finger at others, there are at least three fingers pointing back at you."

But all the finger pointing in the world, even if justified, does not take away my own responsibility for my failures and shortcomings (even when I'm unaware of them).

Something has to change. I'm not demanding that God "do something" - I am fairly certain He is "doing something", whether I see it or not. But something in my life is gong to have to change.

I am trying desperately to heed the words of Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

     and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

     and He will make straight your paths.

Maybe (no - actually), the key is in the next two verses:

Be not wise in your own eyes;

     fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh

     and refreshment to your bones.

I try to not think to highly of myself. In fact, another thing I have no doubt about - is my weakness and unworthiness. I try to combat evil in my life - seeking those things that are glorious to God and edifying to those around me.  Refreshment and healing?  Please...

I want to cry out to God the words of David in Psalm 51:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

     and uphold me with a willing spirit...

But instead, I again feel more like the difficulty in prayer of Romans 8:26 - and I'm in need of the Spirit Himself interceding for me...

And any prayers the reader of this feels led to offer up - thank you.

Immediacy and This Ugly World

What would we do without the internet, without Facebook and Twitter, and the access to the near real-time atrocities happening around the world?

As I have seen several videos posted/reposted the last few days that are apparently videos of the implementation of Sharia law in some of those Islamic countries (or those being taken over by Islamic/Sharia rule). Women "arrested" on the spot, "tried" on the spot by heavily armed/scarf-over-face cowards, and executed right on the public street, sometimes supposedly for little more than not having her face covered (I cannot translate Arabic, so cannot verify), or for being seen in public without her husband... or for simply TALKING in public...

Which mirrors the all-too-common public executions that the Taliban were notorious for in Afghanistan (and elsewhere) when a woman is raped by a gang of thugs, but she is the one "tried" and executed for "adultery"...

Or even cases her in the US, where the Muslim husband beats and/or murders his wife out of "honor"...

But how much different is that from our own policies, laws, and court decisions that make it perfectly legal to dismember an unborn child in his mother's womb, all based on the "inconvenience" or "my body" defense? And the efforts to fight it, but seeming to always have the "exception", making it just fine and "different" to execute a baby because his father committed rape.

The face of Satan has likely never been clearer, or more easily broadcast than today.  And it serves not Satan's plans in my life, but God's - as it makes me long ever so much more for Christ's inevitable return.  Come Sweet Jesus!

But until that glorious day of His appearing comes - let us run the race, let us fight the good fight, let us tell others about the saving power of Jesus.

Religion of Peace?

I am truly sick of the efforts to put a peaceful facade on Islam, much connected to comparing to "Christianity". Lets go to the foundation of these two religions and see where the truth is:

Islam, founded on the Koran (Quran).

Christianity, based on the Bible.

The Koran reads, from earliest to latest, as a growing hate screed towards all who are not followers of "the prophet Mohammed" and his version of "god", named Allah. As you progress through the Koran, what you find is wholesale endorsement of deceiving, lying to, imprisonment, enslavement, taxation of, and finally the murder of any who are not believers in Mohammed's cult (infidels). The Koran, for all practical purposes, teaches that one must actually practice hate not only to prove one's faith, but as a means to eternal reward.

The Bible begins early with violence (but not endorsed hatred - and with a very specific, time-limited purpose), then a progression to the words of the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ - when He reminds us to "love your neighbors", pray for those who hate you, be a light, care for others. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who took on our sins to bring us forgiveness and purchase our eternal reward for us.

Jesus never endorsed or even suggested violence for the sake of spreading the faith or punishing non-believers. Mohammed and the Koran not only suggest such acts, but actually commands conversion at the sword.

Have people committed atrocities in the name of "Christianity"? Most certainly. Yet finding any Biblical basis for those actions is impossible.

People commit atrocities daily (and have since the founding of the religion) in the name of Islam, at the direct instruction of the Koran.

Are their beliebers in Islam who love and desire peace? I believe so. But in doing so, they either want peace because Islam has overtaken the world, or they are ignoring vast swaths of their own founding book.

Contrary to the behavior of some professing Christianity, the Bible does not teach or endorse hate for anyone (in fact, Jesus essentially stated that to hate your brother/neighbor is equal to committing murder in your heart).

I pray daily for those who follow the cult of Mohammed - that the Lord God will open their eyes and deliver them from the cult that fare more resembles Satan than God.