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)