More Quotes

I got a new Bible for Christmas (around the last time I posted something on this blog).  It has a ton of lined pages in the back for taking notes.  It’s the perfect place to write down quotes I hear during sermons.  Here are a few of my favorites from the last couple months.

“Problems are not for solving, they are for growing.”

“We should want influence…not to be seen, but that Christ might be seen through us.” – Doug Fisher

“Influence is not what we are before people.  Influence is what we are before God.” – Doug Fisher

“Confusion ensues when we forget what God has said about the matter.”

“Don’t give until it hurts.  Give until it feels good.”

“The Gospel is only Good News for a lost person if it gets there on time.”

“Fear is a tool of the devil.  Faith is a tool of God.” – Larry Smith

“Courage is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.”

“Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.”

Which one is your favorite?  Have you heard a good quote lately?

Giving Like God

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This is probably the most familiar verse in all of the Bible.  We are reminded by this verse, especially at Christmas time, of wonderful giving nature of God.  The Bible also says in Romans 8:29 that God wants to conform us to the image of His Son.  We are to pattern our lives after Christ as much as possible.  One of the ways we can follow the example of Christ is to be a giver like He was.

I believe this verse shows us five characteristics of God-like giving.  These are attributes that should characterize our giving as well.

Give with the Right Motive – “For God so loved…”

The ultimate motivation for God’s gift to mankind was His love.  Love means to be pleased with something/someone or to regard something/someone with affection.  Love should always be the primary motivation for our giving.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:1, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them…”  There were those in His day who did what they did strictly to be seen of men.  People like that certainly exist today and, if we’re not careful, we can fall prey to that trap as well.

Give with a Specific Target in Mind – “…the world…”

Let’s face it.  God can have a bigger target than we can.  He had the ability to give a gift that could impact the entire world.  Nonetheless, He had a target.  There should always be a target of our giving as well.  We can give time, energy or resources to God, people or causes.  Make sure you have a specified target when you give.

Give Something of Value – “…he gave his only begotten Son…”

God gave the most precious thing He could give.  He gave Himself.  Our giving is God-like when we give something of value.  The more you love something/someone, the more valuable your gifts for that thing/person will be.  You can literally measure your love for God be measuring the value of what you give to Him.  You can do the same for people or causes – like your church.

Give with No Strings Attached – “…that whosoever believeth…”

Aren’t you glad John 3:16 doesn’t say, “…that whosoever reads their Bible every day should not perish, but have everlasting life?”  Or prays for five hours a day…never misses a church service…never misses a tithe…etc.  Surely the gift of God will transform a life and cause someone to do things they’d never do in and of themselves (ie, serve God with a pure heart).  But I’m glad God gave with no strings attached.  God didn’t give with the goal of getting something in return and neither should we.  Love produces giving, not bartering.

Give for the Benefit of Others – “…should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The benefit of a gift is directly related to it’s value.  God’s gift could impact the world and provide salvation for a soul because of its tremendous value.  Again, we have to pare down our expectations, but the principle remains.  Does your giving benefit God, people or a cause?

Take inventory of your giving.  Do these principles characterize your giving?  If you’re a Christian, you should desire your giving to be God-like.  The example is laid out for us in the most famous verse in all the Bible.

No Cell Phone?

I've been thinking lately about a major change. I would like to go back to the good old days. Back when people couldn't get a hold of you whenever they wanted. I'm all for being accessible, I just don't want to be on a leash.

I remember when I was a kid and people had to call you at your house and leave a message on your answering machine. You could then respond to people at your leisure. People in today's culture couldn't imagine life without a cell phone. How could you possibly survive?! Keep in mind that the vast majority of the world survived just fine without a cell phone for all of human history up until the last 10-15 years. Not only would it free me from the digital leash, it would also save me $75-$100 a month. I'm also thinking about getting an iPod Touch to replace the calendar, tasks, email, etc. functions of my current Blackberry. The drawback is that I'd only be "connected" when I was within range of an open Wi-Fi network. In the end, I don't think that would be a big deal. Being "dis-connected" would be the point of getting rid of the cell phone.

Do you think you could function without a cell phone? Do you think I should give it a shot?

Creation According to the History Channel

I just finished watching an episode of “The Universe” on the History Channel. I understand that the people who create these shows are surely people who discount the Bible. They consider my faith in that Book hilarity and can’t comprehend why I would believe such an outlandish idea as Creation. According to them, Genesis 1 is a fairytale that should be relegated to the dust pile of history. They mock my beliefs. I’m keeled over laughing at theirs.

I apologize in advance for the length of this post. I just wanted to show you the idiocy of modern “science.” The pictures are ones that I took of my TV while watching the show. Sorry for the flash reflected on some of them. I’ll put their corresponding statements in quotes. They may not be word for word, but they are very close. I’ll give my thoughts along the way. Get ready for the ride of your life…

First of all, this show should be rated “R.” Sorry, had to throw that one in there. Here’s what they had to say: “A billionth of a second after big bang, a bubble much smaller than a fraction of an atom forms.” What they’re asking you to believe is that all the material that makes up the universe today is contained inside a bubble much smaller than a fraction of an atom. No problem.

“This is the universe. It is unimaginably small and unimaginably hot.” Yet, somehow, they’ve imagined it. (Romans 1:21)

“The forces of nature (gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear forces) combine to create a super force. Gravity splits off as the universe expands. As the universe expands, it cools, which somehow sets off a burst of energy that fuels hyper-inflation.” Somehow?

“This inflation locks in the uniformity of the universe.” See, you have to understand that the even temperatures of the universe could not be explained otherwise. Of course, the Creation account in the Bible would explain this uniformity, but that would be ludicrous.

“The universe is still less than a second old when the super force decays into the four separate forces of nature.”

“Less than 3 minutes after the big bang, the temperature of the universe has dropped to a mere 1 billion degrees Fahrenheit…cool enough for atomic nuclei to form.” (Hydrogen and Helium)

I love this one! “380,000 years later…light travels through the universe. The burst of radiation that Penzias and Wilson found happens now.”

“1 billion years after Big Bang, stars take shape, producing heavier elements like Nitrogen, Oxygen and Carbon as Hoyle had predicted.”

“Roughly 9 billion years later, matter and gravity combine to create a perfectly typical star. A circumstellar disc of dust remains that eventually accrete into an entourage of planets and moons.”

“One of these lumps of star dust has temperatures warm enough to allow water to form in the atmosphere. Liquid water gathers on the surface. Underwater, mysterious chemical reactions ultimately form life.” Mysterious?

“13.7 billion years after the Big Bang our universe is now 156 billion light years across.” Keep in mind that nothing travels faster than light. How did the universe spread 78 billion light years in every direction in only 13.7 billion years? I don’t know, but that’s why they had to come up with “hyper-inflation” that was mentioned earlier.

“The third planet from the sun is covered in carbon based life forms. Some are discovering what infinitely small specks they are in the grand scheme of things.”

I didn’t really need the History Channel to tell me that I’m an infinitely small speck in the grand scheme of things. God told me that. I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll stick with an idea that takes a little less faith. Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth…”

I Love Being an American!

The USS New York - 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center towers were used in the construction of this brand new warship.

Jesus - The New Testament

Matthew 26:38, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

Jesus is the New Testament insomuch that He is the fulfillment of the Old.  He fulfilled the Law when we never could.  He was sinless when we were sinful.  He paid the penalty of death for sin so we wouldn't have to.

Do You Mockingly Crown Jesus?

John 19 is arguably the most sobering chapter in all of the Bible. A couple months ago, I read this chapter to the church while leading the Lord's Table. This portion of Scripture is a powerful reminder of God's love and judgment. I've been reading the book of John for my personal devotions that last several weeks. The Lord challenged me with a new thought as I read chapter 19 again the other day.

Verses 2 and 5 describe the items Christ's antagonizers put on Him. The first item was the crown of thorns. The other was the purple robe. Both of these items were specifically designed to mock His "kingship." As I read those verses, I got to thinking: Do we mockingly crown Jesus Christ?

I believe this is something that lost and saved people are capable of. Lost people do it more overtly. Saved people who aren't walking in the Spirit do it more subtly. Lost people openly blaspheme the name of Jesus. Carnal Christians say that Jesus is Lord, but don't truly live like it.

As I read the first part of John 19 a few times over, I began to see some distinct characteristics of one who mockingly crowns Jesus Christ.

People who mockingly crown Jesus...

• cause Him pain. (vs. 1)
• worship falsely and cheaply. (vs. 2)
• think less of Him than He really is. (vs. 5)
• are Pharisaical. (vs. 6-7)
• lack real faith and confidence. (vs. 8-9)
• think they're in charge. (vs. 10)

If one or more of these characteristics describes you, you might need to take inventory as to whether or not Jesus is truly the Lord of your life.

Social Networking

Cary Schmidt is one of the assistant pastors at Lancaster Baptist Church.  He is a tremendously spiritual and wise man.  He has special wisdom when it comes to modern issues and technology.  He has a great philosophy about life and ministry.  He has written a couple of articles on his blog about social networking I think every blogging, facebooking, tweeting, RSS reading Christian needs to read. 

You can find them here and here. 

I agree wholeheartedly with a statement he made in the second post: “You might say these reasons apply to everything we do online—whether a blog, a website, or a twitter feed.”

I am still debating whether or not to jump in the Twitter bandwagon.  I might do it to publish a verse I read that day or a praise or prayer request.  Simply telling people what I’m doing sounds ridiculous.  I’ll let you know if I start tweeting.  By the time I do, that fad will be over.

Immature Christians

“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.”

- 1 Peter 2:1-3

Peter is addressing Christians in his epistles to the “strangers scattered” (1 Peter 1:1) throughout Asia Minor.  It would be easy to think that he is referring to unsaved people when listing the characteristics found in 1 Peter 2:1.  He’s actually talking about attributes that can belong to immature Christians.  He calls them “newborn babes” in vs. 2.

He lists five characteristics:

Malice – evil or wickedness

Guile – deceit or subtlety

Hypocrisies – acting a feigned part

Envies – jealousy

Evil Speakings – defamation or backbiting

Now, read the following five passages of Scripture:

Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  (Wickedness)

John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”  (Deceit)

2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”  (Acting a feigned part)

Isaiah 14:14, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”  (Jealousy)

Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”  (Defamation)

These five passages are speaking of the devil and the characteristics they describe match exactly the characteristics Peter attributes to immature Christians.

Immature Christians can act just like the devil!

God wants us to grow and our churches need us to grow.

You Are Not Alone

I’ve been teaching a series through Psalm 25 in my adult Bible class the last several weeks.  The theme of the lesson is taken from verse 1 where David says, “Unto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul.”  The main point of the series is that it is vital for victorious Christian living to offer our lives to God on a daily basis.  We’ve been looking at the rest of the Psalm to learn some of the results of lifting up our soul to God.

The result I taught on last week is found in vs. 4-5 where David writes, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me…”  The result of offering our life to God I see in these verses is a desire for God’s will.  David was a man who sincerely desired to fulfill God’s plan for his life.  Like the rest of us, he faltered from time to time, but it was a true desire of his heart nonetheless.

A study of some of the key words in this passage offered some very encouraging thoughts.  The Hebrew word for the word “ways” in vs. 4 is derek.  It literally means a road.  It figuratively means a course of life.  Of all the roads this life has to offer, the desire of the Christian ought to be to get and stay on the road God has for them.  There is a path God wants us to travel in this life and we should desire to walk it.

The Hebrew word for “paths” in vs. 4 is orach which means a well trodden road or caravan.  It caught my attention that David used two different English words in this verse that, on the surface, appear to have virtually the same meaning.  A quick look at the Hebrew definitions reveal the difference.  Every time a Christian takes the first step down the road God wants them to walk in this life, it is a giant step of faith.  The encouraging truth I see in this verse is that when you start down that road, you will quickly find that you are not alone.  The path of God’s will is a path that many have been on in the past and many are on now.  It’s a well trodden road.  You’re part of a caravan on that road.

There are certainly times when surrendering to God’s will is a nerve racking thing.  Just encourage yourself with the thought that when you step on that road, you’ll be marching along side an army of people striving to serve God themselves.