The Three Buts...

On November 14th Shepherd's Servant gathered together for fellowship and discussed 1 Cor 6:9-11.  Here is a recap of what I have titled The Three Buts...

What is your motivation?

“And he did [what was] right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a loyal heart” (2 Chr 25:2).  What an awful statement about Amaziah!  Here was a King who was doing right  by God but not loyal to Him.  How many times do we assume we are doing the right thing, but our hearts are not right before the Lord?    

Paul wrote that we should examine ourselves to determine if we are in the faith (2 Cor 3:15).  Many first responders look at their work with a self inflated righteousness, assuming their daily good deeds of serving others reserves some special place in heaven.  Our work is good; our work is ordained by God (Rom 13).  But, seek out the motivations as to why you do this work.  Are you seeking medals, recognition, awards, promotion or are you seeking to please the Lord in your work (Mat 5:16, Col 3:23-24)? 

Is your heart aligned with God?  Have you accepted Jesus Christ for salvation or are you relying on your good works for salvation?  Are you serving King Jesus or serving your own self interests?  Brothers and sisters, examine yourself!

Overcoming the Past

Recently I was reminiscing with a friend I have known nearly 30 years and was reminded of stories I had long ago forgotten.  As we talked, God brought to mind His  truth and I rejoiced for what He has done in my life.  

As Paul described, we all come from storied sinful backgrounds, “...Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you” (1 Cor 6:9-11a emphasis added). Notice the past tense.  

God provided a way to overcome our sinful past, “For He made Him who knew no sin [to be] sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21).  Because of this Paul wrote,“But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cr 11b).  

No matter where you come from, what you have done in your past, or when you accept Jesus Christ, you can rest that, “[There is] therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1a).  

Philosophy of missions

As a law enforcement veteran I like working within a philosophical framework.  Having a structure or model helps focus one's purpose and activities.  Recently, I was appointed the Missions Director at my church.  After much prayer, meditation, and research I am formulating an umbrella philosophy that will help guide the mission activities at our church.  Please read it and give me your feedback and comments.   I have kept the name of my fellowship out of this posting until it is approved by the pastor and board of elders.

Possessor of Truth!

Listen to any national news media outlet and you will find that everyone is full of opinions.  Rarely does the news capture and report just the facts of an incident but they provide non-stop commentary to meet whatever political or social view they are trying to espouse.  

The reality is we all look at the circumstances of life through a specific set of lenses that molds our own commentary.  We all interpret the world by layering our values and views over the facts.  The worldview that we use to interpret all of life will guide us in how we live, guide the choices we make.  

The difficulty today is the world contains a smorgasbord of worldviews.  Everyone does their own thing as long as it good for them, they do what is right in their own eyes.  How does one know whether they are viewing the world correctly?  Is there truth?  Does truth exist?

As a Christian you can be confident that you possess the truth!  Do not be swayed by the thoughts and ideas of a relativistic world (Col 2:8).  Know that belief in Jesus Christ is the only truth, the only worldview that should guide your heart.  Jesus proclaimed, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (Jhn 14:6, emphasis added).  As a believer in Christ you possess the only truth within a morally relativistic world.  

The Book of Proverbs warns, "Every way of a man [is] right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts" (Pro 21:2).  Is your heart aligned with Jesus Christ? 

      

Persecution in the USA? Part IV: Response Through Passion

Over the last several posts I have discussed persecution in and of the Church.  During this series I have briefly demonstrated how faith in America is being attacked.  One only has to read the headlines of many news stories to see this simple truth.  (Consider and evaluate some of the articles at Christian Persecution in America.)  I have shown numerous scriptures both in the OT and NT that demonstrate persecution is promised and expected for believers.  Finally, in the last post, we cautiously discussed the purpose in persecution.  I now conclude this series with a discussion on what a believer is to do in light of all we have learned.

Persecution in the USA? Part III: Purpose of Persecution

Over the last couple of weeks we have been examining persecution of the church.  Last post I demonstrated from the Word of God that persecution is assured for believers as a normal course of the Christian life.  This week we carefully consider God’s purpose in persecution.  I explore this topic with trepidation:  I make no claim to be the final authority on this issue nor do I make any claim to know the mind of God.  As I explore this topic I am relying much on the resources provided in the Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) online classroom.          

Persecution in USA: Part II - Persecution Promised

In the last post, I told you of a news story where Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is seeking to outlaw evangelism in the US Military calling it “spiritual rape” by “fundamentalist Christian religious predators” (FoxNews).  In another similar story, Weinstein's group petitioned the military to prohibit Bibles that had been printed with the emblems of our service branches on the cover calling them "a national security risk" (FoxNews).  From organized boycotts against businesses that uphold family values; the government deporting a Christian homeschooling family who fled their homeland to avoid persecution; universities prohibiting pro-life or Christian clubs; or, attempts at controlling speech or Christian displays in public, a mild form of persecution in the US is underway.      

Persecution in USA: Part I - Christian Foundations

The principles of genuine liberty, and of wise laws and administrations, are to be drawn from the Bible and sustained by its authority.  The man, therefore, who weakens or destroys the divine authority of that Book may be accessory to all the public disorders which society is doomed to suffer...

- Noah Webster, 1833

In the last post, I briefly mentioned Christian persecution.  We often think of persecution abroad because, quite frankly, we do not find ourselves suffering much for our faith here in the US.  However, the tide is changing.  Fox News reported that Pentagon officials met with Mikey Weinstein, of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  He is urging the military to make proselytizing of one’s faith a criminal offense subject to court martial.  He characterized the sharing of one’s faith as unconstitutional calling it “spiritual rape” by “fundamentalist Christian religious predators.”  The story is also covered here.  

There is a lot that could be discussed and argued regarding this horrific statement.  Since space is limited I am going to discuss this news report in two parts.  This will be a mult-part series as we first, examine our American Christian Heritage.  Future posts will examine the Biblical principles of persecution and evangelism in the face of persecution, for I fear it is coming soon.   

A Slave of Christ

I have been offline for several years.  After being spiritually challenged I have come back online.

I attended a Voice of the Martyrs conference a couple of weeks ago.  My wife and I have been a supporter of this ministry for a while now as I have had compassion for those suffering in the name Christ, but honestly I never really fully comprehended the extent of their suffering or how it should affect me.  After the conference I felt my heart bound to our brothers and sisters around the world and have been intensely studying the persecuted church.  If we are the body of Christ, consider this analogy -