Lessons In Faith

learned the hard way

C. Aaron Russell

Copyright © 2013 C. Aaron Russell

All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1493794000

ISBN-13: 978-1493794003

DEDICATION

To my wife, Brenda—an angel sent by the Lord, full of love and faith—who supported and believed in me.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

God is still in control

Chapter 2

Never trust skinny cooks or rich preachers

Chapter 3

Bullets, baños and baptisms

Chapter 4

Is that the Lord speaking or just you?

Chapter 5

One way to reform a nation

Chapter 6

Doctrinal showdown

Chapter 7

Jesus is coming?

Notes

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Every Timothy needs a Paul and vice versa. Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones has been my family Bible teacher for three generations. Though I have not seen him since I was a child, that used to draw pictures while my mother and grandparents attended his Bible class every week at Lamar University, his recorded lessons have been a treasure chest full of spirit filled knowledge and learning about the Bible and the wondrousness of God’s Word that lies within its pages. It is a rare and blessed thing to have an anointed spiritual teacher, and we should cherish them, soak up their wisdom and pass it on.

C. Aaron Russell

CHAPTER 1

God Is Still In Control

My seven-year-old son is fascinated by animals and wildlife. While most boys his age would rather be playing video games or watching superhero cartoons, he prefers to be outside chasing down lizards and frogs. If he must be inside he will sit still only if the television is turned to Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel. We have a rule on school days, if the children get up, get ready and eat breakfast early enough, they can watch TV until it’s time to go to school. Luke always jumps out of bed and gets ready quickly so he can watch his favorite program, reruns of The Crocodile Hunter.

The Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, was an exceptional man with a remarkable story. As a child, he grew up in Australia living and working on his parent’s family-owned reptile farm. He was captivated by wildlife from the start and had an exuberant curiosity, not just for observing, but also for being hands on and immersing himself in nature and animal habitats. He learned to handle and capture dangerous animals from an early age. At age six, he was given a twelve-foot python as a pet. He captured his first crocodile in the wild when he was nine. Of course that raises the question, “Were his parents insane?”

In an episode of The Crocodile Hunter titled “Steve’s Story,” his father recalled raising Stephen as a child, and with a very serious tone described him as a monster. He said Steve was never where he was supposed to be—uncontrollable and always missing, unless he was to be literally tied down, which his father said he never did (though it was apparent by his expression that he was surely tempted). Steve’s unruliness was clearly a source of tension with his parents. However, it was also apparent that Steve had a gift and a passion for wildlife that was boundless.

Aware of the risks, his father chose to encourage Steve’s interest in capturing dangerous reptiles, but was careful to teach Steve a philosophy of never allowing himself to become complacent in the presence of wild creatures. In one incident recorded on camera, Steve admittedly did just that, turning his back on a live unsecured crocodile. He suffered a deep bite to his leg. Thankfully, his wound fully healed and was just a painful lesson learned the hard way. This was a lesson that served Steve well for some time, but was unfortunately a foreshadowing of things to come. Steve’s father was clearly proud of his son and went on to state that there was no other person he trusted more alongside him when handling a crocodile than Steve.

It was that passion and frenetic energy that led Steve to help grow the family business and become an Australian wildlife expert. Steve began filming his exploits at the reptile park and in the wild. To that point, wildlife programs were considered primarily educational and traditionally had taken the approach of observing wildlife from a safe distance, not disturbing them in their natural habitat. Steve’s up-close and hands-on approach with the animals was considered controversial, yet nonetheless much more exciting. At a time when the genre of reality television was becoming all the rage, his adventurous spirit, fearlessness, charisma and flare for the dramatic destined him for stardom. It took little time for Steve’s home movies to get noticed by producers and be transformed into a TV series, The Crocodile Hunter—an instant sensation. The highly successful wildlife program crossed over from an educational format into the entertainment market, making him a worldwide celebrity.

Steve Irwin’s handling of dangerous animals may have been considered controversial, but it was the handling of his one-month old infant son that was truly shocking. During the height of his career at his Australian zoo, in front of a crowd and cameras, Steve performed a live demonstration of what he considered to be Man’s complete control over beast. In the stunt, he entered an enclosure containing a hungry 13-foot salt-water crocodile. With no fences or safety measures between him and the 1000-pound croc, Steve approached close enough to feed the crocodile a chicken with one hand, while dangling his infant son in the other. The baby was literally within a few feet or less of the crocodile’s immense jaws as he snapped the raw meat out of Steve’s grip. Of the incident, Steve’s wife Terri said, "It was a wonderful sensory experience for him (the baby). He dug it." Upon facing criticism from the public and child welfare groups, Steve said, "It's all about perceived danger—I was in complete control."

Less than three years later Steve was diving off the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland Australia, filming the documentary, World’s Deadliest. Steve approached a giant stingray and got too close. The stingray became frightened, and in a natural defensive reaction, jabbed Steve with the sharp barb, located on the base of its tail. The barb was lodged into Steve’s Chest. The crew was able to get him back into the boat and administer CPR, but medical staff pronounced him dead on the scene. It was a tragic accident—though clearly the result of an error in judgment, or perhaps just being complacent one too many times.

Dan Mathews, vice-president of the animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said, “It was no shock at all that Steve Irwin should die provoking a dangerous animal." He added that, "Irwin made his career out of antagonizing frightened wild animals—that's a very dangerous message to send to children.”

Mankind (even angels), believing they are in control, or even attempting to be, demonstrates rebellion at its source. Desiring control is at the root of Man’s sinful nature and plays host to a multitude of other sins such as arrogance, pride, greed, envy, lust, anger, etc. To believe we can have complete control is to believe we are gods and no less. It is the desire for control that led to our original sin. Many do not fully grasp the seriousness of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. At first take, the punishment does seem harsh and not fitting the crime. Most of us have probably had the thought run though our heads, “So they picked an apple, big deal.” If that were all it was, God would be unjust.

Let’s look at it this way—they had total dominion over all the earth and everything on it. There was no suffering, aging or even discomfort. Adam had work, but it was pleasurable—no sweaty brow or stiff back. Life was happy, peaceful and satisfying—paradise. In fact they had everything with only one small exception—there was a single tree they could not eat from. God then warned them of the punishment for doing so, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. God was serious and meant business. He was also just, by warning them. Remember, this is the God of the universe talking to them here—what He says is absolute truth and will happen. The bright side (what an understatement) was that they had the abundance of everything else in paradise. Just don’t touch one thing—The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Why was that so hard to do?

It wasn’t. It didn’t even occur to Adam and Eve to disobey God until the wicked serpent came along and tempted them. Until that point they were only focused on the richness they had. But Satan taunted them and changed their focus to the one little thing they did not have. Then Satan did something they had never heard of and could not imagine or comprehend—he lied. Satan told them, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan had just accused God of being the liar. So they ate the fruit, and in doing so chose to follow Satan’s word over God’s.

There it was, the first sin, and it was no small thing of simply picking an apple. They wanted to be like God. Pride told them they were worthy of it. Lust for more allowed them to be deceived into believing God was a liar. And even though they had power over all of paradise, they coveted what they did not have—the full power of God Himself. We can’t blame Adam and Eve for blowing it. Their sin is our sin. Any one of us would have made the same mistake, because it is in our nature. Since the first sin, we all have coveted control and power at a point in our lives, thus trying to become like a god in some way. That has been Mankind’s downfall throughout history.

Little Nimrods

Within only nine generations of being removed from paradise, all the people of the world were so wicked that God was ready to hit the reset button. How wicked was that? God said of Man, “Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Consider the most terrible wickedness imaginable, such as the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, being in their thoughts and hearts at every moment, and multiply that across the entire population of the day. God brought the great flood and the world experienced its worst catastrophe and punishment of all time (before and since). Only one faithful man and his family were spared. One would think Mankind would have learned its lesson then, but it didn’t take long for us to take up our wicked ways once again, within only two generations, in fact. Directly after the flood, God told us to go fill the earth, but we did the opposite and flocked together.

One man, Nimrod, rose up to be a powerful leader. Nimrod was described as “the mighty hunter before the Lord.” Given that his very name means “let us revolt” and given the context in Scripture, he was likely being described as “the strong warrior that boldly challenged the authority of the Lord.” He gathered a large following and established a federation of cities in the land of Shinar (Babylon and Assyria). Babylon was Man’s first attempt at creating our own mighty kingdom. It was the birthplace of Man’s own system of government apart from God, with Nimrod as the first despot king. A new pagan system of religion was also spawned in which the people worshipped the constellations, believing they told the story of a fallen hero in Heaven, a great Dragon (Satan). Nimrod’s wife, Semiramus, was the high priestess.

In essence, Nimrod was a humanist. He believed Mankind could be strong and wise and rule in our own power apart from God. With this humanist reasoning, Mankind attempted to put itself in the place of God, thus becoming gods themselves (once again taking a bite of the apple). It was while reveling in their sin of pride that Nimrod and the people began constructing the most awesome man-made construction marvel up to that time in history, the tower of Babel. The first century scholar, Josephus, in his historical work, Antiquities of the Jews, gave us an account of Nimrod and the tower:

"Now it was Nimrod who excited them (the people) to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power. He also said he would be revenged on God, if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to reach. And that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers. Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion…"

So the Bible tells us at Babel, “The LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” The Lord knows our weaknesses so well. God knows that the further we pull away from Him, the more we fill with pride. We especially get in trouble when we are put in a position of responsibility and authority. We can easily start marveling at ourselves and our own works, and quickly forget who really put us in our position. We become little Nimrods. We see it all the time, such as when a friendly colleague gets promoted to manager, then lets it go to his/her head, gets an arrogant attitude and goes on a mini-power trip. Most of us have probably been guilty of something like that at one point or another, even men of God.

Pride Behind the Pulpit

Have you ever been uneasy with a preacher’s message? Most have on occasion. Many times that’s the Holy Spirit within, warning us that something is not right. That uneasiness can mean something is not right within our own lives, but it can also be discernment, telling us there is a problem with the message or messenger. Church leaders that become controlling, and put their congregation under condemnation and bondage, are all too common. There was a YouTube video that went viral of a preacher going on a terrible tirade during his Sunday sermon and verbally assaulting his own congregation. The video was hard to watch, but it highlighted the sin of pride and arrogance that has infected many of the pulpits of our churches. Here are the highlights:

The preacher’s tirade began when he stopped his sermon to chastise a poor soul who got caught dozing off. The preacher stepped down from the pulpit and confronted the young man in his pew, threateningly pointing in his face. The pastor told him, “Don’t you lay your head back,” then looked around at the congregation and said, “I’m important, I’m somebody.”

He then immediately set his sights on another man, unfortunate enough to be sitting close by. The preacher told him, “And where have you been? It’s on the calendar that I’m supposed to marry you. What makes you think I’d marry you? You’re one of the sorriest church members I have. You’re not worth fifteen cents.” The pastor followed that up by telling the humiliated man he loved him. Then the he forced the man into an uncomfortable hug.

With his finger waving and pointing at the congregation, the pastor then yelled out, “I want you to know how much I love these kids.”

He then smugly declared, “I’m the real deal. You can’t get this at any other church in town!”

Then he laid down the gauntlet threatening the entire church that if they didn’t want him, just say so and he would pack up quickly and move on to “some podunk church that don’t know up from down” that will appreciate him.

As if that wasn’t enough, he then aimed his sites at the defenseless video man. The pastor accused him of doing a poor job, having a bad attitude and attempting to “establish his own kingdom in the video room (would almost have been comical if there weren’t such a malicious scowl and tone coming from this so called Man of God).”

He finally began to settle down and closed his rant by satisfactorily saying, “I really feel good now.”

Throughout the outburst and insults, not a person left the sanctuary or ever questioned him. “Why didn’t the congregation run out of there,” you ask? It is the classic profile of an abuser and the abused. Abusers put their victims down, hurt them, humiliate them and destroy their self-esteem—then often give them some comfort. Abusers can’t control their own anger that boils over. They direct it towards their victims, tell them, “It’s your fault this happened,” then pull them back in, ease their pain slightly, and tell them “It’s all better now.” The abusers become the victims’ source of both pain and comfort, which is a cycle that continues over and over.

This abusive rant was an extreme case, but a common problem—pride and control lurking within our hearts—even pastors. Usually it comes out with much more subtlety, in smaller doses, and hidden inside the pastor’s heart and in his message. The pastor himself may even be completely unaware of what he is doing.

Let’s consider one of these more common, less obvious examples. Once, while attending service at a large 8,000-member church, I heard the pastor make a claim that troubled my spirit deeply. During the sermon, from somewhere amidst the sizeable congregation, a baby let out a brief cry—two or three seconds at most. The pastor paused for a moment with a clear look of frustration on his face. He went on, and a few minutes later, another short cry was heard from the back. The pastor stopped completely this time and openly chastised the unknown parent. He stated his sermon was too important to be disturbed, and the pastor declared that the Devil will even use a little baby to interrupt someone from being ministered to and giving their heart to the Lord. He then went on to say that is why the church had spent many millions on the children’s ministry, so that parents would not bring babies into the service.

At that time, I had only recently dedicated my life to the Lord, and as a Christian, was still a baby myself. Yet, I somehow knew this experienced, well-respected minister was not talking for God in that moment. I thought to myself, before the days of children’s churches (a modern-day phenomenon), parents had brought their children to church for millennia. And as a young Christian, I was hungry for the Word and had been studying my Bible passionately. I could not recall an instance when I had read about the Devil using a baby, but I could think of plenty of religious leaders, Pharisees, and other so-called “men of God,” that had come under the influence of the Enemy, or their own pride, impetuousness, etc. There was no doubt in this case who was the one under an ungodly influence (or simply not being very Christ-like).

I can say for certain there was at least one person who never returned to that church. You see, at that time, I was a single father of two very young boys, which is why those words hurt me so deeply. For a single parent, the balancing act of seeking God, raising a family and taking care of a household, and working to provide for them, is a real struggle and test of faith. In addition, I had recently relocated across country, and was on my own with no close family around. I can truly say it was only faith and God’s mercy that carried me through those days. I had been searching for a church home. It was clear the Lord was leading me to a different church, the place where a beautiful angel, my eventual wife, was waiting for me. It is a blessing to be given a church home. It was there where I found spiritual healing and support, and shelter from the rain. It is also important to remember that God does put a special calling on men as ministers, and they are to be respected and loved. They are imperfect men nonetheless, and we are to pray for our pastors, and be willing to forgive their mistakes, just as God does with each of us so patiently.

A large part of the problem is that our churches have become corporations in which pastors have been exalted to President and CEO of the church, where they are given full authority. Many adopt that role of being boss and stand over their congregation each week, looking down at their flock, lecturing, disciplining, comforting, and also controlling. The flock can become dependent and in need of the Pastor. He (not God) can become their source of spiritual nourishment. The congregation can begin to hang on the Pastor’s every word, follow his directions and rely on him for knowledge and understanding (instead of studying God’s Word for themselves). It is easy for a man in such a position to gain a sense of empowerment and let it go to his head. The man can begin to think, “I’m the smartest, wisest, most spiritual, most important person in the room.” A minister can quickly forget they are the one who should be the most submissive of all to the only real boss—the Holy Spirit.

Let’s look at the examples of church leaders in the Bible. Jesus called the church leaders of His day (the Chief Priests, Pharisees and Sadducees), “a brood of vipers,” and it seems in many ways nothing has changed. A true man of God will have a humble spirit. Moses was described in Scripture as the meekest man in all the earth. The Apostle Paul described himself as “less than the least of all the Lord’s people.” A man that is not humble cannot lead in God’s kingdom. The title “minister” itself means servant. Jesus was the embodiment of that principle. The innocent Son of God humbled Himself to the point of willingly accepting the torturous death of a criminal in order to pay for the sins of a world that did not deserve it.

If Jesus, The Pastor, was sent for the purpose of being a humble, self-sacrificing servant, any man truly called to be a pastor should seek to embrace those same types of qualities. The Gospel that Jesus taught and lived out was for our sakes—that He be a willing sacrifice in order that we sinners may repent and be forgiven. However, Jesus did not share that message through condemnation, but through love and compassion. Salvation is His gift to us and that is joyous news. Men cannot browbeat or guilt-trip one another into taking the gift. Any imperfect man who tries is a hypocrite. Jesus came to take away our chains of bondage, not put us in them.

In his sermon, many times the abusive pastor from the opening of this section referred to the church and ministry as his own. That is another common misstep of a pastor that is rooted in pride. Often prideful pastors will be very critical of other churches, ministries and ministers, as when the pastor said, "You can't get this at any other church in town!" He was right, but not like he thought. What a little Nimrod! He was placing himself as a gatekeeper between the congregation and God. With this type of common misstep by pastors, they imply the surest way to God and Heaven (sometimes even the only way) is through them and their church. This is a control element often used by cult groups and is a type of teaching that can become very treacherous. All believers (especially church leaders) should know and never forget there is only one true church and ministry—and it belongs to God alone.

Isn’t that just like many of us at times, whether in ministry or in some other walk of life, to believe that we are so wonderful and do such great things for God (as if He’s so blessed to have us on the team)? Our pride can take us to the point that we think God needs us. We forget, this is the God who laid the foundations of the Earth without our help. God doesn’t allow Man to do any great works, so that we never could take any credit apart from God, because we would. The Apostle Paul taught us the core fundamental of Christianity, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” That’s good news. Salvation is a free gift we don’t have to earn, nor can we. Our good deeds do not have to outweigh our bad. In truth they never could. That is what sets Christianity apart from any other religion—God’s grace.

There are countless miraculous stories that demonstrate this principle in the Old Testament. When Man needed victory against impossible odds, God always made sure it was in some extraordinary fashion that could leave no doubt in our minds—it was all God. For example, at the battle of Jericho, the Israelites faced a mighty army protected behind a seemingly impenetrable fortress. Jericho had double walls, thirty feet high, with a six-foot-thick outside and a twelve-foot-thick inside wall. God told His people, in order to conquer this mighty stronghold, just march around the city seven times and blow your trumpets. That was ridiculous and made no sense. But they obeyed, and it worked. The walls just fell and left the opposing army stunned and defenseless. There was no boasting about how great they were or any doubt to whom the victory belonged—God was great.

The same thing happened with Gideon. He had to raise an army to fight 135,000 Midianites. Gideon only gathered 32,000 men. Not very good odds at four to one, but God said that was still too many. If they won with that number, pride in the men would have led them to take some credit for being great warriors. Some prideful men might brag, “Any one of us is as good as any four Midianites.” So God whittled Gideon’s army down to only 300 men. At 450 to 1 odds, there could be no doubt who the victory belonged to. In what would have felt like a suicide mission to unbelievers, Gideon’s army, under the cover of night and armed with clay oil lamps, surrounded the Midianites and smashed their lamps to the ground in unison. God must have made it look and sound like such a fearsome explosion, similar to a modern, massive bomb blast, that the Midianite army fled for their lives. Gideon was victorious without losing a single man—all God again.

Despite the stories of God’s amazing power, there were still many times in the Bible when men failed to trust Him. Nothing has changed over time and we are still all the same. Despite all the moments God comes through for us, we just seem to have short memories and need constant reminders that God isn’t going to forget us or let us down. The results are usually the same. When we fail to trust God is when we try to take control—again. When we don’t see things happening the way we think they should, we start trying to tell God how to run things. When we believe we are helping run things, we start to think we are important. It happens to most of us on our Christian walk at some point—thinking God needs us. Often it is not so obvious and we don’t even realize we are doing it. We become impatient and begin to doubt God is going to come through for us, so we just try and give Him a little help, that’s all. However, when we seek the truth, God will reveal this sin to us in our lives—often it is through a simple test of time.

Death of a Dream

The Bible is rich with examples of men and women who were given a special dream or vision for their own future by God, only to see all hope and possibility of that dream seemingly die. Each time as that person saw their dream slip away, they were faced with three choices, give up; try and hang on to the dream by their own might and “help God out” to make it come true; or wait faithfully and trust God.

Abram and Sarai were given a word by God that they would have a son, and through him would come a nation that would be numbered like the stars—that would inherit all the land as far as the eye could see. By this time Abram was already over seventy-five years old, but he believed God. Ten years passed, yet still no child. At this point Abram and Sarai decided to take matters into their own hands and help God out. Sarai asked Abram to go to her handmaiden, Hagar, and she became surrogate mother for a son, Ishmael.

Their actions showed their lack of faith in God’s promise, and from Ishmael did come a nation, but not the one God had spoken of to Abram. And though he was the first-born, and his lost descendants would eventually claim the birthright, God was clear that the blessing of His covenant would come from both Abram and Sarai through a child of their own, Isaac. However, by taking matters into their own hands, they had brought strife into the land from the lineage that would come through Ishmael. An unblessed union between Ismael’s daughter and the reprobate grandson of Abram, Esau, birthed a rebellious nation (Arab nations, Islam) that would always be in conflict with the people of Israel (Jacob and his descendants).

This is the point of the story where Christians may begin to judge Abram and Sarai and say, “It’s because they couldn’t just trust God and be patient, that we have had all this violence and war between Christians and Muslims throughout history and still today.” But we all make their mistake. Their mistake (just like Adam and Eve) is to be human. Time is our worst enemy and a short memory is a Christian’s curse. Anyone who has been a believer for very long has had some word or promise from God that just seemed like it would never come true. For most of us, after enough time passes, we can even begin to doubt that God ever promised anything at all and think perhaps that maybe we were just mistaken.

Fourteen years later, God spoke again to reaffirm His covenant through the seed of Abram and Sarai, and ceremoniously changed their names to Abraham and Sarah. How did they respond? They both laughed because they were both far too old to conceive, and Sarah, who was already barren, had also long since gone through menopause (a double whammy). As far as the two were concerned, the dream of their own child had died long ago.

The beauty of this story is—that’s God’s way. This is just another example demonstrating that when God makes us a promise, He does not allow any room for us to think we could have done anything on our own or  “helped God out.” He wants us to know it’s all Him, and for God, nothing is impossible. When a dream is dead and then is miraculously resurrected into reality, we know without question it could have only been done by God alone. Indeed, twenty-five years after the promise, to a one-hundred-year-old man and a barren ninety-year-old woman, Isaac was born, and it was through him that God created the nation of His chosen people.

A divine dream suffered death twice in the life of Joseph. Most Christians know the story well. As a boy, he was favored among his many brothers by his father Jacob (son of Isaac), and was given a beautiful coat of many colors. Then, God gave Joseph two dreams that his parents and brothers would one day bow down before him. They, of course, did not want to hear that, including his father Jacob, as many of us often do not want to listen to God’s truth when it doesn’t match up with our expectations. In their jealousy, the brothers threw Joseph in a deep pit and plotted to kill him, then in a moment of mercy (if that’s what you call it), decided instead to sell him into slavery. They tore Joseph’s coat, covered it with animal blood, and told their father he was killed by a wild beast.

Surely to Joseph, as a slave, the dream had to begin to seem unlikely. However, after being sold to the wealthy, powerful Egyptian captain of the guard, Potiphar, Joseph’s circumstances began to improve. He rose in status to be overseer of Potiphar’s grand estate. The dream must have begun to have life again. Then just as things were looking up, trouble came in the form of temptation from Potiphar’s wife. Joseph was young and handsome and she wanted him, and was likely accustomed to getting what she wanted.

Joseph had a difficult choice to make. He was exceptionally smart and had to know that the simplest way to hold on to his success would be to give in to her demands in order to keep her happy and quiet. Not only that, but she likely was beautiful and the offer must have been tempting. God’s way is rarely the easiest decision. Joseph did as Scripture teaches and fled from temptation, which infuriated Potiphar’s wife.

Most of us know what happened next. She falsely accused Joseph of putting the moves on her, which landed him in prison. In a new twist of fate, there was Joseph, obeying God’s will, yet now not only a slave, but also prisoner in a dungeon, and worse off than ever. After years of confinement in prison, his dream of long ago must have seemed unimaginable. At this point, after nearly being murdered by his own brothers, sold into slavery, and a prisoner falsely accused, most would have lost all faith in everything. Yet Joseph didn’t.

When Pharaoh had divine dreams that none of his wise men or pagan priests could interpret, they called for Joseph. Now there he was, a prisoner, face to face with the most powerful emperor on the planet. Standing there, even with Joseph’s own dream seemingly dead and long forgotten, he put his own life on the line and in God’s hands. Before he even heard Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph bravely, faithfully, told him that God alone interprets dreams.

And God did come through in that moment for Joseph, by giving him the prophetic meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams. That miraculous turn of events also set the stage for Joseph’s own dream to come true. Timing was everything. There was nothing Joseph could have done by his own might or works to help his dream happen, other than to be patient and hold on to his faith. It was by God’s doing alone that such an improbable journey could have been possible. A slave, a prisoner, in an incredible instance was raised to second in command of the most powerful nation on earth, only behind the great Pharaoh himself.

If we were creating a Mount Rushmore for men of the Bible (not counting Jesus who is in a category all by Himself), Abraham would certainly be on it. However, if we make faith alone the measuring stick, Joseph is one of the elite champions of the Bible. Throughout all he suffered, from start to finish, nearly being murdered, and enduring many years of slavery and prison, he kept the faith until that climactic moment in front of Pharaoh.

Now compare that with Abraham, who along the way had to gradually build up his faith, learning from his mistakes. Having a child with Hagar was only one of many instances in which he failed miserably to trust God. The truth is, we all want to have enduring faith like Joseph, but most of us are more like Abraham. It takes time and many hard lessons to get through our thick skulls. And when we become impatient and try to “help God out,” we usually make things worse and create our own little Ishmaels to deal with. Thank God for Abraham! His story builds my faith. If God can use a hard head like him, maybe God can use me, too.

And just think what God made out of that hard head. Over a long life, Abraham eventually built up enough faith to pass one of God’s all-time greatest tests of faith, when the Lord told Abraham, “You know that miracle son, Isaac, you waited so long for? I want you to go sacrifice him now for me.” It is one thing to lay down your own life or put it on the line like Joseph, but your own son’s? And by your own hand? It’s unimaginable, yet Abraham passed that test, going all the way to the brink, only to be halted by God at the last moment. This unwavering obedience through enduring anguish was a foreshadowing of what God Himself would later bear for us to the end by allowing His own Son to be sacrificed so brutally. This had to happen because in order for a pure and righteous God to be just, a sacrifice is required to atone for sin and wickedness. The blood of animals is not sufficient to sanctify us. They were a temporary substitute in the Old Testament, until the perfect sacrifice, the spotless Lamb (God in the flesh), came to take our place, creating a new holy covenant—the New Testament.

The difference between our God, the true one and only, and the gods of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., is that we have a personal God who knows our pain and loved His children enough to became a man, just so that He could die for us. How could anyone follow a god that didn’t? Without a personal God, one that is “up there” while we’re stuck “down here,” or just some impartial universal force that is the makeup of all things both living and not, then there is no personal relationship between us and God. That personal, compassionate relationship is what makes Christianity so unique and beautiful. How could we truly love a god that did not first love us? A perfect God demonstrated that love by bearing the worst of the world’s wickedness in the flesh Himself (through Jesus), for our sake, sinners, in order that we may be redeemed. And all we have to do is love Him back.

There are two types of Christians—those who have suffered and those who will. Many of us have given advice to a brother or sister in Christ who are in the pit—“Just be patient, trust the Lord and count it all joy. He’ll bless you in the end.” But it is another thing entirely, when it is we who are in the pit, not knowing for how long, or what is next, and praying for God to deliver us. The pit is dark, scary and uncomfortable, and time slows to a standstill. But, if Christianity were all blessings and comforts, everyone would be saved. Jesus didn’t say, “Take up your cross daily,” for nothing. If you have not fully accepted Christ yet, and are in the pit, maybe you put yourself there. You are stalling, running, hiding from God. His hand is there in front of you, waiting for you to finally grab hold so He can lift you out of that dark place. If you are a believer and in the pit, maybe God is removing the old and creating something new, or preparing and strengthening you for greater blessings to come. We need to just hold on to the dream like Abraham and Joseph. Though we may have a short memory, God does not forget (as we will also see in the next chapter).

The good news for Christians is that following God is not all misery or playing the waiting game. God does not let His children suffer for no reason—there is always a greater purpose. Abraham and Joseph both endured difficult circumstances and were raised up in triumph for the glory of God. Faith is knowing that it is all for something glorious and much greater than this world could ever offer us. The examples of Abraham, Joseph and so many others in the Bible, are there in order to demonstrate that God does not want circumstances to affect our faith, but quite the opposite. Take it from someone who has spent his fair share of time in the pit. There are some lessons that can only be learned the hard way, and some things about us that will not change while life is comfortable. Yet in Christ we never suffer alone, and He is always the one who lifts us out of the pit and makes every amazing dream He gives us come true. Jesus gave us a simple metaphor in John 16:21–22 (NKJV) to help us understand trials:

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

CHAPTER 2

Never Trust Skinny Cooks Or Rich Preachers

Given the choice to eat a meal prepared by Giada or Emeril, I choose Emeril. However, that has more to do with my preference for his spicy creole cooking with its rich southern flair than their waist size. I’m sure they are both wonderful cooks. The adage, “never trust a skinny cook,” can imply that it is difficult to be around food all the time and not overindulge. Can the same be said for preachers with too much money?

Since 1992, Dr. Jim Withers has been exclusively treating Pittsburgh’s homeless population. Patient calls are part of his daily routine as he goes out into the streets, often at night, and treats the homeless, head-to-toe, giving both physical and psychological patient care. He has sacrificed a much more lucrative conventional medical practice and lives off of a modest salary from teaching and grants, in order to care for the poor.

Dr. Withers said in a news interview, “The essence of healthcare is going to where people are and treating them not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally. When they’re shown that they matter, and when that sinks in, hope grows and amazing things happen.”

How better to teach and lead others than by example? A man that casts aside his own wealth and comfort for his calling to help others in need is someone to be greatly admired. Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher did this. Satan offered him an earthly kingdom, which of course Jesus refused. It’s impossible to imagine the true Christ saying yes to that offer. However, that was Jesus, God in the flesh. Nobody could measure up to His standard, hence His purpose as the Lamb without blemish—sacrificed so that we imperfect sinners may repent and have salvation.

What about David and Solomon? They were great men of God and had riches. They each did love God with all their hearts, but were not priests or full-time ministers of the gospel. They each had a full-time job—king. To be fair, they were examples of men with great wealth that did not let it come between them and their relationship with God. Their failings were both of the more fleshly nature—that happens to be another all too common temptation of preachers as well—the opposite sex.

The Apostles of the Bible did not have great wealth. They were required to put aside everything to follow Jesus. “Big deal,” we might think; “Most of them were poor fisherman.” Fishermen yes, poor no. James and John were the sons of Zebedee, a man of means. They had a lucrative business with many ships and hired men in the thriving fishing industry. The Sea of Galilee has always been world famous for its abundant fresh water fishing and the Zebedee and Sons Fishing Company likely gave them status as successful merchants and provided a comfortable living. Peter was their partner. Mark was a tax collector and Luke was a physician—all lucrative professions. By no means did the Apostles follow Jesus because they were without much and did not have any other opportunities.

In one instance a man told Jesus, “Lord, I will follow you wherever you go,” and Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” After being told by Jesus, “Follow Me,” one man replied, “I must go bury my father,” and another said, “I need time to spend with my family and friends to bid my farewells.” They were saying there were more important matters to attend to than following immediately after Jesus—He didn’t wait for them. It took special men with conviction to step out of their lives and follow Jesus, who called them to something greater than what they had or ever could have in this world alone.

In another well-known moment, a rich young ruler asked Jesus, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus then named many of the Ten Commandments and the young, self-righteous man responded, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” This was quite a contrast to the answer Peter gave Jesus, in humility saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Then Jesus told the rich young man one more thing, “Sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” That was the deal breaker for the young man. Then Jesus followed by saying, “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Of course that leaves many of us asking God, when it comes to being saved and having riches, “So you’re saying there’s a chance?” We want to have our cake and eat it too. To be fair, Jesus does go on to say, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

In one sense, it is easy for many of us who have never been rich to look upon a wealthy minister and say, “You’re a hypocrite and need to give all of that away to the poor.” However, in another sense, wealth is relative. Middle-class Americans, with a home, car and enough disposable income for dinner and a movie, are wealthy compared to many living in abject poverty around the world. Simply stated, we are as rich to them as Donald Trump is to us. Let’s ask ourselves, “How easy would it be for us to give up what we have for life in a dirt floor hut and having to walk miles for clean water?” Some do. Granted, we are not all ministers or missionaries, and that is not necessarily the same thing as a rich man cutting back to a middle-class American lifestyle, but the scenario puts things in perspective. The point is, most of us don’t feel guilty for the standard of living we have, preachers included. Nor are most of us prompted to trade down to a more modest home or lifestyle just because others are less fortunate.

From the story of the rich young ruler, most Christians would surmise that Jesus warns us wealth can tempt us away from placing God first in our lives. So why would a minister amass riches, risk such a temptation and not heed the warning? Most likely, they believe they are wealthy because God has favored them and that they are strong enough to not let material things become an idol. (Giada is a great chef and is not a glutton, right?) Just owning a $10 million mansion or $20 million private jet (as some mega-church pastors and TV evangelists do) are likely evidence to the contrary. Those may be extreme examples. But even to a much lesser extent, it just doesn’t feel right for a man of God, whose salary is paid by church tithes and donations, to live much more extravagantly than his congregation. That being said, only God knows their true heart and is to be their Judge, not us.

We may not be allowed to judge the man, but when it comes to their message we should. We are never to blindly follow any teacher. We should always seek the truth and pray for understanding. We are to study our Bibles for ourselves, and any message from a teacher that is truth will check out scripturally. The good news is that it does not always matter whether our church leaders are themselves living completely for the Lord or not. Jesus said of the Scribes and Pharisees (the teachers and preachers of His day), “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.”

In other words, we can still get good instruction from a hypocrite. However, when it comes to whom we are to follow on Sundays, we should pray for guidance and discernment from the Lord. Our spirit will tell us where to go for spiritual nourishment and God’s Word, if we are willing to listen. If not, and church is merely a duty or social occasion, and we are only seeking a pleasing message at a well-attended, comfortable place to spend our Sunday mornings, it is not the preacher that we need to worry about. We are told:

For these are rebellious people, deceitful children; children unwilling to listen to the LORD’s instruction. They say to the seers, See no more visions! And to the prophets, Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions; Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel! Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says: Because you have rejected this message, relied on oppression and depended on deceit, this sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant.

God’s Mirror

The truth is, we are all hypocrites. To be a hypocrite is human nature. The difference between a Christian and the worldly man is that the Christian should know that. But, like most people, we don’t—perhaps even less so. That may be hard to swallow for some in the Church. We can believe it easily about plenty of others, that they are hypocritical, but not ourselves. Let’s analyze this further.

First, what exactly does it mean to be a hypocrite? The Encarta Dictionary defines a hypocrite as, “Somebody who pretends to have admirable principles, beliefs, or feelings but behaves otherwise.” The word “pretends” implies intentionally or knowingly acting contrary to one’s stated beliefs. It stands to reason however that regardless of self-awareness, to act contrary to one’s stated principles would be hypocritical. Let’s read the definition again, but take out the word “pretends” and substitute “believes” instead. The result is the same. We still have a hypocrite—they just don’t realize it. We have all been hypocrites whether we choose to admit it or not—and not just before we knew the Lord either. It is easier to admit the times when we knew full well we were doing something that went against our beliefs, but did it anyway. The times that are the hardest to admit to ourselves, are when we do things honestly believing (or trying hard to convince ourselves) that it was for the right reasons, only to have our impure motives revealed to us later by the Lord.

Many of us come to the Lord because He reveals our hypocrisy to us. We walk around for a time in our lost, sinful ways, content with ourselves, without admitting or understanding that we are immoral and unprincipled. Then in a moment of clarity, often after we have gone through some emotional event and hit bottom, we realize the uncleanness of our lives. We repent and turn our hearts, minds and spirits over to God, to be cleansed and renewed by Him. However it is at this point that many believe after we are saved, it is our duty to give up our hypocritical ways through our own willpower. We want our lives to be more pure, and become racked with guilt when they are not. The truth is, once we are born again, the Lord does begin a change in us, but we are still of the flesh and subject to our vices just as we were when we were lost. We may recognize some of our obvious sins, repent and change many of our ways, but many sins can linger or even take on new form. Often we are blind to them and they can go unrecognized, but for true believers that seek the Lord, He will reveal our failings—it is all a part of the changing (sanctifying) process.

King David was a man after God’s own heart. Many theologians point to his great faith and courage as the reason he was described that way. To use a sports analogy, in religion, faith and courage are characteristics that could be considered offensive, which typically get the most glory. Offense gets more attention and cheers because offense scores the points. David, a mere shepherd, having more faith in the Lord than all the mighty warriors of Israel, was the only one willing to battle Goliath. That seemingly impossible victory was certainly a great offensive display of God’s power. In another example, David and Eleazar stood alone together in battle against the Philistine army, after the rest of the Israelite army had fled—another courageous offensive moment. Leading the armies of God’s people to countless victories, uniting the kingdom, ruling the throne as Israel’s greatest king—all points put on the scoreboard by David for the Lord. Michael Jordan, Mohammed Ali, Pelé, Babe Ruth, all had nothing on King David.

However, in sports it is often said that defense wins championships. The same can be said in our spiritual battles. In the well-known verses of Ephesians 6:10–20 (the Armor of God), the Apostle Paul described all that a Christian needs to take into battle—and it was almost all defensive—spiritual armor for protection. In fact, the only offensive weapon given was the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (the Scriptures). It can be argued that it was David’s defensive qualities of prayer, humility and repentance that made him a man after God’s own heart. As faithful and courageous as David was, after all the mighty feats God had done through him, he was a man guilty of terrible sins. David lived with sin in his life for some time, even while being a man of God, king and a hero to the people. In that sense, he was a hypocrite. However, it is by observing David through his sin and suffering, and how he dealt with the results of its consequences, that we can only come to know the full measure of David’s faith.

David was a polygamist. At the time of his early reign, King David had collected seven wives (eventually eight), and had an untold number of concubines. King or not, that wasn’t God’s design for Man. Sexual sin had crept into David’s life, and there is no evidence to show at that point he even noticed. Unrepentant sin does not remain dormant or stay contained—it grows and consumes. David took many wives and concubines, and yet they still were not enough. He eventually coveted another man’s wife, Bathsheba. Lust led to envy. Most know how that story played out. The Bible says simply that David saw her, took her and lay with her. If by having all those wives and concubines David was not already considered adulterous, he clearly was after that.

Bathsheba got pregnant. David tried to cover it up by bringing her husband, Uriah, back from the battlefield. After a little flattery from the king and a royal banquet, Uriah was allowed some leave at home. Back home with his beautiful wife, after being away on a tour of duty, Uriah was supposed to have done what men do, then the baby would have been born and recognized as Uriah’s. Problem solved. God may have favored David, but He didn’t let him off the hook so easily. In fact, this was the beginning of God’s answer to David’s own prayer—though it may not have felt like it at the time. We have such short memories, but God does not forget. As a young man, David had written some beautiful verses glorifying the Lord—Psalm 19. Of this very Psalm, C.S. Lewis said, “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” In it David wrote, “Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression.”

David had long forgotten that he had asked the Lord to remove his innermost hypocritical ways. However, oblivious of that at the moment, David hatched a simple but genius plan to cover up his adultery, and it would have surely worked had he been just dealing with men. But God was directing things as always, and not only while David was being faithful, but even while he was in sin. Uriah did something unexpected and amazingly admirable. Even though the lovely Bathsheba was waiting, Uriah refused to go home, in order to honor his men and his king. When David asked him why he did not go home, Uriah said, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

Uriah is one of the underappreciated godly men of the Bible. It is no coincidence that this was a rare man, principled and disciplined, who had his passions under control—the one area of David’s life that the king, the mighty warrior and man of faith, was weak. David tried a second time, attempting to fuel Uriah’s desires by getting him drunk. How many of us have put aside our principles for a night after a few drinks? Uriah, to the contrary, remained steadfast. He would not have been in the wrong to go home to his own wife; however, Uriah held himself to an even higher standard out of duty and honor. So how was Uriah, this loyal, honorable man rewarded? God’s ways are not ours.

Finally David’s hypocritical ways and sexual sin led him to do the unthinkable. He sent orders for Uriah to be abandoned on the front lines of the battlefield, left to die, making David now an adulterer and a murderer. What a tragic story that should get our attention and scare the rest of us implicitly! Mighty King David, the man after God’s own heart, let unrecognized and unrepentant sin creep into his life, causing him to commit appalling crimes against God and his own beloved people. Who among us believes they have more faith or strength than David? If such a fall from grace could happen with David, surely we all are capable of committing sins we would never dream of—sins for which we have all cast judgment on others, thus becoming hypocrites ourselves. The worthy Uriah, by the way, did get his reward. Instead of being left to feel the shame and suffer in agony from the sins of his wife and king, he was given Paradise—an eternity living in peace and happiness with our Lord.

God wasn’t done yet with David. His way for revealing hypocrisy was to simply hold up a mirror. One of the most humbling moments of the Bible came next. Nathan, God’s appointed messenger, came to David and told him of two men, one rich and the other poor. The first owned great flocks and herds, and the second owned just one ewe lamb that he loved as his own child. The rich man had a visitor and called for a feast, but did not want to take from his own flock, so he took the poor man’s single lamb to feed his guest. In fury, David called for the full penalty under Jewish (Mosaic) law to be paid by the rich man, that he should restore the lamb fourfold to the poor man. Nathan then famously revealed to David, “Thou art that man.” Indeed, the rich man, King David himself, did pay that very price, fourfold, for the life he took. Four of David’s sons lost their lives prematurely. God judges us by the same standard we do others. Jesus taught us that in the Sermon on the Mount: “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again.”

As tragic an event as this was in David’s life, it was also an opportunity for David to demonstrate to us all why he was truly a man after God’s own heart. It was soon after God used Nathan to answer David’s earlier prayers from Psalm 19, and reveal his “secret faults” and “presumptuous sins,” that David next penned Psalm 51. In those verses, David repented as no other. His true might was in his humility before God. Remember, he was the greatest king on earth at that time. Kings do not have to be humble or apologize. We think presidents have power. Kings did not get voted into office. They did not care if everybody approved of them. They did not get permission from Congress. Their decisions were final, and to question or criticize them was to seal one’s own fate.

That is real earthly power, which David had, yet knew it was nothing compared to God’s power. He was also wise and subservient enough to recognize the Word of God through His messenger, Nathan. David, a king, was obedient and submitted to the authority of The King. And when it came to repentance, King David led by example. In Psalm 51, David acknowledged his terrible sin (v. 3). He declared the judgment was justified and God was blameless (v. 4). David willfully accepted the purging process, knowing he was being cleansed, and his sins were forgiven (v. 7), that he would be given a pure heart and renewed spirit (v. 10), and that the joy of his salvation would be restored (v. 12).

A Prayer from Beginning to End

Let’s consider Psalm 19 and 51 together, as sort of a before-and-after picture of David’s prayer life surrounding his great sin with Bathsheba. It’s a good manual for dealing with sin in our own lives. There are three important elements of David’s prayers we should all take notice of and learn from. The first is that we cannot even begin to know all the ways we need to be changed, but God does. When we were lost, we walked around oblivious to our sin. We can also do this as Christians—even after we have already been saved. As a young man, David earnestly prayed for God to cleanse him of “secret faults” and “presumptuous sins.” Prayer does not only have to be about asking for forgiveness and blessings or giving thanks. A much older David, in Psalm 51:6, also acknowledged to God, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden parts. You will make me to know wisdom.” Just as David did in both Psalms, we should invite God’s Truth into our hearts, to reveal our hidden transgressions so that we may repent and be forgiven. That is our preparation and defense through prayer, for protection from the temptations and trappings of the flesh and of the Enemy. We should never assume that to be saved is to be above sin’s reproach or beyond our hypocritical and fallen nature. That would hinder us from true, heart-felt repentance and would be to take God’s grace for granted.

To pray for cleansing from secret sins may seem like a scary proposition for some after seeing how that worked out for David. According to Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”  “All things” includes our sin and suffering. David’s prayers for cleansing and his sorrows had purpose in his life for a closer walk with God. His prayers were answered, though probably not as he planned. But again, God’s ways are not ours. His suffering from the consequences of his sin was a small price that had to be paid for a greater reward. If we were to buy a trinket at a garage sale for a few bucks that turned out to be a priceless antique, we wouldn’t cry over the loss of the small amount we paid, but rejoice over the treasure we found. The point is, we should not fear temporary suffering in this world, but be more focused on the peace and love we gain for eternity. David did have secret sins. They were revealed. He suffered heavily, but was returned the joy of his salvation that only comes through Christ. David was a man after God’s own heart because he understood that even though he was a king on earth, all his temporary title and riches were nothing compared to being a servant in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The second important element for dealing with sin came in Psalm 51:13, when David prayed to use this experience to teach other sinners God’s ways, and use his suffering as a testimony of God’s righteousness in order to convert others to His Kingdom. Here we have David, a sinner caught red-handed, offering to teach others on the things he himself couldn’t keep under control. That in itself could sound a little hypocritical. It was an important lesson he did finally learn, albeit the hard way. Who better to teach than a living example to testify of God’s mercy and righteousness? David finally understood the folly of sexual sin as only one could who has lived through it, repented and been forgiven. There has only ever been one perfect example, The Teacher (Jesus)—never to have been a hypocrite. David is an example of one that learned from his mistakes, was humbled by suffering the consequences of sin, but then forgiven, lifted up and redeemed through God’s love and mercy. That is the kind of teacher we should all strive to be.

The last and most important lesson from David’s two Psalms is that we cannot change ourselves. True transformation can only come from God. The mistake we most often make is trying to live righteously by our own will power. We see our sin, pray for repentance (good so far), but then commit to the Lord that we will change. That is not how it works. We cannot bite the bullet and try to will ourselves into removing sin from our lives. That is trying to do what Paul described as, “living under the law.” If we are not saved by the Law (only by grace), then it makes no sense for Christians to think we have to live by the Law in order to keep our Salvation—yet so many of us do. That can work for a time. However, being human, we are constantly at war with our flesh and fallen nature, and it is only a matter of time before we stumble and land flat on our face.

God set a high standard with the Big Ten (Ten Commandments) and the Mosaic Law, laid out in the first five books of the Old Testament. As if that wasn’t difficult enough to uphold, Jesus came along and set a new standard. In the Sermon on the Mount, He described sin as starting with our thoughts and emotions. Considering today’s modern world, where our senses are bombarded with messages and images of lust, greed, anger, idolatry, and you name it, it is impossible to imagine keeping from sin in both deed and thought. Many blame demons or the Devil for constantly attacking and tempting us. We can give them too much credit. Our flesh alone can be enough to get us into trouble, as is most often the case.

When it comes to changing from our sinful ways, we should be cautious of telling God “I will” or “I won’t” do this or that. That is typically being presumptuous and only our hypocritical nature boasting. Spiritual renewal comes from God alone. David understood this full well. Throughout Psalm 51, we learn from the humbleness of David’s pleas. He asked God, “purge me,” “make me,” “restore unto me,” “deliver me” and “create in me.”  He dared not give petty offerings of self-control or atonement. David acknowledged, “For you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; you do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart—These, O God, You will not despise.”

David wisely offered only complete, heart-felt surrender, repentance and praise. David recognized God’s full authority, knowing he himself had nothing to offer in return that could earn or repay God for His forgiveness. And David knew in order to change his ways, it was up to God to do that in him from the inside spiritually. To describe what happens, as a “change,” really does not do it justice. God makes us a new creation, and it is only He that can create anything. Just as a canvas cannot help the painter—a creation cannot help the creator. All we can do, just as King David did, is lay our sins at His feet and rely completely on God alone to finish what He started when we turned our lives over to Him. David’s story serves as a permanent reminder and an eternal truth, that no matter how mighty our feats or how wonderful our works, we are all sinners that would be condemned were we not saved through God’s grace alone.

* Application: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate *

Keeping the Faith in a Fallen Nation

Now let us bring what we studied from David’s life, and apply those lessons learned to our modern nation, that continues to get bolder in its defiance of biblical principles and standards. Let’s discuss the hot-button issues of government’s redefining of marriage and the epidemic of sexual sin in our modern society, and also evaluate how the Church is responding.

In May 2012, leading up to the Presidential elections of President Obama’s second term in office, the President took the controversial position of endorsing Same Sex Marriage (SSM). Immediately all news and media outlets became dominated with homosexual-related headlines. In secular and Christian media alike, not only were we seeing headlines regarding SSM, but also every angle of every issue involving homosexuals were being documented and debated. Based on the amount of attention being paid to the debate, it seemed as if SSM was the most important issue in politics, religion, and the upcoming Presidential election and beyond after President Obama retained office. The debate became a reality on June 26, 2013 when the Federal Supreme Court approved SSM, paving the way for states to eventually either follow suit voluntarily or push back against federal pressure. Now the dividing lines have been more clearly drawn for Christians living in a nation that continues to pass its own laws that are in direct opposition to God’s. Many American Christians are becoming more embittered, and as loyalty between faith and country is further separated, knowing how to respond is not always easy.

First, let’s define our primary purpose as Christians. It is not to try and put a stop to sin. That is a battle Christians cannot win, nor should we try to. Christ was not sent to bring peace to the world. In fact, the world rejected Him at the cross, and it should come as no surprise that it rejects Him still. He was sent to us as a sacrifice, so that those who are willing to humble themselves may repent from their sins and be forgiven. That is Good News and we are called to share it. If the nation continues to turn its back on God and refuse to seek Him, we can teach our children to seek Him, and help our families, neighbors, and so forth—that’s how it works, one at a time.

Bitter exchanges and harsh words with a world that will not listen are futile. And though it is difficult to see our nation fall from grace, and it is much easier said than done, we must avoid casting judgment. As believers, we must think back to how we came to know the Lord. It was likely not because someone made us feel guilty for our sin or put us under condemnation, but because they shared the message of Christ’s love. Pride and self-righteousness are faults that keep our nation from once again embracing God, so then, neither can we witness with such traits lurking within our hearts and message. Rather we must be witnesses for the Lord in humility. As we look at those blind and lost in a dark world, we must remember that for many of us Christians, that was we too at one time. We are all sinners and it is not our place to point fingers at other sinners, and preach, “do this” and “don’t do that” or “you’re going to Hell” (whether it is actually said or implied). That’s what the Pharisees did. According to James 4:12 (NKJV), “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?”

So then, is it wrong for Christians to strive and push for our nation to follow God’s ways? Of course not, as long as we are not lashing out, even when our nation does not make the right decisions. We are called to be lights in a dark world, and that cannot be done in anger and frustration. If the nation refuses to turn from sin, God will deal with it, just like He does in our individual lives.

So how does God deal with sin in our lives? Once saved, we are renewed in Spirit, in His time and for His purpose. As we grow and draw closer to God, He deals with our sins and cleanses us. Just as with David, God will put a mirror to our face and reveal our secret faults. We must be prepared to humble ourselves and admit our failings. There are often still consequences to deal with, but that is how any good father disciplines and teaches his children. And that is how children learn, become obedient, and respectful, and live better lives—because of the loving lessons they learn from their father. Our father corrects our bad behavior when we are children, because he wants what is best for us. So, we accept it, and when we are more mature we even come to appreciate it and thank him. (It takes longer for some than others.)

Next, let’s look at SSM and homosexuality for what they are. Although some Christians and religious leaders have come out in defense of homosexuality, the Bible is clear that it is a sin in the eyes of God. The second worst thing believers can do is compromise and say that homosexuality is not a sin. Someone has to love them enough to tell them the truth so they can repent and be forgiven for their sin, just like all believers must go through. The worst thing believers can do is be hypocritical by passing final judgment others. Homosexuality is just one of a multitude of sins, sexual or otherwise, that can keep us from the Kingdom. Though we wouldn’t know it by the headlines, homosexuality is not the most rampant sexual sin in our society, or even in the church today. If the church is going to teach against sin, it cannot spend all of its efforts condemning one, while so little time unconcerned with the rest. It is casting stones if it does. In today’s wired world, we are blasted daily with images and messages of all sorts of sexual immorality through the Internet, television, movies and countless other ways. How many of us, including those sitting in the pews every week, are or ever have been guilty of unmarried sex, promiscuity, pornography, masturbation, unfaithfulness and adultery, and even impure fantasies and wandering eyes?

Jesus tells us in Mathew 7:3 (NKJV), “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” That’s Jesus, holding up the mirror for us in Scripture. We are almost all guilty, whether now or at some point in our lives, of sexual sin. Let’s not concentrate all our efforts on the sin itself, but with the love of the Lord reach out to the heart of the sinner. And if we are going to focus on sin, we must start with ourselves.

Lastly, there are many important issues for Christians, other than just same-sex marriage, worthy of attention. Does that mean SSM should not be a concern or a political issue for Christians? Of course not. One could certainly argue it erodes the institution of marriage. One could also make the counter argument, with the divorce rate what it is, that it has been happening tragically already for some time. Even if SSM is legalized by every state in our country, that does not make it a marriage recognized by God. It is shameful that our nation is continuing to turn further away from God on this issue. However, let’s put things in perspective and weigh in on some other sexual and reproduction-related issues Christians should be concerned about as well:

1. Abortion. We are still in a nation that allows legalized abortion (around 1.3 million per year in the U.S., 43 million worldwide). Over 50 million lives have been taken by abortion in the U.S. since Roe vs. Wade in 1973. Seventy-nine percent of abortion clinics are in minority communities. There are African-American communities in the U. S. where a child has a greater chance to be aborted than to be born. In China, there are 13 million abortions per year, where, due to their one-child law, many women are forced into abortion or sterilization. There are only four countries in the world that legalize abortion after five months: China, North Korea, the U.S. and Canada.

2. Human Trafficking and slavery. There are approximately 20-30 million slaves in the world today (up to 300 thousand living in the U.S.), women and girls are the majority with a high percentage for sexual exploitation. The average age girl entering into sex trafficking is 12-14. More people are held in slavery and forced labor today than at any time in human history. Human trafficking is the largest growing illegal trade (estimated $7 billion annual revenue), expected to surpass drug trafficking within two years.

3. Religious Freedom and the HHS Mandate. The Health and Human Services mandate, a part of the Obama administration healthcare regulations, requires the healthcare plan of almost all employers, including church and religious organizations, to cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. At stake for Americans is the right of the government to force onto its citizens practices that go against their core principles and beliefs.

4. Pornography. Internet porn has become a worldwide drug addiction. It is consistently becoming more graphic, violent, degrading and humiliating. It helps fuel the worst crimes of our society such as abuse of women and children, rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, slavery, etc. We need true Internet reform, and regulate it as any mass media such as TV, radio, movies and video games. Here are some startling statistics:

—Sex is the #1 search on the Internet.

—There are 68 million porn search engine requests daily.

—There are over 420 million pornographic Internet pages.

—42.7% of Internet users view pornography.

—The average age of first exposer to Internet pornography is 11.

—1/3 of children 10 years and younger have seen Internet porn.

—Four out of five 16-year-olds admit to regularly watching porn.

—70% of 12 to 17-year-olds view Internet pornography often.

—The pornography industry has approximately $100 billion annual revenue worldwide; larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink.

It is not the intent of this section to defend or belittle the same-sex marriage issue or excuse the homosexual lifestyle. Simply, it is to provoke critical thinking, understanding and consideration that it may not be in the best interest of Christians to take the bait from secular society. We should not let ourselves be lured into an ugly fight, put too much emphasis on this issue and too little on other important ones, or give homosexual activists and their cause more of what they are after—publicity. The secular media, left-wing political interests, and groups with an anti-Christian agenda can use this debate to vilify religion, stereotype Christians as bigots, exalt themselves as heroes of Citizens’ rights and forward more anti-faith-related regulations.

The real trap for Christians to avoid is to not let politics, political parties and politicians become our idols. When the world takes all of our attention with its own agenda, tells us what is important and what issues we should be focused on, then we become no longer Christ-centered. A sign that we have shifted our focus from God to the world is a spirit of anger, confusion and fear, which seem to be the feelings most of us get when we pay more attention to the world and the headlines than to the Word. God is always in control and wants the full attention of our eyes and minds on Him. Though it may not always appear so to us, everything is going according to God’s will. So then, the sign that our complete faith and trust is on the Lord is a spirit of peace within.

CHAPTER 3

Bullets, Baños And Baptisms

For over 40 years, Eliazar Garza, from the small eastern Mexican town of Padilla, has been a pastor and missionary. He’s established over forty missions across three Mexican states, in the farming communities of Tamaulipas, the Indian villages of San Luis Potosi and in the mountains of Veracruz. Most of the missions are in poor, rural regions, and most often serve as the only church for the local villagers, as well as a source of much needed food and clothing.

I had heard of the remarkable missions for some time and eventually was able to take a trip to see them for myself and get involved. On my first day in Padilla, Eliazar and I made plans to visit two of the nearby missions in the pueblos of Mariano Escobedo and La Campesina. Eliazar came by early in the morning. Both missions were having church services later in the afternoon. However, first he had to go out early to the mission in Mariano Escobedo, not yet completed, to do some work on the bathroom. I had a little experience doing some bathroom remodeling and could handle a saw, so I volunteered to help.

When we arrived at the mission, I soon realized I wouldn’t get to show off my carpentry skills. What they called the bathroom (baño) was the beginnings of an outhouse—a five-foot hole in the ground half full of rainwater. It needed to be dug down to nine feet, but first the water had to be bailed out. Eliazar, dressed for church in slacks, nice shoes and a golf shirt, did not hesitate to climb down. With shoes still on and sinking to mid-calf in mud, he started bailing water. Once drained, he started digging and handed up buckets full of mud. Not to be left unmentioned, this was Mexico in July—it was hot! I remember asking myself, “How many American pastors would be in the ministry if climbing into muddy holes and digging in the summer heat were part of their regular job description?”

One of the villagers came to help. Working side by side is a good way to get to know someone. I learned the man had been an alcoholic for some time. He had found God at the mission, and was now two months sober, and putting his back into the Lord’s work with Eliazar. The three of us took turns down in the hole digging. I thought I was being the sensible one by taking off my shoes before I got down in the mud. I soon found out the dirt was full of jagged limestone—like broken glass on my bare feet. I toughed the morning out not wanting to be outworked, even if just for a short time, by Eliazar who was sixty-one compared to my thirty-eight years. I held my own, and although we didn’t count the bucket loads, I’m embarrassed to say I probably came in third.

I looked at my watch and noticed it was 1:45 p.m. I was sure the service started at 2 p.m., but thought I must have been mistaken, since we were filthy and still needed time to get cleaned up first. Soon after, Eliazar announced the hole was deep enough. I took a moment to take a few pictures before we went back home to shower up, so I thought. By the time I took a few shots, with just a rag and bucket of rainwater, Eliazar had gone from being covered in mud, to looking as good as he did when he picked me up that morning.

“Time to go to church,” Eliazar said.

As we pulled up to the mission at La Campesina, people were walking up, and although they didn’t have much, they were very nicely dressed. Then there was me. Although I had done my best to imitate Eliazar’s masterful transformation at the rain bucket, I was still sweaty and dirty. Worried more about being rude than looking and smelling badly, I greeted everyone. The people were so kind and gracious. They ignored my outward appearance as all the men took turns shaking my hand and the women kissing my cheek.

Church services in the missions typically are during the day, with travel by night being too dangerous. The mission is a simple one-room cinder-block building. It is big enough to hold about fifty people comfortably. This service was about half full. The only air conditioning was the many open windows along each side. It was warm, but surprisingly much cooler than outside. There were tile floors, white walls and ceiling, a stage and podium. It was modestly decorated and was sparkling clean. It was clear upon first look this was a house of worship and fellowship. The service opened with song and praise led by Eliazar on the accordion. A few of the parishioners took turns leading the chorus. There were no hymnals, just a spiral notebook with handwritten songs.

It was a simple, back-to-basics service, and the presence of the Holy Spirit was strong. I remember thinking this was the same way people have worshiped for centuries, before modern technology came on the scene. Eliazar’s sermon was about letting God be in control and not having a spirit of fear, but trusting in the Lord, which is exactly what I had been dealing with in my own heart. He went on to say some kind words about me. Eliazar reminded the congregation that because of the fear all around, no American missionaries had been coming to that area for some time. Eliazar told them that although there had been a recent sequence of violent events, I had still come and was an example of trusting God. I was moved by his compliment.

Eliazar asked me to say a few words and not to worry about my rough exterior. At that moment I felt walls within myself breaking down. I suddenly realized I had been carrying some spiritual pride that now felt foolish. I had been so pious, believing that I was this spiritual American that was going to do some good work for the Lord and risk my life for Him, and witness to some poor unfortunate lost souls. I could not remember what I had prepared to say, and could only speak what my heart was feeling. In my fledgling Spanish, I told them of how humbling the trip and the day had been. I admitted that although I was dirty and tired, I was grateful to learn from Eliazar what working for the Lord truly is. And even though the Lord gave me the courage to not let fear stop me from making this short trip, their courage was an everyday part of life. I told them as I stood there I felt small, but glad, because God was reminding me how great He is. The people of the mission were examples of living faith that most of us only read about. Eliazar and the congregation were the real missionaries, and they helped lift up my spirit and taught me some valuable lessons in faith. At the end of the service, Eliazar had an alter call and we both prayed one at a time for the people of the mission. On the car ride back, Eliazar shared the good news that two people had accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts that day.

Eliazar had not exaggerated the truth about trusting God for protection on the trip. A recent string of violence had almost cut off our visit before we even arrived. It had been just two days before, as I was driving toward McAllen, TX, preparing to cross the border the next morning, that Eliazar called to warn me. There had been some kidnappings in Padilla. An entire family and two schoolteachers were taken the night before. Also that same day in a nearby city, a car bomb killed two police officers. Now many of the soldiers stationed in Padilla were leaving. They had been stationed there since the year before when on Valentine’s Day, 2011, eighteen people were massacred. Seven bodies were dropped at the town center as gunmen sprayed the government building and streets with bullets. Eleven more were shot and killed, and several innocent women and children bystanders were among the dead.

The truth was, that I was scared by the rampant violence, as anyone should have been. Now there had been more tragic events. I had made up my mind not to go. Not only was my life on the line, but also my wife and mother-in-law were traveling with me. We were disappointed to cancel the trip because it was very personal to us. It just so happens that in addition to being a pastor and missionary I admire, Eliazar is family as well. He is my uncle on my wife’s side. My mother-in-law was raised in Padilla. In addition to visiting the missions and bringing needed clothes and bibles, we wanted to visit our relatives in Mexico, whom my wife and mother hadn’t seen in many years and most of whom I had never met.

After Eliazar’s call, a spirit of fear had descended upon us. In light of the latest tragedies, our first impulse was that this was a warning, signaling us not to go. We decided at the very least to deliver the supplies to Eliazar in McAllen, and take the rest of the evening to pray. By that night, something happened. My wife and I listened to a Bible lesson while Mom read her Bible. We talked before bed and realized we all had been studying the book of Daniel. We all felt the Lord was telling us something. Although He easily could have, God didn’t keep Daniel from the lion’s den. Instead He allowed Daniel to be thrown in, yet protected him. God used that moment to demonstrate His power. And with God’s protection, nowhere on earth was Daniel safer than in that den of hungry lions. We knew God was asking us, “When you say you trust Me, you think of your home, finances, jobs and routine decisions, but do you trust Me all the way, with your own life, and the lives of your family?”

We knew God wanted us to demonstrate our complete faith. This was a test whether or not we were going to let the Enemy intimidate us with a spirit of fear and keep us from going where the Lord was sending us. He had work for us to do and blessings there waiting. We released all our worries to the Lord, and He brought a spirit of peace over us. God kept his promise. For six days we visited the missions and churches, hand-delivered food, clothes and Bibles, and worshiped and prayed alongside the people, and the Lord kept us from harm. Wherever we went, we were welcomed with open arms. Many families shared their homes, broke bread with us, and told us their stories. The people may not have had much, but their generosity was bountiful.

As wonderful as the experience was, we didn’t just see everything through rose-colored glasses for the entire trip. There came moments when we did see signs of some of the struggles the people of Mexico face. On the fourth day we went to visit the nearby, much larger city of Victoria, beautifully surrounded by green mountains. Our cousin was playing in a softball game, which the family never misses. Afterwards, we decided to do some shopping at the downtown market. As we drew closer, and the streets more crowded, we began to see signs that reminded us there is much work for a missionary to be doing in Mexico.

First, we came across some transsexuals, apparently workers in Mexico’s sex industry. Next, there was a woman who walked by wearing oversized sunglasses, a victim of abuse with bruises too large to hide on her badly beaten face. Once inside the market, we came to a section of booths with shrines dedicated to a skeleton shrouded in robes and displayed on altars. There was a strong odor from the various herbs and incense for burning during rituals that were sold alongside the idols and religious symbols. All were for prayer to the Santa Muerte, the deity of a cult that worships the dead. The cult is particularly popular with the members of the drug cartels, and has boomed in popularity over the last decade amid all the violence and death in Mexico. We had an uncomfortable spirit, and we immediately left and returned to Padilla.

At another point of the trip, while stopped at a convenience store in Padilla, we stumbled upon an unsure, somewhat tense situation. An army truck pulled up across the street from us and unloaded a large group of soldiers and police that began to patrol around a park area. We drove away without knowing anything about what was going on. I was a bit reassured to see a police presence, since they had virtually all left Padilla before we arrived, although the seriousness of their faces left me once again feeling an uncomfortable spirit. It wasn’t until a week later, after we had returned home from our trip, that we were told an ice chest full of dismembered body parts had been dropped off in the town center.

We left with the realization that Mexico has become a nation, which, in large part, has turned from God. It is terribly oppressed by the Enemy. Too many have become trapped by violence, idol worship, greed and so many other sinful ways. A road the U.S. is unfortunately headed down as well, and not so far behind. The good news is this only further demonstrates the daily trust and enduring faith of those who have remained devoted to, or have come to know, the Lord. Being among the Mexican people who have remained faithful to Jesus, one senses a pure spirit of thankfulness for His gift of salvation. That same genuine appreciation for His sacrifice and mercy is found less these days in the comfortable pews of the churches from Mexico’s neighbor to the north.

Back in Padilla, at the Rosa de Sharon, Eliazar’s home church that he pastors, the service that Saturday night lifted our spirits. The entire family participates in the church ceremonies. They have services Wednesday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday mornings. Eliazar’s son-in-law, Francisco Cuevas, is the Assistant Pastor, and delivers the sermon for the Saturday night services. Franc and his wife, Abigail, are also the youth pastors. They have a very vibrant youth ministry, and working with the teenage boys and girls of Padilla is some of the church’s most important work. Teens are particularly vulnerable to the many evil influences that will take them if they are not prepared with the Armor of God. The youth take part at every church service. The church also has an outdoor volleyball court that is packed every night with young people to play, fellowship and keep out of trouble. On weekends they play soccer. The church members in Padilla and their neighbors maintain a true sense of community as God intended, something most of us in the U.S. have lost with our busy, impersonal lives.

Our last day in Padilla, Sunday, was a special day. Eliazar planned a baptism ceremony after church. It was a powerful service in which the entire youth group, adorned in beautiful costumes, performed song and dance worship. Eliazar delivered a moving sermon that told the story of Jesus’ baptism:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

After the service, the entire congregation met at the nearby river. The group gathered and sang on the banks of the lush, and aptly named, Purification River. In the clear, crystal blue waters, Eliazar baptized nine that day, including myself. Once finished, with the sun shining on our faces, we stood together holding hands in the cool river and smiled as all the community watching over us celebrated in joyful song and praise.

Prudent Compassion

The next day, we began the long drive back home with Eliazar behind the wheel. As we stared across the green vistas over the Mexican countryside on the three-hour drive north to McAllen, we were all aglow as we reflected on the movement of the Holy Spirit during the past week. I thought of all the special people we had been so blessed to meet. There were those at the missions who had accepted Christ into their hearts. We had also planted and watered so many seeds in the hearts of others. Likewise, the people helped grow and strengthen our own relationships with God. I thought of how all our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the youth, would face difficult tests of their faith. I considered how important the missions were to the people of the villages and was astonished at how much the ministry could do with so little. American Christians and churches need to know more about ministries like this. Such grass-roots, locally run missions have unique characteristics that make them so effective.

The biggest advantage is that they are run directly by the people of the very communities that are in need. The donations are used to purchase supplies and resources directly from the community, benefiting the local economy. The work provided brings jobs for its citizens. For example, had I come in with a group of men from my home church to build a mission, it would have denied many, such as the villager who helped dig the outhouse, much needed work. The same group of men would have additional traveling expenses, unnecessarily using up valuable funds. Also, in a dangerous region like Mexico, the bigger the group, the more attention is attracted and the greater potential for harm. The added risk could mean more expenses for safety and security.

Robert Lupton, missionary and minister for over forty years, in his book, Toxic Charity, outlined a strong case that not making the best use of funds and resources and blurring the line between missionary work and tourism are two characteristics of inefficient short-term mission trips that have become a side effect of the growing “compassion industry.” This is when Americans (and citizens from other wealthy nations), often youth, mostly unskilled and untrained, take a short vacation to do temporary missionary work, and then go back home, almost always never to return or track progress. “Vacationaries,” as they’ve become known, is the popular name to describe these short-term missionaries. This has become a very lucrative target market for travel agencies.

The total amount spent annually for these types of trips has been estimated between $2.5–5 billion a year, with much of the funds benefiting the travel and tourism industry. The argument can be made that they spend an exorbitant amount of money, to do relatively little work that yields unsubstantiated long-term results. For example, a group of ten, booking a one-week all-expense-included trip abroad with a short-term mission travel company, could easily pay an average $2,000 per person. For the entire group the total cost would be $20,000. That same amount of money would be enough for a local ministry like Eliazar’s to build a complete mission, including all supplies and labor, from the ground up, as well as provide one year’s worth of annual operational expenses.

One more advantage for giving to an established, locally run mission, whether we are willing to admit it or not, is overcoming that trust factor in the back of most of our minds. Most American people are still generous by nature. We know we are a blessed nation and want to help those in parts of the world that are less fortunate and suffering. Because of that, there are many opportunists that profit off the plight of others. Intentional or not, many groups and organizations lacking efficiency, integrity and transparency spend too much of every dollar on advertising and corporate expenses, and not enough on the desperate people featured in their ads.

We want to know that our money is going to be a direct benefit to someone in need and not worry that most of our donation is going to be filtered away through advertising costs, business overhead, such as salaries and office space, or bureaucratic and political channels. Many groups can spend much time and money on lavish conferences and fundraisers that talk plenty about missions, but in reality do very little. This all may seem a bit cynical to some. It should be pointed out there are many wonderful non-locally run missions and relief organizations that are forthright and do wonderful, life and spirit-saving work. The point is, that to not do one’s homework on a missionary organization before we give our support is to be irresponsible. To trust blindly and give freely could be taking resources from legitimate, vital missions and relief organizations and hurting the very people we wish to help.

When researching mission organizations, one also needs to consider their practices and philosophy as well. Charity, with no responsible long-term plan for self-sustainability, can be a contributing factor in the creation of “welfare states.” These are regions that are either unable or unwilling to support themselves and their own communities, and have become reliant on handouts. We’ve seen the results of this in many regions and third-world nations all over the world. One could make a case for the same thing happening in the U.S. as well. Generations of too much freely giving and easily receiving, with not enough education, training and self-involvement from inhabitants in their own progress and development, can result in a beggar economy.

Also, as visitors we should take precautions not to offend or disrupt a people’s sense of community. As a dinner guest in someone else’s home, we would not bring all the groceries, barge in and take over their kitchen, pull out their pots and pans and cook them a meal. People of poor regions have pride and self-worth just like anyone else. Just because they don’t have much, does not mean they are helpless. To the needful community, a helping hand is preferable to handouts. Working together builds relationships, esteem and abilities, which is immensely more important to a people’s well being than material gifts alone ever could be. A mission for example, is intended to be much more than a building. A mission in a village, built by its own people, provides a sense of ownership and accomplishment. Community involvement, work and effort lead to greater sentiment, belonging and pride. A mission is a place that is intended to be a community center for fellowship, learning, activity, support, and, not to be forgotten, spiritual renewal. That is a recipe for long-term positive change.

When considering mission work, here are some things to look for according to Grace Communion International:

—Does the trip look like tourism, or work?

—Where is the focus?

—Is the trip advertised with hype, as if two dozen strangers can change an entire city in two weeks?

—Are the travelers doing most of the work, or are they watching others do the work?

—Do your homework: What are the political, safety, and health risks involved in that nation?

—Are the organizers aware of, and doing something about, the risks involved in travel to that nation?

—Are the mission activities done in cooperation with local churches? Native ministries are needed to locate meaningful ministry situations, to guide the work so that it is most appropriate for that culture, and to follow up after the travelers go home.

—Is there adequate supervision, especially if minors are involved?

Giving and Receiving with a Pure Heart

We must always be fully aware of the true purpose of a missionary and our Christian motive for charity. There are two sides of the coin, both important and essential. First, it is important to make the distinction between a mission ministry and relief effort. Humanitarian relief efforts are noble. When people are poverty stricken and living in deplorable conditions, or when drought, famine and disaster strikes, it is the church that is usually there first and stays the longest. However, we should not give Christians or the church itself credit alone for aiding those in need. We must always give God the glory. (We’ll discuss further in just a moment.)

Missions are concerned with more than physical relief. They provide more than bodily nourishment, but also spiritual nourishment for those in need. Those of us with material blessings, of course, want to share with those who are less fortunate. To feed and give shelter to those that are without, or who are suffering, is absolutely a Christian value. However, we do so for the purpose of being a witness to Christ’s love and mercy and sharing the Gospel. We would not want the physically hungry to walk away with a full stomach while they remain starving spiritually.

We must also be careful not to get too one-sided when it comes to spreading the Gospel either. There are some Christian missionary groups who’ve forgotten that sharing the Gospel is more than just telling people about it; it’s demonstrating it as well. We must remember that the Gospel is not shared in word only without action. That’s what James meant when he said, “Faith without works is dead.” What kind of witness of the Gospel are we if we send a starving child home with a Bible, but nothing to eat? James explained this further:

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

It is all about having a complete picture and full understanding of the Gospel. Let’s analyze two specifics regarding charity work that are uniquely Christian characteristics. First, let’s discuss the notion that we (the church) can be generous on our own. That is a trap that we can fall into and why Christians must understand that we are not good by ourselves. Though none of us deserve it, God saved us by His grace and mercy alone, and it is His Spirit within us that prompts us to share that grace and mercy with others. Helping the lost and suffering is God’s will, and in so doing on our day of judgment He shall say:

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

To attempt to be charitable, without admitting it is by God’s will alone, is to do so selfishly. What happens when we don’t believe God is the only source of charity and that Man can have some goodness of his own apart from God? Without giving full credit to the Holy Spirit, two bad things can come from trying to be “a good person.” First, we can be filled with pride. We say to ourselves, “I help the needy when so many others don’t. I am generous and a good example for others to follow.” Even we Christians are guilty of such thoughts, and of having spiritual pride (just as the Lord revealed to me at my first mission service). That is why the Lord reminds us:

“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”

In other words, Jesus warns us if we do our good works for a pat on the back, the compliments from our friends and church are reward enough. If we want a reward from our Heavenly Father, we must keep our minds pure by recognizing that He is the source for charity, not us. When it is all God, there is no room for us to be boasting of ourselves. Just like a janitor would not boast about sweeping the floor because he is just doing his job, we too are just servants following orders and doing our job. True goodness all belongs to God, and He gives us the honor to share in it.

The second unique characteristic of Christian charity, is that only a Christian can understand why it is so important not just to feed the hungry a meal and then send them on their way. As already stated, a missionary cannot be content only to feed a person’s body while leaving their soul starving. In faith, Christians must see the world through their spirit and not just their eyes. When we see the physically hungry through our eyes, of course it breaks our heart and we should render aid for their immediate physical needs. However, to hand the lost bread, without letting them know it is a blessing from the Lord, is to selfishly take credit for ourselves, and not to care for them at all. Why is this uniquely Christian and cannot be a characteristic of any spiritual person (Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc.)? Only Christians know genuine grace and truth, which are of the one and only God that came through Jesus Christ.

Empty Vessels

It is important to know we can be a witness of the Gospel without ever saying a word. When we are walking in the Spirit and doing the Lord’s work, His light can beam from us and the lost can be drawn to the source (God), and their hearts affected by it. Whatever suffering any of us are going through here in the world, the Christian knows it is temporary. The next world is eternal. If we were to prioritize suffering, it is spiritual suffering that is infinitely more important to comfort. To a non-Christian that reality can only sound cruel. I can hear the world grumbling, “Easy for you to say when you’re not the one starving and suffering.”

The truth is most Christians have suffered. That is how many of us were saved in the first place. Very few call upon the Lord when their bellies are full, they have money in the bank and things are going well here in the world. If things were going so great for us all the time on our own, why would we need God? For example, many think it is stereotypical or insincere when someone in prison finds God. On the contrary, God’s presence can be stronger in a prison than in the comfortable pews of many churches. Where there are those that are broken and suffering, we also find humility, open minds and receiving hearts.

Empty vessels are the most eager and grateful to receive and be filled with the living waters of the Holy Spirit. “He (God) heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The reality is, most of us who have been born again, came to the Lord when we were facing a health crisis, upon the death of a loved one, during divorce, at the brink of suicide—you get the picture. Great suffering makes us realize how weak we are on our own. Usually through painful experiences we are more able to comprehend the cross and humble ourselves enough to ask and receive the gift of Salvation and thus be reborn.

In the parable of The Great Supper in Luke 14, Jesus tells us of a man who invited many to his home for a banquet. There were those who were too busy to attend and made excuses, being occupied by more important concerns (so they thought), such as tending to their own family matters or material things. So then the man offered his feast to the poor, crippled and blind—all that were hungry and grateful for an invitation to such a feast. They came to the banquet and were filled. The lesson is that those who are satisfied and distracted by material possessions and worldly priorities have forgotten the Source of their provision and will be left to remain content with their temporary, perishable possessions and rewards. If we do not come with want and willingness for the eternal gift God has to offer, we will not have a place with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven.

I had expectations that traveling on a mission trip to rural Mexico would be a “faith-building” experience. As I reflect back, it would be more accurately described as a “faith-filtering” experience. Jesus knew what He was talking about in the last parable that material things and worldly concerns can get in the way of our faith. This happens not only in our own lives, but also within the church itself. In an attempt to appeal to the masses, churches compete with each other to draw members, and in doing so create an attractive environment to entice people. In modern America over the last fifty years, religion and the entertainment industry have collided and revolutionized Christianity.

Church has become a lucrative business, in which paying patrons are being courted in droves like no other time in history. Churches that boast congregations of twenty, forty, even sixty thousand or more, at one or multiple locations, were inconceivable just within our grandparent’s lifetimes. The modern mega and multi-site churches, backed by deep corporate pockets, have created a theme-park-like atmosphere of fun and excitement, with all the comforts and amenities of a country club. They wow the senses with huge, modern sanctuaries and facilities. A Sunday service can rival the production of a Broadway show, with lights, backdrops, music and choreography. There are numerous ways for people to connect and be on the church grounds all week through programs, classes, sports, activities, etc.

The Reverend Sam Pascoe once said, “Christianity started out in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise.”

Many churches can become too focused on the quantity of its congregation rather than its quality. People, especially Americans, are competitive and we like to do things in grand fashion. This however is another example of looking through our eyes and not our spirit. We think bigger is better. We see a huge building and a large crowd and automatically think “This place must be doing things right and be blessed.” That is true if a crowd is the goal, but in matters of the Spirit that’s not necessarily so. The argument can be made that getting people to come is the difficult, most important step. The principle being that if a church can just get people in the door and give them an incentive to keep coming back, even if it is by superficial means initially, they will hear the message and have an opportunity to give their hearts to Jesus.

There is a case to be made for that logic. However, what type of message attracts the greatest crowd and holds on to a congregation that came to be entertained? If there is no substance and mostly just crowd-pleasing messages, selling an enticing product wrapped in an attractive package (such as positive thinking, self-help psychology or prosperity teaching) is only creating customers and consumers, not saving lost souls. Most ministers and their congregations would never admit it, and often without realizing it, “entertainment” is the hook that keeps most people coming back. Perhaps “emotional high” is a better description. In the same way people get caught up in the excitement and euphoria of a large music concert and sporting event, the same stirring, moving sensation can be experienced in a large gathering within a religious setting.

The difference is that at large-crowd events claiming to be spiritual (such as church worship, a Christian concert or revival), the moving experience can be falsely accredited to the Lord. It may truly be the Lord in many instances, but the key is to discern the difference between the true Spirit and a manufactured one (a good show). A show with loud rhythmic musical beats and hypnotic lights, all used to reinforce a passionate sermon, can be formulated techniques for creating a mesmerizing experience designed to draw out an emotional response from the audience. We can be deceived into attributing the source of excitement and exhilaration to the movement of God, when in fact it is man-made. There was no stage production on the day of Pentecost, just people gathered with one purpose, to seek the Lord, and the genuine Holy Spirit descended upon them in abundance.

Probably the most common speed bump that slows our spiritual journey is routine, which can soon turn into a rut. Even in a true Bible-based, God-first, Spirit-filled house of the Lord, static comfort can breed complacency. When we become content, as if we have reached some perceived pinnacle in our faith, without feeling the need any more to strive for growth, we plateau and can then begin to become stagnant in our relationship with God.

At the Mexican missions, having church in the most basic of settings was like finding a shortcut on your way home from work, after you’ve become accustomed and satisfied in taking the long route for years, without knowing a simpler way existed. I realized, before crossing the Rio Grande River, when it came to worshiping and serving the Lord, I had not done anything out of the ordinary in some time. If faith was a path, for me it had been in the same direction, with the same number of steps and stops along the way for some time. My path had become very much worn down. Until then, I had not been open to the opportunity for the Lord to guide me down another, less traveled path.

Religion, along with all its preconceived notions and biases, had crept into my faith. Attending church in rural Mexico with ten people instead of a thousand, at first sight, seemed small and insignificant, but then my spirit revealed the close bond and intimacy we were able to share in worship together. Having no lights, big screens, sound equipment or even air conditioning and other modern accommodations and technology considered essential to a church service back home, surprisingly calmed and soothed my senses. It’s the difference in walking through a busy, lavish shopping mall, versus a secluded forest trail. Away from the noisy hustle and bustle of crowds and eye-catching billboards, nature at first can seem too quiet, but then becomes serene. The ears become fine-tuned and begin to pick up the sounds of the birds chirping and leaves rustling from the blowing wind.

My eyes, instead of being focused on lights, monitors and a visual backdrop, were drawn to the lines and details of faces and eyes that revealed insight into the lives and prayers of my hosts. I began to imagine each person’s story, and get a sense of their life and experiences. The language limitations left us unable to rely on conversation alone to communicate, and put more emphasis on the non-verbal. I realized, with a limited vocabulary, it is difficult to make yourself sound smart (unmasking a little pride that subtly had been hiding in my normal conversation). I realized though, even had I been fluent in Spanish, the simpler life within the villages, compared to my more frenetic one in the big city, would have rendered the typical chatter I was accustomed to far less useful anyway. Nobody was compelled to ask the other, “So, what do you do for a living?” or “What kind of church do you go to?”

There were no thoughts of the typical ways we divide and categorize ourselves socially and religiously. In that place there were no denominations or doctrinal differences. There were no sophisticated ideology, Greek or Hebrew word studies, debates over whether to baptize with water or oil, or if we believed in speaking in tongues or not. We did not talk politics and about how fast our two countries were going to hell. The Mexican people’s reality of  “a country going to hell” would have been much different than mine anyway. We all knew we were in a dangerous, violent place; however, complaining seemed wasteful. Life was too precious to spend time on obvious concerns and negativity. There was more of a sense of urgency to focus our complete attention on God and a heightened sense of awareness of His Kingdom that is at hand. Whether behind the pulpit or away, Eliazar did not like to discuss the violence that surrounded the Mexican people’s lives. He said, “I don’t want to give power to the Enemy by talking about it and spreading more fear. I only need to talk about Jesus.”

Amen. I observed Eliazar and learned that the Gospel is not complicated. Once all the excess is filtered away, The Gospel comes down to one simple thing—Jesus.

* Application: Pornographer Turned Missionary *

Rescuing the Wretched

It’s a popular saying among Christians that “our mess can become our message.” It is so amazing how God will take the least likely person and use them for His glory. He certainly did it with the Apostle Paul. Imagine, the man that hated Christians, that hunted, persecuted, even murdered them, being chosen by God as one of His greatest teachers.

To men, that made no sense, but for God, who better to spread the message of grace than such an incredible living example of redemption? If God was willing to forgive such an awful wretch as Paul, and even made him into one of Christ’s most courageous disciples, there is hope for all of us.

God also knows that it is the worst of us, those that have been pulled from the lowest pits and have much to be forgiven, that often have the deepest faith. Jesus illustrated that with the Parable of the Creditor. “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

Donny Pauling was a modern-day wretch. He grew up as a Pastor’s son, but only saw Christianity as a list of do’s and don’ts. He only focused in on the flaws of his dad’s congregation. He viewed Christians as being judgmental hypocrites, and he became resentful.

In the mid 90’s, Donny got married when he was a young man. The Internet was still in its infancy when Donny discovered online pornography. He became addicted and viewed it when his wife was at work and asleep. He heard there was money to be made so he contacted his favorite sites and began producing porn part-time.

He kept it a secret from his wife for three years, during which time they had a son. At a Las Vegas porn convention, while supposedly on a business trip, over the phone Donny came clean to his wife. Unlike Donny, she had a relationship with Christ and he knew she could never accept that lifestyle, so he left her and their one-year-old baby, to pursue a career in pornography.

That first month alone Donny made fifty thousand dollars. The easy money, sexy women and fast lifestyle were exciting to him. Donny especially got a charge out of flaunting his success as a pornographer in front of his Christian relatives and acquaintances that knew him from his life before and from his father’s church.

As he became more surrounded and consumed by a world of sexual perversion, he grew accustomed to things that at one time had repulsed him. At the porn trade shows and conventions, there were always Christians that picketed and preached fire and brimstone. They only led him to despise Christianity even more. However there was one special group called XXX Church that was different. Instead of passing judgment, they witnessed directly to the people blinded and trapped by the sex industry with a message of Christ’s mercy and love.

Over time that message broke down Donny’s hatred and he began praying again. That was the start of a new relationship in which he gave his life to Christ, and after nine years in the porn business, he walked away. The man that had fallen into a life of sin and destruction, and lured many into that same world of darkness, now is dedicated to rescuing lost souls from that pit with the Gospel.

Donny consistently tells those in the sex business, “There’s nothing you can do to make Jesus love you less.”

Donny has a powerful personal testimony, not only of his own broken family, but also with the real stories of many men and women who have had their marriages and lives devastated by pornography. Donny shares his story all over the country and even appeared on an episode of Nightline, to debate popular porn stars over whether or not pornography is harmful.

Donny’s testimony often puts him in an awkward and difficult position, with many Christians being uncomfortable with his shameful past, and the world ridiculing his faith and viewing him as a hypocrite. Through it all, Donny remains committed to his mission of raising awareness and helping others break free of porn addiction.

Donny and the porn-awareness ministries are quick to point out the shocking statistics of the multitude of men, women and children struggling with porn. Sadly, the numbers are the same for those within the church as those who are not.

Donny is sponsored by Guilty Pleasure, a ministry whose primary purpose is to educate people about the harmful effects of pornography and connect those in need with professional help. They are helping the church lead the way at the porn war front and take back our families from this wicked enemy.

If you think you have a problem with pornography or are not sure, you can find resources and get help through Christian organizations that specialize in this type of ministry such as, Guilty Pleasure, XXX Church, Porn Harms, Covenant Eyes and New Life Ministries.

CHAPTER 4

Is That the Lord Speaking, Or Just You?

One Wednesday evening at our church, after Bible study, a woman approached my wife, Brenda, and wanted to speak to her. I was familiar with the woman. She was a petite lady in her 50’s, a bit eccentric, but very sweet. I let them talk while I mingled in the lobby until Brenda came out, and then we drove home. I noticed she was unusually quiet. A bit later, I went into the bedroom and found her kneeling beside the bed praying and sobbing. I asked her what was wrong, and Brenda told me the woman had said she had a vision about our 16-year-old daughter, Joanna. The woman said there were evil forces after her, and her life was in danger. She said Satan wanted to take our daughter before she became an instrument of God. The woman advised that we intervene for our daughter, in prayer, immediately, before it was too late. The woman had confirmed something God had been speaking to me about as well, but was a much different message, and I had immediate peace about the situation.

It’s amazing how the Lord works. He is always there with us each step of the way, guiding and supporting us through the good and the bad. I have never heard the audible voice of God, and really never have met anyone who has. It would not be easy for me to completely trust someone who said they had, although I know it can happen, because it did in the Bible, and I’ve come to believe every word in the Bible is true. The way I trust in the Bible’s complete accuracy is the same way I know when God is telling me something.

There are specific characteristics when it comes to communication from the Lord. The first is that He always confirms His word. I know the Bible is accurate because God’s Word always comes to pass. The Old Testament foreshadowed the coming of Christ in numerous instances, beginning in Genesis, penned by Moses some 1400 years before Jesus. Scripture states, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

God was talking to the serpent, Satan, regarding him and the woman, Eve. Jesus Christ was the direct descendent of a special blessed lineage from her and Adam, and He was sent to crush Satan by overcoming the sin of the world. The part of the verse that says Satan “shall bruise His heel,” is often misunderstood. That refers to the crucifixion. Being hung on the cross causes all the joints to separate and puts tremendous pressure on the lungs. It is an unavoidable reflex to push against the spike and wood, back and upward, from one’s heel in order to breathe. Crucifixion on the cross is the only form of execution in which the victim is left with a bruised heel. Adam and Eve had hardly finished eating the forbidden fruit when God revealed that He had already prepared a spotless Lamb as a sacrifice, even before He laid “the foundations of the world,” so that their sin may be forgiven. That’s profound!

Back at our home, God had already prepared me for the moment that someone would bring a message of fear to my wife and I, over our daughter. Just two weeks before, I had read an interesting article online that jumped out at me. It was written by Dr. Roger Barrier, a pastor of over forty years experience, titled How Will I Know When God’s the One Who’s Speaking?. In it Dr. Barrier wrote of a similar experience he had gone through himself. Many years prior a woman had approached his wife Julie, fiancé at the time, and shared with her what the woman probably considered a wonderful blessing for the future.

She told Julie that, “You will be like the prophetess, Anna, in Luke 2. You will be widowed after seven years and spend the rest of your life ministering in sweet service to Jesus.” Not exactly encouraging news for Dr. Barrier. Remembering those words, he said he stayed up past midnight on their seventh wedding anniversary, just to make certain there really wasn’t any truth in the words from that woman. Needless to say that was one prophecy that was not confirmed, the part about Julie becoming a widow at least. I have no doubt Mrs. Barrier is ministering in the sweet service of Jesus.

I called my own pastor to learn more about our prophetess. Turns out she had gone to him first, before she went to Brenda with her fearful vision. However, she had told the pastor a different story. She claimed to have a blessing she wanted to share with my wife, so he told her to go ahead, thinking Brenda would probably appreciate it. Conflicting stories was a clue that it may not have been God talking. I know God’s pretty consistent. I’m no Bible scholar, and could not remember the chapter and verse offhand in that moment, but I recalled immediately the one about God being “the same yesterday, today and forever.” I didn’t have to look it up. I knew God doesn’t mislead or change stories midstream.

In the woman’s defense, I don’t believe she lied. The difference between a blessing and a curse can simply be perception, as was probably the case with Dr. Barrier. For the person that spoke to his wife, him dying was a side note, compared to the wondrousness of Julie becoming a prophetess, after being widowed. In our situation, my pastor admitted he might have inadvertently been partly to blame as well. During a previous service, he had allowed the woman to share another vision, positive words of blessing in this particular instance that had been revealed to her by the Lord. Since that moment he felt like he had encouraged “Pandora’s Box” to be opened because now this woman was sharing visions with others all around the church, though we were the first to receive a frightful prophecy.

That Tricky Little Devil

Well, at the very least, the Pastor and I were in agreement that the vision was not of God. My family is a faithful one, so we prayed in confidence, knowing that no harm would pass through God’s covering over us, and that no weapon formed against us would prosper. The Lord gave my wife peace just as He had given me. I was not only thankful that the Lord had prepared me ahead of time for the moment, but I also felt there was a meaningful lesson to be learned from all of this. That got me thinking. If the woman’s vision was not from God, then who was it from? Also, why were we in the church so willing to easily accept a positive blessing (things we like to hear) from others, yet when it comes to a negative message (unpleasant things), we proceed more wisely, pray and discern the true source?

If a vision is not of God, the quick answer regarding its source would seem it is from Satan. That is possible, but not necessarily so. The Enemy certainly can play tricks with our minds. In the opening chapter, we discussed how he tempted Adam and Eve with trying to become like God, by eating of the forbidden fruit. Satan dug into his full bag of tricks to try and deceive Jesus. During Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness, Satan offered Jesus everything from bread to an earthly Kingdom.

His slyest move may have come later, after Jesus had foretold of His coming death to the disciples. Peter vehemently cried out to Jesus, “…This shall not happen to You!” Peter had no understanding of what he was saying. Jesus saw the truth of what was happening and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” It should be clear that Peter was a man of God, whose love of Jesus was used against himself by the Tempter, in a moment of weakness. That is much different than someone wicked, like Judas, whose hard heart Satan came to dwell within and control.

Satan knows what he is doing. He uses our natural desires against us, obvious in the case with Eve, less so in the case with Peter. That is what a deceiver, the Enemy, does. He uses our own weakness and sin to turn us from God’s will. Jesus tells us that in the end times there will be many deceivers, false prophets and teachers, which are likened to “ravenous wolves.” Any men or religions that teach Jesus is not God in the flesh, puts other gods equal to Him or teaches that there are many paths to Salvation (other than through Christ), are the deadliest deceivers. At least with an atheist or Satanist, you know what you are dealing with head on. The worst enemy is the one in a friendly disguise that stabs you in the back.

We should investigate all teachings from our spiritual leaders and not just rely on the words of men. A false teacher will tell you that to question is to have doubt and to not be of faith. Do not let anyone keep you from discerning or verifying the truth. To question and use the mind God gave us for critical thinking is to honor Him. In Acts 17 (KJV), the Bereans were described as noble because they double-checked the teachings of the Apostle Paul himself against Scripture to verify the truth, and they were rewarded with gaining full knowledge that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. That’s the beauty of God’s Word. The Bible is the most accurate book Man has (history, present and future), and to study it inside and out will only prove God’s everlasting truth and strengthen our faith.

There is another far more common source for false prophecy, not nearly as sinister, but can still be damaging nonetheless. That is the flesh. I am certain that is the category the woman who spoke to my wife falls into. These are people who truly love the Lord like Peter did. They go to church whenever the doors are open, do good deeds and pray with enthusiasm. They want to hear the voice of God so desperately and be His messenger. But sometimes in their enthusiasm, they speak before they have sought wisdom and discernment through prayer.

Let’s talk more about discernment or spiritual understanding, and where that comes from. We have to seek the truth at its source, and that’s the Holy Spirit, not the messenger (teacher, minister, priest, etc.). When it comes to a message, instructions or a lesson, our spirit can give us a clue about where it’s coming from. An inexperienced believer might call it intuition or a gut feeling. It is a heart-felt response that we have to recognize as God’s Spirit living within, who will guide us.

It can be a signal that something is right on or that something is not. It is important to remember that discernment has nothing to do with whether or not we like the message. Often what God is telling us is what we don’t want to hear, but we have to trust that He loves us and has our best interest at heart. It’s like when you’re a parent, and your sixteen-year-old wants one of those sleek little hot rods from the movie “The Fast and the Furious,” but you get them an old, slow, land yacht (with plenty of airbags). Your teenager hates it, but father knows best.

Have you heard a man of God say something, maybe encouraging or possibly even critical, but it quickened your spirit and you knew immediately it was true? That’s what it was like when all of the true Bible prophets spoke their message handed down from God. The people may or may not have liked what the prophet had to say, but those that were not closed off by hardened hearts could sense the truth. God warns us because He loves us—so we can repent and change for the better. As in the well-known story of Jonah and the whale, he had a forewarning for the people of Nineveh. The King, in a rare occasion, listened to God’s Word and heeded that warning. The people repented and were spared. Of course seeing the incredible wonder of a whale washing ashore and heaving up a man out of its mouth, who then proceeded to speak for God, lent credibility to the truth of his story.

Conversely, have you heard a message, and even though it may have been good, logical or intelligent, it just didn’t seem to resonate within. Such was the case with Job and his friends. When Job was suffering, they came to give him advice. As Job lay in anguish, they told him that he was being punished for some type of sin and must repent. They even quoted God’s Word at him to back up their point. That sounds like good preaching. When God is pleased, He always blesses us, and if we are going through tough times, it’s because we are being punished over some sin—right? Wrong. There are ill-advised preachers and elders that try to weigh us down with unnecessary burdens very often (as was the case in the first chapter with the example of the angry, prideful preacher). Jesus taught us, “He (God) makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

It is also common for overly judgmental brothers and sisters in Christ, as they are correcting or warning us in “love,” to back their words up with Scripture. They may be “boiling a kid (young goat) in its mother’s milk”—and we’re told not to do it. We are not justified in taking that which is intended to bring life and nourish (God’s Word) and use it in a hurtful or spiteful manner. The most self-righteous, cold-blooded people can be Christians, who will manipulate, chastise, and lay a guilt trip on you, quoting Scripture and boiling you alive, all on behalf of God (in vain). That is what Job’s friends did, and in his case, unknown to them, God had said of Job, he was the best man on planet Earth. You can bet God never said that about any of those brothers and sisters (or even a preacher), who believe it’s their Christian duty to always be chastising others in “love,” and God certainly didn’t say that about Job’s friends. Job remained in consistent prayer throughout listening to the false messages of others, and didn’t fall for the bad advice. (At the end of the chapter we’ll review a modern example of witnessing from the flesh and not of the Spirit.)

Don’t Preach Before You Pray

The truth is, speaking not from the Spirit but from the flesh is often due to our pride getting in the way. We attempt to be self-important and set ourselves above the ordinary Christian. It is also our pride that seeks the praise and approval of men, and why we enjoy bestowing blessings for the future on one another. Pride can also be the reason why we are so much more accepting of a good message (or prophecy) over a bad one. Our pride wants to hear that we deserve great things. In reality, it should not make a difference. Good or bad, we should never receive any message not of God.

I remember a time when I was a relatively young Christian and had been a member at my church for about one year. I was at home enjoying some great worship music while I was cleaning house. I was feeling very joyful and spiritual, like my feet weren’t touching the ground. I was thinking about our church and the last Bible study from our Assistant Pastor, Larry, who had just given a wonderful lesson. He was teaching the class while our Lead Pastor was out of town visiting family. The Pastor seemed to be taking a lot of trips at the time. Standing over the sink doing dishes, I suddenly had a premonition, “The pastor was going to be leaving the church and Larry was going to take over.” The feeling was so strong. I was so sure and even called my wife, to tell her what the Lord had revealed to me.

Needless to say, it didn’t come true. In fact, within just a couple of months, the Assistant Pastor resigned unexpectedly and left the church. I could have tried to justify my presumption and told myself, “My vision was right, just a little blurry. I was so close and knew one of the pastors would be leaving. I had gotten the two mixed up was all.” The truth is I prayed about it, and God did reveal something to me that time. And He has confirmed the same message many times since, whenever my mind tries to jump to conclusions—I’m no prophet. I had not even gotten it close. If anything God was telling me, “I’ll stop you from thinking you’re a prophet right now, and do the complete opposite of what you predicted.” Now, the Lord on a few rare occasions has given me a true Word (a promise, knowledge) that has come true, but that hardly makes me worthy of being called a “prophet” like has become fashionable with so many in the church these days. Let’s explore the difference starting with a Biblical example.

The Book of Jeremiah gives one account of how some of us can presumptuously speak for the Lord. Jeremiah was a well-known prophet and was called by God to warn Israel that they had turned away from Him and become wicked, very wicked—including defiling the Holy Temple, worshiping pagan idols, and even child sacrifice. Therefore, Jeremiah had the unpleasant and unpopular task of warning the Jews that they would be conquered and would live under Babylonian rule. God had Jeremiah fashion a wooden yoke, to symbolize the bondage they would live in. Jeremiah’s prophecy came to be, but after several years under the authority of the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, another prophet rose up with a new word for the people.

Hananiah spoke to all the Jews and priests, and decreed within two years the Lord would deliver Israel out from under Nebuchadnezzar’s rule. He added also, that all Israel’s wealth and captives would be returned from Babylon. He then smashed Jeremiah’s wooden yoke to symbolize their coming freedom. Naturally, the people were ecstatic to hear this, and undoubtedly Hananiah was Israel’s new favorite preacher. In today’s world he would have the most popular TV ministry, all his books would be bestsellers, and he would have a stadium-sized mega-church, filled to capacity.

That got God’s attention, and He sent Jeremiah to respond. He told the people that because they had listened to a false prophet and did not accept His punishment, their wooden yoke would be replaced by one of iron. Instead of living in Israel under Nebuchadnezzar’s authority, Jerusalem would be destroyed and all the people would be taken out of their homes and led away as captives, to be held in the land of Babylon. As for Hananiah, the meteoric rise of his ministry was short-lived, because God told him, “Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.” He was struck dead in less than two months.

The most common trait we’ll find in false prophets and teachers is old-fashioned pride again. Often they walk around like heaven’s royal class and seek the praise and honor of men. Jesus told us very clearly how to recognize false prophets. He said, “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” When someone claims to speak for God, we must ask ourselves, “Are we seeing signs and confirmation of God’s Word?” We must pray for truth and discernment, and God will reveal to us when His presence in Spirit surrounds one of His messengers.

So are there real prophets today? I believe yes, but what holds true in the Bible will hold true for today. 1 Corinthians 12 describes prophecy as one of the Spiritual Gifts to the church. That is a gift that God can impart on any and all believers, but only in His time and for His purpose. It is temporal and not something that believers can call on and receive anytime we like. And though we may be given a word of prophecy (or the similar gift of knowledge) in a particular moment; that does not automatically mean we have a prophetic calling and should be given a church title of  “Prophet,” in the same category as the Old Testament Prophets. True prophets of God are rare. Anyone who has studied their Bible knows there were few prophets over a great span of many biblical generations. In Dr. Barrier’s lesson, he pointed out many telling characteristics of what it takes to be a prophet of God, according to scriptural examples.

For Jeremiah’s unwanted message, he was hated by the people, beaten, put in the stockade, and even dropped into a pit beneath the dungeon (likely the sewer), to wallow in mire and stench without food or water. God told Hosea, “Go marry a prostitute.” God wanted Hosea to personally know the pain of having an unfaithful bride, for Israel had followed false idols and been adulterous towards Him. Ezekiel was told by God to cook his food with human excrement so he could comprehend how the people’s faith had been corrupted with filth. After pleading, God was merciful and allowed him to cook it with cow dung. We already discussed Jonah, who was thrown off a ship into stormy seas and swallowed by a whale. Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den. God made Isaiah walk the streets naked and humiliated for three years.

When we study the Word, it demonstrates that being a true prophet of God is not so glamorous. They were not beloved and cheered wherever they went, nor invited to all the biggest churches and conventions, flying first class from city to city, and being paid large speaking fees. The prophets of the Bible were not called to shower all the people with blessings in order to receive the praise and honor of men. Prophets were sent on a strict mission by God, typically to call on a city or nation that was lost in sin to repent (more on this subject in the next chapter).

Obedience School

To follow God’s strict orders (as the prophets were called to do), required humility, physical and spiritual discipline, and, most importantly, obedience. To share a prophecy typically resulted in an ultimatum to the people. The people were usually faced with a choice, and either fell on their face and begged for forgiveness, or they ignored the message, and mocked or lashed out at the messenger. Repenting meant forgiveness and often a reprieve, as in the case with Jonah and Nineveh. Refusing to listen or repent meant carrying out the punishment, as with Jeremiah and Israel.

So the question remains, how do we know when God is really speaking to us, either directly or through a messenger? The truth is, God talks to us in many distinct ways, and always for a specific purpose. To best understand how God talks to us, we should think of Him in the form of the Father, communicating to us, His children. In what ways and for what purposes do we as parents communicate to our children?

The most important message from God, like any good parent, is for His children to know that they are loved. Love is required to have a genuine, strong, family bond. We trust our Father because we know He cares and wants what is best for us. Love is communicated heart to heart, usually more so non-verbally. It takes more than just the words, “I love you,” to show our children how much we love them. It is in a kiss or hug. It is spending meaningful time together, side-by-side. It’s the family having a meal together and enjoying each other’s company around the dinner table. It’s cuddling on the couch to watch a show, or holding our children in our lap while we read a book together. It is being there at important moments to them for encouragement, such as at a ball game, school play or dance recital. It’s comforting them when they are sick, hurt or going through difficulties. Love is a bond that is built, slowly and steadily over time, through close interaction and companionship.

A father also teaches his child. Young children are so eager to learn, as we should be as Christians. A good teacher will first seek to gain the student’s trust. We usually learn best through experience—by doing and going through things ourselves. Learning is often gradual and tedious, such as how we instruct our children to dress themselves and tie their shoes. It takes patience and is an important step for growth and maturity. Teaching can also be sudden and firm, as how we often correct behavior to encourage what is good, and remove what is bad.

For example, a child attempts to run out into a busy street. Immediate, forceful action is required to pull them back, and then make certain that they are aware of the seriousness of the situation. This is a lesson that requires firmness, and cannot be compromised, for the sake of the child’s own safety and welfare. God sometimes will give us those same authoritative commands, because it is important and we had better take heed. We learn to be obedient because we trust our Father. In time, unquestioning obedience should become our accepted normal response.  To put it simply, if God says “frog,” we should jump.

The best way to know when the Lord is talking is by one recognizable characteristic. The Lord’s messages to us are always felt deep within our spirit, often the result of quiet continual prayer. The closer we walk with Him, the more our spirits are in tune, and the better we can communicate with God. Following God’s will gives us peace. Confusion is never from Him. Many times the Lord will confirm His message from different sources. For example, we may be studying our Bible, and the words will jump off the page at us about e.g., Joshua’s faith in the Lord, giving him courage to cross the Jordan and conquer the land of the giants. Soon after, there may be a sermon at church that arrests our senses about David’s faith in God’s power to slay Goliath. Our spirit is aware and knows this is not coincidence. God is sending a message to us, to stand boldly against adversity, prepare to face our giants and be victorious through faith.

There was one last lesson to be learned, for both the woman who spoke to my wife and for myself. After I discussed the situation with our Pastor, he and I agreed it was not a word from the Lord, and neither of us wanted any more fortunes being told in the church, good intentions or not. The pastor suggested I confront the woman for the sake of other families in the church. Why me? I thought to myself, That’s the pastor’s duty. I didn’t want to confront a little old lady and feel like the bad guy in this situation. I prayed through it, and felt the Lord tell me as the head of my family, I’d been given responsibility to protect it, both physically and spiritually. My family had been disrupted and my wife reduced to tears by a false sense of fear. It would have been easy to move on as if nothing had happened, but I didn’t feel that was the Lord’s will. So, I agreed to confront the woman.

After church, I waited for an opportunity to speak to her alone, so as not to embarrass anyone. I approached humbly, but with purpose. I had printed Dr. Barrier’s article and carried it in hand, hoping to give her words from a more experienced man than I on how to discern a personal message from God. The conversation did not go as I had hoped that it would. She did not appreciate me saying her message to my wife was not from God, and refused to take Dr. Barrier’s words. She then told me it was a warning from God that was between her and my wife, not me. I responded that the Lord placed my wife and children under my covering, and if she were given a true word of such importance for our family, God would have sent her to His appointed head of the household. I soon realized both of our voices were starting to rise, and people were beginning to hear us. There was no need to continue an argument. I had done what I was instructed to do, excused myself and walked away.

That had been a difficult task and I took no pleasure in it. I wished a confrontation had not been necessary. However, God soon put a peace in my heart about what had just transpired. I felt no ill will towards the woman. She was simply a devoted, yet overly enthusiastic child of God. Speaking incorrectly in the Lord’s name, and spreading a counterfeit message of fear, was a big mistake and a correction that He wanted to be made for her sake. I had simply been the messenger, and in this case, carrying a true word. How was I so sure? Printing an article to hand to her was my own idea, and a waste of time. However, the immediate response that came out of my mouth was not rehearsed, and the peace in my spirit verified that that was the message meant for her, and it came from a higher authority than me.

Something pleasantly unexpected later happened after that incident. The woman, Maria, and I soon spoke again and agreed there were no hard feelings. Soon, we were speaking every week at church and quickly became friends. We eventually became so close, my wife and I could hardly leave church without first making sure we stopped to share hugs with her. Often we prayed for each other and our families. There came a few weeks that we noticed Maria had missed church, and my wife and I became worried. When she returned, Maria looked emaciated, and we found out she was suffering from medical problems. We prayed together for healing with such sincerity that we were all moved to tears. Each week thereafter, Maria grew stronger, until she looked better than we had ever seen her. And incidentally, she did later share a word from the Lord with us, one that the Spirit in all of us bore witness that it was true, but that was a special moment—one we’ll keep private between her and our family.

* Application: Walking in Spirit and not the Flesh *

Witnessing To The Enemy

Father’s Day Weekend, June 2012—Arab International Festival, Dearborn, MI—A group of Christian demonstrators was attacked by an angry mob (formed from the largely Muslim crowd in attendance) hurling stones, bottles and debris. The assault was captured on video. The police made virtually no attempt to prevent or stop the violence or protect the demonstrators. No arrests were made. Though the Christians had a permit to demonstrate and remained peaceful, they were forced by the police to leave under threat of citation and possible arrest. It was also surprising how little attention such a shocking incident was given by the national news media, although the video capturing much of the violent confrontation went viral on the Internet.

As an American, it is difficult to watch the video, to see the angry faces and hear the threats that the mob shouted at the Christian demonstrators, without being filled with anger. America is a country founded on freedom—freedom of religion, the right to free speech and the right to have a peaceful demonstration. It is hard to understand what our country has become, when a violent mob has more rights and police protection than peaceful demonstrators. The city of Dearborn, Michigan, and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department acted as a disgrace to this country by not protecting the civil rights of its citizens.

However, being a Christian, more important than our sense of patriotism, is our loyalty to the Father in Heaven. Therefore, we must consider this from a higher perspective than an American one. It is natural, as we consider such a display of anger and hatred, for our flesh to tell us to fight back. The image of the Apostle Paul, being stoned in the city of Lystra for preaching the Gospel, comes to mind. Our emotions may tell us these people (Muslims) and their wayward religion that is becoming more and more corrupted by violence and extremism, are a danger and must be contained. But before we act, we must pray and seek God’s wisdom, and allow our spirit to be calmed. God does not see things like we do.

I searched for more details regarding this incident in Michigan, in an attempt to get a better understanding of how this could happen. As a Christian, I have to say I cannot agree with all the tactics used in this case by the Christian group of demonstrators, who call themselves the Bible Believers. The group was justified in going to such a place to witness. We are to go to the lost and spread the Good News of the salvation of Jesus Christ, but not to voice our hatred of another religion. The problem is, their intentions were more like those of protestors of Islam, than as witnesses for Christianity, as they claimed.

Instead of sharing the Gospel, with the Bible and Scripture, they displayed signs with incendiary slogans such as, “Mohammed was a Pedophile” and “Proud to be an infidel.” In addition, they carried a pig’s head and blood in an ice chest, an obvious offensive display intended to inflame and ridicule Muslims who view swine as an unclean animal. Just as with the Quran-burning demonstrations of Pastor Terry Jones and his church, the Dove World Outreach Center, these high-profile exhibitions appear to be more of a spectacle, in order to bring attention to themselves and spreading their anger, than a sincere effort to expand God’s Kingdom and give Him glory.

To be clear, this is not an attempt to apologize for the mob in this volatile situation, which were criminal in their actions and did not have sufficient provocation to become riotous. It only further demonstrates there is a growing faction of Islamists (and their sympathizers) with a proclivity to act out in violence. The Christian demonstrators certainly had a right to be there. They were within their American rights to demonstrate and did not resort to physical violence at any moment during the demonstration. And, even as victims in the face of attack, while being bloodied as they were pelted by rocks and debris, they did not retaliate, and should be credited for that part on their self-control.

That being said, we are to be messengers of God’s Word, in love and faith, not in anger. The Bible Believers are most likely devout Christians who truly love the Lord, but they are misguided and overzealous, and made poor witnesses of the Gospel in this instance. As believers, with the Holy Spirit in us, we are to speak to the heart of the sinner, not the sin itself. As sinners all, it is not our place to point fingers at other sinners, and rebuke or judge them, even if it is our perceived enemy. As they seek the truth and come with an open heart, God will deal with them on their false idols and sin, just as He does with all believers. Also, we should not fear those who hate us and would come against us as servants of Christ, for Isaiah told us in prophecy that had meaning for both the believers of his day and those living in the Day of the Lord yet to come (Christ’s Return),

“In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you. Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake.”

Neither should we become angry, nor return violence with violence. Jesus, who never followed Man’s natural instinct and always spoke rightly for God, said:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…”

Amen. When it comes to witnessing to the non-believer, be it to someone of another religion or no belief in God at all, and regardless of whatever sin or situation it is that may be holding them back—all they need, all any of us need, is Jesus.

CHAPTER 5

The Only Way To Reform A Nation

Whenever God’s people faced oppression and affliction, they “cried unto the Lord,” and, without fail, He rescued them. The most notable example of this was when God sent Moses to deliver the Hebrews out of bondage in Egypt. Unfortunately people, especially Christians (which we’ve established have a short memory), never seem to learn our lesson when it comes to remembering and following God’s Word.

The book of Judges gives us numerous examples of a nation facing persecution and subjugation from an invading army, and the people pleading to God for help. In virtually every instance, the nation had brought devastation upon itself. They had turned from God, and become a people infected with idolatry, greed, immorality and self-righteousness—who oppressed its own weak, poor and visitors in the land.

Each time the people forgot the true God, He simply stepped aside and left the people to live in their own sinful ways, which always brought about their own destruction. Only in times of suffering did the nation remember God, turn from their wickedness and “cry unto the Lord” for mercy. Each time He heard their cries and delivered them. Judges gives us an account of this repeating cycle for a nation— sin, repentance, mercy and salvation. How reminiscent of our own lives this cycle is. The book of Judges is a demonstration of God’s boundless patience and love for His forgetful children.

What a forgetful nation we have become today, Christians included. Many can’t relate to Judges and the Old Testament or apply those ancient lessons, albeit timeless truths, to their own lives in today’s modern world. The people of long ago from the Old Testament may seem distant and far removed from us, however the Bible says God is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8, a recurring verse). In the New Testament, Jesus himself gave us a remedy to heal our suffering both individually and as a nation in the Sermon on the Mount.

This was the greatest sermon ever given, which included the teaching known as The Beatitudes (The Blessed). The sermon was very controversial in its time, and is still the subject of much debate. But how can “blessings” be controversial? Christians are all about getting blessed. Jesus never saw things the way Man typically does, quite the contrary. Jesus taught so simply, yet it was mind-blowing. He did things like take the least among us and put them first, and the first, last. When it came to judging sin, He told us to look in the mirror and start with ourselves. When it came to our enemies, He said to love them, and for those who have wronged us, to forgive.

As for prayer, Jesus simplified that as well, yet made it so much more complete. He told us not to pray only out in the open (in spiritual pride to be seen), not in cold, rehearsed words, and not to be busy focusing on every one of our needs (God already knows them). Jesus began His example of prayer for us, The Lord’s Prayer, by first glorifying God, “Hallowed be thy name.” Then He said (to God), “Thy Kingdom come.” Our perspective is much different when we focus not on this world, but the next (as we’ll discuss in the final chapter). Next, “Thy will be done,” is a profound declaration of trust in God that we can lack as we often pray for things in specification (as if we’re telling God how to run our lives), and can be disappointed when they don’t happen our way. Then Jesus told us to pray for enough to eat—today. Jesus knows our tendency to seek Him less in times of plenty and wants us to know we need Him daily. Jesus said to pray for forgiveness—as we forgive others (how often we forget the second part). Lastly, pray for God to lead us away from the Tempter (another daily need) and deliver us when we fall into his clutches. Suffering is inevitable, but it is when God rescues us that we feel His compassion the most. It is ironic that many denominations have disregarded Jesus’ instructions against praying in vain repetition and done just that with the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus did not give this to us as a script or formula to follow, but an example of praying from the heart for what is important.

Jesus said things like, “Blessed are the meek.” That’s not what the people wanted to hear in Jesus’ time any more than we want to hear that today. To be meek sounded like weakness, as it does to many of us still. The Romans conquered Israel and took Jerusalem in 63 B.C., so by the time of the Sermon on the Mount, the Jews had lived under Roman oppression for approximately ninety years. Many Jews wanted to reclaim their nation from Rome by force (the Zealots). Meekness went against their patriotic ideals and proud nature of being doers and conquerors, picking themselves up by the bootstraps (sandal straps in this case), girding their loins in preparation to fight, the triumph of the human spirit—and that sort of self-empowering thinking.

From the beginning and throughout Scripture, there was prophesied a coming Savior, the Messiah. As such, the people expected a valiant leader, a King David on steroids, just as we still are looking for today. Americans often believe, “If only my political party or my candidate were in charge, things would be better.” We want a mighty leader to rise up and solve our problems and make us the greatest, most powerful nation in all the world. A God-fearing and God-seeking nation is what we should be asking for.

Indeed, there will come a popular leader, a gallant hero (a counterfeit, a false messiah) that through brilliance and valor will turn things around and build a great nation to which many on the Earth will bow. However, those seeking only power and respect apart from God are as wrong today as the people of Jesus’ time. God’s way is never the popular one, as demonstrated by Jesus at the hands of the Jews and Romans on Calvary. Only those people who in meekness “cry unto the Lord” will be spared the fate of a fallen, self-righteous world.

Meekness is not necessarily being timid and docile, as Webster’s would tell us. God told us that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the Earth. Moses may have been flawed like the rest of us, but this was the man that by his own hand had killed an Egyptian guard that was abusing one of his kinsmen. Moses, under God’s authority, stood up to all of Egypt, demonstrating The Almighty’s power through ten awe-inspiring feats (the plagues), forcing even the great Pharaoh himself into cowering submission. All this building up to the climax, one of God’s mightiest miracles, using Moses to part the Red Sea, then closing in the waters to wipe out Pharaoh’s army once and for all. No, Moses, the meekest man on Earth, was anything but weak. The meek have strength and power, but under submission and control through obedience to God.

National Pastime

Our nation and people are anything but meek and obedient to God. Can we count all the ways our nations have turned from God? We have become selfish and distracted by idols of many forms, chasing greed, pleasure, success and power. We compartmentalize our lives. We attempt to keep God in His place down at the church, but leave him out of the rest of our society. Let’s explore what life would be like if we all brought a little more meekness into our lives. Many of us start out with it. Meekness is a quality we generally associate with children. How do we lose it?

Most of us are programmed in grade school for what is socially acceptable behavior and what is not. We figure out early on, Jesus isn’t cool at school, not only with the students, but with the teachers as well. Teachers are forced to not only refrain from teaching about God, but to teach there is no God, and replace Him with science, psychology and humanism. Kids that talk about loving Jesus are corrected of that habit, if not by teachers (those who want to keep their jobs), by being teased and bullied by the other kids—so we get quiet about Him. We tend to carry on that routine of avoiding God publicly as we mature. We develop a habit of leaving Jesus out of our normal conversations and thoughts. We “red flag” certain subjects with faith-based views that are just not considered polite conversation among mixed company, such as religion, partisan politics, abortion, gay marriage, etc…. Should we happen to fall into such a discussion, we proceed with caution, usually doing our best to avoid saying anything that would offend someone. Jesus was a courageous example for simply speaking the truth, which always offended many.

When we leave Jesus at the church and do not let Him into the rest of our lives, we are left with a big void to fill, and it’s usually the world that takes His place. As we grow into adulthood, the world shapes our lives and goals. Our primary motivation each day becomes going to work. It is God’s plan for us to work and provide for our household, but that does not mean we forget about Him during business hours. We are to walk in the Lords ways at all times, and we may have a genuine desire to, but that is easier said than done. At work, meekness isn’t exactly encouraged. Meekness is not rewarded and rarely gets anyone a bonus or promotion. The meek do not rise to the top and become manager or CEO, so meekness is replaced by ambition. Ambition itself is not bad, but the problem is that we make it selfish. Ambition begins to crave success. Success is measured by power, status and wealth. For many that was the goal from the start.

Many still do enter the working world with a genuine humble desire to provide, but often it doesn’t take long to become more than that. Sadly, Jesus is typically as popular at work as He was in school. Less Jesus means more worldly pursuits. We start chasing promotions, and then we want the house, car, and shiny trinkets to go with it. We begin to tell ourselves we have worked hard and earned it. We give our own effort and talent the credit, not giving God the full glory for all the ways we have prospered. When we’re off work, exhausted from our labor, we just want to relax. There is a time to relax, but leisure has become a national pastime.

Just like when we are on the job, meekness typically isn’t a quality we value during our down time. Rest by itself is not bad either—in fact it’s ordained. The problem is that we do not regularly follow God’s model of six days of work followed by one day of rest. We’re workaholics and then make up for it by binging on fun and leisure. “Work hard, play hard” is our motto. So many of us live for nights out on the town, golf, shopping, tickets for the playoffs or theatre, man caves with overstuffed lounge chairs and giant screen TV’s—you get the picture. Leave it to Man to take something as wonderful and blessed as rest, and turn it into an idol.

We save our hard-earned money to vacation around the world at all-inclusive resorts, and put our trust and faith in our 401k’s to provide for us at retirement with a life of ease over our last twenty-five years. So is it wrong to save? Of course not, but laying up worldly treasures is. A certain amount of wealth (like work and rest) isn’t bad unless we corrupt it. Abraham, Jacob and Job (before and after his trial) were rich by biblical standards. They weren’t the mega-rich preachers discussed earlier with mansions, yachts and private jets, but they had much more than plenty of goats—they were Patriarchs and founded nations. The difference is in whichever we put our faith. Just like Job taught us, if our health, job, our 401k and the market let us down, will we still trust God to provide? And just what if God did call us to put aside our wealth? The stories of Jesus calling men to lay everything down and follow Him were real, not parables. How many of us would follow such a call like the disciples did, or would we walk away like the rich young ruler?

God knows how we are made. If we were more obedient, followed God’s plan, and kept Him in the middle of all the important things in our lives, such as family, rest and work, we would certainly have more peace, joy and fulfillment. If we as a nation would harness our faith, prioritize our lives according to God and pursue His will with the same passion and vigor as we do our work, retirement plans and leisure time, our society might look much different. As Christians, we should be giving the Lord our best by walking His path, studying His Word and keeping Him close to us at all times, not just at church. Men and women with Christ-like values, such as meekness, will have lives that bear fruit and have a ripple effect through the community and nation.

Prioritizing our lives is easier said than done. We are programmed to say God, family and country, and usually believe it. But let’s review the evidence. To what do most American’s devote the majority of our time, thoughts and best efforts?  Let’s face it, most of us may not want to admit it, but business and work dominate our lives, placing it before family, and certainly God. For example, if our boss tells us to do something, most of us get right on it. But how many times have we felt God tell us to do something and we put it off or ignore Him all together? Don’t misunderstand. Working is our responsibility. A man is to provide for his family, and to not, is to be worse than an unbeliever.

But if our best efforts go to work and we are always exhausted at home, not having much left for God and family, something isn’t right. For many of us, if we are honest, we do have some selfish motivation for working so hard. Unfortunately, in most societies, the biggest measuring stick for our status and self-esteem is our jobs. We want to be important and we devote ourselves to having the best job and career. To have a good job is a blessing, but it goes almost without saying—usually the best job in our mind is determined by how much it pays. Most of us are naturally more impressed to meet a movie star or a surgeon than a kindergarten teacher—we can’t help it.

Okay, we have to work but should not put it first in our lives—check. So, work aside, where does God rank in our lives? For many of us usually not next either. If we’re measuring based on our time and best efforts, for those of us with spouses and children, they usually come next. It’s difficult to call that a mistake, but it is. The world can be tricky and paints us an altruistic picture of family, the Leave-it-to-Beaver syndrome. Again, don’t misunderstand. Family is certainly important, very important. And it should come before work, which unfortunately is often not the case. But we cannot displace God, even for our family. That can be difficult even for veteran believers to do.

Many years ago, before I had truly dedicated my life to the Lord, a business colleague, a Christian man I respect, told me that we are to put God before our families. Those words had me putting my life into perspective like I never had before. I remember one night in particular, tucking my little boys into bed and thinking over what he had said. I thought, I thank God for these little boys, they are His most precious gift to me. But now that they are here, my responsibility is to care for them at all costs. What did I mean by “at all costs?”

In that moment, though it had been over a decade since I had any meaningful meditation on the Bible, I thought of the story of Abraham and Isaac. God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac—and he would have. Abraham went all the way through the ceremony and made it to the brink with his knife raised over his son, before God intervened at the last second. I thought, Would I have made it nearly that far—No way. In fact I literally did think at that moment, if I heard from God and He told me to sacrifice my son, I would go and have myself checked into a psychiatric hospital!

There with my sons, not really knowing at all what it was to hear from God, I pictured it as some little voice in my head suggesting I do something, as if I could confuse truly hearing from God with schizophrenia. I had no true understanding of God at that time in my life. I realized I had been treating God like a spoiled college kid does his father—only calling when they need something or are in trouble. Now, as a more mature Christian, I understand hearing from God takes training of our Spirit to recognize Him. As we discussed in the earlier chapter, most often that is the quickening of a word or verse in my spirit, or a pull at my heart that gets stronger through prayer. In numerous biblical examples, God made His wishes known and it was much less subtle.

In The Bible, many times angels appeared. They must have been tremendous beings to lay eyes upon, and the first thing they usually said was, “Do not fear.” When they don’t say that, you had better fear! In one particular example, a single angel in one night killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Samson’s might was nothing compared to that of an angel. Now, imagine the one who made them. When God appears it is awesome, in the true sense of the word. The sound of His voice alone made people tremble. In fact, just to look upon God directly would be more than we could handle. Moses got just a glimpse of God in His full glory. God had to shield Moses with His hand, only being allowed to see the back of Him. Being a sinner in the presence of pure Holiness, that is God, must be overwhelmingly uncomfortable.

When Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his son on Mount Moriah, there was no doubt who was talking. God appeared Himself and said, “Behold, here I am.” The words of the Bible can appear so matter of fact, and we tend to read it often without grasping the passion and emotion that’s being told to us in its dramatic verses. When The Bible says, “Behold,” it means, “BEHOLD!” That is always an attention-grabbing word of the highest degree, meaning read closely because this is important—very important.

Abraham’s test of sacrificing his promised son Isaac was the ultimate example of God expecting us to put Him over our most cherished gifts on earth—our family. So, no matter how hard we work, we need to pray and study God’s word even harder. No matter how much we cherish that time with our family, we need to make time with God and cherish it even more. That one day when we do stand before God, it had better be in meekness because any pride we carry will be immediately turned to shame in His presence. We want to rest assured knowing we have been obedient and done everything possible to be certain that when we face God at judgment, the first thing He will say to us is, “Do not fear.”

A Little Leaven

Let’s take a closer look at our average daily lifestyle and consider how we can compromise our relationship with the Lord, so often without even realizing it. How we entertain ourselves alone speaks volumes. Entertainment, today, is an avenue that is paved with speed bumps and roadblocks to slow us up or completely cut us off from our path to the Lord. There’s the obvious mindless and vulgar amusement on the TV or Internet and at the movies, but even the less conspicuous things like news, sports, fitness, travel, shopping, etc., are designed to appeal to our natural attraction to sex, violence and greed. Is this all to say that Christians have to live in some sterilized bubble and can’t have any fun? Of course not. However, if we look, think and act like the world, without feeling any sense of remorse or conviction, are we really any different or set apart from unbelievers?

Someone who wished to justify himself might say, “Unbelievers do not know who God is, but I do.” We have got to have a higher standard than that. Demons and Satan know who God is, but still chose to rebel. They know good, yet willingly choose evil. Just knowing there is a God is not enough. The problem is, too many know who God is, but choose to shut Him out because they would rather go their own way, not His. When Jesus said, “He who believes in me has everlasting life,” He didn’t mean, those who believe I exist. To “believe” means to have faith enough to entrust your life to the Son.

When we study the context of this verse, Jesus likens himself to manna or bread, representing His flesh that will be offered as a sacrifice. In partaking of the bread, we share in the sacrifice. To put it plainly, “Christianity ain’t always easy.” It will require giving up what the natural man wants, sin, however not by our own power but through the Spirit. That is to say, we can’t just grit our teeth and be determined not to sin. Temptation is not a test of our will power, but our faith in Christ. If we know the Lord, and have a relationship with Him, He begins a change in us. In time, He will make us different than the old person we once were—the one who sinned freely with no conscience. But it’s all God and not our will power that makes us better. Overcoming temptation and sin is not evidence of our strength, but of our surrender to Him. At some point our lives will show evidence of that change, what the Bible refers to as bearing good fruit.

Now, everyone has rebelled, or will to a degree, at some point. However, being a true believer and having the Spirit within, is often compared to having a compass that always points true north. When we’re off track we’ll know it by the Spirit and will eventually be set back in the right direction. To use an example, there was a woman I used to attend church with, Ms. Joyce, who was a spiritual counselor to my wife and I. She was so kind and affectionate to our family. She loved the Lord as rarely found and had a servant’s heart. She was such a genuine witness for Christ, and taught me so much, just by being who she was.

Let’s say I go to a party and socialize with a group of guys, going beyond just being politically incorrect, but crossing the line into degrading and offensive territory, trading racist jokes and using racial slurs. If Ms. Joyce, who happens to be African-American, could see me laughing it up and enjoying such shameful behavior, it would break her heart. Likewise, how sorrowful it must be for our Father, who loves us deeply, to see us not only preoccupied, but enjoying all the vulgarity and wickedness of the world we allow into our lives.

There have been times when I re-watched an old favorite movie, one that I thought was so action packed or hilarious when I was younger and caught up in a very worldly lifestyle. But many years later, after walking with the Lord some time, those movies just seemed too violent or crude and offensive, sometimes even demonic, and my spirit felt uneasy when it was over. That still happens occasionally when my wife and I, whether through temptation or by accident, sit through a bad movie. Those are moments however, when we can notice that God has changed us for the better gradually.

Let’s look at a historic example to illustrate how society has changed gradually for the worse. In the original 1933 movie King Kong, there was a scene in which men were attacked and eaten alive by a giant spider. In previews before it was released, audiences were so horrified by the graphic violence, the scene had to be cut. The original scene was lost, but we can imagine that version, in black and white, with model animation and maybe a giant hairy arm coming in from behind the camera, and certainly no realistic blood and gore. Imagine if that audience from 1933 could have seen the 2005 version in which a giant worm with dripping teeth slowly devours a screaming man, starting with his head.

That was only a PG-13 movie! Imagine them watching Basic Instinct, Saw, Kill Bill, The Hangover or the latest Zombie movie. How comfortable would 1933 audiences be reading Fifty Shades of Grey and knowing it has sold over 65 million copies while the world is anxiously awaiting its movie release? How horrified would they be to know that mainstream America, Europe and Western Culture, including their Christians, pack theaters and consider this entertainment? (Not to mention the endless catalogue of indecency available just a touch of a button away on the Internet.)

In the early church in Galatia, there were some that were corrupting the believers by preaching a compromised faith. They wanted to believe taking some liberties and enjoying some indulgences were all right as long as they obeyed the rules (and Jewish traditions like circumcision) more often than they broke them. Paul began in his letter to the Galatians with firm words of admonishment for straying so quickly from the truth. He then explained that is trying to be justified by the law (a good works doctrine), and instead God gave us grace by letting His Son pay the ultimate price for our sin. But that grace does not mean we are to test God by continually taking advantage of His mercy. Because of His grace, we should be encouraged and want to walk with God in the Spirit, instead of in our lusts of the flesh and wickedness of the world that only take us farther from Him.

Just like back at the party with the racist jokes, I should want to leave because I love Ms. Joyce, and they offend me when they offend her. However, if I were to choose to keep hanging around and telling myself, “Ms. Joyce would understand because she knows that’s not the real me,” then, at some point, after I keep allowing myself to remain in the company of such vulgarity, I would have to admit “Maybe that is the real me.” The same must be said of any sinful behavior we entertain such as drunkenness, greed, pride, anger, lust or anything that is offensive to God. Even if that really was not us to begin with, if we allow sinful compromises consistently in our lives, even if it is seems like just a little, they will grow, spoil and morph us into something other than what God wants us to be. That’s what Paul meant when he said, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”

A true believer in Christ has to make a choice. Jesus put it simply when He said, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Think of those moments when you are having the most fun. What are you doing in those moments, and would it be pleasing to Jesus? If you have been saved, meaning you surrendered your life to the Lord, and the Holy Spirit has come to reside in your heart, a change will have begun. That doesn’t mean to say you won’t sin, and it doesn’t always mean you will turn over a new leaf over night.

In fact, most often it takes time, sometimes lots of time, but you will eventually have a new nature. You can be a Christian, saved and going to Heaven, and still commit all the sins of the world, but you’ll be miserable. “What does that mean exactly?” you may ask. Have you ever heard someone, maybe even a preacher, say, “No true believer would ever do that?” You name the sin, believers have done it, and it doesn’t have to be only before they got truly saved. A sin, even a terrible one, does not have to mean we lose our Salvation either. It just means at some point God’s going to correct us and we will have to repent, but though He forgives, there still may be a price to pay.

As with King David, an adulterer and murderer, he repented and was forgiven, but still suffered the consequences for most of the rest of his life. The difference between being born again and not, is that before we were saved, lost and without the Spirit, sin could be guilt-free. We were wrong and either didn’t know it or just didn’t care (but there still may have been consequences). After we are saved and have God’s Spirit living in us, sin can leave us feeling uncomfortable, sometimes awful. That’s the Spirit working in us. It’s all part of the process of faith, so we should not resent it, because that is how we learn. We are told, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord; nor detest his correction: For whom the Lord loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights.” The same process is true with nations that have sinned. The question is, do they, as a nation, love God enough to repent?

That is what it means to pick up our cross, as Christ did, and become a living sacrifice, for the love of something much greater than anything the world could ever offer us. After we are saved, sin starts to not be the same anymore—less fun you could say. Often inside it leaves us feeling like “yuk” (guilt, shame, regret, sorrow). We can even begin to suffer, both spiritually and sometimes even physically. Eventually, after the Spirit has worked on us for a time, the sin isn’t even worth it anymore. So then we just repent, and lay that sin down at Jesus’ feet, and He takes it from us. Oh, we’ll always have some sin come up in our lives as long as we are still in the flesh and living in this fallen world, but that’s where the other wonderful, most important part of the equation comes in—grace.

I Can’t Drive 55—But You Should

Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful.” The Good News is, even though we Christians are all sinners, God is full of grace and He forgives. In fact, the Bible says He will have mercy and abundantly pardon. The point is, though we should not take advantage of His grace, we can rest knowing that our sin debt was paid on the cross. That being said, we want mercy from God, but do we reflect that by showing mercy to others? Let’s use an example. We’re driving sixty-five mph in a fifty-five-mph zone. Someone flies by driving eighty and we think, “What a maniac. Where are the cops when you need one so they can nail that guy and take away his license?” Truth be told, we judge others much more harshly than ourselves.

We’re all glad God has shown us mercy, but we are slow to give it and quick to judge others. Such as, we see an alcoholic or drug addict that can’t get cleaned up and say, “They don’t want to stop or they’re just too weak to quit.” Of the homeless we think, “Get a job.” We don’t like welfare because, “that single mom only has all those kids to get the government’s checks.” The point being made is not to advocate government assistance for those who are able to work. Rather, it is to demonstrate how we sometimes label people and lump them into a certain group or pattern of behavior without knowing the heart of the person. That’s prejudice and we’ve all done it. Only God knows the true heart of a person. The rest of us only like to assume we do. But our place is not to judge, only to give mercy. For those that do, Jesus says in the second half of the beatitude, “shall obtain mercy.” And let’s face it—we all need mercy in one way or another.

But how much do we really empathize with those who may be in need or are suffering? We may feel compassion but are we really doing anything about it? Or do most of us just assume our government and churches are taking care of them, yet rarely, if ever, get personally involved ourselves? Many believe we already give those in need too much with handouts, welfare and government programs. Many Christians question whether or not it’s the government’s place at all to care for the helpless and poor, believing that is the responsibility of the church, and trusting it more. So the vast majority of Christians reserve most or all of their giving for the church. Or do they?

In reality, giving today is at its lowest level since the Great Depression era. Only 5% of Americans pay any tithe at all to the church. Of those that do tithe, a 2011 report on the state of church giving showed that church members tithe an average of 2.3% of their income. Only 4% of Americans that attend church give the traditional 10% tithe. That same report found that the amount given by the church to benevolences outside of the church (purposes other than the local institutional church needs, such as missions) was 0.34%—that’s 1/3 of a penny of each dollar of income for giving to those in need. So, the average churchgoer isn’t giving much to the needy or to their church. The modern church has in large part forgotten the lost, hungry, and poor. (At the end of this chapter, highlighted is a church with a big heart doing amazing missions for people in great need.)

Most Christians give only to the church, which uses most of the tithe and offerings these days on church expenses, salaries, building expansions, production equipment, sports complexes, and so on. Any good church will give something back to the needy or missions, but it is seldom what it should be. Or the church itself, instead of giving from its own tithes and offerings received will make additional requests (asking for multiple offerings) from the congregation, above the tithe and offerings that have already been taken. We hear sermons often on what the congregation should be tithing and giving, but how often do we hear a message on how much the church institution should be tithing and giving to those in need?

So is each church itself (or church organization) supposed to tithe? In Numbers 18:26–28, the Lord, speaking to the priests through Moses, instructed them to give a tithe from the tithe they collect (not just a portion from each priest’s or minister’s salary). This was known as the Heave Offering. In addition, Deuteronomy 14:28–29 clearly states instructions to take the full tithe from all the land every third year (known as the Year of the Third Tithe) and divide it equally among the priests, the widows, orphans and sojourners. Could it even be fathomable, for the modern, corporate, business-model church, to take the full annual tithe received from its congregation every third year, and give almost all of it away to the poor? If you average it out, that would mean nearly one-third of all the funds received by a church should be given back to those less fortunate. In other words, almost one third of the church’s budget should be for missions and mercy projects.

“Well that’s Old Testament,” someone could argue. We’ve already firmly established it is still the same God who doesn’t change. Though we have a new (better) Covenant, Christ over the blood of animals (sacrifices) to pay for our sins; it is fair to draw parallels between the Temple and the Church, just like we do the Hebrews and believers of today. Besides, almost every sermon we hear on tithing (many for most Christians) quotes the Old Testament in Malachi 3:10, which states, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse.” The teaching usually stops there, forgetting the next line, which holds the key and very reason to tithe, “that there may be food in my house.” If both the modern church member and the institutional church followed the biblical principles of tithing as it is taught in Scripture, Christians could feed the world! (It should be noted that “food” can represent spiritual nourishment as well, feeding all that hunger and thirst for righteousness.)

When asked about the Year of the Third Tithe, a pastor once said, “I wouldn’t be able to keep the church open if I did that.” Ministers teach, and rightly so, if we trust God with our tithes, He will bless and provide for us. That teaching should hold true for them and church organizations as well. Teaching that churches themselves should give a tithe from the tithe may not be popular doctrine; however, there is Scriptural basis. It is only brought up for the purpose that if ministers are going to teach congregations about tithing, which is a solid Bible principle that is important, the lesson should be balanced. So then, how much should a church and each member tithe? Paul said, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” In other words, how much we are to give depends on how much we want to be blessed. And don’t give because we have to, but give graciously and generously because God has given so much to us.

Roll Up Our Sleeves

When it comes down to it, most of us do not bother to find out how much is really being done with our money given to churches and charities. We just pay it like a bill. Handing out a check is often just our way of telling ourselves or showing others that we did something good. The truth is, when it comes to giving to those people truly in need—many of us just throw money at them, all the while keeping them at a distance.

For example, we (Christians) want to believe we care about our neighbors and the less fortunate, but at the same time keep the classes apart by living in segregated neighborhoods and sending our children to separate, more affluent schools. We throw our poor, sick and elderly in crowded, run-down, underfunded and understaffed government housing, hospitals, facilities and jails. Based on our actions most of the time, “out of sight, out of mind” is our preferred policy on the poor and needy.

True mercy is not a small handout and a goodbye. That is not always how we just treat strangers either. For example, many Americans do not take care of our elderly parents in our own homes anymore. They are packed up and shipped off to a nursing home to be cared for by others. How can we show mercy to a stranger when we don’t even honor our own mothers and fathers? Jesus accused the hypocritical Pharisees of that very thing, making sure they were seen giving their tithe to the church out of spiritual pride, yet all the while not even helping their own parents in need. This is also a lesson from Jesus Himself that our giving does not have to be for the institutional church alone. To help the people God puts in our path that are in need (family, neighbors, even strangers), is to give unto the Lord and the church, which is not always a building or organization.

Mercy is also more than just some feeling of sympathy or compassion. To show mercy requires action, to get personal, and get involved. It is doing something and seeing it through. With the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught us His version of mercy. In the story, a young man traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was attacked and robbed by thieves. They left him for dead, wounded and naked on the side of the road. First a priest passed by and then a Levite, both examples of Jewish holy men. Neither helped and kept walking. Then a Samaritan came along. Samaritans had darker skin, were considered lower class, and generally looked down on by the Jews. (Picture today a Mexican illegal alien coming along, after a Catholic priest and a Baptist minister ignore the injured man.) The Samaritan didn’t just call for help, but treated the man’s wounds himself, took the young man to the hospital, stayed with him all night, then paid for his room and doctor bills.

(Also consider that Jesus never named the story as a parable like He did with the other parables. It is the modern biblical commentaries that label this story as a parable. Think how much more poignant the lesson to the people listening to Jesus’ words, if this were a known, true story! Parable or not, it was a scathing address of the social and religious prejudices and class system in Jesus’ day.)

This is a good place to explain why the Bible tells us it is important to be merciful to the strangers (sojourners, visitors) in our land. We would like to believe we are a fair nation that welcomes all who come (legally). However, our actions demonstrate that we are selective and prejudiced. Let’s not get too political on this issue, but just give some consideration to the subject by asking ourselves a couple of questions. First, does our nation make it easier for some to visit or immigrate from certain countries (such as those from Asia and the Middle East with whom the U.S. desires strong trade relations and that heavily invest in and finance our economy and debt)? Secondly, do we have quotas, making the process more arduous or too expensive for some (Mexicans, Latin Americans) because we believe there are already too many of them here, they will drive wages down or they are poor and will be a burden?

These questions are not asked to encourage illegal immigration, only to raise awareness of the need for fair and just reform of immigration policy. Most from our neighboring countries to the south are fleeing extreme poverty, hunger, violence and suffering. What would any one of us do to support our wife and children if they lived in hunger and fear? Indeed, there are those (corporations and lobbying groups) whose interests may be for the wrong reasons, such as cheap labor, however, we cannot forget these are real families that are just seeking a better life. Yet they are often taken advantage of by profiteers, adding to their suffering, and families can be rounded up, broken apart and treated like criminals. It is important to show mercy because the Lord tells His people, “You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus’ idea of mourning is not just sorrow. Reciprocating action is implied here as with mercy. We are to give comfort to those that mourn, and therefore we will be comforted in our own time of mourning. As a nation, do we truly know what it is to mourn anymore, to recognize and empathize with those who are suffering and provide comfort? Or does our nation treat God more like that spoiled college kid again, who only calls for his dad when he’s in trouble and needs help?

We (the nation) only call on God for comfort in the wake of a publicized tragedy or disaster, and only by generic name to maintain political correctness (don’t call Him Jesus), and only temporarily until things calm. It’s as if the nation measures out an appropriate amount of time to mourn until we can move on to the next news story, and get back to our daily routine and regular lives. There is so much to mourn for every day in the fallen state of our world today. We don’t know what it is to mourn anymore because our nation has become so desensitized to the suffering of others.

We see the news, and around the globe everyday women and children are victims of war, murder, kidnap and rape, and we barely give it a second thought. Every year 1.3 million babies are aborted in the U.S. alone. It is cold, calculated, population-control measures and we call it a choice and family planning. When the State of Texas passed late-term abortion restrictions, it created a firestorm of angry protests from abortion rights advocates. The world hates Christian lawmakers just for saying five months should be enough time to make up one’s mind to get an abortion (making the U.S. only one of four nations in the world that allow it, putting us and Canada in the dubious company of human rights violators, N. Korea and China) Could we ever spend enough time as a nation mourning and repenting for 53 million children, legally allowed to be murdered in America since 1973?

Families are under attack by the Enemy, and there are fewer and fewer who have learned to know that their only protection is through God. Our youth are turning away from the church more and more with each passing generation. Godly fathers that are committed to their faith and families, as well as to love and teach their children discipline, and right from wrong, are becoming a dying breed. If we as a nation mourned for the youths we’re losing, we’d fight harder in the Spirit to hold on to them. In the meantime, the institution of marriage is diminishing as we have watched our federal government tell God that He is wrong—that homosexuality and same sex marriage are moral. However, heterosexuals haven’t exactly set a good example of marriage with a divorce rate of 33%, and that rate being almost exactly the same for both believers and nonbelievers. We are losing the battle for marriage and the family as a nation, so each husband and wife that still puts God first in their household must pray fervently together for God’s hand of protection on their family every day.

We can learn from past lessons of the nation of God’s people before us in the Book of Judges, and from The Teacher at the Sermon on the Mount. The only way to save a wayward nation quickly approaching the point of no return is to “cry unto the Lord.” As a nation, if we repent of our transgressions and throw ourselves at God’s feet for forgiveness, He will hear our pleas. Only by returning to God in meekness, mourning for His suffering people, and asking for mercy, can we be rescued and delivered from the pit we have dug for ourselves and jumped into. If we are too far gone as a nation to return to God, then only those people, who stand strong in faith and in anticipation of His return, can rest in peace knowing the Lord’s will is being done. Until then, we should continue holding onto hope for our nation, knowing that God has told us,

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

* Profile of a Church and Missionary Partnership *

Holy Spirit Airlines

Satan may be the prince of the power of the air, however he can’t touch this fleet of pilots when they are on a mission to do the Lord’s work. For over thirty years, Bill Knight, retired U.S. Air Force and private pilot, has been flying across the U.S. and Mexico doing mission work in rural outposts for communities in need, not easily accessed and often forgotten. In 1982 he founded the mission organization Air Transport Arm of Christ based in Fort Worth, TX. ATAC provides three essential services for people in need—medical care, construction, and Christian ministry.

ATAC and their group of volunteer pilots and private planes transport medical professionals, supplies and equipment to host free medical clinics that provide dental work, eye care, glasses and medical screening. On other occasions they fly out on construction missions to do building repair and projects for schools, churches, orphanages and other community facilities. Christian ministry and evangelism are always a primary element of each mission.

In recent years, a partnership formed among ATAC, Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, TX  (a Dallas suburb) and Living Love Church (Iglesia Amor Viviente) in the city of Victoria, Mexico. Together, Lake Pointe and Living Love have helped expand the clinics to reach more people and have added another essential service, equipping the crippled and disabled with wheelchairs through their ministry partnership, Wheels of Hope (Ruedas de Esperanza).

I was invited to be a part of one air mission, a medical clinic in Victoria, Mexico, within the sanctuary of Living Love Church. A team of over thirty volunteers was brought in from the U.S., transported either by flight from the pro bono fleet of three private planes or by bus. The volunteer group included dentists, optometrists, physical therapists and medical assistants. In one weekend, over 630 residents from Victoria and the surrounding area received medical care at no charge. The organization also gave away 457 pairs of eyeglasses and forty-six wheelchairs. Included among the patients treated was a special group of orphans from a nearby children’s home.

Not long after Bill Knight began flying on missions to Mexico in the early 1980’s, he met Ollie Lovett, founder of a home for orphaned children in rural Mexico known as House of the Light (Casa de la Luz). Bill and the now eighty-two-year-old Ms. Ollie (as she’s known), formed a close bond right away and ATAC has been working with them in all phases of its missionary services ever since. The orphanage is located approximately twenty-five miles north of the city of Victoria, in northeastern Mexico, one of the most violence-ravaged regions of the country. Casa de la Luz currently houses and cares for fifty-three children from ages three to seventeen. Most have lost their parents to violence or sickness, or have parents who are either unwilling to provide for them, or are unable due to illness or poverty. Many of the children are victims of physical, sexual and mental abuse, neglect and malnourishment.

For homeless children, who have only ever lived in a world of poverty, hunger and fear, where domestic abuse, rape, kidnapping, murder and dismembered bodies have become commonplace, Casa de la Luz is truly a refuge of mercy and hope. Centered on the forty-acre grounds known as Rancho Louisiana (Ms. Ollie being originally from Baton Rouge), is the main house, complete with a sizeable kitchen, cafeteria and auditorium. On site they also have their own private grade school and bible institute, medical clinic, large stand-alone gymnasium, soccer field and playgrounds. In addition, they have dormitories, some housing the bible institute students, and some built to house the constant stream of missionaries and visitors that once frequented the orphanage, as many as 100 at a time. Sadly, the dorms have mostly remained empty over the last several years with visitation becoming virtually nonexistent because of the dangerous conditions.

Much of the missionary work and financial support coming from the U.S. to third-world nations in need is focused around the ability of visitors to take short-term missionary trips, see the need for themselves, help out and feel personally involved. When conditions become too dangerous for regular tourism and travel, the short-term missionaries and visitors go elsewhere, and much of the funds go with them. The problem is, worsening conditions are an indicator of greater need, and many missionary groups and relief organizations have pulled out of Mexico just when they are needed most.

Reluctantly, after so many years of serving the people of Mexico, with the kidnappings and violence seemingly spiraling out of control, ATAC postponed visits for three years. Finally in 2012, even though there were no signs of the turmoil diminishing, ATAC once again felt compelled (Bill Knight refers to it as the Lord’s calling) to return to Mexico. Since that time, despite the hazardous environment, the partnership with Lake Pointe and Amor Viviente has flourished and the medical and wheelchair ministries have grown to become more successful than ever.

According to Bill,  “We decided we’re going to keep doing what we do and trust God, and not let circumstances scare us off.”

What a courageous testimony, that so many mission-minded believers—doctors, pilots, church leaders and volunteers from all walks of life, would quite literally put their own safety and lives in God’s hands and answer His call to serve their Mexican neighbors in need. Ask anyone from this group of missionaries and they will tell you the blessing goes both ways. From observing the entire group and counting all of the expressions of happiness and gratitude, it is truly difficult to tell who receives the greater joy—the one’s serving or receiving.

One touching example of mutual blessings resulting from the mission partnership is the story of an eight-year-old boy, Valentine (named so because he was born on Valentine’s Day). Casa de la Luz planted a church in the nearby town of Barretal, where Valentine lives with his family. Merrill Long, sister of Ms. Ollie, who has been living at the orphanage full-time with her husband, Terry, for the past six years, met Valentine by accident. At church, Merrill was giving out candy to the children, and a little girl asked for more to give to her brother. Suspicious she was being hustled for extra sweets, Merrill asked why he didn’t come get it himself. The girl replied, “He can’t walk.”

They took the candy to Valentine. Inside the small home, there lay an undersized (no more than 30 pounds), handsome little boy, with an undiagnosed crippling disease that made his bones brittle. Incapable of standing or walking, he was confined to his bed day and night, unable to go to school or have a life beyond his home. It was love at first sight for Merrill and Valentine.

Merrill spoke with Bill, who put her in touch with Wheels of Hope. They were able to special order a wheelchair and ship it to Casa de la Luz. A local assistant from Amor Viviente was able to custom fit Valentine in his own wheelchair via Skype with a physical therapist from Lake Pointe Church.  Valentine now has a much happier quality of life, able to leave his bed and home, often going on excursions with Merrill, such as to the medical clinic I attended, to have some dental work. Valentine has become popular among the volunteers, as many of the return patients have with the ministry. Several adult patients and wheelchair recipients now serve regularly as volunteers in the clinics and with Wheels of Hope, and pass on the blessing to others.

The best evidence for the success of these clinics may lie with the number of lives that are being led to the Lord. That’s the real testament to the faith and love shared by this dedicated team of disciples. In times of suffering, acts of kindness in God’s name are a powerful testimony. Indeed, through this wave of despair and fear that the Mexican people are enduring, there are many turning to the Lord for healing and comfort. Throughout the mission there was a team of pastors, counselors and volunteers available to talk, pray and witness to all the patients and families that attended. Over the two-day clinic, more than 200 people gave new professions of faith, dedicating their hearts and lives to Christ.

One missionary leader (the physical therapist that assisted Valentine) put it aptly, “Our primary purpose isn’t just giving out a chair or treating patients. This ministry is an outreach for Christ so that we can share the Gospel.”

CHAPTER 6

Doctrinal Showdown

Author of Radical—Taking back your faith from the American dream, Pastor David Platt, prodigy of the Southern Baptist Convention, laid down the gauntlet with a bold, foundation-rattling statement that rocked the Christian establishment. He has gotten many evangelicals, even the SBC itself, to reconsider a very core practice of faith and ask the question, “Have many Christians, believing they have been saved, been misled?”

In a message at the Verge Conference in Austin, TX, titled, “God’s Glory Among the Nations,” as in his book, Radical, Platt addressed the growing problem of apathy in American churches. In the sermon he named what he considers to be a primary cause—many people have been fooled into believing they were saved, when they truly were not. He blames modern false teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. According to Platt, the whole idea that we can “accept Jesus into our hearts” through prayer is superstitious and unbiblical.

That’s a bold statement, worthy of consideration. As Christians we are taught (biblically) to discern the teaching of our church leaders for ourselves. Let’s compare Platt’s message with that of a well-known evangelist who has devoted his life to doing that very thing, asking people to “accept Jesus into their hearts”—Billy Graham.

First up is David Platt. Here is a segment from the afore-mentioned sermon, highlighting his main point:

I’m convinced that many people in our churches are simply missing the life of Christ, and a lot of it has to do with what we’ve sold them as the Gospel, i.e., ‘Pray this prayer, accept Jesus into your heart, invite Christ into your life,’” Platt said. “Should it not concern us that there is no such superstitious prayer in the New Testament? Should it not concern us that the Bible never uses the phrase, ‘accept Jesus into your heart’ or ‘invite Christ into your life’? It’s not the Gospel we see being preached, it’s modern evangelism built on sinking sand. And it runs the risk of disillusioning millions of souls. It’s a very dangerous thing to lead people to think that they are a Christian, when they have not biblically responded to the Gospel.

Now, let’s take a look at a sermon from Billy Graham, one of those “modern evangelists” whom Platt describes as having preached such a “superstitious prayer” and asked sinners if they are willing to “accept Jesus into their hearts” and “invite Jesus Christ into their lives.” During his famous 1957 New York Crusade, Reverend Graham gave a sermon titled “The Heart,” in which he gave his thoughts on the subject long ago. Here are some of the highlights:

The heart has come to stand for the center of the moral, spiritual and intellectual life of a man. It’s the seed of a man’s conscience and life. And the Question I want to ask you tonight is this, “Is your heart right?”

The Bible describes our hearts in various ways—that it is sinful… full of wicked imaginations… rebellious… hardened…, And in Matthew 15:8, Jesus said our hearts are far from God.

God searches the heart. God weighs the heart. I ask you tonight, “Would you like to have a new heart? Would you like to have Christ tonight?”

He transforms you and you become a new creation in Christ.

Now it will cost you something. It doesn’t come cheap. It cost Christ his blood. It cost God his Son. It will cost you your sin. He demands that you deny self, take up the cross, take his unpopularity, take your place with Him, in suffering if need be.

There must be a self-emptying, a self-crucifixion, a repenting of sin. There must be a receiving of Christ who died on the cross for our sins. But we don’t like to do it—humble ourselves. We don’t like to say that we’re wrong, that we’re sinners. But God says you must do it before you can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you are willing to confess that you’ve sinned against God. You’re willing to come to Christ who died on the cross and rose again, then He will give you a new heart, make you a new person, and give you the joy and peace that you’ve always longed for.

You may already be able to guess what happened at the end of the sermon when Reverend Graham gave an altar call. The isles filled up as long lines of people made a teary-eyed walk to the front to dedicate their lives to the Lord. I hope your pastor still makes altar calls. Many seldom do anymore. A person giving their old heart to God in exchange for a new one is the greatest miracle there is! Any pastor who does not make altar calls is missing out on an opportunity and a wonderful blessing of having the tremendous honor to lead lost souls to Christ.

Of the spirit-moving event in his city, a newspaperman reported, "New York has been moved Godward. The effect of this campaign will be far-reaching. Many churches have now evangelical fervor they did not manifest effectively before. The cause of evangelism, as the emphasis upon salvation for the people, is alive in this City to a degree unequalled in more than a generation. Scores of thousands of people needing Christ Jesus as Savior have responded.”

The words of Reverend Graham give light to help us see and know the significance of what it means for a lost soul to “accept Jesus into their heart.” Considering that the heart (or form of the word) appears in the Bible over 1000 times—God’s own Word is evidence that the heart is a meaningful representation of our soul, will and emotions. If we let theologians play semantics and try to intellectualize salvation, it begins to sound more complicated than it is. Salvation is not an intellectual decision—it is a heart-felt transformation initiated by the Holy Spirit.

We can have intellectual understanding of God, but if we don’t let His Spirit enter into our center, our heart, then there is no deep relationship with Him. There’s a real problem, a type of evangelism built on a “foundation of sinking sand”—intellectuals that attempt to take the heart out of the Gospel, the love, and replace it with knowledge. Just knowing who your father is, versus having a heart-felt love for your daddy, are two very different types of relationships.

Reverend Graham’s sermon had another important element of calling on people to make a choice—their sin or Christ. That is what Jesus did—gave people a choice. The words of Jesus may have been controversial, often confrontational and made many uncomfortable, but after hearing Him speak, people were shaken up, awakened from their slumber, and found themselves suddenly faced with a life-altering decision to make—deny Jesus and continue as they were or give their heart to God and come follow Jesus.

To be fair, Platt apparently tried to make the point that one cannot be saved in word alone. Surely no true believer could argue that, but regardless of the method or explanation when sharing the Gospel, there will be some non-believers who will say the right things but not be fully committed. Only God can know their true heart. In listening to Billy Graham’s sermon, although he used descriptions that Platt criticized, namely the use of  “the heart,” in no way does Dr. Graham imply that words alone are enough for salvation. Billy Graham set the standard for how modern evangelists and pastors should be a witness for God’s Word and effectively communicate what it means to be saved through Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is clear—that all who hear the Word of God, believe in their heart, and call on Him will be saved. Regardless of the exact language or phrase used, it must be understood that true salvation is a reconciliation (joining, harmony, grafting in) with the Lord— encompassing His sacrifice and our own repentance of sin, that creates a change within us initiated by the Holy Spirit, starting in the heart and transforming us into a new creation, living for Him.

Radical Heart

In a Christianity Today article, on the question of his “superstitious prayers” claim from his Austin Verge Conference sermon, Platt responded that one cannot fully understand his message without studying it in its entirety. That’s true, and you can purchase a download of the full sermon online if you’d like to; however, I can tell you he doesn’t elaborate much further on his assertion. I can tell you, however, that in his sermon, Platt goes on to venture off into the realm of “disillusioning millions” himself with questionable teaching.

In that message, Platt, as in the theme of his book, Radical, places tremendous emphasis on the Great Commission. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, yet while he mentions local missions, he clearly puts greater importance on global missions. He then goes on to quote from the writing of theologian George Eldon Ladd (1911–1982) and endorse his doctrine of Kingdom Theology. Kingdom Theology is a 20th century interpretation of the Second Coming primarily associated with the Vineyard Movement, a modern charismatic denomination that, according to Wikipedia, “describes themselves as the Radical Middle between evangelicals and Pentecostals, which is a reference to the book, The Quest for the Radical Middle, a historical survey of the Vineyard by Bill Jackson.” (Are we seeing a Radical connection here?)

(Before I continue, please note, it is not the intention of this author to be overly critical of any Christ-centered belief or doctrine that does not build up any impassable roadblocks on the true path to Salvation. Whether one is a believer or not in the doctrines to be discussed further in this chapter and the next, I implore the reader, even if you disagree with the initial arguments, to bear with the text. The message will lead into a larger, more important lesson that I am sure most any believer will concur with.)

In a nutshell, Kingdom Theology asserts that the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, “go and make disciples of all nations,” is a command from God given to Man, and that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will not occur until Christians have completed this duty. They believe the fact that Jesus has not yet returned is evidence that Christians have not yet fulfilled Jesus’ instructions, also supported by Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come.” (We’ll discuss this logic, The Second Coming and the End Times more fully in the final chapter.) Because (they believe) The Second Coming will not happen until we’ve fulfilled the command of completing the Great Commission, Kingdom Theology (Vineyard and Radical movement teachers) places extreme urgency on this task.

In turn, Kingdom Theology makes global missions (traveling to foreign lands and seeking out those who’ve never heard The Gospel) a requirement of The Church, in order for Christ to return. Platt says, “We can’t be content to just sit in one place.” The key to global missions being so important, even more than local missions, is according to Platt, all about creating “access” to the Gospel and seeking out unreached “people groups.” Platt states in his sermon that we Americans have plenty of opportunity to hear God’s Word, while many in foreign nations such as Yemen and North Korea do not.

Imagine God waiting for us to reach the last isolated, possibly unidentified “people group” so He can send His Son, Jesus, back to Earth to establish The Kingdom and rule. That would indeed put tremendous pressure on believers to get busy traversing the globe, seeking isolated tribes and infiltrating nations hostile towards Christianity. According to Platt (and George Eldon Ladd), that makes Matthew 24:14 the single most important verse in the Bible. (Bigger than John 3:16? In the next chapter we’ll challenge if it’s even the most important verse in the 24th Chapter of Matthew.)

Kingdom Theology is an example of how misguided teaching can take us off course and alter our perception and motives when it comes to how we serve. Because, of course, we are ready for Jesus to come and establish The Kingdom, and it is up to us (they believe) to spread the Gospel worldwide to make that happen, global missions becomes priority number one. So, you may ask, “What’s wrong with believing its priority to reach out to those less fortunate in third-world nations or in countries that outlaw and persecute the Christian church?” Let me be clear, it is a compassionate and courageous thing to evangelize and reach out to serve and witness to these groups. The problem is that there are dilemma’s in the Gospel that arise by creating a doctrine that prioritizes one group of people over another.

For example, this downplays the everyday witness of the average Joe plumber or Suzy homemaker, who is not called to be a third-world missionary. It’s as if to say that a quiet ministry, raising our children to serve the Lord, working dutifully at our jobs, and living our lives for Christ as a testimony to those around us, is less significant. There is nothing ordinary, nor more important, than leading your family and neighbors to Christ, whether it’s in Hoboken or Beijing. There are other hypocritical implications when we prioritize to whom, when and where we share the Gospel. Often many of us do this without realizing it.

To explain further, we can read and hear stories about well-known men and women of God and missionaries traveling all over the world to reach exotic, far away “people groups.” We hear about Hindus in Mumbai or Buddhists in Tibet being converted, and we want to get in on the action and become heroes of the faith ourselves. But we don’t seem to be reading many stories about how they led Chip, an auto mechanic from the south side of town, to the Lord. It can become as if we’re keeping score, or trophy hunting. Big game hunting in Africa sounds much more exhilarating than rabbit hunting on the farm, but when it comes to souls, we’re all the same to God.

I must confess, I point this out only because that has been me as well. I’ve been a big hypocrite many times. It can seem more rewarding to travel to a foreign land and witness to those in less fortunate surroundings. And it certainly is a wonderful thing to help the poor and witness to them. However, why do we stereotype and associate more poor people as meaning more lost people? One could answer that by pointing out that there is typically more of an abundance of flourishing churches and cathedrals in our more prosperous nations and are often filled to capacity.

There should be a distinction made that poor isn’t always dictated by possessions, quality of life, or even whether or not we attend church. What about the poor in spirit? I’ve met plenty of people that were well-off but spiritually bankrupt. And so many of our churchgoers attend only out of habit, for appearance’s sake, or as a social occasion—but have ice cold or lukewarm hearts. In fact, that is a good description of what I was for many years. (Well-off being relative, but I was lukewarm at best and spiritually bankrupt by any standard.) If we want to find an unreached “people group,” it’s not that hard and we don’t need a plane ticket. Get into that missionary mindset and start handing out Bibles around the “better” neighborhoods and parts of town. Don’t try any doctrinal or denominational dialogue, certainly no megaphones or telling people they are sinners—just a “Here’s a free Christian Bible” and “God bless.”

Find out how well a Christian missionary is received by those who believe they have everything they need. I promise, you won’t find many people with much in this life that will want to talk to you about Jesus. And don’t give Bibles away publicly in the U.S., such as at the mall or a parking lot, or you are likely to meet an unfriendly security guard that will escort you off the premises. Many people that get offended, by someone offering them a Bible, are churchgoers themselves. Granted, mistaken identity can happen. It’s unfortunate that a person handing out a Bible has come to be assumed a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon. Often, however, people are just uncomfortable with thinking about Jesus outside of the church walls on their “own time” or during “business hours.” Many people can seem spiritual at church, but (as discussed in the last chapter) they leave Jesus behind at the door when they go.

Now, attempt the same thing, of handing out Bibles or talking about Jesus publicly to bystanders, but change the scene to the lower economic side of town. You will be well received more often, I assure you. (These two scenarios are not presumptions, but lessons from experience learned the hard way). So then, the point is, if we want to truly be missionaries and reach out to the lost, we need as many missionaries on Rodeo Drive as on Skid Row. In fact, many with much less in this life, who have suffered and had their faith tested more rigorously than the rest of us are often the best missionaries, simply by being a living testament of overcoming, just as the disciples rejoiced in their suffering for the sake of the Gospel. We have already established in previous chapters how missionaries can be a bit motivated by selfish reasons at times, in that the people they often have the honor of spending time with bless them more.

The next problem with Kingdom Theology is its teaching that somehow we can help God out through our own works. Indeed, if it is up to us to pave the way for Jesus’ return, we had better get busy. Kingdom Theology (and the Radical Movement) has created a doctrine around human endeavor in the pursuit of completing The Great Commission. It is based on an idea that through “good works” we can somehow bring God and Heaven to ourselves, in a sense earning them. There are no Scriptures that teach it is man’s duty to complete any task, The Great Commission included, in order to open the door for the Second Coming of Jesus (counting Matt. 24:14, as we’ll discuss in more detail in the final chapter). Just like Jesus’ first coming was not brought in by any works of man (unless you count Adam’s sin), neither will His Second Coming.

Now we begin to see the problem and understand what the Apostle Paul must have felt when he had to address the misinterpretation of Salvation through “good works” that was gaining momentum in the church at Ephesus. Paul told them, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” We’ve already discussed in the first chapter that God doesn’t want us doing any great works because He knows our tendency to boast. So by that reasoning, it would not make sense that He expects Man to do something so profound as completing a monumental task such as The Great Commission, in order to issue in the new Kingdom Age.

To be clear, David Platt does not teach Salvation through “good works” (he makes that more clear in his book sequel, Radical Together) and I’m sure most followers of the Radical Movement and Kingdom Theology do not believe that either. Nevertheless, many have made somewhat of an idol out of works by declaring it is through our works (the idea that Man must complete The Great Commission) that Christ will return. Even if we understand that we can’t earn salvation, by dangling another carrot, the Second Coming, it still can corrupt our motives a bit for spreading the Gospel. Instead of just knowing that Christ loved and saved us, and wanting to share that good news with others, now we may do it (all or in part) because it’s our duty in order for Christ to return. Being a witness because you want something (even if it’s something as marvelous as the Second Coming) takes away the purity of the act.

Duty can become a bit like work. We have to do it. We are honor bound. That sounds good, but again, is that a pure motive, as is just doing a deed out of love alone? In the title itself, Radical tells us to take back our faith from the American dream, but adopts the hyper-busy American lifestyle and injects that into Christianity, pressuring followers to remain in a state of perpetual activity in their faith. Reminiscent of Catholicism, The Radical Movement encourages followers to eagerly pursue missions, charity work, projects, activities, and so on. “Good Works” are fruitful, even wonderful, as long as we understand we are not earning our way to Heaven. We may even know that intellectually, but can still inadvertently get caught up in spiritual pride, trying to prove to ourselves or others (or God) that we are more faithful than the other guy. We can even be competitive about it. Deep down we are trying to win an imaginary race, forgetting that it has already been won by Jesus.

The question is, “When it comes to works, is it possible to have too much of a good thing?” In July 2013 the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institute published a report on American understanding of religion. It found that almost 60% of Americans say that being a religious person “is primarily about living a good life and doing the right thing,” as opposed to only 36% that deem being religious as “primarily about having faith and the right beliefs.”

The concern is that a pastor and a church, with a doctrine that highly emphasizes “good works,” can forget to spend enough quality time teaching congregations to seek their own relationship with Christ, edifying and maturing in their own faith. The simple analogy is that we should not try to encourage believers to run before they can walk. It would be unproductive to equip, mobilize and send out an army of missionaries, eager to evangelize, but who themselves don’t really have “Jesus in their hearts” (or insert preferred phrase here to describe true followers of Christ). In fact it could be more than unproductive—it could be detrimental. “How could a trained evangelist or missionary not be saved,” you may ask?

John Wesley (1703–1791), born in England and educated at Oxford, was an ordained minister with the Anglican Church, yet was just such an example of a “man of God” in title alone, and not in spirit. He was trained to believe salvation comes through being a good person— that one who dutifully studies their bible, prays and does Christian deeds, at the end of a good life hopes to be worthy. He even went to the English colonies in the New World as a missionary to the Native American Indians, who did not receive his message well.

After a miserable, failed two-year trip he returned to England by ship when they encountered a terrible storm. Wesley was terrified— he was not ready to face God because he had done nothing worthy yet. But he noticed a small group of families that remained calm. He spoke to the leader, a minister, and asked how they could have such peace in the face of death. The minister answered by speaking of their absolute certainty in their salvation. They trusted in the Lord’s will, wishing only to please God, and ready to be received into Glory if that was His plan. They were a living testament of salvation through faith alone. For Wesley, the scholar, theologian, ordained minister, sent as a missionary to witness to the lost, the roles had just been reversed. Wesley gave his whole heart to the Lord and eventually went on to found the Methodist Church.

Many often describe others devoted to false religions, such as Muslims, Buddhists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc., as “good, moral people with similar values to Christians.” Even Atheists very often will be very supportive of a “good works” doctrine. In fact, that falls right in line with their Humanist beliefs. By not believing in a god at all, they have made Man a god. They believe that Man controls our own destiny and that if we can just embrace our goodness within—that innate willingness to help others (as when we rally around and help each other for a brief time in the wake of a catastrophe), we can triumph in the Human Spirit and create a better world. The point is, “good works” is a very popular doctrine that just about anyone of any faith or lack of can get behind, even if they are headed straight to Hell. Pagans and Humanists often appear to be very wonderful, generous, “good” people—people that would damn the rest of us and our children to Hell with them if given the chance, by turning us from God.

We cannot spend the majority of our efforts teaching our congregations how to stay busy doing God’s work, assuming they have accepted that blood covenant with Christ (Jesus’ death on the cross to atone for our sin). A sermon on “good works” is much more enticing than one on “blood covenant,” but it is not going to save any souls. Earlier in the chapter, we discussed highlights from two sermons. Only one compelled lost souls to come to the altar and accept Christ, who died on the cross. The other, by describing the Gospel as being focused around global missions, did more to boost the travel industry than God’s Kingdom. The point being made here is, if there are lost souls sitting in front of us, we should not be so concerned about the people on the other side of the world, when we can reach out with the Love of Christ to the hearts that may be eager and willing to receive His love at that very moment. Even if the audience is made up mostly of ministers, theologians and missionaries (as was the case when Platt gave his sermon), you can bet there are some John Wesley’s amongst the crowd.

A theological deliberation over the correct phrasing used at an altar call is pointless if you don’t have one at all. If it were up to men to save souls or lose them, it would be important to get the exact phrase correct. Fortunately, it is the Holy Spirit that saves, and all we have to do is be a witness. Doesn’t that take the pressure off of each of us as a believer? Sometimes it is only planting a seed and we may not see the fruits of our labors. Wesley didn’t give his heart to the Lord immediately on that ship, but the minister’s words stuck with him, and though it took some time, the Holy Spirit worked on Wesley and eventually brought him around. So then, we can just relax and tell people about Jesus, and not think we have to be a theologian to do it. It may even help not to be. After all, Jesus didn’t recruit His disciples from the seminary, and they were not theologians, so the average Joe and Suzy true-blue believers are in good company.

Busy Resting

When it comes to Christianity, is activity the best evidence of a faith that will bear good fruit? What about taking some time or even a season being still and silent, praying and listening, all in the peaceful presence of the Lord?  If we study our Bibles and look to the examples in Scripture at the lives of men and women devoted to God, we’ll see a more well rounded picture of faith. Often in our spiritual walk we get in a hurry, but instead we must slow down and wait on the Shepherd. Often, there are changes in ourselves we need to let God make before He can use us to do His will. Patience is a sign of maturity in faith among the flock. Taking time to seek the Lord and grow in our relationship with Him is wise.

Martha and Mary were excellent examples of conflicting personalities among Christians.  Martha was an example of a good old-fashioned conservative Baptist. She got to church and got busy right away. The church is good at that—bringing us in and putting us immediately to doing the work of the Lord. The kitchen always needs help. There are openings in the bus ministry for drivers. They’ll even get you saved and immediately put you straight into the Children’s Ministry teaching Sunday School (though you still may be in your infancy spiritually yourself). The church will let you know how much your work means to God. It is natural to get excited and want to pitch in, but soon it’s also natural to notice all those half-hearted lazy Christians who aren’t carrying their weight and can’t possible love the Lord as much as we do. That was Martha. She was busy making hamburgers and hot dogs to sell at the church luncheon in order to raise money for the new building project going on.

Then there was Mary. She was satisfied to just sit around, listening and chatting with the guest—Jesus. When we host a dinner party, it takes a lot of preparation and work behind the scenes to feed and take care of the company. Martha got aggravated with Mary because she was not pulling her weight. But, if we are so busy serving that we are too busy to fellowship and enjoy one another’s company, what’s the point of inviting people over? Jesus told us it was Mary that chose the better part from the Lord. Everything has its time and place. Although it is good to serve, sometimes it is more important to listen and learn. When it comes to Jesus—if our desire to serve Him exceeds our desire to know Him, that can indicate a lack of love. To put it this way, if we don’t know Jesus, how can we love Him? And if we don’t love Him, how can we serve Him properly? King Solomon said:

“Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

Elijah had his time at Brook Cherith. Elijah pops up out of nowhere in the Bible to boldly tell the king there will be a terrible drought in the land. Then God sent Elijah to hide out near a little brook (wisely because the King and Queen, Ahab and Jezebel, had a temper). Elijah was basically on vacation. He just rested there, patiently waiting, studying, and praying. He did no work, being fed by ravens and drinking fresh water from the flowing stream, while the rest of the land was suffering in drought. A less experienced believer might have called that slothful and would not have considered such inaction much of a ministry at all. I mean, why wouldn’t Elijah take a drink to some poor, thirsty lost souls in a nearby village, and use the opportunity to preach the Gospel? What a bum! After the brook dried up, he finally left, only to go and live off of a poor widow woman who barely had enough food for herself and son, but Elijah asked for what little food she had left anyway. How selfish! What kind of man of God takes the last morsel of a poor widow and her son? Christians don’t believe in welfare—get a job!

The faithful widow woman Elijah was sent to did not have an exciting ministry with the zeal of traversing the globe for God, and she did nothing more than open her house to a stranger. Up to that point, other than warning the King of an upcoming drought, Elijah’s ministry consisted of being nothing more than a freeloader, if you take things at face value. Eventually, the Lord did go on to use Elijah to do amazing feats on His behalf. Today, so many Christians want to be great champions for God and have a ministry like Elijah. That is a prideful worldview, that we should all be “rock stars,” and to be ordinary is failure. We do not need to strive to be some elite class of Christian. We should not become disappointed when we are not called to rain down fire from Heaven or raise the dead like Elijah. In fact most all of us were called to be more like the widow—and that is no insignificant thing. Elijah and the widow had a common element to their ministry—they waited on instructions, were obedient, and each fulfilled the Lord’s purpose. That is the only way to have a truly successful ministry.

When it comes to traversing the globe, even risking one’s life to spread the Gospel, many have simply misinterpreted the Great Commission. It reads, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Many stress the word Go in the verse and equate it to mean travel. However, it should be pointed out the word Go in the verse is not the main verb; Teach is (make disciples in other Bible translations). Go in the verse is an aorist present participle, which is notoriously difficult to render an accurate translation of from the Greek to English. And for those of us who are not English professors or Greek scholars, that simply means, Go in this form can be more accurately understood to be “As you are going.” The meaning is that we are to share and teach the Gospel with those that the Lord will put in our path, as we are going in the world, in the life and role each one of us was called to by the Lord.

God’s Gardeners

We each have our own calling. Mine is not yours and vice versa. When the early church at Corinth became divided between two ministers, the Apostle Paul told them:

“Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that plants anything, neither he that waters; but God that gives the increase. Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are laborers together with God: you are God's field, you are God's building.”

Some are called to be missionaries abroad, such as the Apostle Paul was, but that is not to say everyone is—Jesus wasn’t. During his three-and-a-half-year ministry, Jesus never traveled more than about sixty miles from his home. Based on the amount of ground covered, one could say Jesus, the greatest missionary, was a local missionary. He simply obeyed God, and went about his daily life following the path God laid out before his feet, sharing the pure, uncorrupted truth of the Gospel. From that area the size of a pinhole on a globe, before telephones, satellite television and the Internet, His Word was taken all over the world. The point is, the importance of one’s ministry is not measured by how far we travel or how big a following we have.

It is a special blessing in those times we are called by God to be a witness for Him, and lead a lost soul to find Salvation through Christ. But whatever role or task we are each called to by God, we should never let it go to our head. It is a wonderful thing to be obedient servants, but however that is, we are just doing our duty, that’s all and nothing more. In God’s plan, Elijah wasn’t any more important than the widow. And whatever we are called to do, it needs to be with a pure heart. Paul went on to say to the church in Corinth:

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

There are three essential things in these verses that Paul wants to make sure we understand when it comes to “good works.” The first is that Jesus Christ needs to be at the source of every good thing we do. No work without Him at the foundation is any good in God’s Kingdom. And to attempt to do so is wasteful because God knows our hearts. Thus, secondly we are told if our works are for any other purpose than purely for His glory, He will reveal it through testing that work by fire, and corrupt works will be burned to cinders, and only truly “good works” will remain standing. Last and most importantly Paul tells us, works and Salvation are two different things. We are not saved by works. Salvation is through Christ, and it is by that grace alone we have a place in Heaven. “Good works” are for additional rewards in Heaven. This is a very important principle that modern discipleship and works-centered teaching often does not clarify or omits all together. As long as we are saved, even if our deeds are few, or some or all of our “good works” are corrupted, we may lose some of those Heavenly rewards, but not our Salvation, and our place in Heaven is secure.

In the final thought of this chapter on The Radical Movement and Kingdom Theology, let’s discuss the idea that “access for every nation” to the Gospel is the key to fulfilling the Great Commission, not yet completed, and thus delaying the Lord’s return so far. There is an underlying trap Christians can fall into by this claim. It seems to support a dilemma for many with Christianity, and a valid point many of us have contemplated. That is, “It doesn’t seem fair that God would send someone to Hell that has never heard about Jesus and the Gospel in the Bible.” How could someone be condemned just because they were unfortunate enough to be born in some remote area isolated from Christianity (such as the Native American Indian or tribal native in Africa, or even a Buddhist or Muslim cut off from other religions)?

This is a particularly popular question with those that are lost. The truth is, it is typically just a diversionary question for them. The lost do not want to have to answer for their own sins, so they move the spotlight to someone else, in order to prove that God is unjust anyway, so there’s no point in admitting to or repenting for their own sins. To claim that there must be “access (to the Gospel) for every nation,” is to imply everyone should have a fair chance to be saved, but does not. It’s as if to say that it is fair when a lost American dies and goes to Hell, because the U.S. has lots of churches and the person had plenty of opportunity to accept Christ. However if a North Korean, who never heard the Gospel dies and goes to Hell, it is somehow unfair or our fault as Christians because we’ve not completed the Great Commission and taken the Gospel into that country yet. Nonsense!

No one ever has died and gone to Hell because Man failed to share the Gospel with them. God knows our hearts and judges each man accordingly. Platt does agree with this statement in Radical, but his doctrine of modern universal access to the Gospel runs contrary to this truth. The Bible does not teach that God will hold his faithful accountable for the ungodly Philistines of the Old Testament, or for the modern Communist and radical Islamic nations of today. The Bible clearly does teach, however, that only  “in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him.” Indeed, the people of many apostate nations will suffer because they denied God, a fate our country is tragically well on the way to sharing.

There is no such thing as not getting the memo when it comes to God. The Bible is clear, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Good news—God is fair. It does say “Everyone.” If there’s nobody around to tell them about Jesus directly, God can do it Himself. He does it all the time. He spoke to Moses at the burning bush. In a blinding light He knocked Paul off his horse and spoke to him. God even made a donkey speak. It doesn’t have to be that profound. The Bible teaches if anyone wants to know about God, all they have to do is look around. The universe was designed as God’s greatest testimony of faith in Him. The Apostle Paul teaches of the Law of Conscience, which means that Man was created with God’s law within our nature, and it is ingrained in our soul what is good and evil. And by that standard God will judge each one accordingly.

Like many Christians, I can become passionate about learning and teaching Scripture truthfully and correctly. After studying Kingdom Theology, my initial thoughts were, “It’s just like men to take a good thing and mess with it (as we say in the Texan vernacular).” But truthfully, when it comes down to it, doctrines and denominations are typically just ways the community of faith becomes divided. Families should not let petty differences of opinions split us up. As long as we agree on the foundation of the Gospel then we are brothers and sisters in Christ—that there is one true God, The Creator, and Jesus, The Son (Savior, Messiah), was God incarnate, sent as a perfect sacrifice to atone for our sin, who died and after three days was physically resurrected, and ascended into Heaven. Paul said it best, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

A bit later in the next chapter we’ll discuss one final point on the Radical Movement and Kingdom Theology, by looking more closely at its key supporting verse, Matthew 24:14. This verse is part of one of the most revealing chapters in Scripture, in which Jesus Himself teaches us much about our final subject—the end of the world.

CHAPTER 7

Jesus Is Coming?

Mocking Jesus and Christians is nothing new. That very thing happened as Jesus hung on the cross.  Imagine, Roman soldiers, jeering and taunting a tortured, suffering, dying man that had healed so many. The Bible also tells that as Jesus passed, the earth quaked, the veil of the temple tore in half, and graves opened and many bodies of the saints arose. Those Roman soldiers quit laughing! According to Matthew 27:54, “…They feared greatly, saying Truly this was the Son of God.” Those same contemptuous soldiers now believed—they saw Jesus for who He really was and were converted in that moment.

Today, more than ever, the world is having a big laugh at Jesus’ expense. In the early part of 2013, the cast of Saturday Night Live had its most blasphemous skit ever (and that’s saying a lot). It featured a foul-mouthed, sword-wielding, guns-blazing, killer Jesus as an ultra-violent, vengeful action star in a Tarantino-style movie trailer. One of the closing lines, “I never knew how much Jesus used the N-word” raised much laughter and applause as the skit came to a finish.

Later in the year two movies were released. Both were vulgar, comical parodies of the Rapture and Christ’s return that earned their R ratings. The first, Rapture-Palooza, was the story of a couple after the rapture, battling their way through an apocalyptic world, trying to murder the Anti-Christ. Instead they shoot Jesus dead out of the sky as He’s returning to earth. Not surprisingly, the film got bad reviews and even worse ticket sales.

The next, This Is The End, opened to much better reviews and did very well at the box office. It featured a well-known cast of Hollywood’s latest generation of comedians. They played themselves, young successful Hollywood actors that miss the rapture and are trapped together trying to survive the cataclysmic events of the apocalypse. The story unfolds through a blur of drunkenness and drugs, f-bombs, homosexual and masturbation jokes, and men behaving as obscenely as one can hardly imagine. They eventually find out the way to heaven is through performing good deeds (and it doesn’t take much). They each get raptured one at a time as they do something redeeming, only to find heaven is a hedonistic party much like their life on earth was.

This is entertainment for a world that wishes to glorify a lifestyle of debauchery and turn our younger generations into foul-mouthed playboys, pimps and prostitutes. The huge success of This Is The End is evidence that it is working. What has reached a new level is the boldness that the world is now showing—blatantly shaking its fist, laughing in the face of God and choosing to embrace wickedness.

Music mega-star, Kanye West, went beyond mocking God by declaring himself one. To promote the release of his 2013 album, Yeezus, Kanye posed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine beaten and bloodied with a crown of thorns on his head. The album cover featured Kanye being crucified on a Y-shaped cross. In an interview with W Magazine, he was asked about one of the album’s songs entitled, I am God. Kanye was quoted in response, "I made that song because I am a god. I don't think there's much more explanation. I'm not going to sit here and defend (expletive). That (expletive) is rock 'n' roll, man. That (expletive) is rap music. I am a god. Now what?"

None of this vileness that the world passes off as amusement, entertainment or art should come as any great surprise. The Bible prophesied that there will be many false christs and false prophets, and that, “…scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’”

All of this is only another sign that we truly are living in the last days. For believers, who know how the story ends, that’s exciting. As for the multitudes of unbelievers, the detailed knowledge displayed by these parodies of the events during the rapture and tribulation are evidence that the world is clearly aware of the truth of what (or who) is coming.

In these final days many lost souls that are blind now, just as with the mocking Roman soldiers at the cross, will have a frightening eye-opening revelation. A great number of scoffers will come to believe, drop to their knees and repent. So, make sure your hearts, minds and spirits are right with God, grab your popcorn and be ready to witness the amazing ending of the greatest story ever told.

The Whole Story

Just within the Christian community alone, there are countless denominations, doctrines, church leaders, theologians and the like that debate the events, timeline and details of the End-Times prophecies. For this reason, many believers avoid the subject altogether and know very little about what The Bible has to say about the coming ages, Christ’s return or even Heaven and Hell. Jesus prophesied Himself that He would return and in addition told us quite a bit about the End-Times in Matthew 24. You also recall the Kingdom Theology (and the Radical Movement) assertion that Jesus will not return until the Great Commission is completed, which hinges around Matthew 24:14.

Let’s review this verse and chapter and discuss for ourselves what Jesus really had to say. This will serve two purposes. First, we’ll make one last closing point and settle the case once and for all on the validity of Kingdom Theology doctrine. Secondly, this is an opportunity as Christians to contemplate and perhaps gain a better understanding of important events to come and how that should shape our faith. It is harder to fall for bad teaching if we are knowledgeable about what the Bible has to say on the subject.

This chapter will not be a dissertation or in-depth teaching on Revelation and the End-Times. However, the chapter will make more sense if we define simply a few terms and happenings—in order to be sure the reader has at least a basic understanding of the End-Times as foretold in the Bible. It is not the intent of this writer to talk in absolutes or convince anyone of my own opinions except one—the Bible is the inspired, authoritative Word of God. Just because men cannot agree on its interpretation, does not mean it is full of errors, only that no man can have complete knowledge and understanding of it—only God.

The last statements can only be proven by Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16 for one)—therefore, if you don’t trust the Bible, there’s no point in debating it. So I’ll just proclaim it and readers can decide for themselves whether to believe the truth or not. It should also be said, if you don’t believe in a real Satan, an actual Hell or that Jesus was and is God in the flesh, you are going to have a tough time with this chapter. (Most likely I lost readers in that camp long ago anyway.) If you’re just not 100 percent sure, put down this book and study the Gospel of John, where Jesus will confirm all three truths Himself. Then I pray you come back and finish.

If it’s just the sequence, or interpretation of some of the details you don’t agree with, please don’t get angry and throw this book away. If you belong to a church that teaches one of the doctrines I critique, please don’t get your feathers ruffled, and don’t take mine or your preacher’s word for it. Just consider the points, then study them in the Bible for yourself. As stated in the opening chapter, the truth will always hold up against Scripture. It’s not worth arguing about or starting any new denominations over. As stated in the last chapter—Christians should find plenty to agree with, without arguing over the relatively minor, less significant things we don’t agree on.

The Second Coming is one of the final great prophecies of Jesus yet to be fulfilled and should be an event believers can all agree is going to take place. Christians should be aware that Jesus Christ is returning, and we need to have a faith that demonstrates our readiness. Show me a church that rarely or never teaches of Christ’s return, and I’ll show you a group of Christians that are too caught up in the ways and worries of the world. Let’s get to it, shall we?

The traditional primary events pertaining to the End-Times and their timeline as they occur in conventional chronological order are as follows:

The Rapture—A catching up into the air when all believers on Earth will immediately be taken up into the presence of Jesus.

The Tribulation—A 7-year time (traditionally) on Earth when a false messiah (the Anti-Christ) will rule and reign over a revived Roman Empire (the most powerful nation on Earth at the time). This period will begin with a short time of peace, followed by suffering and persecution of believers refusing to renounce their faith, and ending in a period of world war. During The Tribulation, the world’s armies (not including those of the Anti-Christ) will rise up against Israel, culminating in The Battle of Armageddon. God will destroy the forces opposing Israel. The Anti-Christ will take credit for the victory, and within the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, the Anti-Christ will announce he is God, worthy to be worshipped in the event known as The Abomination of Desolation.

The Second Coming—Christ’s physical return to Earth. He will return through the air riding a white horse and leading an army of all the saints of the ages (believers who’ve died or been raptured) to destroy the armies of the Anti-Christ and all the corrupt world governments and religious systems once and for all.

The Millennial Kingdom—The Anti-Christ will be thrown into The Lake of Fire (Hell) and Satan will be bound in chains and imprisoned for the duration of 1000 years. God will establish a new Kingdom on Earth, rebuilding a new Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and will reign and rule the Kingdom in peace and righteousness in the person of Jesus from the throne of David.

The New Jerusalem (Heaven)—At the end of the Millennial Kingdom, Satan will be freed for a time in which he will deceive many and raise an army to challenge God for the throne. God will destroy his army, casting Satan and all his followers into The Lake of Fire. God will then destroy the Earth and create a new Heaven and Earth in which His creations will live in paradise in the eternal presence of God.

The crack in the foundation of Kingdom Theology and the Radical Movement is that it hinges around one primary verse (Matt. 24:14) that is taken out of context. Whenever an entire doctrine is centered around one or a few single, cherry-picked verses from various parts of the Bible, red flags should immediately go up in our minds. The Bible is not one-line tidbits of spiritual wisdom—as if it were fortune-cookie logic. The Bible is full of complete chapters, books, stories and lessons placed in a very particular arrangement—that should be studied in their entirety in order to understand the full scope of their meaning.

For instance, lets consider the classic iconic movie, Casablanca, for a moment. If we were to watch a single romantic scene in the middle, it could seem like a soft, sweet love story (a chick-flick). We wouldn’t understand the story at all. However, if we watch it from beginning to end, there’s suspense, action, drama, and political implications with Nazis, not to mention it’s based on an adulterous affair with a cold, heart-breaking ending.

Just like any successful restaurant or shop owner will tell you, “it’s all about location”; any good Bible teacher will tell you to understand Scripture, it’s all about context first, then comes interpretation. If one were to take a verse out of context, almost anything can be taught, such as “We should hate our mothers and fathers.” Jesus told the people, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Based on that verse, the Bible teaches we are to hate our entire family, even ourselves. But, you may ask, “Isn’t number five of the Ten Commandments, Honor thy father and Mother?” We have an obvious contradiction here.

Does that mean the Bible has an error? Of course not. There is only one truth—God’s. If men find a supposed error or contradiction in Scripture, it is only because we don’t understand it. In this case both instances are right. We are certainly to honor our father and mother, as confirmed by the Big Ten. But as compared to our love for God, we are to hate them. Still a little fuzzy on that?  We need to study that last verse, Luke 14:26, in its full context. In the verses immediately before, Jesus told us the parable of the Great Supper (discussed in Chapter 3).

If you’ll remember, a man invited many to dine at a magnificent feast, but all were too busy, some with family matters, others with material things. So the man instead invited others less fortunate (in this life) who were very grateful to attend and be fed. The man in the parable symbolizes God, who has invited us all to accept the free gift of Salvation, but many turn it down because they are concerned more with the things of this world. Jesus makes sure we understand the parable clearly by telling us, compared to God and His gift to us of Salvation, nothing in this world, including our own family, is more important. If anyone tries to turn us away from God (even our own father, mother or children), and we are forced to make a choice between them and God, we must choose God.

In Kingdom Theology teaching, if you read Matthew 24:14 by itself, it’s understandable how someone could misinterpret the verse which states, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Just preach the Gospel to all nations (first) and then the end will come (Jesus’ Return). Simple, right? What’s problematic is there is a whole story that accompanies that verse, which is why we have to read the chapter from beginning to end. Let’s try that approach.

Matthew 24 begins with Jesus prophesying to His disciples that the Temple in Jerusalem would be completely destroyed (verse 2), which the Romans did approximately forty years later in A.D. 70. The disciples then asked Jesus, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world (v. 3)?” Jesus, prophesying well into the future of the Tribulation (yet to happen to this day), warned them (vs. 4–12) there would be false teachers, wars and rumors of wars, famine, pestilence, earthquakes and murderous persecution of believers (sounds like today’s world news). Then in verse thirteen came the “good news” (meaning of the word Gospel), “but he that endures to the end shall be saved.” There it is, the key to Matthew 24, but in verse thirteen (making Matthew 24:14 not the most important verse in the Bible nor even in Matthew 24).

Now we better understand verse fourteen when Jesus says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” What Gospel will be preached? The good news from verse thirteen, “He that endures to the end shall be saved.” What will be “a witness to all nations” that the end is coming? The worldwide signs Jesus spoke of—the wars, earthquakes, persecution, etc. in verses 4–12 will be a witness (testament, sign) that He is returning soon.

Continuing in Matthew 24, Jesus lists many more signs in verses 15–28 during a time of the Great Tribulation (worse than the world has known or ever will know). Those signs include The Abomination of Desolation, the Anti-Christ and False Prophet, The Battle of Armageddon and all the Jews fleeing for their lives from Judea to the mountains. And after the signs, how will the end come? In the climactic verses of 29–31—the Son of Man returns through the sky triumphantly leading the army of the saints to save His children from destruction. Matthew 24 is one of the most amazing and powerful chapters of the entire Bible, especially given the age we live in.

Selling Gimmicks

Some have taken this doctrine of Kingdom Theology a step further, pumped it full of steroids, and created Kingdom Now theology. To make a clear distinction by comparison, if the Radical Movement and Kingdom Theology side-tracks followers (misinterpreting Scripture regarding the Great Commission and the Second Coming), then Kingdom Now doctrine could be said to be taking believers on a wild goose chase. The Kingdom Now Movement is an ultra-charismatic denomination, cultivated by a think tank of theological professors (of which George Eldon Ladd is also associated) from Fuller Theological Seminary, including John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Movement, and C. Peter Wagner, founder of the New Apostolic Reformation. All are related and contemporary versions of the post World War II Latter Rain Movement.

More than just believing God is waiting for Christians to complete the Great Commission, Kingdom Now teaches God is waiting on the Church to attain a state of physical earthly rule known as Dominionism, in which they believe not only are Christians to spread the Gospel to all nations, but they are to take over the world. In fact, they believe we are already living in the Millennial Kingdom right now. They believe God gave Man (Adam in Gen. 1:28) dominion over all the earth. Adam lost it to Satan in The Garden, but Jesus won back the rights to it for us on the cross. (Right so far, but then it takes a big wrong turn). Now (they believe) it is up to all Christians to begin creation of God’s Kingdom ourselves by seizing back dominion of the Earth and physically taking over.

They even have a plan, referred to as The Seven Mountains, in which they believe Christians are commanded to infiltrate government (including military), business, family, education, media, religion and the arts and entertainment. They take this very seriously, and believe it is our Christian duty to fight a global war (both spiritually and physically) against Satan to reclaim these Seven Mountains of influence in culture, in order for Man to once again hold dominion over the Earth. Kingdom Now takes a post-Millennial view on Jesus’ Second Coming, believing once we’ve accomplished creating a new God-centered virtual utopia, the world will be fit for Jesus to return at the end of the 1000 years to establish and rule The New Jerusalem (Heaven) for all eternity.

What can be surprising is that many people who attend Kingdom Now churches are not even aware of it. Many preachers of these doctrines will never mention the name Kingdom Now (or affiliation such as Vineyard or NAR), but their teachings will certainly reveal it. These pastors have strayed from the Gospel (some farther than others) and are selling gimmicks to an unsuspecting audience. Very often, a charismatic pastor will win a congregation over with his persona or intellect, and once this happens, his flock will trust and believe his teachings without ever questioning, or keep quiet if they do.

Kingdom Now is a potentially damaging false doctrine and it won’t take long to point out the obvious flaws. In doing so we will also gain a better understanding of the coming Millennial Kingdom. Firstly, when the 1000-year Reign is truly established, Satan will be bound in chains for the duration, unable to disturb the inhabitants. If we are living in the Millennial Kingdom now, how is Satan still running wild here? If he’s imprisoned, where is all this death, destruction and wickedness coming from? If we are really in The Kingdom now, and this is what it looks and feels like—believers have been bamboozled. What a disappointment! No, this is not The Kingdom yet.

Next, The Bible teaches us when the Millennial Kingdom does come, there will be peace and order because God will rule in the physical form of Jesus from the throne of David in righteousness. During that time all implements of war will be destroyed and God will settle disputes immediately between nations Himself. When has that ever happened in the history of Mankind? Turn on the news if you are not certain whether or not the world is at peace. Scripture also tells us specifically that The Lord Almighty will establish the Kingdom Himself, and it doesn’t mention needing us to conquer the world for Him.

There are many other red flags. Kingdom Now denies the Rapture, clearly described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In the Millennial Kingdom, there will be a new temple in Jerusalem, and the pagan idols and religious systems of the world will have all fallen, none of which have happened yet—clear evidence we are not living during the time of the 1000-year reign. It is not an overstatement to say Kingdom Now, quite plainly, is more than an incorrect doctrine, but potentially can become a treacherous one as well. How’s that?

Imagine believing it is up to Mankind to take over the Church and Government, with a fight if necessary. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Men tried to do that in the Middle Ages with the Crusades and the Inquisitions. Millions were killed in vain, falsely in God’s name. Man neither has the wisdom nor the compassion to judge, conquer or rule in righteousness. That is a plan that is closer to describing what the Anti-Christ and False Prophet will one day come to do. So many false doctrines would be extinguished immediately if more of us would just read our Bibles, believe the Word and just be patient and trust God.

A more modern example of religious zealots attempting to take over by force occurred in 1984, when a group of Jewish extremists attempted to blow up the Islamic Dome of the Rock, the Muslim’s most holy site, their shrine located on the Temple Mount (Mount Moriah), the exact location of where the Jewish Holy Temple once stood. It is the place where Abraham was sent by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Muslims believe it was Ishmael). The Jewish religious extremists believed (some still do) that God would not return while such an abomination as the Dome of the Rock is standing. Hence, by destroying it, their works would pave the way for God to establish His Kingdom. In other words, the plot was hatched by men trying to help God (treacherously). The attempt, along with another plot to plant bombs on six crowded Palestinian buses, was thwarted by the Israeli government and the Shin Bet (Israeli version of the CIA and MI6).

Jesus, in his final hours before the cross, addressed how His disciples are to fight in a well-known story that comes in two parts. After the Last Supper, as they were preparing to go to the Garden at Gethsemane, Jesus made an unusual request to the disciples. He told them to bring swords. There have been many bad teachings on this, and some believe that Jesus was instructing that there would be perilous times ahead, and there will come times to fight. It could seem like that at this point in the story, but let’s find out how it ends.

The story picks back up a bit later when the Romans and Jews accompanied by Judas came to arrest Jesus. The disciples asked if they should fight back with swords, but before Jesus answered, Peter struck and cut off the right ear of the servant of the Jewish High Priest. Jesus then asked permission of the officers to touch the man, who he then healed. Jesus demonstrated that though our instinct is to fight with the sword, we are to give love and mercy to our enemies. As discussed in Chapter Two, Paul described what a Christian is to carry into battle and it’s almost all defensive. We are to wear spiritual armor for protection. There is one offensive weapon to fight back with, a sword, but it is the sword of the Spirit—God’s Word (the Scriptures).

This story is one of many examples from the life and testimony of Jesus that should make us realize He was not a “radical”. That is really an improper label to assign and a poor description of Him, and the same should be true of His believers. What connotation does “radical” give when we describe others, such as radical Islamists or other radical religious, and radical political and ideological groups? It represents extremism, fanaticism, and zealotry. That was not Jesus at all. Those are dangerous mindsets that are often associated with idolatry. Jesus restored the truth, compassion and love that is in the Word, and represented God’s genuine nature, as the loving Father willing to sacrifice His Son for us. The Chief Priests, Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees and Zealots, all were the “radicals” that had used religion as a means to seize power for themselves and selfishly corrupted The Word, appointed themselves gatekeepers to Heaven and strayed from God’s will for His people. They were the “radicals” that had hardened hearts and become wayward and spiritually blinded. When it came to the Gospel, Jesus returned us to the center as being “the way, the truth and the life,” as described in John 14:16. No, He wasn’t the radical—He was a purist, sent to redeem a radical world.

Stay For The Big Finish

The bottom line is that the Radical Movement, Kingdom Theology and Kingdom Now are just varying degrees of doctrine centered around the belief that, “God helps those who help themselves.” That is a popular phrase that is the real “superstition” not found anywhere in the Bible, but one that has been taught and practiced throughout history by Man, and almost always gets us into trouble. If we really study our Bibles, we would understand that the more accurate way to phrase that would be, “God helps those who patiently seek, trust, and obey Him.”

When it comes down to it, we simply need to improve our memory—to remember that we can trust God. All believers can testify as to what God has done, through love and mercy, in our own lives. Our personal testimony is always our best witness of the Gospel. God demonstrates to each believer that He can always be trusted, whether it is through the little things for us He has done, or through miracles. We have a personal God, who knows each of us, loves us, and wants what is best for us (like any good dad). It’s all the same to God—providing food, home, or a job, and sheltering us through some storm in our lives, is just as simple and important to God as speaking the universe into being.

He even gave us the full story already, so we wouldn’t have to worry when things look bad. We have God’s Word (the Bible) that lets us know the ending ahead of time—and it’s a happy one for all who love Him. God tells us it’s all going to work out, not because of anything we do, but because of Him. In fact, God affirms to us that He knows us better than we know ourselves, and that we are going to make mistakes—but that’s okay. He can even take those mistakes and turn them into blessings. Scripture tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

So then, we know everything works out well, thanks to God alone. We know God does all the work and there is nothing He’s asked for or needs us to do except love Him. We also know that God saves and blesses us despite our faults and mistakes. So why then do we get so worried and panicked down here when we have been told the story has a happy ending? It’s because so often we doubt it, don’t believe it or just plain forget.

Game Six of the 2013 NBA Basketball Championship Finals was one of the most dramatic and exciting moments in the modern history of American sports. It featured the Miami Heat versus the San Antonio Spurs. The matchup was a best-of-seven-game series. The Spurs were ahead in the series three games to two, and if they won game six, would be crowned the 2013 NBA Champions.

The game was on a Tuesday night, and there was a young man who was a huge Miami Heat fan, that was so disappointed. He was a security guard and was going to miss watching the game because he had to work that night. He set his DVR to record it, and was determined to avoid any news or updates about the game, and planned to watch it after his shift. He was the only one around on the evening shift, patrolling a closed empty office complex, so all he had to do was avoid the radio, television, and checking his cell phone for the score. As his shift ended, he was excited to head home and watch the replay of the game, when the guard replacing him on duty (also a Miami Heat fan) came in and said, “Can you believe the Heat got that last second goal and pulled out the win in overtime? I thought they’d lost the game for sure. Why do you look so mad—I thought you were a Heat fan?”

The young man went home to watch the recording anyway, and though much less enthusiastic, was consoled by the fact that at least the Heat won. The difference however, when he watched the game, was that he was so relaxed. Even though the game was close throughout, he never got nervous. He was cool. Normally, when he would have been biting his nails, he didn’t have any worries, and even went to go make a sandwich while the game was playing, not even waiting for a commercial or pausing it. Even when the Spurs seized the lead with less than one minute of the game to go, he didn’t sweat a drop. Even though it looked bad in those final seconds, and the hometown Miami fans at the game were devastated, many even leaving the arena early, believing it was over—the young man finished the game peaceably knowing the Heat were going to win.

As much as we idolize sports, there were other moments in history, with much more dire consequences on the line, when a nation lost hope before they had the full story. Merrill Abbey, in Communication from the Pulpit and Parish, wrote of one such legendary event. During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon Bonaparte had led the French armies on a campaign to conquer Europe and Russia and amass a great kingdom, the likes of which had not been seen since the Roman Empire. The fate of two continents hung in the balance, culminating in the final great Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The armies of The Seventh Coalition led by Britain’s Duke of Wellington, conquered Napoleon in one the greatest military victories in history.

All of England anxiously waited in desperate anticipation for news of the outcome. It had been prearranged that the ship carrying the message would give a signal by code as soon as it was visible off the shores of England. As it sailed into port, there was a dense fog looming across the waters. The ship signaled to land, “Wellington defeated…” then fog closed in over the ship cutting off visibility. That partial message was passed all the way through to Winchester Cathedral in London, where the news quickly spread to the people, “Wellington defeated.” The people were devastated—England had been conquered by the French. Eventually, the ship reached shore and the entire message was completed, “Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo!”

When Jesus was crucified on the cross, the people believed His story was done, “Jesus defeated….” What a tragic ending that grieved and disappointed the disciples and all believers. But after three sorrowful days, in a miraculous turn of events, Jesus rose from the grave and they got the rest of the message, “Jesus defeated Satan on the cross!” Jesus was the Messiah—the Kingdom of Light defeated darkness.

For many, history is repeating itself. It has been nearly two thousand years since Jesus’ Resurrection, and most live their lives like the story is over. Even many Christians don’t truly believe in their heart that Jesus could return at any moment. Those who ridicule faith believe it is all a great hoax or silly fairy tale. It really does seem like an irrational story—A man claiming to be God was executed, and therefore, the rest of us are forgiven for our faults, and as long as we believe it, after death we can go live in Paradise for eternity. This is a concept that a lost world will never be able to grasp, comprehend or accept proof of. It is a spiritual truth that believers must accept by faith alone.

However, all men have faith in something. Scoffers, whether they are decent moral people, carousing playboys, or great scientific intellectuals—all have faith in one thing or another. Moral people trust in their good deeds to outweigh their bad. Carousers trust that it is better to be decadent and pursue the desires of the flesh in the here and now. Intellectuals trust in what seems most reasonable. The world wants “proof” of what to believe in, such as evolution.

(It should be noted that evolution is the science behind race supremacy. It teaches blacks are less evolved than whites, and that Mankind is moving into a higher state of being. In a sense, we are becoming an Aryan master race, like gods—little Nimrods.)

In reality, if you back up evolution (for its followers) to the beginning, it is all just theories that can’t be “proven” as well. The theory of evolution begins with some form of life. But where did that first life form come from? The leap from rocks and dirt to the first life form is infinite. The Big Bang is a theory (less than that really, a hypothesis) that can’t be proven—so all that the science books can really teach us, is to just have faith that it is true. Man tries its best to experiment with elaborate supercolliders that have never proven any amount of power or heat from an explosion of smashing atoms and particles could generate life. How were the atoms or the elements created to collide in the first place?

In July 2012, scientists discovered the “God Particle” (at least evidence that it exists). Those scientists won a Nobel prize the following year. This is another theoretical part of the atom, like electrons and protons, that helps us to understand matter and what holds atoms together (instead of flying apart and exploding like atomic bombs). Like the discovery of the atom itself and DNA, science only helps prove the existence of God. As immeasurably intricate as are the atom and DNA, how much more immeasurable must be the One that created them from nothing? Man has infinitely fallen short from “proving” how anything could be created from nothing. So, instead, the world just has faith that it can happen, by any theory imaginable, as long as we do not call it God.

The truth is, every one of us has to make a choice in faith—to believe in what we cannot see or prove. Not an easy one for Man to make. Many prefer to meet in the middle and compromise—even believers. They make room for science in their faith. For instance, they believe evolution and faith can be intertwined—Adam and Eve were just an allegory. The problem with that is, if we start allegorizing, it’s just acknowledging we believe the world is smarter than God. How do we know what parts of the Bible are allegories or not? If Adam and Eve weren’t real, what about Satan? Or the parting of the Red Sea? How do we know that Jesus, crucified on the cross and being resurrected, wasn’t an allegory?

Man cannot reason his way to God. It is a clear choice either way through faith only—one side or the other, black or white, light or darkness, the world or Christ. We either have full and complete acceptance (in our heart) or we don’t. To try to avoid making a choice, or to negotiate with God on a compromised version of faith, is the coward’s choice—a story with a definitive end, for those are told, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth.”

Those who choose Christ may rest in this life, knowing there really is not an end to the story, but that does not mean we have an incomplete message. We read the final score already. We know in faith Jesus was victorious. God’s Word verified it—therefore it is true and has already happened. We may not have seen it come to full fruition yet, but we are in the final minutes of the game. It may feel like it’s getting late and we’re tired, but we must stay alert and see this through to the finish. Even though sometimes it may look hopeless, and so many have already given up, believers can be at peace knowing Christ got us the win. We will be standing there at the victor’s podium with God holding the trophy!

Notes

Chapter 1

1.        Genesis 2:17 NKJV

2.       Genesis 3:4–5 NKJV

3.       Genesis 6:5 KJV

4.      Genesis 10:9 KJV

5.       Genesis 11:9 KJV

6.       For video, go to Sin of Pride Runs Rampant Behind Pulpits at Men of Mind, or search YouTube for Pastor Jim Standridge throws a hissy.

7.       Matthew 3:7; 23:33 KJV

8.      Numbers. 12:3 KJV

9.       Ephesians 3:8 NIV

10.    Job 38:4

11.     Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

12.    Genesis 15:5

13.    Genesis 13:14

14.   Genesis 17:19–21

15.    Genesis 28:9

16.    Genesis 27:40–41

17.    Genesis 17:1–15

18.   Genesis 17:17; 18:12

19.    Genesis 21:1–3

20.   Genesis 37

21.    Genesis 39

22.   Genesis 41:14–16

23.   Hebrews 9:11–10:10

24.  1 John 4:19

25.   Luke 9:23

Chapter 2

1.        CBS News, Doctors street medicine helps cure homelessness, by Steve Hartman, 2011

2.       Luke 9:57–62

3.       Matthew 19:16–26 NKJV

4.      Luke 5:8 KJV

5.       Matthew 23:3 NKJV

6.       Isaiah 30:9–13 NIV

7.       1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22

8.      1 Samuel 17

9.       1 Chronicles 11:12–14

10.    Wives of David: Michal, Abigail, Ahinoam, Maacah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah, Bathsheba; Concubines mentioned but not named: 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:9

11.     2 Samuel 11

12.    Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis

13.    Psalm 19:12–13 NKJV

14.   Exodus 22:1

15.    2 Samuel 12:1–7 KJV

16.    Matthew 7:1–2 NKJV

17.    Galatians 3:10–13

18.   Psalm 51:16–17 NKJV

19.    Matthew 10:34

20.   1 Corinthians 6:9–10

21.    LifeNews.com

22.   ILO.org; humantraffickingusa.org; dosomething.org

23.   Internetsafety101.org; dailyinfographic.com; xxxchurch.com

Chapter 3

1.        John 1:29–34 NIV

2.       Toxic Charity, Robert D. Lupton

3.       James 2:26

4.      James 2:14–17 NKJV

5.       Matthew 25:34–36 NIV

6.       Matthew 6:1–2 NKJV

7.       John 1:16–18

8.      Psalm 147:3 NKJV

9.       Acts 2:1–2

10.    Luke 7:41–42 NKJV

Chapter 4

1.        Genesis 3:15 NKJV

2.       1 Peter 1:19–20

3.       Matthew 16:22–23

4.      Luke 22:3

5.       Matthew 7:15

6.       Job 5:17

7.       Matthew 5:45

8.      Deuteronomy 14:21

9.       Job 1:8

10.    Jeremiah 7:30–31

11.     Jeremiah 28:16 KJV

12.    Matthew 7:20 NKJV

13.    Jeremiah 38:6

14.   Hosea 1:2

15.    Ezekiel 4:12–15

16.    Isaiah 20:2–3

17.    To watch video go to, Christian Stoning in Michigan at Men of Mind

18.   Acts 14:8–19

19.    Isaiah 54:14–15 NKJV

20.   Matthew 5:38–45 NKJV

Chapter 5

1.        Matthew 6:5–13

2.       Matthew 6:7

3.       Matthew 5:5

4.      Numbers 12:3 KJV

5.       Matthew 6:19

6.       1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV

7.       Isaiah 37:36

8.      Exodus 33:18–33

9.       Genesis 22:1

10.    John 6:47 NKJV

11.     John 15:1–8; Galatians 5:22–23; The Book of James

12.    Galatians 1:6

13.    Galatians 2:15–21

14.   Galatians 5:9 NKJV

15.    1 John 2:15 KJV

16.    Proverbs 3:11–12 NKJV

17.    Matthew 16:24

18.   Matthew 5:7

19.    Isaiah 55:7

20.   Jeremiah 17:10

21.    The State of Church Giving through 2011, Empty Tomb, Inc.

22.   2 Corinthians 9:6–7

23.   Mark 7:9–13

24.  Luke 10:25–37

25.   Exodus 22:21 NKJV

26.   Matthew 5:4 NKJV

27.   Research from the Barna Group, 2008

28.  2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV

Chapter 6

1.        To view video clips of both sermons, go to Doctrinal Showdown at MenofMind.com

2.       John W. Bradbury, Watchman Examiner

3.       Jeremiah 17:10

4.      Romans 10:9–13

5.       The Ministry of Reconciliation, 2 Cor. 5:12–21

6.       Acts 5:41

7.       Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

8.      John Wesley’s Big Impact on America, Christianity.com

9.       Hebrews chapters 9–10

10.    Luke 10:42

11.     Psalm 127:1–2 NLT

12.    1 Kings 17:1–16

13.    Matthew 28:19 KJV

14.   1 Corinthians 3:5–9 NKJV

15.    1 Cor. 3:10–15 NKJV

16.    Jeremiah 17:10

17.    Acts 10:35 NKJV

18.   Matthew 7:7–8

19.    Romans 1:20

20.   Romans 2:11–16

21.    1 Corinthians 2:1–2 NKJV

Chapter 7

1.        Matthew 27:50–53

2.       2 Peter 3:3–4 NKJV

3.       1 Thessalonians 4:17

4.      Daniel chapters 9, 11–12; Revelation chapters 6–19, Matthew 24; 2 Thessalonians 2:3–10

5.       Revelation 19:11–16; Matthew 24:30–31; Jude 14–15

6.       Revelation 20:1–6

7.       Luke 1:30-33; Psalms 89:20–37; Ezekiel 37:24–25

8.      Revelation 20:7–10; Revelation 21

9.       Luke 14:26 NKJV

10.    The Fuller Evangelical Think Tank, www.SeekGod.ca; Wikipedia

11.     Isaiah 9:7

12.    Matthew 11:12 NKJV

13.    Luke 22:36

14.   Luke 22:49–51

15.    Ephesians 6:10–20

16.    Romans 8:28 NKJV

17.    Revelation 3:16 NKJV

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C. Aaron Russell lives in the Dallas area with his lovely wife, Brenda, and are parents of four wonderful, feisty children. He has a B.S. in Communication from Lamar University in Beaumont, TX. Aaron writes and publishes Christian news, current events, interest and ministry at his website, Men of Mind. His writing has also been published at the Christian Post, Examiner.com and the Dallas Morning News. Aaron is a missionary and speaker with Echoes of Calvary Missions of Eastern Mexico (eocm.org). Aaron is also a member of the Gideons International. To learn more about C. Aaron Russell, read additional writing or contact him, visit MenofMind.com.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Notes