Abortion and the Pro-choice Heart Condition

 On January 22 1973, now over 42 years ago, we began allowing for the legalization of the murder of the unborn.  This weekend their will be pro-choice efforts remembered and recognized and there will be celebrations regarding the sanctity of life.  Now, before you turn me off, at least hear what I have to say.  It might not be quite what you think it will be.  Then again...

Last year I wrote the first version of this blog post in response to the 40th anniversary.  I have been stirred horrifically regarding the subject of abortion.  I have not experienced it personally but I have friends and family who have and I have strong convictions regarding the bibles' stance on the subject.  In light of this I wanted to share this post again, with a few tweaks, for those who may not have read it or perhaps want to revisit it.

Someone told me last year that they were impacted in a somewhat offensive but positive way.  They watched some of the videos referenced below, read what I had to say and said that, in the end, it did in fact cause some considerations regarding this controversial topic that they had not had before.  I pray it will do the same for you.

Purpose
I want to make it clear from the beginning that the intent of this post is not to bash over the head those whom have had abortions.  In fact, I intend to defend them.  We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), I have certainly made my share of past mistakes, though none of them have scarred me in the way that an abortion emotionally scars the mothers and fathers of aborted babies.  The fact is that many women whom have abortions regret it after the fact, even if they are not professing Christians.  They may have even gone into it kicking and screaming.  There is something about having a living, breathing human being ripped out of you that leaves you never the same after that.  Not only does it kill the baby but it destroys a part of the mothers life.  Though not considered nearly as often, many fathers lives are also negatively impacted in a significant way as they spend the rest of their lives trying to live with the guilt and grief that is attached to the decision to abort.  They are all victims of the system.

Resources
I may speak encouragingly to those whom have had abortions in another post.  In the meantime, www.saveone.org is the website for a post-abortion recovery organization that could also prove helpful to you. It was started by a victim of abortion and one of my friends was the first male member of this organization as a father who was negatively affected by abortion.

If you are reading this and are interested in more info regarding the misunderstandings or outright deceit regarding the abortion industry check out the 20 minute video, To Save a Life@  http://youtu.be/MNJmpQSbFeE or buy Blood Money Film@ www.bloodmoneyfilm.com.  There are a lot of resources and information at the latter website.  You can also check out a mind blowing 33 minutes of interviews with people on the street who ignorantly think they are pro-choice, many of whom's minds are changed by the end of the video.  You can find it at www.180movie.com or there is a tool at the top of my blog page that will actually play the video for you right there.  One other resource I would mention is a book entitled "ABORTION: The ultimate exploitation of women".  It discusses the idea that from the beginning abortion was created by men and promoted by men and women and that in the grand scheme of things, women are victims.  What we must see above all else is that, while that may be true historically, ultimately sin created abortion and we must learn to see it for what it is and HATE it for what it is.

The pro-choice heart
My desire for now is to speak with those who are pro-choice.  Those who would like to dive headlong in favor of abortions while professing Christ as Savior and Lord.  I would dare to say it can't be done.  If you are justifying blatant sin in the face of biblical teaching then the most likely fact is that your heart is hard toward the things of God and you have no relationship with Him.  I do not write this to condemn you for as Jesus said in John 3:18, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."  Perhaps you are grossly misinformed either by bad teaching or your own understandings as to who God is and how He speaks on matters of the heart, which abortion most certainly is.

It must be understood regarding belief, that it is not merely intellectual ascent.  If you say you believe in God, Jesus, and the bible, yet this belief does not create change in your thought life and behavior, then it is no belief at all.  Belief is a revelation in your heart of who you are, as a sinner that has rebelled against your Holy Creator.  Yet this Creator, who had every right to squash us all like a bug long ago, supplied, from the beginning, a resolution to this problem of rebellion, in His Son Jesus.  When you begin to get a hold of these truths it will drive a willing submission to His Lordship and obedience to His commands.  John 14:15-24 speaks repeatedly to the fact that those who truly love Jesus will obey Him and keep His commandments.  So, if you are not doing this you are already condemned.  In fact, all believers were condemned in the same way since their birth, but for the saving grace of God applied through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

I pray that, by the end of this post, you will see God's heart regarding abortion as sin and no longer be able to stomach the thought of it in relation to the life giving love of God.

Is It Really Murder?
One of the Ten Commandments is "THOU SHALT NOT MURDER!" (Exodus 20:13)
Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22, "You have heard it was said to those of old, You shall not murder and whoever murders will be liable to judgement.  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement".  The Apostle John expounds on this in the letter of 1 John 3:15 by saying, "Everyone that hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."  If Almighty God himself says that anger towards your brother is as murder in order to drive home the seriousness of the offense, then how severely do you think He feels about the actual taking of life?

Whether you are talking about an innocent adult, a guilty, murderous rapist, or an innocent, unwanted, unborn child; if this person is bringing anger, hate, guilt, or resentment into someone's life, are those not equally dire offenses in the eyes of God.  Now follow those feelings one step further and actually take the life of that person and imagine the wrath of God directed toward that.  Make no mistake, the bible is clear from beginning to end.  When one life is taken by another, God sees it as murder and He condemns that act, if not the non-repentant person.

Who says it's a person?
Many have tried to justify this vicious act by arguing over the time table at which a fetus becomes a person.  It is a ridiculous argument.  Possibly the youngest surviving premature baby ever was born in November of 2010 at 21 weeks weighing just one pound.  That baby is now thriving.  The obscene irony is that if the doctor had intentionally killed that baby he would have gone to prison.  Doctors have been tried for this. However, if that baby had been in the womb at 21 weeks and unwanted by the mother she would have been completely justified in aborting it.  It is a terrifically horrendous travesty that our hearts will allow us to differentiate between the two.  Only an unregenerate aka. non-Christian heart could maintain the ability to ignore this truth.  I know this because God cannot stomach that thought process.  In fact, He hates it.

While no man can truly know the heart of another in relation to Jesus Christ and only God is the judge as to their eternal outcome, Jesus himself makes it very clear that the fruit of our Christian walk will be representative of our relationship with Him. (Matthew 7:13-27)  You cannot claim to know and be known by the God of the universe, Creator of all things, and support the destruction of what God's word says He made and formed. (Psalms 119:73)  In fact, Psalms 139:13-16 says this about Gods creation of us.

 "For you formed my inward parts.  You knitted me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance.  In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."  

God inspired the writer to use words and phrases like, "knitted me together", "fearfully and wonderfully made", "and intricately woven" in this scripture.  These words do not indicate the carefree, emotionally uninvested efforts of some factory manufacturer on an assembly line.  NO!  These are the words of our Creator who took delicate care to lovingly mold us into exactly who he wanted us to be.  The means by which we are conceived, who we are born to, and where we are born are no accident.  Our personality, temperament, cognitive ability, and physical make up and ability are no mistake.  Our God made us exactly how he intended us to be, to accomplish the purposes for which we were created. 

How dare we think we have the right to destroy that! 

This is the same God who said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." (Matthew 18:14) Anyone who thinks that abortion and this God of the Bible go hand in hand are deceiving themselves and have much reason to be concerned about their eternity.

God says a fetus is a person whom HE carefully crafted, and it will be God that will hold the guilty accountable regarding this travesty!

What do they know about it?
On a website called, www.abortion.procon.org  This pro abortion idea was stated.  Motherhood must never be a punishment for having sexual intercourse.  President Barack Obama said in a Mar. 29, 2008 campaign speech in Johnston, Pennsylvania, "I have two daughters... I'm going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

This man, our President, claims to be a Christian and yet, rather than thinking of a baby as a consequence for which responsibility should be taken, he thinks of it as a burdensome punishment that no one should have to endure courtesy of their own moral irresponsibility.  That is heinous and it angers me.  But he is not alone.  Thousands, if not millions of people in America and around the world think just as selfishly and just as sinfully.  And profess Christ in the process.  Let me tell you,  their eternal life is in danger.

I wonder statistically, how many pro-choice advocates have ever actually had an abortion.  The evidence that I have seen and you will to if you watch the above referenced videos is that there is absolutely nothing beneficial to the mother.  In fact, if they don't die, the overwhelming majority wish they had never done it. The impression is that the mother is as much a victim of the system and a victim of the peer/family pressure of others as the baby is.  She is scared, confused, and very rarely has an advocate telling her both sides of the story. Although I have seen testimonies of those whom have been talked out of abortions by those who have had them.  They do seem to be the rarity. Probably because news of that is not a great selling point for an abortion clinic.

Where do you stand?
Listen, I could go on and on but the primary issue is this.  The moral decline of this nation and this world are spiraling out of control at break neck speed.  I am speaking as strongly as I am  regarding this topic because it is that serious.  There is a significant demonic deception on this matter and tip toeing around the issue is not the answer.  I am doing this out of a tough love that realizes that if we don't stand up and shout about this issue, there will more be babies lost, even if only temporarily.  Worse yet, there will be souls lost for all eternity.

We, the true believers must continue to stand against the lies of the enemy.  Not only those directed toward us but those directed at sinners or believers caught up in a huge mistake.  Listen to me!  If you stand on the side of the murder of the born or the unborn, whether in word or deed, in an unrepentant stance then you will not inherit the kingdom.  You will not go to heaven. The bible says that God hates all evildoers and that He must and will pour out His wrath on all sinners at the judgement. (Psalms 5:4-6)  That is why Jesus had to die.  In order for God to be just and loving, someone had to pay the price for our sins and that is what Jesus did.  He took our place so that God's wrath could be satisfied and we could still have a shot at eternity with Him.  Please do not think that He will stand by idly, watch you ignore His word and selfishly do whatever you please and not do something about it.  Judgement will come swiftly, horribly, and eternally if you do not surrender you life to Jesus.

Where do you stand?  Will you repent in response to the heart of a loving God and His word?  Or will you ignore the warnings of the bible, continue to defend the murder of defenseless children, and risk your eternal destiny.

We were all condemned at one time!
Please understand that this is bigger than being pro-choice or whether or not you have had an abortion before.  This is about the fact that we are all sinners and we all deserve to go to hell.  Not because of any one sin.  We are not sinners in the eyes of God because we sin.  We sin because we are sinners in the eyes of God.  We are born guilty sinners.  We all bear the guilt of Adam's sin from the moment we are conceived(Romans 5:12-21) As I said in my last post, it is his incredible mercy and grace that patiently waits for us to repent and believe.

Unless we are born again and begin living for God instead of for ourselves we cannot enter the Kingdom of God(John Ch. 3).  I pray that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that the Holy Spirit will convict your heart about that and you will cry out to God to save you.  GOD LOVES YOU!  That is why he sent Jesus.  Make no mistake, you cannot earn salvation.  It is a free gift.  Romans 3:24 says that we have been "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  Romans 5:8 says that, "God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."   We are all dead in our sins until God makes us alive in Christ(Ephesians Ch. 2).

If you already feel that tug at your heart to believe on Christ and begin walking in obedience then it is time.  Pray to God.  Tell him of your need for Him.  Thank Him for saving you.  If it is real, you will know because your heart will be changed. Not only should you no longer be ok with abortion or any other sin, but your desires will begin changing away from the desires for the things of the world and toward the things of God.  Repentance means turning away from sin and running towards God. You will not attain perfection until you get to heaven but you should always, by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, be striving for perfection. (Philippians 2:12-13)

You cannot merit salvation by doing this.  Salvation bears the fruit of obedience to God's Lordship as evidence of that salvation.  Fruit that is not motivated by obligation, but by love for your Heavenly Father.  Begin reading the Bible and attending a solid Bible teaching church.  Your life will never be the same.  If you have given your life to Jesus and you are struggling with the guilt of a past abortion, you need to know that there is freedom from guilt and healing from the pain available in this new relationship with Jesus.  As you begin praying and reading your bible God will show you this and He will set you free and fill you with joy and peace, even in the midst of trials.  This is the Good News of the Gospel!

As always if this post only sets one person free from the bondage of the pro-choice heart and brings glory to God in that process, then it has been worth the effort to right it and the criticism it could bring.

Love in Christ,

Joshua Newton

Was Jesus more loving than today's Christians?

What is More Loving, Compromise or Truth?

In this day of relative truth and compromise of the word of God in the name of making it more palatable to the world there is a gross misconception.  It is that "a loving God would never destroy sinners for desires that seem to be so natural."  
That somehow God's love and Jesus' kindness that was so often exhibited in scripture must somehow mean that some truths in the bible don't apply. That if it feels natural, God must mean for us to enjoy it.  Even if it directly contradicts scripture.  So by that thought process, in today's culture, any Christian that calls sin, sin even if done lovingly, is still considered a judgmental, hatemonger and not acting as Jesus would have.  Is that true?  I would not dare suggest that all Christians deliver the truth appropriately all the time.  This however, does not change the truth.  Let's see how the bible connects God's love and Jesus' kindness in relationship to our repentance.

In our day, this discussion is most often had in relationship to homosexuality, but before that the same discussion was had about fornication, adultery, and even divorce.  All of these sins have ben justified at one time or another based on an unbiblical understanding of love.

A Key Text
In Romans Ch. 2 the Apostle Paul is speaking regarding judgment.  God's judgment of sinners and sinners' judgment of each other.  In speaking to people's judgment of each other, Paul is condemning hypocritical judgment.  He is condemning those who judge others for sin that they themselves are guilty of. In the grander scheme of the chapter Paul is making it clear that all are guilty of sin and that those who are impenitent (without repentance), are not followers of Christ and will be judged.

My primary text is Romans 2:4(ESV) in which Paul states, "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance."

A Misunderstanding

I have heard this scripture stated this way, "God's kindness leads us to repentance".  You will notice that this is a misrepresentation of that text.  The verse states that, "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance".  Thus, if you believe that God does not expect you to change biblically sinful behavior just because it feels natural, you have a misunderstanding of the purpose of God's kindness.

So What Is Repentance?

Repentance means to recognize actions, thoughts, or attitudes of disobedience as rebellious acts against God, to feel remorse for them, and to intentionally change directions. It means we must move away from disobedience and toward acts of biblical obedience to God and His word.

This should not be done out of biblical duty, but from the desire of a changed heart.  If this is not the desire of our heart we have a problem.  If we do not feel remorse and desire change when we become aware of sin in our lives, then we have reason to question our eternal destiny.  A heart that has truly been captured by God will make itself evident through acts of repentance.

What Does Jesus's Kindness Look Like?

Does kindness in the scriptures suggest a compromise of truth?  Let's look at a scripture that many use to suggest that Jesus tells us not to judge each other.  The presumption being that Jesus did not judge the sin of the adulterous woman in the following scripture reference.

In John 8:7(ESV) Jesus says, "And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her"

Now, it should be noted that most bibles have a notation stating that John 7:53-8:11, which encompasses the whole of this story, is not included in the earliest manuscripts.  Whether you agree with this or not, and I am not saying that I do, the fact remains that many use this scripture as an argument against judging sin.

What this scripture is actually dealing with is two fold.  One is the fact that the Pharisees are trying to test Jesus and catch him in something that they can hold against him.  Second is that Jesus is effectively ruling out our right to punish sinners in a corporal punishment sense.  Just as Jesus does at the end of this text, we are to lovingly call sinners to repentance, not beat them up or personally kill them.  (Corporal punishment is given to the government later in the New Testament, not to the individual).

Jesus' kindness does NOT manifest itself in condoning the woman's adulterous ways.  He shows his kindness by providing the grace of another chance to "go and sin no more".  In saying this, He indirectly makes it clear that the lifestyle she was in was sinful and needed to be repented of.

What Does God's Love And Kindness Look Like?

As evidenced in the quote from Romans above, God's kindness manifests itself in loving patience and forbearance.  You see, if God acted merely out of His justice and wrath, and His love and mercy did not play a role, He would be well within His rights to destroy every sinner right now and send them to Hell.  In view of His holiness and our rebellion against Almighty God, that would be a righteous and just response to our sin.  However, He does not do that.  Romans 3:23(ESV) tells us that

 "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation, by his blood, to be received by faith.  This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Jesus came to take the punishment for our sins.  He satisfied God's wrath toward the sin of, and removed the guilt that was due to, every believer that has ever been and ever will be.  All who believe will receive the redemption that was bought for us by the blood of Christ on the cross.  That is what it means that God put Jesus forward as a propitiation. 

2 Peter 3:9(ESV) tells us that,

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

So What Does All Of This Mean?

It means that God's love and Jesus' kindness should not be understood as a license to do whatever feels right. It means that God has allowed us to live in spite of our sin and rebellion and sent His son to take the punishment for our sins so that all who, by His grace would believe, will be saved.

It means that Christians must not only call out sin, but continually recognize that even they, are simply sinners saved by grace.  This realization should create an appreciation for their own salvation that fuels compassion in their hearts toward the lost.  If that is happening then their approach to sinners or believers, whom they are calling to account, should not be one of contempt, but of grace.  We as believers should be calling sinners, and believers who are sinning to repentance with all the grace by which God calls us to repentance.

It in no way means that if we are truly loving, we will say nothing at all and let people do what makes them happy.  If we truly believe that people who are living in unrepentant sin, which manifests itself as a lifestyle or an attitude of disregard for biblical truth, are headed for Hell; then the least loving thing we could do is say nothing at all.

What we must help them realize is that we understand that we were lost sinners as well, just like them, until God saved us.  And, that we want them to know God's saving grace in the same way that we do.  We must help them understand that this life is a vapor and that they must appreciate the full weight of the eternal consequences of sin in order to appreciate their need for Jesus.  We must help them understand that we do not speak the truth of God's word because we think our way is better.  We do it because Jesus commanded this of His disciples before He returned to heaven(Matthew 28:18-20).

Wrap Up.

If you are reading this and everything in you is screaming, "HE'S FULL OF IT!  HE IS TWISTING SCRIPTURE!"  or anything else that feels angry about what I have stated here, I pray that you will go back and read it again.  Read the whole of John and at least the first eight chapters of Romans.  Get a real solid feel for what the bible says about sin and it's consequences.  Also, for who the bible says Jesus is and why He came.  If your going to reject these truths, at least know that you have studied enough to know what you are rejecting.

If you are reading this and you feel a stirring and tugging at your heart that is uneasy, not because you hate it, but because you are starting to feel as if you might actually believe it then please, read more.  Cry out to God to save you.  You don't need a formulaic prayer or to do anything else first.  God can save you right where you are and then He will give you the continuing hunger for Him and His word and He will enable the clarity needed to do everything else.  As I said before, read the Gospel of John and Romans.  Get in a church that teaches through books of the bible.  Meet with the Pastor and discuss your thoughts and feelings.

As always, if one life is changed by this post or any other in this blog, then it is worth the effort.  I pray it will be so.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Happy New Year! Kept and Sent by a Mighty God!

Happy New Year everyone!  

I pray all remained safe during celebrations and travels throughout the holiday season.  For the Newton...uh, Newton-White family...yes, there is a story there, but we will save that for another time.  Anyway, for my family and I, 2013 held many blessings, challenges, and taught not a few lessons.  

He Has Kept Us!
Rather than go into detail, I would just like to praise the one and only, true and mighty God that I serve and that looks out for me and mine.  No matter the challenges along the way, the Almighty Creator of the universe has kept us yet another year.  In His great mercy and kindness we have not had perfect health, but we also have not experienced many of the physical challenges and heartbreaks that many a family has to endure.  Working in the ER of a hospital I can tell you, there has been much loss of life and many physical challenges in this city alone this year.  I praise God that we have not had any major physical setbacks this year.

When there have been financial challenges God has made a way.  Many across the country and most certainly in this city have seen all kinds of financial setbacks this year.  I praise God that He knows our daily struggles before they come and that He has provided an answer that is waiting for just the moment that it is needed.

Yes, there is NOTHING too big for my God.  Yes, there are NO surprises to my God.  There is no one like Him.  He knows the beginning from the end because He has declared it to be so(Isaiah 46:9-11).  Whether good or bad in our eyes, He ALWAYS has a purpose for it and works it out for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose(Romans 8:28), even if we don't understand it or it doesn't seem so very good in the moment.  TRUST HIM!  He is just in all His ways and all His ways are right!(Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 145:17)

He Has Sent Us!
There are plans on the horizon.  Things that God has been building us up for that I believe are going to happen soon.  There will no doubt be challenges along the way but I know my God is faithful, patient, and always on time. I strive to be patient as well, not acting before He says to, but also not hesitating when He says act.  I can certainly think of times that God has laid something on my heart and I have hesitated. 

My prayer is that this year I will be bolder, more obedient, and that I will grow in my faith to do and to grow as I do.  I do not want to be status quo.  I want this year to be full of loving submission and obedience to my God that accomplishes mighty things for His glory.

I have a goal to read through the entire bible this year.  Believe it or not I have not done that.  Oh I have read much of it, but never the whole thing from beginning to end.  A former great preacher and author in the 1800's in England named J.C. Ryle is know for many quotes, but this one I saw today and is appropriate to the topic.  He said, "Knowledge of the Bible never comes by intuition. It can only be obtained by diligent, regular, daily, attentive reading."   I would agree and that is my goal.  I have a plan to read the bible and another thick theological work this year in their completion and I pray God gives me the grace to do it.  

I have the goal to develop my prayer life more.  Not just privately but publicly for others.  As I said,  I work in a hospital.  What greater opportunity is there to pray for the sick and needy and give God an opportunity to respond in their lives in whatever way He sees fit.  God uses answered prayers to draw people in and I want to be a part of that process.  

I also pray that I will be bolder in my witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ verbally in my workplace, my neighborhood, and beyond.  Please pray for me that the boldness with which I speak to the truth of the gospel and peoples need for it here in this blog, would transfer to my personal walk in face to face interaction.  It is much harder there, but I desire to do it.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, "pray that a message may be given me and that I may speak boldly as I ought"(Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 4:4)

Last but not least, I desire to lead my family closer in their knowledge and understanding of God and His word.  
God has provided opportunity and begun a work in this area.  I pray that He will continue to open the hearts of my wife and children and that we will grow in grace and obedience to God as a family.  There is much room for improvement among us all, most especially myself.  I must grow if I am to lead effectively.  Please pray to that end.

How has He kept you?  How is He sending you?
Notice these questions are presumptive.  You see there is no doubt that God has been involved in your life this year and He will most certainly be involved in the year to come.  I want to encourage you, if you have not already, to take a little time and reflect on the year.  Remember the ways that God has kept you this year.  Count your blessings and recognize the areas that God has helped you to grow whether in trial and tribulation or through His many blessings.  Then consider HIS purposes for you in this new year.  We are not talking New Year's resolutions.  I mean genuine time spent on your knees and in His word asking God what HIS PLANS are for your life this year.  Rather than asking for your hearts desire, consider what HIS hearts desire is.  

One thing is for certain.  Two commands apply to every believer. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Teaching them all that I have commanded you".(Matthew 28:19-20)  Christ also gave this command, "You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before all men,so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven".(Matthew 5:14-16)

Whatever else you do with your life in this year, these commands are universal.  They can be included in any circumstance. They could also be summed up as they were by Jesus in this passage, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and you shall love your neighbor as yourself".(Matthew 22:36-40)  Everything else we do, and that God expects of us hangs on these two commandments.  

Live a life worthy of the Gospel!(Philippians 1:27)  May you have a blessed and highly fruitful year in your life, for the kingdom of God and for the Glory of God!

Thanks be to God!

Amen.

What's Christmas all about anyway?

The Question.
"What IS Christmas all about?" That is the question I never asked that God just recently truly brought to bear on my heart and mind.  It's not that I did not know the story that was revealed to me.  I simply had not thought of it from this perspective.  Others don't know the story at all or have any idea of this perspective.

My exposure.
I grew up Southern Baptist.  From there I have been associated with a non-denominational church for the last nineteen years.  In neither of these environments was Advent or Lent something that was practiced or taught as a theme throughout the holiday seasons.  At least not at the Southern Baptist churches I remember.
It is important to note that I am not saying this in order to insult or slight those ministries in any way.  I have learned from both, the first of which, my father was the pastor.  Advent seems to be one of those seasonal faith themes that is practiced more by some churches than others.  Is does not seem fair to narrow it down by denomination because I am using a wonderful Advent app in my ipod that is based on the Advent curriculum from The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL.  This church, led by Dr. David Platt, is part of the Southern Baptist Convention.  I say all that only to give some background as to my experience and exposure to this faith based, seasonal celebration.

Surprise!
The word Advent means "to arrive".  As I am learning, Advent is a time of the year, if done right, that ties the story of the birth of Christ into the entire biblical historical narrative of the bible.  Now I have learned much about this narrative and the importance of understanding that, the story of our redemption bought by Christ's perfect life, atoning death, and victorious resurrection runs from Genesis to Revelation.  However, I had never considered the ways in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus into this world as it's own little moment, without ensuring that we are remembering and sharing with others it's place in the grand scheme of redemptive history.  This was a surprise to me.  I had never really thought about it.  Partially, because it is not something I am accustomed to hearing every year at Christmas.

The Greater Question.
The fact is that Advent is the answer to the question, "What's Christmas all about?"  So if someone asks the question, can you answer it?  Greater still the question should be, will you tell them even if they don't ask?  Will you start the conversation?  What will you tell them?

The Answer.
The answer to this question, "What is Christmas all about?" should never simply be, "It's about the birth of Jesus."  Yet this is the typical understanding and response.  While it is true, it is incomplete.  The answer should be that Christmas is about the coming of a Messiah, a deliverer, a rescuer.  This then should prompt the questions, "What's a Messiah?"  "Why do I need a deliverer?"  "What do I need to be rescued from?"  Then, if they don't ask those questions, we should suggest them.  Then we answer them.

There are many verses and ideas that are involved in this answer.  If it is being taught or studied through over the month of December they should all be meditated on and this Advent App is a great way to do that.  It has an introduction that fleshes out the plot.  It then has six parts that are broken down like this:  1.) the promise of His coming, 2.) the promise of His birth, 3.) the promise of His life,  4.) the promise of His death,  5.) the promise of His resurrection, and 6.) the promise of His eternal reign.  Then an epilogue of promises kept.  All of these promises are crucial to the over all historical narrative of the story of redemption. 

Now, if we are in general conversation and this topic comes up do we need a six point response?  Of course not.  However, It is a prime opportunity for a basic gospel presentation in which the birth of Jesus is included.  For example:

"This is what Christmas is all about.  The creator of the universe created man in his own image to fellowship with him, that man might glorify the name of Almighty God.  God blessed man and gave him much authority over the earth with just a few instructions.  Man disobeyed God thus bringing the curse of sin, death, and destruction into the world to be experienced by all of creation.  But from the beginning God knew this would happen and had already put in place, a plan of redemption that would defeat the curse of sin.  God's plan was His very own Son, Jesus.  Throughout the Old Testament, God provides prophecies about the coming of His Son.  His Son would be known as the Messiah.  A righteous branch springing up from a broken or cut down tree. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  God's son, Jesus Christ, conceived of the Holy Spirit, would be born of a virgin and live a perfect life of obedience to God, being both fully man and fully God.  He would not be esteemed.  He would be despised and rejected, eventually being crucified by His very own people, the Jews.  He would die on a cross, taking the punishment for and removing the guilt, of the sins of all who would believe.  But on the third day, Jesus would be risen from the dead by the power of God's Spirit, thus defeating death and making His righteousness available also, to all who would believe.  After a little more time with man, Jesus would ascend to the right hand of the Father and there He would remain, praying for His people and directing the Holy Spirit whom He would send as our comforter and helper.  One day, He will return again.  This is the second Advent.  On that day He will complete the story, destroying evil and all of it's sources and taking all those whom have believed to reign with Him forever in glorious perfections and endless worship."

Or something like that.  It doesn't have to be quite that detailed but wouldn't it be awesome to have such a comfortable handle on the basics of the redemptive narrative, from beginning to end, that you could do that.  What I just wrote is maybe a minute or two worth of explanation.  I just wrote that off the top of my head.  I don't tell you that to brag.  It is certainly not perfect.  I tell you that to say that I am better at writing it, than saying it out loud and I could not possibly give you all the scripture references for that little quote from memory.  But, there is something exhilarating about being able to write something like that down.  Because I know it means that this story is really getting on the inside of me.  That is humbling and thrilling all at the same time.

I want to encourage you to consider this.  Consider making Christmas not only about Jesus' coming as a baby, but that you would take this season as an opportunity to consider the entire story of what the Holy Trinity has done for us in this grand narrative.  Remember, by our time table, we think of what God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit did, are still doing, and are going to do.  By God's time table, it is already finished.  From beginning to end, the story has been told.

Because of this we have a great hope that carries us through every difficult time and with joy, drives us to share this awesome story with a lost and dying world that many of them may come to possess this same great hope and share this gospel with that same joy!

Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

Josh

Do You Hear What I Hear?

King David's love for God's creation
King David was a great psalmist.  Many of the psalms in the bible are attributed to him.  In Psalm 19:1-2 David says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge."

Before King David was king, he was a shepherd. He had the pleasure of lying out under the night sky and observing the constellations, maybe seeing a shooting star here and there.  During the day he watched the sun move across the sky.  He probably observed those neat moments when the sun and moon both appear to be in the sky at the same time.

In this day, we are so busy that we don't even notice the sun except to be bothered by it's brightness and put on sunglasses.  At night, especially in the city, you have to work really hard to see the stars.  We still seem to be fairly enamored by the moon and it's phases.  Not to mention when it gets really big or takes on some beautiful and unusual color as it reflects the suns' light or is eclipsed.

Childlike love for creation
The greatest way to enjoy the glories of the day and night sky are through the eyes of a child.  For me those eyes first came in my oldest son Ryan.  When Ryan was a toddler and learning to speak, his first word was moon.  He loved the moon.  He would ask for it and when he saw it, his face would light up as big and bright as the moon itself.  But when it went out of sight, he would get sad.  His whole countenance would change.  To this day he still loves nature and science.

Taking creation for granted
I believe David's appreciation for the life of the sky was as vibrant as that of Ryan's with just one difference.  A young child does not realize that they are looking at the very handiwork of God.  Do you?  As adults we get so busy with day to day life that we very rarely look up and appreciate God's handiwork.  We certainly don't think of it as declaring God's glory.  Oh from time to time, on a peaceful night and somewhere that there aren't many lights, I can get a good look at the sky.  When I do, I actually remember, to some degree, the awe and wonder that is God's creation.

Do you take God's creation for granted?  I know I do.  I don't spend nearly enough time appreciating and expressing gratitude for what God has given me.  My boys Ryan and Alex know that nature is God's handiwork but at ages ten and six, I can already see them enjoying it, but not with the same awe and wonder that they did when they were smaller.

Teach your children!
What about your children?  That's where we come in.  Not only do we need to make a consistent effort at appreciating the splendor of the trees, the birds in the air, and the stars in the sky but we must remind our children.  We must help them never to forget that, not only is nature there, but it is crying out "look at the majesty of God's creation!"  "Glorify Him for He has done great things!" 

Once you hear it, teach your children to be active participants.  Ask them, "do you hear it?"  "Do you hear what I hear?"  The heavens are declaring it.  All of nature is declaring the glory and majesty of our Almighty Creator.  Now obviously this is something we learn to see with our eyes and perceive with out hearts by God's grace.  However, we must teach our children to desire to do the same.

Creations revelation, Our rejection. 
Romans 1:18-21 states, and I paraphrase, that the very condemnation that necessitates a Savior is ours, because what can be known about God is plain in the things that have been made.  It says that we are guilty and without excuse because we know and yet we reject our Creator.  This is known as general revelation.

At the fall, Adam and Eve decided that what God had provided wasn't good enough if they could not take of the one tree that they were instructed to leave alone.  God's creation has been crying out to us about himself since the beginning.  We have been rejecting God's provision and God's authority ever since.  That is why we are all guilty, condemned, and damned to hell.  That is why Jesus had to come to earth, take on flesh, live the life of perfect obedience that we could not live and die the death that we should have died.  He took our punishment by becoming sin and taking all the wrathful response to that sin that belongs to us.  He satisfied our debt.

Good news!
The good news is, HE IS RISEN!!!  He conquered death.  Now his righteousness and victory over sin are available to us so that we can have eternal life.  Isn't that amazing.  We rejected God.  Yet, He sent His Son to live righteously and die to take the punishment for our sins; then raised him from the dead so that we could have access again to the Father for all eternity.

All we have to do is repent and have faith.  By God's grace we can have that childlike faith that once again appreciates all that God has done for us and yearns to obey Him.  If you have never known this gift of faith that leads to belief, repentance, and eternal life, you can have it.  Cry out to God.  He hears our cries and He can save you and change your life right now.

May we all come with childlike faith and learn to enjoy the majestic handiwork of our Heavenly Father, from creation to the cross, once again.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Gratitude

It is time for the Thanksgiving post.  People  have been posting what they are thankful for on  Facebook for weeks but I just figured I would wait for this.  It looks as though many have a lot to be thankful for on Facebook and for that I am grateful.  I do as well.

Black Friday
I want to encourage people to be careful not to forget the things that they are grateful for as Black Friday approaches.  Some do not like Black Friday because it has crept earlier and earlier into Thanksgiving Thursday.  I must agree that the greed and commercialism is getting old.  It is stealing and corrupting the original purpose of both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Then of course there is the nasty, high-stress, impatient attitudes of the shoppers themselves.  That part was always there on some level but it has been amplified several times over with the hysteria that can be Black Friday.

So, I just wanted to say that while I am thankful for the ridiculous deals you can get courtesy of Black Friday, part of me wishes it did not exist because of the negatives involved.   Never the less, my wife and I try to make a point of showing love and patient understanding to those around us while striving to get the deal we hope for as well.  Gratefully, we have not felt the need to compromise time with family in order to get the deals and I hope we never do.  As Christians we are responsible to live a life worthy of the gospel, even during holiday shopping.  So I would encourage you, whether you participate in Black Friday or not to pray before going out to shop at anytime during the holiday season.  Be ready "in season and out of season" so to speak.

Why should we be thankful?  What makes gratitude so important?
The world has their own answers for these questions, some of which stem from scripture even though they may not be aware of it.  I simply want to let scripture speak for itself.  There are many scriptures that could be used.  I am partial to Philippians 4:4-7.  It states, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to all, the Lord is at hand.  Do not be anxious for anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Much could be said of this passage but I simply want to point out the centrality of thanksgiving in this passage.  If you develop a habit of praying, thinking, and acting from an attitude of gratitude rather than griping and complaining then you will find yourself rejoicing in supernatural peace, no matter the circumstances.  This is a stature that will bring much glory to God.

Now, besides the benefits of Black Friday, what am I grateful for?

1) Faith
I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That may seem obvious since this is a ministry blog but that is kind of the point.  He saved me from the wretched life of dead works, hateful actions, and selfish indulgences that I was living.  He made me alive and enables me every day, by His grace, to do righteous works that are motivated by a desire for His glory to be made evident in my life.  Thanks be to God.

2.) Family
 I am thankful for my family.  First and foremost for my wife and children.  They are a blessing to me daily.  They remind me how loved I am, even when I don't deserve it.  They also keep me humble as I continually recognize areas that I can improve as both a husband and father.  I am truly blessed beyond belief to have a beautiful wife who is talented, caring, and dedicated to being the best mother and wife that she can be.  I am blessed to have two handsome boys that are also very intelligent, talented, and have their mothers big heart.

I am thankful for my extended family.  On my side I was blessed to grow up as a preachers son.  This exposed me to the good and the bad of church life and helped me to develop the tough skin I have today that guards my heart from bitterness against the ugliness that can be found in the church.  As we were never well off, it also taught me how to appreciate having my needs met and yet be ok with not getting everything I wanted.  This is a principle many need to learn in this day.  Even more importantly, as we have all grown up, myself, my two brothers and my sister and their spouses, along with Mom and Dad, are able to challenge and encourage each other in the Lord and grow in our faith walk courtesy of these experiences.  No matter how much we may disagree on a subject, at the end of the day, we are able to let love rule.  That is a blessing.  They love my kids, are as generous as they can be, and always strive to be available if I need them.  As the family expands I get to return the favor as much as I can and enjoy nieces and nephews from my side of the family.  I am very blessed.

On my wife's side, much of the same is true.  There is much love and generosity to be experienced from all of my in-laws.  This last year our family had the amazing opportunity to go on a Disney cruise.  It was a dream come true and it was courtesy of all of my in-laws generous desires to see my wife and kids, especially my youngest, Alex, experience meeting Mickey live and in living color on the boat.  That is just one example of the ways in which they are loving and giving.  I will be forever grateful, to my mother and father-in-law for birthing and raising the wonderful woman that I get to call my best friend and wife.  I am also blessed to have a very loving and thoughtful brother and sister-in-law.  They have two wonderful children whom I have been blessed to call niece and nephew for many years now.

3.) Ministry
The list could go on but you guys don't want to hear all of that and I could not possibly do justice here, to everything that I am grateful for.  I will however, say how blessed and thankful I am to be a musician, choir director and worship leader.  It is my greatest joy to have the fellowship of a wonderful worship ministry with whom I get to lead the congregation into worship.

While I am blessed with a stable secular job that provides much to our family, church related ministry is my heart.  Everyday personal ministry is the responsibility of every christian however, there is nothing else that I would rather be doing than glorifying God through vocational ministry.  I have been blessed to do it for many years on a part time basis through music.  For the last year and a half or so I have been blessed to share the gospel in written word through this blog.  Prayerfully I will have many opportunities to preach God's word not only through written word but also through the spoken word.  This is the desire God has placed in my heart.  The desire to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through the redemptive history of the whole word of God.  I look forward to following God on this journey, whatever it may look like. and wherever it may take me.

I believe that the Lord will not always keep me at my current church.  God loves to push people out of their comfort zone in order for them to grow.  I know this day is coming for me.  Until it does I will faithfully strive to glorify God in the service of the church that has been so kind to allow me to grow up spiritually, emotionally, and musically there for the last nineteen years.  I am indebted to them for the grace-filled support and opportunities that I have had there.

4.) Grateful for Common Grace
Left to our own devices we would most certainly destroy ourselves and any potential for happiness that is available.  That is obvious in the individuals from which God withholds His common grace the most.  In those individuals we can watch the corruption and destruction of sin have it's full effect as their lives disintegrate into a mass of jail time, drug ridden bodies, horrible behaviors and wasted lives. Lives that will ultimately end in an eternity of pain, suffering, weeping, and gnashing of teeth.  The hell they lived on earth will pale in comparison to the hell they will experience for eternity.

For those to whom God's common grace has allowed them a measure of happiness and self-satisfaction, there are still concerns.  Many of them will live lives that look successful and maybe even selfless in  many ways.  They may have wonderful families, fantastic careers, and great health.  I fear that for many, it will all be in vain.  Because, if they have never experienced the saving grace that only comes through the cross of Christ then everything they have done will be for nothing.  It will have been motivated by a self-exalting and self-satisfying drive.  A drive that seeks it's own glory rather than the glory of God.  Their lives will still end in eternal misery and never-ending destruction.  Everything that they earned and built in this life will whither away and burn up.  They will be no better off than the one who wasted the whole of this life.

Saving Grace and Future Glory
Why such a bleak picture of unredeemed lives at the end of a blog about Thanksgiving?  Because, at the end of the day I know that the many blessings for which I am so very grateful have nothing to do with my own worth, talent, or anything else that I have to offer.  It was the blood-bought, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying, amazing grace of the Holy Trinity that regenerated me, changing my heart and enabling me to have the faith to believe unto salvation to begin with.  It is that same grace that enables my efforts toward sanctification as I become more and more like Jesus.  Because of the price paid at Calvary I get to experience the best that God has planned for me in this life.  Not only that, but I get to look forward to that great gettin up morning when I see Jesus face to face and I will sin no more.  That future glory in which no sin, pain, sorrow, or suffering will ever exist.

The many struggles that this life has to offer, that even the strongest of believers is allowed to experience by our Heavenly Father, will exist no more.  This future glory provides an eternal hope that carries us through the most difficult of times.  Those moments when we feel we can't go on we remember the whole of 2 Corinthians 4 that ends with verses 16-18 which says, "so we do not loose heart.  Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light and momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

An eternal perspective brings an eternal gratitude! 

Thanks be to God and glory to His name for the many trials and blessings that He bestows on us for our eternal benefit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Josh


                                                                                                                                                 

Wanna Save Your Marriage (Part 9) A Summary

Alright.  There are so many other things that could be said but I think it is time to wrap this one up. This is officially the longest series that I have ever done.  It has been edifying to me.  I hope it has been edifying to you.  I would like to thank everyone who reads the blog, has followed this particular series of postings, and/or has provided feedback.  It means a lot and you are more than welcome to share and share alike if you feel it would be helpful.

I want to emphasize that while the material has been direct and revealing at times , I have made every effort to be biblical at every point.  Sometimes the bible can be offensive and difficult to swallow.  What we must always remember is that the bible is God's inspired, inerrant, holy word.  It must not be added to or be taken away from.  God does not require that His word conform to what people want it to say.  God requires that HIS people conform to HIS word(Romans 12:1-2).  With that said, let's review what the bible has taught us.

The biblical God is a fan of biblical marriage!
It was His idea!  He is a fan of man and woman joined together in an unbreakable, covenant union.  A covenant union that is designed to glorify God and help to populate the earth.  He created the idea, He blessed the idea and the subjects of the idea, and He said that it was good.
(Genesis 1:27-28, Matthew 19:3-9)

Biblical marriage is designed with a purpose!
What is that design?  First, it must be the union of a male and a female.  Second, the male and female should be believers.  Third, each member of the union must recognize their God-given role and the instructions for that role. Fourth, the Gospel is central. (Matthew 19:4-6, Ephesians 5:21-33)

The Gospel is central!
God's design for marriage is centered around the Gospel.  The sacrificial love of Christ for His church is the example of the kind of sacrificial love that we are expected to exhibit, one Christian to another and one spouse to the other. We must understand how we were designed as individuals and what the design of our roles in marriage are.  We must understand that just as we are dead in our sins and cannot come alive unless Christ makes us alive; none of what is expected of us in marriage can be done appropriately without the empowerment of God's grace through Christ's death and resurrection.(Ephesians 2:1-10, Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Corinthians 15:10)

Sacrificial, selfless, love is required by God.
Maybe you are struggling with a spouse who is not living up to the biblical definitions of their role. Perhaps you are struggling with an unbelieving spouse or a maybe your marriage is struggling sexually.  All of these struggles, along with all of the other above points, have been addressed in greater detail in the previous posts, scripture references and all.

What is certain is that when Jesus came to earth, He gave all while being despised and rejected by the majority.  Many say that God's love and often that Christ's love is unconditional.  This is simply not true.  The condition of God's offer of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, comes in the death and resurrection of Christ's perfect life alone, for the glory of God alone.  It is not free!  If you are a believer, you are not your own, you were bought with a price.  Christ's blood shed on the cross paid the price for the sins of the world so that eternal life would be made available.

That's right!  The love of God the Father and God the Son is not unconditional, but it is sacrificial.  God is not asking anything of you, no matter how bad it may seem, that Christ did not experience.  Jesus knew temptation.  Jesus knew betrayal, rejection, emotional hurt, and physical pain.  He understands it and He will see you through it.  As a believer, He does not expect you to do it by yourself.  As a believer, God's grace is always working in and through you to accomplish His good purposes. (Philippians 2:12-13)

I don't need Jesus, my marriage is doing fine by itself!
Perhaps, during this process, you have thought, "I have a perfectly happy marriage and I don't have to think about all this stuff.  My wife and I are good people who love each other and treat each other well and we don't even consider the application of any of this spiritual, Gospel-centered marriage hype."   Maybe.  But rest assured, whether you believe it or not, that the benevolent love of God's common grace to all people is the only thing that keeps mankind from totally annihilating themselves.  It is not because you carry all the power within yourself to do good.  God restrains any evil that does not run rampant, anywhere, including your marriage.

Happy wife, happy life is not enough!
Regardless of what you think, one other thing is true.  You can live a happy, good life with a happy, good marriage and still go to hell.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the live.  No man comes to the Father but by me!(John 14:6)

I don't want that for anyone.  This series has been a bit pragmatic in the "How to have a better marriage biblically" kind of way.  I admit that.  But, the Gospel has been present throughout.  All of it has been Christ-centered.  The reason for that is because no success in this world has any meaning eternally apart from Christ.  I have not helped you at all if you apply some of the principles found in this series and never have a relationship with a living Savior, the Eternal Bridegroom himself.  You will not be a part of the bride of Christ if you are not in a saving and surrendered relationship with the Groom that makes it all possible to begin with.

Please, go back and look at the post entitled, "Wanna Save Your Marriage?, What is the Gospel?"(Part 3).  Not for me, but for you.  Make sure you understand what the Gospel is.  2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves and make sure that we are in the faith.  It is ok to assess your life in relation to biblical truth and look for areas that either point to proof of saving faith or the lack there of.  Even if you come to the conclusion that you are in fact saved, there are always areas that are not yet perfected and we should always be looking to strive for repentance in new areas of our walk in order to ensure that we are living a life worthy of the gospel(Philippians 1:27).

Find joy in the Father!
Last but not least remember, in the words of John Piper, that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him".  As believers, the greatest way to be most at peace in trials and suffering is to keep God's glory as your ultimate goal.  The greatest way to ensure you are walking in unselfish, sacrificial love is to keep God's glory as your ultimate goal. The greatest way to ensure that you are walking obediently to God in your marriage is to keep God's glory as your ultimate goal.  The greatest way to ensure you are living a life worthy of the gospel is to keep God's glory as your ultimate goal.

The greatest way to walk with the best possible satisfaction at any given moment and to experience joy unspeakable and full of glory(1 Peter 1:8) is to remember what Christ did for you on the cross and through His resurrection.  Not only that, but to remember that, while He died for all who would believe, Jesus' ultimate goal was always the glory of His Father.(John 17:5)

Jesus always found His greatest satisfaction in the glory of God through loving obedience.  That was, and is, His ultimate goal!

If this series has helped one marriage to grow or be restored, or more importantly; if this series has helped one individual to discover a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, then it has been worth it.

If you have not read the whole series yet and you would like a fleshing out of these points, parts 1-8 can be found under the October and November tabs on the this blog page.   I pray it has been and will be a blessing.  Thank you for your time.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

Love,

Josh

Wanna Save Your Marriage, (Part 8) Intimate Submission

SEX! (blush, blush) ;-/

A subject that is critical for your marriage and for the glory of God in your life.
1 Corinthians 7:1-9 is a passage of scripture written by the Apostle Paul specifically regarding married sex between man and woman.  He has just finished writing on sexual immorality and now he is speaking to moral sex as ordained by God.  I will not type the whole thing here but I encourage you to read it.  I was hesitant to speak to it but I am aware that, just as it was in Paul's day, there is a problem among many married couples of maintaining a healthy sex life.

Now I am not an expert i.e. a sex therapist etc. nor do I pretend to grasp every area of the bible that speaks to healthy love making between a married couple though I do know that there are some i.e. Song of Solomon..  I am well aware however, that in today's world of self-gratification and instant-gratification, there is a selfishness that can permeate even to the bedroom and that couples have experienced marital problems and even divorce because one or the other was not "taking care of the needs of their spouse".  This is a problem.

There is so much more to this topic than can be addressed here.  Please know that I am not under any delusions that this is a simple topic.  However, the overarching point is the same as the rest of these posts on marriage.  In marriage you must commit to selfless service of your spouse, always with the glory of God as the highest priority in every area of your life, while trusting Him to be all satisfying.  If God is all satisfying, then everything else will be icing on the proverbial cake verses some inalienable right that we should fight for, no matter the cost.

Authoritarian surrender of your body and loving submission to God
The gist of 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 is this:  If you can stay single, do it.  If your gifted with the ability to be celibate great.  You will be free do more for the kingdom in some ways if you do not have to worry over a spouse.  However, if you burn with passion and cannot exercise self-control, then you should marry.  Once married, you should not withhold conjugal rights (sex) from one another except for an agreed upon time, and that for prayer.

Now, this is where it get's dicey and some will be offended.  Paul states that the reasoning for not holding out on each other aside from the tendency of increased temptation is this; your body does not belong to you!  The husband has authority over the wife's body regarding this matter just as the wife has authority over the husbands body.  In other words, each spouse has the right to desire and expect that their sexual needs will be satisfied by the other and neither has the right to be unwilling to help in this matter.

Remember that this is not a power game.  This is yet another area that we are to love each other and submit those things in which we have been commanded to submit by the Lord, as unto the Lord.  Ultimately you are not giving in to your spouse.  Ultimately, it always comes down to a matter of loving obedience and submission to Christ who gave his life for you.  When you consider that He died so that you might live life to the full, isn't it silly to pridefully and selfishly fight the system that He ordained to help create this full life?

A Healthy Marriage Hangs in the Balance!
So why was this important enough to blog about?  Consider this.  If we are built to desire one another, and we are also spiritually ordained and responsible to satisfy each others desires; and one spouse refuses the other, it will not be taken as a simple no.  More often than not it will be taken as a resounding NO!  This cuts straight to the heart and self-esteem of a given spouse.  A heart and self-esteem that we as spouses are responsible for cherishing and guarding from harm.  So when we are harmed by the one who means more to us than anyone else in this world, it can create a huge wound.  This is important because if this issue does not serve as a reason for divorce, it will certainly feed other issues if not help to push the rejected spouse into the arms of another.

We are still responsible!
Let me be clear, as I hope I have been in the previous posts.  I am not advocating that this should be an issue to divorce over and I am certainly not condoning allowing yourself to succumb to adultery.  This challenge manifests itself in many forms.  Sometimes sex is used as a weapon to manipulate.  This corrupts everything about it and should never be done.  Sometimes there is emotional damage that affects someone's ability to be intimate. Often there are biological reasons that cause people's sex drives to change.  In any case, the bible makes it clear that, married or otherwise, we are responsible to God to be faithful representatives of Christ's sacrificial love, no matter what anyone else does. So if you are not being taken care of in this area, then alongside possible counseling and healthy discussion about the matter, much prayer, meditation on the word, and striving to find your satisfaction in God is a must. A lack of intimacy is not an excuse for ungodly, disobedient behavior.

If you are the one who is lacking desire, here are some thoughts.  I have no doubt that a part of you feels justified in not doing something that does not interest you.  There is probably a part of you that also recognizes the flaw in that lack of desire as a partner in a marriage covenant.  I do not want to beat you up for your lack of desire because I realize that you may not even understand it yourself.  The only exception that I can foresee there may be to what I am about to say would be if you have a verifiable medical condition that makes it difficult to perform as male or female in the marriage. I do recognize these challenges.

However, as with any other biblical command, as a believer, remember that you are still responsible to make every effort to hold up your end of the bargain regarding your spouses satisfaction, whether you feel like it or not. You must also pray, feed on the word and maintain a relationship with your redeemer that, if biblical, should correct some issues in time. Not only should it feel natural to want to satisfy your spouse, but that is part of what you committed to when you made your vow, in the marriage covenant.  A vow not only to your spouse but before God. So whether you feel like it or not, if you selfishly ignore that responsibility, you are not only harming your spouse but you are acting in direct disobedience to the word of God.

Summary
As always, I do not wish to simply come off strong, beat you up, or seem insensitive.  You may say, Josh you just don't understand.  To that I say, trust me.  Most marriages if they last long enough have moments that make this topic one with which many can identify.  That is true of myself as well.  Even if it wasn't, God's word is God's word.  We must not make excuses for disobeying it by trying to discredit the experience of the deliver of that word as it were.  If your greatest desire is God's glory then you will strive to learn to be satisfied in Him when everything else in life is letting you down.  You should learn to be satisfied in Him whether everything is hunky dory or not.

God loves you.  He knows what's best for each of us.  He created this sacred act of love so that we could  be fruitful and multiply and grow in intimacy together.  The latter cannot stop just because we are done with the former, as is often the case.  So love your spouse selflessly, just as Christ loves you and died for you selflessly.  In order for this thing to work we must press into our relationship with the one who created it and who best knows how to make it work for you.  So press into Jesus.  Rest in Jesus.  And, trust Him to work all things together for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to His purpose(Romans 8:28).

In Jesus name,

Amen

Wanna Save Your Marriage (Part 7), The Unbelieving Spouse

While I have already touched on this somewhat, I want to consider what scripture says about a marriage in which one spouse is a believer and the other is not.  In 1 Corinthians 7:10-17, The Apostle Paul dovetails his teaching on a healthy sex life between a married, believing husband and wife, with the relationship of a married believer and non-believer.

Let me preface this with 2 Corinthians 6:14 which states, "do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers". Now, while the context of this statement has no direct correlation to marriage, it can certainly apply.  It is often used in relation to marriage while it's larger context regards any and all relationships.  It isn't that we should not associate with unbelievers but that strong bonds or partnerships should not be made with them to include marriage.  As we will see, however, this does not permit a believing spouse to initiate divorce with an unbelieving spouse.

Divorce Between Two Believers
He begins with this statement in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, "To the married I give this charge(not I but the Lord):  the wife should not separate from her husband(but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife."  This was contrary to Roman law which would allow "no cause" divorce.  Unfortunately America has lined up with the Romans of that day by giving us "no fault" divorce.  Between believers in a marriage, biblically speaking, divorce and remarriage with someone else is not really an option, short of the case of adultery.  And I believe that forgiveness and at least one second chance should be encouraged, even in that case.  God commands us, as believers, to honor our covenant commitment and fight for our marriages.   This is not popular however, this teaching came straight from Jesus (Matthew 5:32, 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18).

Divorce Between A Believer And Unbeliever
In 1 Corinthians 7:12-16, Paul goes on to flesh out the idea that if a husband is married to an unbeliever or a wife is married to an unbeliever that they should not divorce the unbelieving spouse.  He states that the unbelieving spouse is sanctified via the believing spouse, as are the children.

Here Paul is suggesting that the overall lifestyle of the family will likely be influenced in a more holy fashion by the presence of the believing spouse, NOT that the unbelieving spouse will be justified before God(i.e. get to go to heaven) by the believing spouse's faith.  However, if you are doing all you can and the unbelieving spouse decides to leave and divorce the believing spouse then the obligation is broken.  The believer may, but is not required to, pursue the marriage even further.  In the case that they have decided further pursuit will not be beneficial, they are released from their commitment that they may marry again to a believer.

I have spoken, I believe, at length regarding this matter as it has been tied into discussions in other posts.  I had not however, actually dealt exclusively with this text and this topic alone.  I felt it was important as I believe there are quite a few people out there that may be struggling with just such a scenario.

As always, I want to encourage you to fight the good fight of faith.  Pray hard, live out the love of Christ, know the word of God and lean on Jesus.  Learn to appreciate the grace of God in your own sinful life and then pray for that same grace to be poured out in the life of your unbelieving spouse.  God is the only one who can change their heart and He loves and responds to the prayers of the saints.  Albeit not always the way we think He should.  Continue to strive to understand satisfaction as found in Christ when it is not found anywhere else.  God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.  Miracles can and have happened in marriages such as the one's discussed.  As I have said before, God is a fan of marriage. He wants to see you succeed.

If He releases you by way of allowing the unbelieving spouse to leave, then so be it.  Until that time comes, again, fight the good fight of faith for your unbelieving spouse.  His answer may still be yes.  That is God's will according to the scriptures.

Blessings.

Josh

The Persecuted Church 2013

Hello Everyone.  I pray you are all well.

Christian churches around the world have set apart the month of November to remember and pray for the persecuted church through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).  Since November is upon us, I wanted to interrupt the series regarding marriage and draw attention to the persecuted church, aka. "The Beaten Bride of Christ" which is barely an afterthought for many Christians today.

I receive emails from a a number of different resources.  Among them are The Voice of the Martyers, Gospel for Asia, Open Doors Ministry, and Christian Aid.  Let me tell you, we need to pray for the persecuted church around the world.  There is coming a day when we will face persecution in this country the likes of which we have never known.

As an American Christian culture we get concerned when a song is repeated too many times or the service runs past noon or maybe if someone sits in our seat.  And don't dare challenge our religious rituals or even the scriptural relevancy of our beliefs.  Many Christians who don't get hung up on that stuff still live in blissful ignorance of the number of people around the world that are dying for the things that we take for granted.  Many of the great men and women of the bible died defending the Christian faith.  Many unknown men and women of faith are dying every day standing on the name of Jesus.

I believe that God is calling the church to get down to the business of the Gospel here in America and stop trying to please all the people that aren't really interested in true Christianity.  Jesus said that if we are truly following his commands, obeying him, spreading the Gospel that we WILL make enemies.  Even here in America.  We WILL be hated.  We WILL be persecuted.  So if we are not experiencing this then perhaps we should re-evaluate our obedience.

I don't mean to sound like I'm fussing but this is a serious issue that I believe needs a serious tone.  There are enough voices out there babying the mediocre, self-centered, lukewarm, half-asleep Christian culture.  These voices are spoon feeding a milk-laden, man-centered Gospel that does nothing to glorify God.  Instead of challenging the church with the serious meat of the word that will cause them to have growing pains but will cause them to mature, they are singing them lullaby's of Good News, grace without law, that makes them aware of having nothing more than fire insurance.  

I am aware of many professing "Christians" who are out there sitting under sound teaching and are still choosing to ignore the teachings and warnings of their Pastors.  They are biblically ignorant and happy to remain that way.  If they read the whole bible over and over they would come to a realization that much of what they believe doesn't hold water.  If they would come to church and their bible reading earnestly seeking to know what God says and not looking for whatever will reinforce their beliefs and forgetting the rest, they might actually grow.

I believe that God is giving America a call to arms spiritually.  In a country where Pastors are being thrown in jail on shaky grounds, based on shallow complaints surrounding assembly and discipline of children, we need to get ready.  In a country where people are told that they can't stand on a street corner and proclaim the Gospel or they might be arrested, to say nothing of the persecution that already exists in some countries surrounding the subject of homosexuality, we need to get ready.  No longer can we sit idly by and keep quiet.  We will be tested.

I encourage you to check out some of these sites listed at the beginning.  It will open your eyes to a whole big world that is not friendly to Christianity.  It will make you all the more grateful for the freedom you have here in America, for now.  And, perhaps it will cause you to ask God to help you get more serious about obedience to Christ in your own life and to begin to pray for those who are suffering or dying daily for their obedience.  If you think you are not guilty of this, don't kid yourself.  This may seem harsh but the truth is, the majority of American Christianity, does not spend a lot of time thinking about the persecuted church.  I am writing this and I believe I could do better.  So don't allow your callous ignorance to continue.  Make a change today and choose to live a life worthy of the Gospel.

In Jesus name.

Amen.