Comfort in Times of Distress

 Hello all.  

I pray everyone who reads this is well as I know there are so many who are not.  Our days seem to be filled with so much darkness.  From terrorist attacks to domestic violence in families and on the streets, death and strife seem to surround us on every side.  It is so easy to look at our surroundings and think that we are living in the worst of days.  

However, if we look back on history we will remember that their have been days equally as dark or darker.  Our history as a nation and as the human race is peppered with wars, famine, and genocide stretching from the womb to the grave in terms of the ages it impacts.  And so it seems we are not so unique in our age after all.  Sin driven darkness has always surrounded us on every side. And yet we have found  hope.  And yet we have found comfort.  

However, things have changed in our day.  There is one difference, God.  At least in our country, there has never been a time when Christian teachings have been so trivialized.  God and biblical morality has been cast aside in pursuit of selfish, humanistic, relativism where truth is relative and everyone is entitled to whatever makes them happy no matter what it's cost to anyone else.  Because of this we are a morally corrupt nation.  In light of this, hope and comfort seems all to difficult to find many times these days.

You may be thinking, "I thought you were going to be writing about comfort Josh."  Hang with me, I'm getting there.  You see, I believe that the reason we have lost sight of hope and comfort is that, as a country we have cast aside the one constant in which comfort can be found. 

Thankfully,  we have been given reminders over the ages that the faithful, orthodox evangelical churches of our day still hold to.  Whether they are found in a catechism or by simply reading the scriptures, these reminders help us remember from whence our hope, comfort, and help comes. Let's get into it.

Our Only Comfort In Life And Death

The Heidelberg Catechism is a document containing truths that are demonstrated in the form of 129 questions and answers.  It is the very first question and answer from which I would like to draw.  Here it is.

Q:  What is  your only comfort in life and death?

A:  That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.  

He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood. And has set me free from all the power of the devil.

He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; indeed all things must work together for my salvation.

Therefore, by His Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him

So What Does This Mean To Us?

It means there is hope and comfort still to be possessed!!! It is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  It means we do not have to despair.  It means that no matter how bad things get, we know that their is someone who always has the best in mind for those whom are His(Romans 8:28) and promises a moment when we will begin eternity sin free, pain free, drama free, death free. Yes, it begins now in part but we will see it's fullness at Christ's return.(Revelation 21:4)  

However, this hope and comfort is not free for all.  It comes through salvation which must be given as a gift, obtained by faith, and followed by righteous works that evidence the reality of this salvation in your life.  

You see:

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but shall have eternal life."(John 3:16)

This is the reason that I say it is not free is because it cost Jesus, God's only begotten, His life.  Our salvation was bought at the highest price.  And it's victory over sin in our lives was demonstrated through Christ's victory over death and the grave through His resurrection  

The reason I say this salvation is a gift, obtained by faith, followed by works can be explained through two scriptures.

Romans 6:23 tells us this:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us this:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one my boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

This Is Great News!!!

When we surrender our hearts to Christ, repent of our sins, and believe this good news that God has redeemed us from the curse of sin and death; we then have access to "peace which passes all understanding"(Philippians 4:6-8) and "joy unspeakable and full of glory!!"(1 Peter 1:8)

We obtain these precious promises through prayer and faithful obedience to God's word.  This peace and joy can be yours today.  If you are not experiencing these things it means one of two things: 

1.)You are not a Christian.  2.)You are not living a life submitted to Christ's lordship in faithful obedience.  In fact, all of the worlds troubles today are tied to one of these two realities.

Both of these dilemmas are resolvable.  

1.)Repent and believe the gospel.  Place your trust in Christ as the only one who can save you from the curse of sin and provide you eternal life and begin walking in obedience to His word.  Your life will not be perfect, but it will be perfected in due time.

2.)If you have already done #1, then begin walking in it.  Analyze your heart and life and begin making adjustment through prayer and application of God's word to your daily walk.

I pray that in any time of distress in this life, you will find hope, peace, and comfort in the only sure foundation, the rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.

Benediction

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen!" (Jude 1:24-25)

Heartbreak For Humanity and Hunger for Justice

As we all know at this point, a tragedy occurred Sunday night June 12, 2016 as a lone gunman walked into a gay nightclub called Pulse and killed fifty people and injured at least fifty others.  It is the single greatest mass shooting of this nature in the history of the United States.  We are now facing the the one week anniversary.
  

Many grapple with how we are to think through such a tragedy. How do we reconcile the willingness of one person to take the lives of so many unsuspecting fellow human beings.  How are we to respond?  How are we to think through the many dynamics of this event?  

There are those who want to make it about guns.  Others want to make it about sexuality.  Some see it as an opportunity to advance an agenda, be it pro-LGBT or anti-Christian/Muslim.  Still others are so shell-shocked and grief-stricken that they don't know what to think or how to think.  I posted this on Facebook shortly after the news began developing about it and I began seeing responses:

"I want to write more about this through my blog but I had to speak to this a little based on recent interactions.

First of all, if you are a Christian especially, I want to encourage you that in this moment of tragedy and grief, we must refrain from speaking to any underlying moral/biblical issues that we may have regarding this tragedy. As representatives of Christ, we have but one responsibility at this point and that is to grieve and mourn alongside any and all who are grieving and mourning the loss of these fellow human beings.

These victims were living, breathing, flesh and blood people and they have family members whose hearts are broken right now. That is all that matters in this moment.

Regardless of any other characteristic or inclinations a given person may have, they deserve the respect that all humanity deserves as image bearers of their creator in a situation such as this. This is the greatest demonstration of Christian love that we can provide at this time.

There will be ample opportunity to speak to other issues at a later date.

Please, let your light of compassion so shine right now."

I stand by this statement and I believe this should continue to be our approach as Christians for a little while longer.  It's hard to know when it is appropriate to speak into deeper theological and moral issues surrounding this, no matter who you are and how those issues may present.  But we must strive to be sensitive and loving throughout, striving to err on the side of patience.  

Heartbreak for Humanity

As a medical professional, working in a hospital emergency department, I understand on some level what it must have been like for those responding to this call and for those receiving patients at the hospital.  Healthcare professionals are trained and prepared for moments like this in order to do our jobs, but on some level, nothing can ever prepare you for or make you immune to the flood of feelings that comes when human life is lost, especially when it is taken in such a senseless and violent manner.  

Myself and so many like me are stunned and heartbroken as the details unfold regarding the shooter, his victims, their families and the many interactions shared between them in what would be the final moments for at least fifty of them.

Where will we find comfort?  How can we make peace and find rest.  A couple of scriptures come to mind.  I am writing this to any and everyone so even if you do not consider yourself a Christian, I hope they help.  

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus states, 

"Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Psalm 147:3 declares about God,

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds".

In Luke 4:18-21, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 stating,

 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Often times we struggle to understand the evil that is in this world.   Even if we understand what scripture teaches about it and we know that God is in control and "works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose"(Romans 8:28), at least for a time, we still reel in revolt at its brash and catastrophic affects.

The Christian response must be one of love and holding forth the good news of the gospel as it feels appropriate to do so.  The Christian faith is the only faith that tells the story of how God has ultimately conquered evil and provided for an eternity of glory for all who place their trust in Christ.  An eternity of glory and joy that will eclipse the horrors of this short life for millennia to come.  It is the only faith that guarantees justice will be served to all who live for themselves instead of for God, often performing heinous crimes.  

Hunger for Justice

Justice, that's what we all want right?  In moments like this we hunger for it.  But how can we be sure that justice will prevail?  We have a flawed judicial system in which, many times, the guilty are found innocent or sentenced to seemingly menial terms of punishment.  Even those who get the death penalty often live for years before that justice is served.



Besides, Omar Mateen, the shooter in this case, was killed.  So it's too late for justice right.  For some, his death is justice enough. Even non-religious people will make statements like, "there is a special place in hell for that guy".  A flawed statement anytime it is made to be sure. Regardless, some will wish that there was more justice in the here and now.  That he could have faced trial and we could have watched him face the consequences of his actions on a grander scale in this life.

As a Christian blogger who believes firmly in the bible and it's teaching on justice, let me assure you, justice will be served. 

Hebrews 9:27 states,

"It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgement."

What will this judgement look like?

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.  From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found of them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.  And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up they dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  this is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." -Revelation 20:11-15 

This story plays out for all who are created in God's image whether we like it or not, and that includes Omar Mateen.  However, he made it clear that he served Allah, not Jesus and that he was motivated by loyalties to ISIS and radical Isalm.  His name is NOT written in the book of life.

He will be judged, he will be found wanting, and he will receive justice like nothing this earth or anyone on it has to offer.  He will find himself in the lake of fire.  This crime will not go unpunished and that punishment will not end in his death but in his eternal torment.

Justice will be served!!!

Conclusions

So, what is it I would like for people to come away with in reading this.  First, to any non-Christians, know that you can find peace and rest in the fact that Omar Mateen will be held accountable before the only judge that matters for all of eternity should you choose to believe it. 

You can also trust that those of us who are bible-believing Christians, striving to live out the love of Christ, will be there to support anyone who needs to mourn, grieve, talk, etc. through their feelings about this horrific tragedy.  Anyone who cannot empathize with your feelings of loss on this matter is not mature in Christ and does not understand what it means to show His love toward others. 

Second, to my brothers and sisters in Christ,  please represent the support I just described rather than the ignorant unloving response that I alluded too.  Exercise great discernment and patience in feeling the need to preach or correct in this moment.  Now is a time for comfort and compassion.  The moment will come to share the great news of the gospel and prayerfully when that time comes, hearts will be ready.  

At that moment you must also be ready to present the uncompromising truth of Christ's gospel in as loving a way as possible, making it clear that regardless of who you are talking too, you need this gospel as much as anyone.

I will join you in this endeavor and when it feels appropriate, I will proclaim how the gospel applies regarding this tragedy, from this blog as well as face to face, for anyone who needs it.

May God be glorified and many come to know Him through the loving display of His Church.

In Christ's name,

Amen.

Challenges in Personal Growth and Family Discipleship in 2016 (Testimony and Encouragement)

Hello All,

Wow!!  It has been two months since I have blogged.  This has been in large part to a heavy work schedule and changes in internet availability in various locations.  Don't know who has missed me, but I have missed doing it.  It is still a great way for me to flesh out the work that the Lord is doing in my life as well as sharing God's love and encouraging/challenging others to a life of faithful service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This post will be a bit more personal and confessional rather than teachy/preachy which I am sure some will appreciate as that is what they prefer.  It has been suggested at times that I come off as one who speaks to the sins of others without admitting to my own sins and struggles.  While I struggle to understand how people can consistently see what I write or post on FB and get that, I want to own it and strive to be more vulnerable about my own struggles in my Christian walk.  To be clear, I am anything but holier than thou.  I struggle with sinful tendencies and spiritual growth as much as the next person.  Since I began the New Year raving about spiritual growth and family discipleship, I thought it might be good to reflect on the progress or lack there of in the first quarter of 2016.

Personal Growth

I began the year psyched about scripture memory, bible reading, and family discipleship.  I wanted so many things for me and my family and had many plans/resolutions.  However, as happens for many, most of those things have fallen by the wayside.  Oh we still attend church and small group when schedule permits, but having regular devotions as a family or maintaining any kind of habit regarding the spiritual disciplines of prayer, scripture reading, and scripture memory has been a struggle for the first quarter. 

For me as an individual Christian who is a father and husband, the struggle has been real.  I did well for the first 3-4 weeks but busy work schedules and life in general brought many distractions.  One wonderful development has been in physical discipline as myself and the family have undertaken to get more healthy physically and have made great strides in the last couple of months.  However, as Paul says, "for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.(1 Timothy 4:8).   So clearly there is a balance to be found there.  My hope is that the second quarter will find some of that balance coming to pass.

As the spiritual leader of my home, I am responsible for setting the vision and goals for my families spiritual growth, encouraging it, and causing it to happen when I am home and able to do so.  This has also been a struggle which I certainly attribute in part to my own lack of faithfulness in my personal walk.  

Family Discipleship

So what are we doing about it as a family and what is my plan as the spiritual leader.  Well, adjustments are being made personally as a family.  Thankfully, we are at a church which heavily encourages Family Discipleship while striving to come along side families and bring support and resources toward that end.  

Our church is doing this by way of a catechism and scripture memory concept.   We will be utilizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism as a tool by which to think through what the bible teaches on many of the most important doctrines of the Christian life.  It does this through the study and memorization of questions and answers designed specifically to drive us to what scripture teaches about our purpose, who God is, who Jesus is, what purpose the bible serves, what sin is, what salvation is, and even speaks to the sacraments of baptism and communion.  Another aspect that I love about it, is that it takes us through the Ten Commandments and the Lords Prayer, causing us to memorizing and better understanding both.  I highly recommend this resource to any family who is striving to lead their families in spiritual growth and biblical understanding.

Along with the catechism, we will also be memorizing what many have called The Great Eight.  This is Romans Ch. 8 to be specific.  At the rate of one verse per week it is very doable and in so doing we will memorize some of the greatest truths taught anywhere in scripture concerning our salvation.  

I am very excited about this not only because I believe it will be effective, but because my family and I will not be doing it alone.  We will be doing with our church family which brings an added level of accountability and support that I believe will assist us greatly in being successful in this endeavor.  So while I will still be striving to supplement with some other reading of scripture and other texts as well as additional scripture memory for me and occasionally the boys, this journey with our church will be the foundation upon which we will strive to be more faithful in family discipleship.

No Condemnation

Romans 8:1 states, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus".  That is a beautiful truth which allows me to move beyond the guilt and disappointment of the efforts of the first quarter and to pursue with all confidence and joy the endeavors of the second quarter and beyond.  

If you have wrestled with your own personal growth in Christ or that of your family, I encourage you to find rest in this verse as well and move forward.  Pray about how you can best serve your family and grow individually.  Set reasonable goals and forgive yourself when you fail.  Get back up and keep striving.  I hope to post more about this journey.  If anyone has questions about the catechism and how they can apply it in their home feel free to reach out to me.  

If you do not have a church home, then the first step is to find one.  I cannot stress how important a community and family of faith is in this journey of Christian growth.  If you are anywhere in the Greensboro area, there are many healthy church's but I would highly recommend Living Way Church Greensboro.  Come join us on this journey of growth together, and enjoy biblical worship and teaching from some of the greatest bible teachers in the area in my opinion.

I will be praying for you and I ask that you would do the same for me.

Let's live Coram Deo (before the face of God) together,

In Jesus name,

Amen

Tell Me What I Don't Want To Hear

These were eight of the sweetest words I have ever heard and I am concerned that far too many Christians don't even think this way, much less are willing to say it.  I have always tried to be this way, fail though I may, but when a certain someone with whom I had many occasions to interact said it to me, it blew me away.  It didn't make such an impression because I thought the person was incapable of it, it was more so the raw honesty of it that got me. How many of us are truly willing to say it and mean it, much less live lives which reflect the kind of an attitude which displays a willingness to be corrected.

The Scenario

To keep anonymity, I will not be using gender specific pronouns.  Let it suffice to say that it was a husband and wife scenario.

This person was struggling with their marriage.  They had been unhappy for a long time and their spouse was contributing significantly to their challenges.  It was questionable whether the spouse was a Christian and there were many issues between them. This person had had all they could take and was ready to leave. The catch is, they were a devoted Christian and pretty much knew what the bible taught about marriage and divorce.  They were tempted to ignore that. They were so miserable that they almost did not care what God said about the issue anymore.  In fact, the spouse seemed to be coming around to them and to God, but this person was at such a point of hardness that they had nothing left to give.  They really didn't want to try anymore. 

We had discussed it over a period of time and they already knew what my convictions were about it and that while I understood the challenges and sympathized, I could not condone it as a friend and brother in Christ.  So, when things were probably at just about the worst point they could be, this person said to me, "What should I do?"  "Tell me what I should do."  I said, "You already know my position and what my answer will be."  At which point they said to me, "Tell me what I don't want to hear, but what I know I need to hear."  Those words, "Tell me what I don't want to hear" said everything about the deepest aspects of their relationship with God.  I asked, " Are You Sure?"  They said, "Yes".

So I did.  I have spent quite a lot of time studying and writing on the subject of biblical marriage and divorce so I was prepared and I told them, in love, how they needed to think through this biblically; which is what this person would expect me to do.  I pointed out that there was no biblical reason for them to leave their spouse and that their goal must be to find in their relationship with God, what they were not getting from their spouse and to pray for a soft heart.  I even suggested that they pray for the desire to pray for their spouse because that desire had left. 

To make a long story short, the friend ultimately decided they should stay, trust God and fight for their marriage and it has worked out.  It is not perfect but they are now growing together in a new direction with God at the center.  

So What is the Moral of this Story?

     

I am not sharing this to make a point about marriage primarily or to suggest that things work out perfectly every time you obey God. The larger point is that we should obey God out of our love for him no matter the circumstances and trust Him with the results.  That is one moral.  

I would also say that, this person did not trust my council, only because of our relationship and the fact that they believed it would be biblical.  They also already knew the bible well enough to be able to know if what I was telling them was not biblical; and they actually cared enough about what God wanted to be willing to hear my advice.  As believers we must study scripture and be familiar enough with it to know when we are being given poor council, and we must desire to be held accountable to the word of God by others and by the Holy Spirit.  That would be another moral.  

There is one more.  This would be the main point of this entire post.  That is to answer the question...

What Does Biblical Accountability Look Like?

Some may argue that this story worked out the way it did because I had a face to face relationship with this person and that is the way evangelism and discipleship is most effective.  I would agree wholeheartedly.  Relational evangelism is certainly ideal and it is next to impossible to have true discipleship without a personal relationship.

I think where the big question comes in is, "Where do you draw the line"?  If we do not know a person well, should we mind our own business?  Should we keep it to blood relatives, church family, coworkers?  How far does it extend?  Should biblical accountability only happen face to face or can it happen on line via email or Facebook?  

Should challenges be brought to a person, only if solicited, as it was in this case?  Or, should we challenge each other with concerns regarding Christian living or the lack there of whether a person is asking for it or not. There are many viewpoints on this and the effectiveness of Facebook interactions could be a whole other post so I will not try to make a case for that here.

Two Factors In Accountability

Ultimately, I believe this issue comes down to two factors,  jealousy for God's glory and and a desire for the crucifixion of the flesh by whatever biblical means necessary.  This whole post is a discussion for biblically minded, evangelical Christians because we cannot expect unbelievers to care about obeying God's word much less be able to.

So the two factors I just listed should not be particularly difficult for Christians to understand, accept, or apply.  If you read scripture and listen to biblical teaching you know that we cannot get away from these factors.  

Jealousy

God is clearly jealous for the glory of his name (Ezekiel 36).  Jesus was certainly focused on the glory of the Father and His own glory through the Father (John 8:54, John 17:5, John 12:28).  When Christ returns and for all eternity, the ultimate purpose of every believer and all of creation is to proclaim the glory of God(Isaiah 43:7).  In turn, this should be our purpose now.  We must strive to remain eternally minded in all that we say and do.  

We must be jealous to see the name of God highly exalted because of the clear outworking of the salvation made available to us in Christ Jesus.  When we do not do the loving thing of holding each other accountable and being willing to be held accountable, we show that we are more jealous for our own reputation and comfort than we are for God to be glorified by whatever means necessary.

Death of Flesh

The crucifixion of the flesh goes hand in hand with the idea of this jealousy.  If we desire God's glory above all and that is how we are striving to live, then we should have no trouble being corrected taught, rebuked, or trained in righteousness.  That, after all, is one of the primary purposes for God's word.(2 Timothy 3:16)  We must learn to live in the reality that we are "Crucified with Christ".(Galatians 2:20)  When we become believers it is understood that our flesh has been crucified.(Romans 6:6, Galatians 5:24)  From that point forward, we are to lay aside everything fleshly which is not of the Spirit of God.(Ephesians 4:22, Colossians 3:25)  In Matthew, Mark, and Luke we are instructed by Jesus that if we would be His disciples, we must take up our cross, die to ourselves, and live for Him.

Why Not You, Why Not Me?

So, I told the story at the beginning as an example of what I believe scripture calls us to emulate and what I long to emulate.  Now, if you asked the person in this story if they do this perfectly or if they even kept that attitude perfectly throughout their ordeal, they would say, "Absolutely Not!".  That is because they are not yet perfect and neither are any of us.  Yet scripture knows nothing of using our lack of perfection as an excuse for not pursuing it with all that we have, by God's grace.   

This "tell me what I don't want to hear" attitude is one that we must cultivate and expect of ourselves in order for it to happen.  If we actually believe we are living for the glory of the King, then we should have no problem not only acknowledging our flaws, but being willing to have them pointed out by others when they are in our blind spots.  

In the same way that the prophet Nathan confronted King David about his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah we must confront others.(2 Samuel 12:1-14)  In the same way that David received the rebuke and expressed concern that he had "sinned against the Lord"(vs. 12, Psalm 51:4), so must we also be willing to receive correction and acknowledge it before the Lord.  From the smallest white lie or unwitting act of theft to the greatest sins that can be committed when we have drifted away from our first love, we need each other to be the mirror that reflects our flaws.

Are you willing?  I hope I am.  It is not to be attempted lightly or haphazardly.  It must come through relationship with our Heavenly Father, Savior, and Counselor.  That relationship must be developed through a lifestyle of prayer, meditation on the word, and a practiced willingness to submit our wills to His.  

Even if all of that is going pretty well, teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness stings sometimes.  It is difficult to swallow at times.  However, if it is rooted in scripture, then it should not matter from whom or by what venue it comes.  We must be willing to at least consider the expressed concern before rejecting it.  We should be willing to say "Tell me what I don't want to hear." 

We must practice this attitude regularly never forgetting that even as we strive for righteous living and accountability, it is only by His grace that we will see success or are even be able to strive at all.
(1 Corinthians 15:10, Philippians 2:12-13, Colossians 1:29)

Never let us cease to live Coram Deo (before the face of God) that people, believers and unbelievers alike, would see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.(Matthew 5:16)

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever." 

           (Jude 1:24-25)

  

Amen

Muslims Die For Christians Too!

With all of the fear regarding Islam and the violence of Muslim extremists I wanted to share this story and express two concerns.  One is simply to honor this man's heroic effort to love his fellow man and stand up against the evil that is prevelant in terrorism.  The other is to address concerns I have regarding certain persepctives on what determines our eternal destiny.  There is no greater issue to be clear about than this. 

According to an article from the BBC Kenyan Muslim named Salah Farah died January 19, 2016. He was injured in a terrorist attack on a bus in December. The terrorist group al-Shabab has connections with al-Qaeda and was responsible for this attack.
  

According to a BBC article written in April 2015,  Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October 2011 in order to confront militants who were coming into Kenya and kidnapping people.  This move provoked al-Shabab and they have been responsible for attacks in Kenya which have killed Muslims and Christians alike every since.  

There have been times when the group would separate Christians and Muslims and they would kill the Christians. The worst example of violence so far by al-Shabab which includes this practice of targeted killing happened in April in an attack on Garissa College in north-eastern Kenya.  At least 147 people were killed in that attack. The previous year a bus was attacked near Mandera by al-Shabab militants and 28 non-Muslims traveling to Nairobi for the Christmas holidays were killed. Because of some of these attacks, the north-eastern part of Kenya has lost some 2,000 teachers and health care professionals

So, when this terrorist group decided to attack a bus in Mandera, Kenya the Muslims on board decided they had had enough.  When instructed to separate, they decided they would shield the Christians instead.  They are tired of watching other people die because of religious differences. Two people died and now this Muslim teacher Salah Farah died in surgery for a bullet wound sustained in the attack. Farah like many, believed that "people should live peacefully together" recognizing their brotherhood as both Kenyan's and fellow human beings.  I completely agree.

Where Am I Going With This?

When Open Doors, a non-profit that focuses on supporting persecuted Christians shared the BBC article about this Muslim man's death on Facebook it got my attention. What a heroic, yet tragic sacrifice. What got my attention even more were the comments that followed the post.  

As far as I know, Open Doors is a solid Christian organization with a healthy biblical understanding of what it means to be a Christian.  They have been supporting the persecuted church for many years.  Some of the commentators on this post however, professed Christianity but clearly had a poor grasp on what provides eternal security to the damned soul. 

Comments such as:

"I am so sorry..I am a Christian and I am amazed at his love for his fellow man.. I pray that he is in the arms of God and with Jesus.. as the scripture says to love your neighbor as yourself and God bless him, he did...my heart goes out to all of his family.  May they be greatly blessed."

or

"No greater love has he than him who gives up his life for another(NT).  The sacrifice this young man was ready to make was not in vain.  He may have died in another situation but his deeds have, under Christian understanding brought him straight to God....." 

then there was this sweet persons well meaning prayer:

"Heavenly Father please allow this man to be with you.  Le this death, martyr him and let his good deed be testimony to your love and mercy. He died protecting your children.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen"

Let me be clear, I do not disagree with the sentiment that appreciates this man's willingness to sacrifice his life for his fellow man.  It is very noble and complimentary to what some claim is a doctrine of the Quran which says, "He who takes a life kills the world, he who saves a life saves the world."  I only say "claim" because I have not read it myself.

The trouble is there are so many people, many of whom profess Christ or lend much credence to the teachings of the bible, who do not understand what scripture teaches about what is required for salvation.  As a result, they are misrepresenting the gospel and potentially misleading many regarding the truth.

There has been much discussion and debate of late about whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God. There are still those today in "Christian" sects who will suggest that God's mercy is so wide that maybe people who have loved "God" but not believed in Jesus will still go to heaven.  As if somehow, faith in God without a biblical concept of Jesus is enough.  

I do not intend to do a complete discussion on that now, but I do want to make it clear that Muslims who follow their faith do not go to heaven, no matter how many noble things they do.  Neither does anyone else who has not placed their faith in Jesus in this life.  No amount of sacrificial heroism or brotherly love will get anyone into heaven.  If anyone believes that something you do will gain you enough favor with God to get you entrance into heaven, you are in BIG trouble.  No amount of church going, tradition practicing, or prayer saying in any direction will put you in right standing before Holy God.  I say this out of love because I don't want anyone not to go to heaven.  Unfortunately, there are many for whom this will be the case.

How Then Can Anyone Be Saved?

In Matthew 19:25-26, after hearing Jesus make a statement about the difficulty of a rich person to get into heaven the question was asked, "Who then can be saved?". Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible."   

In John 14:5-6 Thomas asked Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going.  Who can know the way?"  Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  Know man comes to the Father except through me."  

In John 3:3 Jesus instructs Nicodemus, "Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."  

Many think of Christianity as narrow minded and want to speak of Jesus as if he was the master of this all-inclusive faith.  Clearly, he thought there were some very specific requirements that were not so easy to master in order to enter heaven.

That's the beauty of Christianity.  You can never satisfy the requirements which God commands of you.  That is why Jesus came to do it for us.  All we ever need do is repent and believe the gospel.(Mark 1)

In John 1:12-13, John while speaking of Jesus states, "But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.  Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

What About Love of Brother?

1John 2:9-10 says, "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling."  He was loving his brother, was he not?  Isn't that good enough?

Sometimes I wish it were, then I realize that such a thought calls into question the very wisdom and justice of God and I realize I must repent of such thoughts. 

The trouble here is that any seemingly "righteous" act that is performed with any God in mind other than the God of the bible is worthless.  This is because it not done with the glory of the one and only God of the bible as the motivating factor.(Romans 3:9-20)  

No matter how desperately I may want to see someone come to faith or wish that someone had a chance after death to believe, I must trust my God.  He is far wiser in his infinite wisdom than I could ever be in my finite, sin-stained mind.

Deuteronomy 32:4 tells us, "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice.  A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he"

Pslam 145 is a wonderful Psalm declaring the goodness of God.  Verse 17 specifically tells us, "The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works."

Let's consider why "love of brother" which this Muslim man clearly demonstrated is not enough to save him.

Jesus Christ, Son of God

There are a couple of distinct differences betwee Islam and Christianity.  One is thier understanding of who God is. Without going into great depth it should be enough to state that Muslims believe in a monolithic God vs. a trinitarian God.  That is to say, they believe that the God of Abraham is one, i.e. God the Father is the only diety.  By contrast, Christianity believes that God the Father, God the Son(Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit are all One God in three distinct persons.  Here is a very brief article relating some of the distinct differences between Islam and Christianity as it relates to Christ as found in the Quran.  

You cannot believe that Jesus was just a man, a prophet or messenger of Allah created by Allah, certainly not God's son(Islam), a great teacher also not the incarnate Son(Jews), the angel Michael incarnate(Jehovah's Witness) or the spirit brother of Satan(Mormons)!   

If you do not believe in the second person of the Trinitarian Christian God, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, was fully God and fully man, was crucified, buried, and resurrected on the third day and ascended to the right hand of the Father, You Are Not a Christian.

Works vs. Faith




The other issue here which is more pertinent to my concern at this point could apply to anyone however, it absolutely applies to the difference between Islam and Christianity. You see Allah is not known as a forgiving God.  Muslims have to hope that Allah will forgive them and allow them into heaven based on enough of their good works canceling out their bad works.  There is no redemption of sins provided of which Allah is the source.  

This,in contrast with Christianity, which believes that the penalty for our sins has been paid for by God himself.  This is known as atonement.  The blood shed on the cross by God's Son, Jesus, paid the price for the sins of everyone who puts their faith in Him.  Through His death and shed blood he "atoned" for our sins.  Because there is no such belief in Islam there is only hope for forgiveness based on Allah's assessment of the balance between their good and bad deeds, thoughts, etc.

In Ephesians 2:8-10 the Apostle Paul explains that "by grace we have been saved through faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast."  It is a beautiful truth which many lost souls need to hear.  

There is nothing we can do to earn salvation.  It is all of grace. In fact in Romans 5:8 we are told that, "God demonstrates His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  He did not wait for us to get good enough before dying for us.  In fact, he requires nothing of us until we place our trust in Him.  His requirement of obedience comes after he makes His goodness and grace clear to us, not before.

Relationship

This is another distinct difference between Islam and Christianity.  Allah is not known as a relational God who loves people not based on their worth but on His, the triune God of the bible is.  It is a beautiful story to tell. Metaphorically speaking, all other religions function with a God who is up on a mountain and everyone is trying to get to him, usually in some meritorious form or fashion.  This is not true of Christianity.

The beauty of the gospel is that we are all dead in the grave.  We already have one foot in hell.  This God of grace loves us enough to come down and replace our stony hearts with a living one.  He breaths life into us when we could not even understand that we needed it, much less do anything about it.  No other religion can say that.

What's more, this God of the bible adopts us into His family(Romans 8:15).  When we place our faith in Christ, as John 1:12-13 says, we become children of God.  We do NOTHING to earn it, we can do NOTHING to loose it.

Know His Story, Tell His Story

If you consider yourself a Christian I beg of you, PLEASE have a proper understanding of the gospel. If someone has died who clearly was not a Christian, please don't speak as if there is some chance they could ever be in heaven.  If they are still alive and do not profess Christ, don't give them false hope about eternity.  Keep the story of redemption clear.  Don't hide the truth or make it fuzzy because you think that it is more loving to do so or you don't want to offend.  We do no one any favors when we do that.

Watering down the gospel sets no one free.  The gospel is supposed to be offensive to those who do not know Christ however, when the Spirit of God opens their eyes it is the most freeing good news in the world.(1 Corinthians 1:18)  

Trust the word of God to do what it promises to do. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, "the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Isaiah 55:10-11 tells us that we can count on God's word to do what God intends it to do.

The Good News

Well. I've been talking about it for the last two sections of this post.  However, I want to make clear that God is good and wants to see many, many Muslims come to saving faith in Christ.  Why, because they are no different than any other rebellious sinner in need of a Savior.  I need Him, you need Him, we all need Him.  I am not writing this because I take for granted the heroic efforts of Mr. Salah Farah.  I also do not relish or celebrate the idea that if he remained a Muslim until his death that he is will spend the rest of his eternity in eternal, conscious torment, separated from the love of God.

What I do celebrate is that this man's efforts were valiant and that God used them to save many Christians from probable death in this life and God will be glorified for that.  I also celebrate the fact that perhaps his death could be an opportunity for many other Muslims to come to saving faith in Christ if we as Christians do not steal that opportunity by making less of the situation than what the reality is.  

Perhaps, some who think themselves Christians will even realize that they are not actually Christians but will hear the truth and come to true faith in Christ.  

I pray for the peace, comfort, and salvation of Mr. Farah's family.  I pray for the people of Kenya, Muslim and Christian alike.  Persecution is one thing but no one should have to deal with terrorism. However, I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.  To the Jew first and then to the Greek(Romans 1:16).  

I cannot apologize for it's power or it's offense.  I pray you will not either.  Be compassionate.  Let your heart break for the lost.  Pray without ceasing and always be prepared to defend the legitimacy of your faith.  But please don't ever change the message.  That is the most unloving thing you can do for someone who does not know the truth.

May it be so in Jesus name.

Amen

Leading Your Family in Spiritual Growth in 2016

Hello All,

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is excited about a new year with all kinds of goals and hope for the future.  As many of you know, I hunger to lead my family into a greater knowledge and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in 2016.  It is no secret that I love to encourage others to do the same.   I have written in the past regarding prayer, bible reading, and especially scripture memory.  Some have been positively influenced by this, others could care less;   Both are ok by me.  

It is a blessing for me to write and bring encouragement and challenge because as I encourage and challenge others, I am encouraged and challenged myself.  If my thoughts impact even one person to come into the kingdom or become more effective for the kingdom, then it has been worth the effort.  

As we begin the New Year, I thought I would simply share some of the ideas that my family and idea are striving to successfully implement and execute in 2016.  If any of these ideas are inspiring to you then borrow away.  

A Few Thoughts On Our Hearts As Spiritual Leaders In The Home

If you are a father, this role should be yours primarily.  The bible places the spiritual leadership of the home squarely on your shoulders.  However, if you are a single mom or a wife and mother who's husband is not a believer, then that role falls to you until such a time as you get married to a believing spouse or your spouse becomes a believer.  

This role is not for the faint of heart.  The last thing Satan wants is a famiy who is being trained up to be in the Lord's army.  He will do everything he can to bring distraction, division and discouragement into this process.  You must be prayed up, prepared mentally, physically, and spiritually and ahead of those you are leading in the disciplines which you are leading them into.  

This is not a job to be taken lightly, but it is worth every bit of time and effort that you invest.  There is nothing more than seeeing God glorified because your family is growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus and knowing you had something to do with that.  

Last but not least, remember Psalm 127:1, "unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it".  This cannot be done successfully on your own.  It must be a partnership with God in which he is the dominant shareholder.  You will need His grace and empowerment to endure the challenges that will come and to successfully set the example by actually striving to live out what you are teaching.  Your example is a huge part of this.

Now on to the ideas.

Bible Reading

Every year, thousands of Christians resolve to try reading through the bible in a year.  Some make it. I would wager that most do not.  I just read a post from a ministry site stating that there are many bible students and preachers whom have not read the bible all the way through.  I confess that I have been through much of it, but never the whole thing.  Reading through the bible in a year is a noble idea and one that should be pursued however, sometimes it is the time frame that is the problem.  We forget that we don't have to read throught the bible in a year.  We can do it in two years or 18 months or three.  What is most important is that we do it.  

Courtesy of Melissa Kruger at The Gospel Coalition I have discovered a bible reading plan that I am really excited about.  She discusses it in detail here.  Suffice it to say that I like it because it is only 5-days a week and you can use the same plan to read the whole bible or only the New Testament.  The other characteristic that I like is that some chronological aspects to the way the OT and the NT are arrnaged for reading.  The bible is not altogether layed out so much by time frame.  For instance, in the NT, the book of Acts is the major history book about the New Testament church.  A chronological plan will help you  read some of the letters in conjunction with how the authors of those letters are developed in the book of Acts.  Or, the Gospel of John and all of his letters, including Revelation are grouped together.

Here is an example of what it looks like.



If you go to the article that I linked to above, you will find a downloadable PDF so that you can have access to the whole thing and print it off.   I am striving to do the whole bible this year.  After some discussion, we decided, as a family, to only read throug the New Testament.  That will be good for them.

Scripture Memory

As for scripture memory, if you have followed my writing recently, you have seen plenty about my thoughts on that.  Here are links to a couple of the blogs that I have written on that subject: Fighter Verses, Successes and Failures in Scripture Memory, Scripture Memory for the New Year.  

In the first link, you will find some suggestions for extended memory of longer passages.  There is also a link to the Fighter Verses website where you can find all kinds of resources including blogs about the verse, charts for keeping up with the verses you are memorizing and charts  for committing the verses to your deep memory where they much harder to forget.

Take my word for it.  This can and should be done.  Like anything, it does not come easily.  However, like any discipline, it is easier the more you do it.  I am working on the basic Fighter Verse set with my kids.  This week we are memorizing Deuternomy 7:9.  The extended memory set for 2016 involves memorizing all four chapters of Philippians.  I am doing that with some of my siblings and at least one spouse.  

This is such an invaluable Spiritual Discipline to practice.  I just cannot emphasize it enough. For the spiritual well-being of you and your family and the church as a whole, it is important that people do this.

Prayer, Theology, and Doctrine

I will be brief here, not because these are not important, but because I have less resources to recommend.  Regarding prayer, I will say that teaching your children to pray and demonstrating it is of utmost importance as well and is something that most individuals and families struggle to do consistently, myself included.  I have written a little something about it in a blog post entitled A Simple Way To Pray.  The best advice I can give is don't give up.  Persevere, one day at a time.  Prayer is our communion with God.  It will enhance every area of your life.

Regarding theology, that is a word that scares people. They think of it as purely academic.  So is the word doctrine.  Theology and doctrine are simply words that describe what it is to study about God and to have categories for what you understand and believe.  Everyone does theology and has doctrine on some level but many don't even realize it.  

There are some wonderful resources out there.  It can be something as simple as learning the Lords Prayer as found in Matthew 6:9-13, or The Apostles Creed.  The Ten Commandments is another excellent totally biblical source of truth that should be learned and understood.  There are all kinds of catechisms and creeds out there.  One resource that I will share, which I am using this year with my family was given to our family by my sister for Christmas.  It is called The Ology.  

It is a very simple book which is designed to teach children how to understand the basic doctrines of the Christian faith.  At the link provided, you will find an interview with the author discussing the importance of this book.  I highly recommend it.

Closing

I am sure there is plenty more that could be said.  Let's face it, if we can do anything to increase the spiritual disciplines of bible reading, scripture memory, prayer, and knowledge more than we did the year befoe then we are doing something right.  We have as long as the Lord gives us to make it better and better.  In the mean time, we only need ensure that our desies and actions are driven by a desire to grow in relationship with the Lord and see His name exalted.  If we ae moving in the right direction, then there should be opportunities to be salt and light and bring glory to our God.

May it be so in 2016 in Jesus name,

Amen!