Christmas Christianity

Are you ready for the Christmas holidays? Did you begin before or after Thanksgiving? Again this year we saw the Black Friday sales begin on Thursday. People stood in line and rushed to get the goodies they wanted at a bargain price. They rushed in and claimed as much as they could. My niece fought the crowd and had to sit on an item to stake her claim while waiting for a cart to haul it to the checkout. Wow! That made me wonder. Maybe this year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, could the same thing happen at church? Could we wake up early on Sunday morning and have a crowd waiting at the door to get in even before the doors were unlocked? No, sorry. Didn’t happen! We had a good crowd, but folks weren’t pushing and shoving or spraying mace at each other to get a place in the front row.

A few years ago, President Obama claimed that America is not a Christian nation.

Many people were offended and wrote in opposition. The reality is that both are right. The President’s claim is that we live in a diverse society of various beliefs and there is no “official” religion of the nation. Opponents said that the country was founded upon Christian principles and continues to be based on that foundation. Both are true.

As for me, I look at it from a statistical point of view. There was a time when Monday mornings brought a conversation about what happened at church yesterday. There was almost a type of peer pressure exerted that made people belong to a local church and attend. Society emphasized being a churchgoer and in fact, as many politicians knew, it was good public relations to have that on their resume. But the truth is, the United States as a whole doesn’t go to church anymore. The majority of people have become content to skip out on church services for the most part. While studies show that most people still claim to believe in God, they don’t actively worship God. It is now a choice, not an expectation. Recent studies show over 70% of our population doesn’t attend services on a regular basis. Even more alarming is that goes up to over 90% in the younger age groups.

So, the question is, what do most people in the United States worship? The answer is clear… themselves. Things are still the same as they were in Bible days. People tended to find something other than God to worship. Moses found the people worshipping gold in the form of a calf. Elijah found people worshipping sex. The Baal temples were where orgies were often practiced. Jesus found people worshipping their own holiness and knowledge (and wealth too). Today, consumerism and debt (the dollar and all it can buy) lead the way for your attention and loyalty. Seems that Satan (Satan is a Hebrew word meaning the Opposer or the Other) is still busy finding other things to take God’s place in people’s lives. Honestly, things haven’t changed that much. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

So, get ready. It’s that time of year again. God reminds us again this year that Christmas is not about the stuff. Christmas is about a God who loves us enough to give us a gift. A God who gives us grace through a child (fully human/fully God). A God who reaches out to us and calls us to join Him in eternity. That is the greatest gift of all. One we cannot repay nor should anyone try. Just re-adjust your priorities and place God first in all things. No more phony-baloney Christmas Christianity. Get real and get your priorities straight. Trust God, rely on God, talk to God, listen to God, and surrender your heart to God and you will find that Christmas comes every day of every year.

Why Isn’t God Fair?

Did you know that a Gallup Poll found that people who called themselves atheist said their number one reason for not believing in God is that there is so much suffering in the world and they cannot understand how God could or would allow such suffering to happen. I want to delve into that question as much as possible. Why do bad things happen to good people or good things to bad people? It doesn’t seem fair does it?

I want to begin by saying that Genesis tells us God created and called it “good.” But from that point, people fell into sin. Adam and Eve may have started the rebellion, but we have certainly continued it. I will define sin as missing the mark or not doing what God wants. While we have our moments, we do miss the mark quite often. In fact, the apostle Paul says “we have all fallen short of the glory of God.” In other words, we are broken and slaves to sin. We cannot “get it right.” Even the world we live in is corrupted with sin. Have you ever had to plant weeds? Weeds just grow. No tomatoes or lettuce or carrots or apple trees at random… just weeds! The world is broken and we live as broken people in it.

Secondly, the world has order. There are 60 minutes in an hour, not 40 on certain days or worse at random. Time and space are predictable. Two and two always equal four and gravity seems to be working constantly. No one has simply flown off the planet when gravity suddenly quit for a few moments. Finally, there is evil. Perpetrated mostly by other people. Evil is a reality, but few ever admit to serving it. Jesus found that out. The good people of His day actually killed him!

What does that have to be with life being fair? Everything! God has created a world that goes along like a watch… tick, tick. We are in that world getting into human made autos, planes, trains, working with chemicals and electric currents, inhaling gases, eating “who knows what”, and any other thing that can hurt us. Frankly, about the only way to be safe might be just to stay home… no it might catch on fire.

All in all, it is more amazing when we don’t suffer than when we do.

So why do bad things happen to good people? Because bad things happen to everyone! Good (or at least good willed) people and bad people. Being a Christian isn’t some inoculation from suffering. Being a Christian should inform the way we BEHAVE in the midst of suffering. Being a Christian means we understand and believe the promise of God that we will be resurrected after our own death and live with God in eternity. That is called FAITH! Over the ages, Christians lived and suffered and died and yet faced their death with hope and a sense of anticipation of the life to come. That was a statement in itself to non-believers.

Sadly, don’t let the world somehow create a false sense of security. There are those who say that faith in Jesus will make you rich, happy, and immune to suffering, but that just isn’t true. Believing in Christ is not a shield from pain and suffering… it is a way of dealing with it. You have been adopted by God. God has paid a steep price to bring you home to Him and you can believe in your future with God.

Remembering Who We Are

So, what was in the mind of God in the beginning? Why did God create humanity?

There was always a Plan. That Plan was and is ADOPTION.

For all eternity even before the foundation of the world, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are enjoying and savoring the sweetness of their eternal communion. But that wasn’t enough. They also wanted to INCLUDE "others" into that relationship.
But who could that "others" be? Angels? Animals? Plants?

Then God said " Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness..." Genesis 1:26

Of all His creation... God created human beings in God’s own image so that humanity could enter into, participate, be included into the fellowship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. "He (God) PREDESTINED us (You and Me) to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will." Ephesians 1:5

We, each and every human being, were created to be adopted - that was and is the original and only plan. How can this be true? How could this be accomplished? The answer for us all is… through Jesus Christ. Just like children in the orphanage, we could not decide on our own free will to volunteer to be adopted, it is through and only through Jesus Christ. How could Jesus Christ accomplish such a feat? Is it some act that Jesus will complete? Does it have something to do with Jesus’ person and being? The answer is it happens through Jesus by his INCARNATION. Our being adopted is because of the PERSON and BEING of Christ. He is both God and Man. Jesus became fully God and fully human. In him all humanity is vicariously represented and substituted. Just as we believe that Adam and Eve brought about the fall of humanity, Jesus returns us into full communion with the Triune God. Jesus not only came to forgive our sins, but Jesus also came so that we may be united with the Triune God. Jesus came for OUR adoption.

Most people fail to understand this because they look only on the work of Christ, at what Jesus did on the cross. People should really try hard to see who Jesus is as the Second Adam reversing the Fall and declaring that we are included through His relationship and communion to the His Father and the Holy Spirit.

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You Still Here? Me Too!

It became the talk of the town… the city… and the nation. Roughly a week before the predicted May 21^st doomsday, people were abuzz over the issue of the end of the world. Of course, the prediction of “6:00 wherever you are” did not pan out.

But it was fascinating to hear the conversations taking place in light of the potential “end of the world.” I was most troubled by some of the comments from the media especially talk show hosts and people calling into them.

As the days began to count down, it became clear that we live in a world that is very populated with “non-committed universalists.” I actually don’t know if that is a coined category, but that describes the folks I heard. A “non-committed universalist” is someone who believes there is a God but has no relational knowledge of that God while at the same time believes that basically everyone is going to heaven. Sort of like acknowledging that Texas has a DMV and therefore most folks who go down there will get their Driver’s License. Some even mentioned trying to survive the day, as if it were like riding out a hurricane.

Could this be true? Over and over again I heard people comment that sometime Saturday, if the world ended, we would all be going to heaven. Now I know some folks were just fooling around and others were being sarcastic, but never, and I mean never, did I hear one word about the God who might make all this happen. Never was the word Jesus mentioned. Never was the word faith mentioned. Never was there any hint of repentance or mercy or grace or salvation mentioned.

We live in a world where many think “you do your thing and I will do mine” and “all roads lead to God.” No, I’m not talking about the difference between various churches. I am talking about a deep cultural shift in thinking. Many people in our culture see no real need for Jesus. They have decided, on their own of course, that their own style of relating to God will be enough and if God is good, they will get into heaven. Sadly, Harold Camping, the supposed prognosticator of all this, has done Christianity no favors. Now many in the world simply continue to write off Christianity and the Church as stupid and irrelevant. Such erroneous predictions continue to turn Jesus Christ into nothing more than the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. I am most sad for those who bought into Camping’s predictions. Many of his followers are left with… shattered faith, feelings of betrayal, and maybe even empty bank accounts.

The world will come to an end… (not exactly a revelation?) for everyone. Everyone you know, including you, will experience the end. It will be our own death or the death of our loved ones. I don’t know what everyone else will believe on that day, but I know that the Bible tells us that on that day it will be our faith in Jesus Christ that opens the way to heaven. You may or may not agree, and I am sure some people won’t. In fact, if you don’t like the idea of God on earth, it might be pretty miserable to have to see God all the time in heaven, so I am sure some may indeed choose hell. I don’t know who will be in our out, but I do know Christ loves everyone. God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. Living with faith daily means that no matter when the end comes, you will be ready. Until next time, Blessings!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

Has anyone seen the signs on the Interstate predicting Judgment Day is coming on May 21, 2011? According to the billboard, Jesus will come to take believers to heaven and the world will be destroyed in October.

Well, I have to begin by saying that according to scripture, Matthew 24:36 “But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.” Thus, the folks who have placed this message may be doing it for another reason entirely.

Maybe you have thought about the message if you have seen it. If not, let me ask you, “What IF… the end of the world was coming in May?” What would you want to happen if these were your last months of life? Would it matter to you?

I think this is what the advertisements are meant to evoke, a sense of finitude. Let me tell you if you don’t know… you and everyone you know is going to die. It’s true. Everyone you know and all those you don’t will die. The question is when? Who knows? But what if it were in two months?

Again, let’s look at scripture. Luke 12 tells the story of a man who wants more and more only to find out that his life would end the next day. Do you need God or stuff more? Obviously you need God more than stuff. Lots and lots of stuff reflects a self centered life and lack of concern for others, especially a love for God.

So, maybe the billboards are simply asking us to reflect upon the fact that we will die. We cannot stop the process. And, we need to prioritize our lives as if our lives might end soon.

Are you scared? Worried? Don’t be. Here is the Good News. Death is not the enemy. Death is a passage to meet Jesus. For those who have given our lives to Christ, we know that heaven awaits and this world is only a temporary home. In fact, I look at death as vehicle to transport us to meet God. Many aren’t frightened of death, only how it may come and the life that paves the way to death.

Finally, the Judge who awaits us all is not some traffic court judge. It is our best friend, our loving parent, our Savior who laid down His life for you and me, the Judge is none other than Jesus the Christ. So, if these ads made you think and me write this column, maybe those signs aren’t that bad.

Four Things About Prayer

On a recent Sunday, I preached a message on prayer. I wanted to share that with you in print as well. As we were studying the story of Elijah, we noticed in chapter 18 that Elijah goes to the top of Mount Carmel and begins to pray for rain. He drops to his knees and does four things that can help us learn to be a better praying people.

First, Elijah humbles himself. Going to God is an overwhelming act. To present ourselves to God can be uncomfortable to many of us. There is a fear of going before God because God is… well… God! God knows all about each and every one of us. There is no hiding, yet many are reluctant to stop and actually try to connect with God.

Secondly, Elijah shows that prayer needs to be specific. Asking God for what we actually need. That takes planning (homework). What do you need not want??? God is no heavenly butler simply catering to our whims. God will provide our needs when we are specific.

Third, Elijah is persistent. Seven times (many) Elijah sends his servant to check the sea for cloud activity. Each time there is nothing happening, Elijah goes back to praying for rain. He is persistent and will pray over and over for his need.

Fourth and finally, prayer is expectant. As I just said, Elijah asks the servant for a report each time about the cloud activity. Elijah expects something to happen! When we pray earnestly for a specific need we can expect God to get going, it just may be awhile.

Learning to pray is a discipline. We cannot expect to only go to God once in a blue moon and somehow know have a relationship. You see, prayer is not about getting what we want. Prayer is about relationship. I believe this is where the Muslim faith seems to have an edge on Christianity. Muslims are expected to practice prayer daily, Christians can seem lazy in their prayer life and thus, undisciplined. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly advocated Christianity above all things, but many converts to Islam may see Christians as people who simply don’t practice what they preach without prayer as a discipline.

Prayer is also what keeps us connected to God. When a crisis hits, it is not the Sundays that get us through, it is the prayer Monday through Saturday. Sundays are like going to the gas station… we get re-fueled for daily life. I hope this has helped in a meaningful way because I believe that the practice of prayer is life-changing.

Pouring It On

In sports, there are some un-written sportsmanship rules, especially when there is a lopsided score. For example, in football a team with a big lead stops throwing and simply runs the ball; in baseball, the team with the big lead stops stealing base; and in basketball, teams stop pressing and trying to throw long passes for easy layups when they have a huge lead in the second half. It is commonly seen as pretty classless when teams fail to adhere to these rules. Recently I saw this happen at a high school varsity basketball game. Maybe it is just my pet peeve, but here is what happened.

Bridge City was playing the top ten team, the Silsbee Tigers. This season the Tigers have an excellent team and came into the game undefeated. By the second half, the game had already been decided with Silsbee holding a 40-point lead. But nothing changed! Instead of pulling back and playing a bit more conservative and just finishing the game, the Tigers continued with their full court press that had helped gain their lead. Their defensive intensity never wavered and they continued to look for long passes to boost the score further. They simply wanted to pour it on and they did. Final score on the books, Silsbee 90, Bridge City 22!

Is that what it has come to? Didn’t anyone learn “the Jurassic Park” lesson of… just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should? This was the kind of thing that gives sports a bad name. Even one of the Silsbee players turned and cursed the visiting crowd (which of course the referees did not hear) after they booed his aggressive play as he hammered a player trying to steal the ball in spite of that huge lead. I blame the coaches for such a horrible exhibition and example of sportsmanship. What were they thinking? Were they trying to reach 100? Sorry, but they are in charge of the players and they could have turned it down a notch. I am sure the good folks in Silsbee want to be represented better than that. We all want to be proud of our student athletes, not just for winning, but winning or losing with class.

But, that is our society from time to time. It seems that some coaches don’t care or get some sick thrill out of winning is such a manner. But it is not the first nor will it be the last time coaches act so foolishly. Last year it was national news when coaches at a kid’s football league game in the Houston area got into a fistfight. We are appalled when nearly a decade ago Indiana Pacer players went into the stands in Detroit to fight fans. So here it is… another poor example of what NOT to do.

From a spiritual standpoint, it isn’t hard to find numerous passages in the Bible about respecting others and having mercy. The Gospels and almost all the other books tell us to respect one another and treat others with kindness. I believe most people do act respectful and kind to others. I see it all the time in courteous driving habits, opening doors for others, good manners, and even in a friendly “howdy”.

Maybe it is just me, but I was taught years ago that athletics aren’t just about winning, but doing our best and enjoying the sport. As a pastor, I know athletics are a gift from God and brings joy to many people. It should be treated as such, play hard, but be respectful to your opponent. Until next time, Blessings!

The Rescue Squad

A few months ago I was stuck in traffic because a car wreck had occurred. I sat and waited until the police, ambulances, and tow trucks arrived and helped the people.
It struck me that God has done the same thing for each of us.
If we go back to the beginning we see where we went wrong. Looking at the Genesis text, we see that Adam and Eve were, like many drivers, perking along fine down the road with God. They ate, drank, and conversed with God daily. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Genesis 3:8-9 “When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. God called to the Man: "Where are you?”
Where are you? That is the question of all time. What has happened to the wonderful existence that God brought forth at the Garden of Eden. It was a place where we could hear God walking, see God, and converse with God. Eden was lost.
Fortunately, God knew, even before we left Eden, that all of history would be a rescue mission. Like the assistance rendered to the wrecked vehicles, God would be there to rescue us from sin and death. Even though we were at fault, God chose not to abandon us, but from the beginning, God chose to do whatever it took to bring us home to His safe arms.
When Moses needs to get across the Red Sea, God chooses to act. God gives Moses the ability to divide the water and allows the Israelites to cross. When Elijah confronts to prophets of Baal, God reigns down fire to set water soaked wood ablaze.
God’s rescue plan is fulfilled as Jesus (God in the flesh) is born into the broken world and lives among us, dies on the Cross and is resurrected from the dead. Death is defeated and we are saved! Exodus 15:3 is right… God is indeed a warrior who saves His people. And God has done all this why? Not because of our goodness or our worthiness, but simply for His good pleasure. I am just delighted that each of us can claim that title… a rescued child of God.