My Week

Thinking My Way Through the Week

 I had a little trouble getting an article going for this week.  I usually start on something early in the week and have it ready by the next Monday.  Nothing really came to mind, so I put down my thoughts through the week.  It turned into this article.

Real Christianity is to turn away from the path you are on or have chosen and choose to follow the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.  In a life that loves God and His ways more than the ways of self, there is help, hope, direction, peace that passes understanding, and more good than can be numbered.  It does not ward off evil, or guarantee that hard times will not come.  It does guarantee that Jesus will be with you.  He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother.  Actually what you get as a Christian is:

A guarantee of that perfect life in heaven.

A friend who will never leave you nor forsake you.

A guide book that will help you in making decisions and encourage you during stress.

Direct access to God the Father through Christ the Son when you pray.

 All these things are guaranteed by the Word of God.  And, within these things you will find help and answers whatever the need.  But you MUST enter in the way provided in order to partake of these blessings.  Christianity is not a worldly philosophy.  There are some who take the things of the Bible and mingle them with the philosophies of man.  Ultimately, it may appear that ‘it works’ for whatever the need may be at the time.  However, the long term eternal effects are without value unless it is done through Jesus Christ.

 Therapeutic Christianity – Christianity used as therapy to cope with a particular situation, trauma, or event.  This is seen often in people who don’t have much to do with God until they face a crisis of one sort or another.  Then they run to God for the help and comfort they need.  It is just a therapy used to get them through the tough times in their lives.  If the people are true Christians, they are certainly of the milk toast variety.  You cannot count on them to be of assistance to the church or you personally in times of crisis.  You can count on them to come around whining when they need help. 

 You could also call this ‘nest egg Christianity’ because people save it for a rainy day.  They don’t use it until they absolutely have to.  A major reason people are willing to treat the teachings of God so casually is they are often unwilling to do the things Christ says to do.  They may only cheat on the smaller things.  They just resent God telling them what to do and how to behave.  Whatever the reason, a rebellious heart is the root of therapeutic or nest egg Christianity.  Whatever you call it, it will lead those who live that way into deeper trouble, and they will be farther from help than those who make a closer walk with the Lord a way of life.

 For a true Christian, there is nothing more satisfying, beneficial, helpful, curative, or restorative than crying out to God during a time of trial.  But that is only part of the story.  God is more than a ‘therapy’ used during trouble.  It is a way of life than encompasses one’s world view, daily habits, moral character, and thoughts throughout the day.

 Fooled into thinking you are a Christian – There are quite few, possibly millions and millions of people who have been taken in by the ‘watered-down’ ‘seeker-friendly’ ‘costs-you-nothing’ gospel. Unlike the ‘Nest-egg’ Christians, these people have made Christianity a central part of t their lives.  They attend church regularly and pray often.  They have been ‘properly processed’ onto the church roles through some sort of salvation prayer and probably baptism.  But, they have never really understood that full surrender to Jesus Christ is the way into heaven. 

 Faith treated like a game – There seems to be an increasing number of people who having rejected Christianity in its entirety feel compelled to ‘choose’ another religion, or make one up entirely.  Again, internet comments on articles are where I am getting this information.  But the trend is definite, at least to me it is.  One woman posted that she has rejected Christianity but feels that the god’s of the Greeks seem to fit her lifestyle better.  Can you believe that?  God’s who hate you and love to make fun of you and torment you are better than the God of the Bible to this woman.  I realize they are rejecting God because they don’t want to bend to His authority.  They are instead choosing gods they can put in various cubby-holes.  But ultimately, are they taking any of it seriously?  Is it just a game?  Only the Spirit of God can cause them to see their choice as a life or death situation – as in ‘eternal’ life or death.  It makes me so sad. 

 Acting like the Christian you claim to be – What does God expect from those who have been saved from hell by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ?  He expects Christians to do the things He says to do.  Christians are supposed to love others and treat others the way they want to be treated.  Christians are supposed to be known by the fruit they bear.  This means the fruit they bear in their own lives in growing kinder, more patient, more helpful.

 Evangelism as a lifestyle – Christians are supposed to love God enough to follow His instructions in how they live their lives.  When the life a Christian is different people do notice.  They also notice when it is the same as the rest of the world.

 Evangelism as a life’s work – Christians do have a responsibility to speak to the lost when the opportunity arises.  It is likely the Christian who has consciously engaged in lifestyle evangelism will be more likely to have better results than a Christian who lives like the unsaved and the un-churched.

Prayer as work – Prayer seems to be something the Christian has to ‘go the extra mile’ to actually do.  People are always too tired or too busy.  We start in prayer, and we either go to sleep or our minds wander onto something else.  Try prayer as a cure for insomnia and see what happens.  You will probably be asleep within ten minutes.  Seriously, what’s a Christian to do?  Pray whenever a thought crosses your mind throughout the day.  Make giving thanks, asking forgiveness, and making a request part of your entire day.  This also helps specific time set aside for prayer as well.

 Sunday is a new beginning.  Actually, every day is a new beginning, but Sundays are the first day of a new week.  We have a chance to do a little better than we did last week. 

 Rest in the Lord so you don’t get too tired to go on.  It is definitely disappointing and even frightening to see what is happening all around us.  Families are suffering.  Churches are suffering.  The world is so filled with hatred that there is no place its effects are not seen or felt.  Thieves are more common than dirt.  And by the way, thieves are always with us.  They may be better able to excuse themselves when times are hard, but they don’t stop stealing when the economy is booming.  They always have an excuse to steal.  Liars are always with us.  Hatred is always in the world.  Everyone has to deal with it.

 The Bible gives us two scriptures with instructions to help those who are weary.

Galatians 6:9 says, ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

 We are told not to let ourselves get weary because we will eventually reap if we keep on going.  Christians have to keep doing what is right.  They never have an excuse to do something the Bible calls sin.

 Hebrews chapter 4 gives us the ‘success factor’ that will allow a Christian to rest in the Lord.  It will prevent weariness that stops that believer dead in his tracks.  It is a very straightforward scripture passage.  Every Christian needs to read this passage daily until they have it memorized.  A very simple condensation of the passage is that the way to overcome weariness is through resting in the Lord.  The Bible tells us to rest one day a week.  That is a physical rest.  The Bible also tells us about a mental rest that is constant.  Do what you can do and leave the outcome to God.  Don’t beat yourself up worrying about things over which you have no control.  Rest in the Lord.

 Hebrews 4:1-1

1. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

2. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

4. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

5. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

6. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

7. Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

8. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

I love the hymn ‘Are Your Weary; Are You Hearted?’.  Follow the instructions in this hymn when you need help entering into God’s rest.  Tell it to Jesus.  And remember the verse that says, ‘My God will hear me.’  (Micah 7:7)

 Are You Weary; Are You Heavy Hearted?

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/t/e/l/tellitto.htm

Are you weary, are you heavy hearted

 Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.

 Are you grieving over joys departed?

 Tell it to Jesus alone.

Refrain 

Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus,

 He is a friend that’s well known.

 You’ve no other such a friend or brother,

 Tell it to Jesus alone.

Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden?

 Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.

 Have you sins that to men’s eyes are hidden?

 Tell it to Jesus alone.

Refrain

Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow

 Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.

 Are you anxious what shall be tomorrow?

 Tell it to Jesus alone 

Refrain

Are you troubled at the thought of dying?

Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
 For Christ’s coming kingdom are you sighing?
 Tell it to Jesus alone.

Refrain

How to Choose a Church

How to Choose the Right Church

Are you out of church and thinking of getting started going again?
Are you one of those people who ‘got saved’ watching a television show and want to find a church?

Were you brought up in church, stopped going, and now find yourself feeling a need to attend church again?

Was there a fight in your church that left you broken hearted and even a little bitter? 

Well, whoever you are and whatever the reason, here are a few hints on finding a church that will help you instead of hurt you. 

God tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, so it is important to go to church. This article really isn’t about the reasons for going to church, it is to give a few guidelines in choosing a church you can stick with. 

First, it’s all about the preacher.  He won’t be a perfect human being.  He probably won’t be your new best friend.  He may honestly be very busy man doing necessary things.  He should live up to a moral standard that is acceptable according to the Bible.  AND – he should give a good preaching/teaching sermon every service.  You will be able to tell how much time he spent preparing the sermon by listening.  He can throw in a few jokes, a poem or two, and even burst out in a song every now and then.  He can shout sometimes, or talk in a normal voice.  What matters is the content.  The sermon has to be a prepared sermon based solidly on scripture.  If the sermons are ‘feel good’ ‘get along’ sermons then forget that church.  Sometimes a sermon will make you feel good.  Sometimes a sermon can bring reconciliation between estranged people, but that is a by-product of solid Bible teaching.  It really is all about the preacher. 

A church will have a Statement of Faith which will tell you what the church believes.  This is good.  However, it may have been written more than a generation ago and the current leaders and congregation of the church may not feel the same way.  You need to talk to the preacher in person and question him to see if you are at least on the same page when it comes to theology.  Remember the fundamentals of the faith:

Inerrancy of scripture

Pre-existence and Deity of Christ

Virgin Birth

Literal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

If the preacher hum-haw’s around or tries to sidestep these issues, then hit the road.  He isn’t a real preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Second, if at all possible in your area, you want a preacher that uses the King James Version of the Bible.  I recommend the Thompson Chain Reference Bible.  I use it and I love it. 

Third, you want a song service that uses the hymnal.  The hymnal will keep the music in line to teach additional Bible truths and comforts.  There is nothing that compares to the hymnal EXCEPT the Bible itself.  Do not trivialize the song service by pretending that music doesn’t matter or by accepting worldly music to help get people in the mood to worship.  Don’t get caught up in the forced emotionalism of the 7-11 style of music.  That is a song that has 7 words sung 11 times.  Sometimes it is ‘sung softly as a prayer’, or ‘sung loudly to a rock band’, but it is still a human attempt to force an emotional response.  Any emotion produced by such so-called worship music will probably not last past the church parking lot, much less through the next day.

The song service matters. 

Fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on…. 

People are often looking for a church where they ‘feel at home’, where there are a lot of activities, and where friends can be made.  All these are nice, but they are not reasons for choosing a church. They are sort of like by-products.  A Bible teaching preacher and a song service that worships God instead of emotion produces the good soil in which a tenderhearted sincere group of Christians may grow.  In that atmosphere you may come to feel at home and make eternal friends.

I have seen many Christians who are the ‘walking wounded’.  They went to church faithfully and somehow wound up in what seemed like the middle of a war zone.  People who were supposed to be Christians, and may even actually be Christians, acted like the devil’s own agents, and the church split right down the middle.  So called friends took one path.  Other friends wouldn’t choose a side.  The church almost fell apart.  They stopped going to church.  The needed time to ‘heal’. Years went by and they were still ‘healing’.  A wounded heart became the devil’s tool to lead them away from the Lord.  

I would also be careful in joining a church where they want to ‘put you to work’ immediately.  IF you have been out of church a while, or just going through the trauma of a move, you are not ready to minister to others right at that moment. The church needs to take time to get to know you and you need time to get to know the church.  If they give people positions of power such as teaching a Sunday School class or working with the youth without knowing them well, they are not cautious regarding error creeping into a church.  I currently know of a large church that is going through a rough time because of lack of oversight regarding ‘ministries’ of the church.  Gross error was being taught as truth, and many new Christians have been led astray.  A word of caution here to parents – be very careful the church classes and activities in which you allow your children to participate.  Be even more careful who is allowed to teach them.  Often a ‘role model’ is considered a youthful person who looks nice and is willing to take on a challenge like teaching or leading a group of children or youths.  In reality – this so called role model may be so Bible ignorant they don’t even know the fundamentals of the faith.  They are really just a social director, not a Bible teacher.  They may be sincere, but it is just this sort of person the devil uses to bring in doctrinal errors that can even lead some all the way to hell.  When in doubt, keep you kid in ‘big church’ and cut out questionable activities.  Your goal is to raise your child to love God and keep the commandments.  It isn’t to raise someone who is only a social or cultural Christian. 

All these are things to be considered when choosing a church, but the fundamentals are the same.

It’s the preacher.

It’s the fundamentals of the faith.

It’s the song service.

If you can get these things in a church then you have a good place to grow as a Christian.

You have a good place to raise up a family that loves the God of the Bible.

 Don’t let the devil cheat you out of your blessings because Christians are still sinners.  I know churches are full of hypocrits, but then so is the grocery store.  You won't escape hypocrits this side of heaven.

Find a church home. 

Attend faithfully.   

Your job as church member is to attend as faithfully as your health allows, to be continually learning and growing in understanding of Bible theology and doctrine, and to watch for error creeping in.  Eventually the Lord may lead you to take a more active role in the church.  When God asks you to do something, be ready to do it.  In the meantime, don’t be brow beaten into taking a position in the church that you do not feel qualified or called to do. 

If you are a Christian who has been out of church, a Christian whose church fell apart, or a Christian moving to a new area, the time to find a new church is right now.  Don’t forsake personal Bible study and prayer, but also remember Hebrews 10:23-25

23.  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

24.  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25.  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 

Here’s a wonderful song from the hymnal to get you going.

I Am Resolved

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/a/m/iamresol.htm

I am resolved no longer to linger,

 Charmed by the world’s delight,

 Things that are higher, things that are nobler,

 These have allured my sight.

Refrain

I will hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;

 Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.

 I will hasten, hasten to Him, hasten so glad and free;

 Jesus, Jesus, greatest, highest, I will come to Thee.

I am resolved to go to the Savior,

 Leaving my sin and strife;

 He is the true One, He is the just One,

 He hath the words of life.

Refrain

I am resolved to follow the Savior,

 Faithful and true each day;

 Heed what He sayeth, do what He willeth,

 He is the living Way.

Refrain

I am resolved to enter the kingdom

 Leaving the paths of sin;

 Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me,

 Still will I enter in.

Refrain

I am resolved, and who will go with me?

 Come, friends, without delay,

 Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,

 We’ll walk the heav’nly way.

Refrain

How Important is the Truth?

Is the Truth More Important than Just Getting Along?

What stops people from all getting along? 

Hard-heartedness?

Arrogance?

Ignorance?

Emotionalism?

Language barrier?

Religious or ideological differences?

Skin color?

Economic differences?

Cultural differences?

Lies?

All of the above?

I am going to pick four.

1.  The hardness of the heart.

2.  Language barriers.

3.  Religious and/or ideological differences.

4.  Lies.

James 4:1 says, ‘From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?’

The war starts within the individual whose heart is hardened toward God.  They are ruled by the things of the material world instead of the things of God.  If a man is jealous of his neighbor’s house, job, or wife, why not expand that to jealous of the neighboring nation’s houses, land, and people?  If a man or woman is not at peace with God, they cannot possibly establish a real or lasting peace within themselves, much less with their own family, and much less with those around them.

Language barriers certainly make for misunderstandings and lack of unity.  Even the same language but spoken in a different dialect can cause misunderstandings. 

Religious and ideological differences naturally pit people against each other.  If one is right, the other must be wrong. Nobody likes to have their personal life challenged. 

Lying is a common denominator for all of the above.

A hard heart is first necessary to be a lying heart.  To be a bold and bald faced liar requires a very hard heart.  This requires an ability to lie to one’s self on some level.  Ultimately, war begins in the heart of the individual and it spreads as far as it can go. 

Liars are not always easily spotted.  That is because they usually are able to lie to themselves. Liars are often quite cunning as well. One very effective tactic is to tell a lot of truth mixed in with a dreadful lie. Another very effective tactic they use is to simply change the subject.  Instead of trying to lie their way out of or into a particular situation, they simply act like the question is really something else.  For instance the war on terror has become a ‘question’ of ‘racial profiling’ instead of actually fighting a war on terror.  To a rational mind it is insane for homeland security to do what amounts to a physical assault on elderly people and small children who are simply trying to board a passenger plane.  It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with locating terrorists.  It is about cowards and bullies being careful not to profile likely terrorists. 

As hideous as the homeland security assault on the freedoms of the innocent may be, there is an evil circumnavigating the globe that is far worse.  It is an assault on the truth that is straight from hell.  There is a hideous coalition between Moslems and ‘Christians’ looking for similarities between Islam and Christianity that will bring about peace.  Evangelicals are not included in these meetings because Evangelicals would not be able to restrain themselves from attempting to convert Moslems. 

The absolute and unquestionable truth is that the Bible clearly states there is one way and only one way into heaven.  Allah’s book clearly gives a totally different way to get into the place Allah calls heaven.  THAT is the reason there is conflict between the two.  Can we find similarities between the two?  If they look hard enough and long enough there can probably some things that appear similar.  So what?  There are similarities between poison mushrooms and edible mushrooms.  If you find the similarities does that mean you can eat both poison and non-poison mushrooms without suffering the consequences?  The similarities do not change the fact that eating poison mushrooms will kill you!  Any so-called similarities between Islam and Christianity do not change the fact that both claim there is only one way into heaven, but they claim the way is different.  What matters is not any ‘similarities’.  What matters is which is the truth.  Is Jesus Christ who He claimed/claimes to be or is Mohammad correct in demanding worship of the god of the book written entirely by Mohammad?

Eating or not eating poison mushrooms is a life or death situation.  Choosing to follow Jesus Christ or Mohammad is a matter of eternal life or death.  Jesus Christ says following Him is the way that leads to life everlasting.  Jesus also says that rejecting Him leads to eternal torment in a place called hell.  Allah’s book claims he is the way into the place he calls heaven.  Allah demands murder of those who reject him as a guarantee of entrance into his heaven.  Jesus Christ requires simple belief in Him.  Those who have committed their life to Jesus Christ don’t have to do anything else to enter heaven. The God of the Bible died so sinners could be saved from hell and enter the kingdom of heaven.  The god of the Koran demands that people die slaughtering others in order to get into his paradise.  I really don’t see the benefit of working so hard to get into a place filled with murders.  Actually, that sounds like hell to me.

I could list a lot of differences between Christianity and Islam, but the main difference, the deal breaker in any sort of ‘compromise’ or ‘merger’ between the two, is Jesus Christ.  Christians accept Him as God, pre-existent, virgin born, crucified to death, buried, risen from the dead by his own power, and returning to earth to set up His kingdom. Islam claims Jesus was just a minor prophet, and very unimportant prophet at that.

Now how is anyone who takes either Jesus or Allah seriously going to find any similarities in that?  You cannot reconcile those differences.  Either Jesus Christ is telling the truth about who He is, or Mohammad is telling the truth about who Allah is. 

A second deadly difference between Christianity and Islam is the method of conversion.  If the God of the Bible had wanted people in His kingdom who had no choice in the matter, He would not have given human beings free will to choose Him or reject Him in the first place.  Those who go to Christ go of their own free will.  There have been instances where so-called Christians converted by force.  That is totally against what the Bible teaches and is an abomination to God.  Islam on the other hand is only following the Koran’s teaching when they convert by force.  If there is no conversion, they slaughter those who refuse to convert. 

That makes two differences in Christianity and Islam over which there can be no compromise.

Either Jesus Christ is the Son of God or He isn’t.

Either salvation is by grace through faith as the Bible says, or it is brought about through bullying to the point of murder.

Practically speaking – what does this mean?

It definitely means there is a fork in the road. 

Those following Allah to paradise are absolutely NOT going down the road that leads to heaven where Jesus Christ is preparing a place for those who love Him.  

Looking for similarities instead of pointing out the irreconcilable differences between Christianity and Islam paves the path to hell for many of the lost. 

It is important to mention one more thing.  Over and over we hear that Islam is a religion of peace that has been hijacked by evil people.  This is not the truth.  Actually in this you can find a similarity between Islam and Christianity.  Many and probably most people professing either faith are marginal adherents.  They don’t really read their book or apply it to their lives.  When a person begins to take their faith seriously, they read the book and begin to apply what it says to their lives. 

The Koran undoubtedly teaches to kill those who don’t accept Islam.  When a Moslem begins to take his religion seriously, he begins to do what the book says to do.

The Bible definitely teaches to love one another as Christ loves us; that Christ took the penalty for the sinner; that salvation is by grace through faith; and people have free will to accept or reject Jesus Christ.  When a Christian begins to take his/her faith seriously he/she begins to do the things Christ says to do.

There are millions of people in the middle in both Christianity and Islam.  They are social, or cultural believers, but they don’t take it really seriously.  In the case of Islam, they may be followers of Allah just to protect their lives, but they still don’t actually take it seriously as in actually doing what the book says to do.

So, the question becomes how seriously do you take your faith?  If it is just a cultural or social or political convenience, then you may be able to be content to look for the similarities between major religions of the world.  If you believe the Bible is true and that Jesus is the Son of God, then you will have to speak up when given the opportunity.

What Christians have on their side is the truth which is that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  The word of God has a power all its own, far beyond the ability of any orator to excel. 

Memorize and remember this:

Hebrews 4:12

 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Pray that Christians will have the courage to simply tell the truth.  Jesus saves.