We’re Moving! April 12, 2006
Posted by jwise in Theology.3 comments
The migration from wordpress.com to bechristian.net is complete! From now on, you can find the latest posts, information, and Be Christian offerings at http://www.bechristian.net/. Update your RSS feeds and head on over. If you have any questions or comments, please email jwise@bechristian.net.
Satan Exposed: Our Time March 29, 2006
Posted by jwise in Discipleship, Theology.add a comment
Call me old-fashioned, but I often wonder what life must have been like in the old farming community, where you worked hard for the first half of the day and then relaxed and enjoyed your community the second half of the day. Maybe my visions are a little idealistic, but I think we've come a long way in filling every spare minute of our days with stuff.
While talking about how Satan steals our treasure, I pointed out how Satan pulls on our heart's lust cord and lures us away to wrap all of our income into payments on "must have" items. It's no surprise, then, to see him doing exactly the same thing with our time. And, just as not all the things we buy are inherently sinful, so the things we spend our time doing are not necessarily sinful either. But the problem comes when all of our time is invested back here in this earth — in Satan's kingdom.
Unlike days gone by, families now need two incomes. And not just a main income and a supplemental income, but two big incomes from two career-driven individuals. We need those incomes to support the payments on all of the toys I spoke of in my last article. We need that money because it provides us security in a very shifty world. We need that money to boost our pride in what we have and what we have done.
And because of all this, the web starts to envelope us. Our money and treasure have all been invested into the lusts of our eyes and the lusts of our flesh. Everything our flesh wants, we must give it. It is our master, after all. And now our time also is invested into making the money necessary for fulfilling those desires. And when we run out of things to buy and have money left over, we use the remainder to feed our pride in what we have. And when we have time left over, we enroll ourselves into activities that also feed our pride in what we have done. And what our kids have done. We don't have to work hard to imagine conversations like this:
Busy Mom 1: "I just don't have time to worry about the homeless and the needy. I work eight hours a day, but then have to pick up Timmy from day care and drop Shelly off at soccer practice. Bill's car broke down, so I have to run him to and from work, too!"
Busy Mom 2: "You think THAT'S bad?! I have four kids to cart around! Band practice, soccer practice, ballet rehearsals, hockey games, marching band, play tryouts, cub scouts, and… Oh! Cub scouts! I forgot to pick up Brad!"
We raise kids we don't even know only to send them out into the world full of credit cards and school debt so they can run in the same rat race that devoured us! We don't tell them to love God and love their neighbor, but to love sports and performances and anything else they can brag about being involved with. And if they stay involved in enough things, then parents have that much more to brag about themselves. Why do we need "Proud parent of _________" bumper stickers if not to brag about our accomplishments as parents? Why don't we see any bumper stickers saying, "Humble, poor parent of a kid who loves and obeys Jesus"? Because humble people don't brag about being humble, and proud people don't brag about being humble either!
I realize that I'm intertwining issues with money and time. But I think the two are so interwoven in our minds. As Satan has convinced us, time is something that can be turned into money with a little work and a tiny bit of cheating or deceiving (or lawsuits or whining and begging). And that money is something that can be turned into monthly payments to get stuff. And stuff allows us to brag about what we have and to take great pleasure in this world. And Satan wins another soul.
Jesus' call concerning time is as shockingly different as his call concerning money. He urges us to not get caught up in useless debates and quarrels, but to invest our time in the lives and well-being of others. He commands us to make disciples — something that demands YEARS of our time — not simply to, "Tell others about Jesus" — which takes only moments. He tells us to train up our children, to always abide (be immersed) in the Word of God, never letting it drift away from our conversation or thoughts. He tells us to chase after righteousness, and to abandon this life, and to teach and encourage one another while it is still Today. Jesus warns us that life is just a fleeting vapor that's here one moment and gone the next, so we must take every advantage of every moment, lest it be lost forever.
Satan's message is all over the world. Enjoy your life! You're going to heaven someday, and you can worry about doing what's right then. And God will give you everything you want! And anyone who tells you to give more time than your Sunday morning is legalistic. Don't listen to him! Devote your life to pleasure, because pleasure is all you have! Consider yourself lucky to have such pleasures! Rack up as many things to brag about as you possibly can! He who has the most toys wins! He who has less than his neighbor is a loser!
Which of these lines do you live by? Do you chase after pleasure because you know life is short? Or do you invest every spare moment into others, knowing that your life is eternal? If we are going to have any effect on the Kingdom of God, we absolutely must break away from the world's mindset. We must be renewed by the Word of God and encouraged daily by the Body of Christ. We must forsake those time-stealing activities that don't profit the Kingdom, whether they're evil or just unprofitable. We must lay our lives down for Jesus if we are ever to really live.
Satan Exposed: Our Treasure March 25, 2006
Posted by jwise in Discipleship, Poverty, Theology.4 comments
Our church has been going through a “Walk of Faith” campaign for the last several weeks. The four “pillars” of the campaign, if they can be called such, are our Time, Treasure, Talents, and Testimony. The basic drive of the campaign is that God wants us to, in giving Him our lives, use our time, treasure, talents, and testimony for His Kingdom.
Many of the messages in our culture today, though, run very contrary to this idea. I see Satan well on his way toward robbing us of all four of those pieces of our lives. This post is exposing the first robbery — our treasure.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” — Mt. 6:19-21
Over the course of our lives, we (Americans) will make thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars. We will acquire material objects and gifts from other people. We possess more materially than any other culture in the history of humankind. Our will determines what becomes of this great wealth. We could spend it fruitlessly on food, fattening ourselves to no profit. We could invest the resources and create a huge retirement account to carry us through our final years and create a foundation for our children. Or we could invest our money and resources into the Kingdom, by providing for the needs of others around us.
Of those options, Satan wins with all except the last. Our bodies will perish. All our material possessions will perish. They are members of Satan’s broken kingdom. This is why Jesus tells us to invest into His Kingdom, where these things will not be destroyed or stolen. Many of us agree with this mentally, but only deceive ourselves, because we live a very different story indeed.
As an example, the average American makes a car payment of $350 every month. Dave Ramsey fans know that if this money were invested into an IRA, after many years you would have several million dollars. Invested into the Kingdom, though, millions of meals could be served, houses built for homeless families, chains loosed, bonds broken… the work God has assigned to His People would be accomplished.
But the madness doesn’t end with a car payment. The average household has almost $10,000 in credit card debt. Every American should own a new car, lease a nice SUV, have a couple wave runners for the summer and a condo in Florida for the winter. Before long, every dollar that comes into the two-income family is immediately sent back out to make payments for our silly luxuries. Jesus warns us that rust will destroy our cars and boats and homes, and that moths will ruin our expensive clothes. That’s the way life goes. Yet still, we go on, month after month, chasing foolishly after the things the world promises will provide us with pleasure.
And there we find our true god. We say we believe that our time is eternal because we’re following Jesus. But if we’re brutally honest, we have bought the world’s line: “Eat, drink, and be merry — for tomorrow we die.” And because of this, we spend every last penny on making our lives as enjoyable as possible. We buy the latest big-screen TV and speaker set so we can play the latest video games in hi-def, surround sound quality. We make sure we own the shiniest, most exquisite vehicle on the lot, lest we look less fortunate than Mr. Jones next door.
Why? Why do we follow the same drum beat by which the rest of the world marches? Because we’ve bought the Lie! Jesus said to invest your money into the treasures of the Kingdom — selflessly giving to all who need. Satan counters this command by placing in front of us immediate fun and enjoyment, and we fall hook, line, and sinker.
When will we ever learn? Perhaps on our death bed. Perhaps when we look back over 60, 70, 80 years of life and realize the only thing we’ve ever invested in is a rusty car and a life of fun that is forever gone then we will weep in agony as our eyes are open. We will weep even more bitterly when we see that our children and grand children are now taking the same foolish road of life, and there’s nothing we can do about it anymore. They, too, have been swallowed up by the Enemy.
The only hope we have is to believe. Believe John when he says that this world and its desires are all passing away (1 Jn. 2:15ff). Believe Jesus when he pleads with us to store for ourselves treasures in heaven. Believe that we are blinded and fooled by the world and its slogans. Cling to what is good and abhor what is evil. Repent and believe, and we will most certainly be saved from ruin.
Satan has tricked us. He has lured us away to be slaughtered. Absolutely nothing we possess is ours. It has all been granted to us by God, from whom all good and perfect gifts come. But He has not given these things to us so that we can build our own kingdom of pleasure. He has given to us so that we may be light and salvation to those around us. We are the hands and feet of our King while He is away. We are to put our money toward the family with none. Our ample car is perfect for the single mother whose van just died. Our spare bedroom is an incredible tool for the man who can’t get back on his feet!
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” — Mt. 25:34-36
I assure you, whatever you do for the least of us, you do for our King. Invest richly in His people. May He return to find His people serving wholeheartedly and with great power and effectiveness!
Self Deception March 15, 2006
Posted by jwise in Poverty, Theology.2 comments
If I had to identify the single most destructive force acting in American churches today, I would probably have to cast my vote for self-deception. Jesus identified it in the Pharisees often, even explaining that many will come to him in the end ready to enter his kingdom, only to hear, “Depart from me… I never knew you” (Mt. 7). James discusses it often in his epistle as he illustrates that true faith must result in obedience. Paul hits on it several times as well.
So how do so many people who mean well wind up abandoning the Gospel for a false hope? Because deception is just that — deception. Satan didn’t go to Eve with a blatant lie. He simply twisted the truth a little. Just enough so it was no longer truth. And deception was born.
Another problem is that we aren’t born with great perception and discernment. We are born blind, deaf, and mute. We’re born dead. Satan comes along and says, “Here’s your gospel! You can have heaven if you repeat after me. And don’t listen to those kiljoy fools! You can have this world too! Keep coming to me, and it’s ALL yours!” And we follow and obey, completely unaware that we’re following the very creature we think we’re fighting.
What, pray tell, then, is the solution? It is the grace of God. To those whom he has chosen he gives life. He gives us sight to see, ears to hear, and a mouth to speak truth. And we breathe Scripture like pure water. We immerse (baptize, in Greek) ourselves daily in the truth. We stare intently into the mirror, just as James urges. And then we do. We do everything the Word says, believing that it is true. We become servants because that’s what Jesus did. We surrender our life and our safety and our possessions to others because that’s what we’ve been called to do. We lose our life for our Savior’s sake, and then we will find it.
But today’s churches look nothing like this. Today we walk around, content to have our tickets to heaven. We sit around bickering about “appropriate worship music” while not caring two hoots that people are dying and going to hell. We make comments like, “There’s no excuse for smelling bad when soap only costs a few cents,” while Jesus screams through his tears, “There’s no excuse for your putrid sins when I paid the price already.” We slam the door of heaven for those who seek it with tears and agony (the very people Jesus came to save), while bragging to their face that WE have our heaven tickets… like it’s some kind of trophy. We, who blasphemingly bear the name of Christ, are the very ones who make our converts twice the sons of hell that we are.
May God have mercy on us. And may our eyes be opened, lest we perish in our self deception.
Compassion Makes the World Go ‘Round March 10, 2006
Posted by jwise in Theology.add a comment
I’m often struck by two types of people in this world: those who exhibit a great deal of compassion and those who don’t. Most of us sit somewhere in the middle — we have our good days and we have our bad days. Often times we are compassionate when we manage to get some benefit out of the situation, such as impressing a friend or coworker.
Looking back to the life of Christ, however, I’m amazed how frequent, even constant, his compassion was. It was as if he was out looking for those to whom he could show his love and compassion. Ironically, he never had to go very far. He was always surrounded by people humble enough to admit they were in need of something — grace.
Today, we’re so wrapped up in everything that is going on in our own lives that we seldom even notice the hurting, needful people around us. Much less do we go out looking for someone whose needs we are able to meet. And then we rationalize our actions by telling ourselves, “I need this more than the next guy!” We surround ourselves with money, with possessions, with shallow friendships, thinking that in these things we will be secured from the calamity that has beset those very people Jesus went out looking for. Even worse, we learn from the day we’re born that we’ve come to planet Earth with our “certain unalienable rights”, such as the right to be a dictator over all the roadway we can see, the right to a $5 coffee every morning, the right to all the money we can possibly lay hold of (whether by legal means or not), the right to download songs we don’t own, and the list goes on and on.
And here, I believe, we begin to see the problem. Defending our “rights” means we care more about ourselves than we do about those around us. We would rather go 65 mph and cut Grandma off by blowing a red light than wait 30 seconds and restore Grandma’s hope in a courteous America. We would rather murder millions of innocent babies than to be bothered by the embarassment of admitting we’ve blown our sexual purity and the huge cost of caring for that new baby.
How does this tie into compassion? Simple. Compassion is the willingness to surrender our own “rights” and desires simply for the sake of someone else’s. We forgive wrongdoing so that someone else will be freed from guilt and judgment. We give up our coffee in the morning so someone else might get a good breakfast. We surrender our TV-watching time so that we can invest that time into the lives of those around us. And in this way, the Kingdom of God will be built, one stone at a time. And, as salt preserves meat, we, the salt of the earth, will preserve the dead and decaying world in which we live. That’s why compassion makes the world go ’round.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3)
Sin Really is Real March 3, 2006
Posted by jwise in Quotes, Theology.add a comment
“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth — only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with, and, in the end, despair. Most of us have got over the pre-war wishful thinking about international politics. It is time we did the same about religion.” — CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
What a prescription for the Church of the 21st century. Certainly from our pulpits and from our evangelism we preach peace, we preach comfort, we preach heaven, we preach goodness and mercy. But this is most certainly not the entire Gospel!
Were I an unbeliever who was newly receiving your message, then I would sharply reply, “Why do I need peace? Show me peace in Iraq and I will believe your peace. Why do I need comfort? I give comfort to myself. Why do I need heaven? I am not yet dying. Why do I need goodness? Mercy? I am already a very good man.”
And what does the Church have to say to this? Simply, “But all have sinned!” True enough. But to me the unbeliever, you might as well say, “Gobbledee-gook, dwit ze bob!” I will forget your name as soon as you leave my doorstep, and I will return to my needs and desires.
Why has the Church become ineffective? Why is our message no longer even effective among the Bretheren? Because we are selling a cure for a disease we don’t believe in. If we seek truth, as Lewis suggests, we will find that we are hopelessly condemned to hell. The Scriptures make this point very clearly. The Gospel, though, is that when we reach that realization, there is redemption to be found — God’s deliverance through Jesus.
Without a true understanding of the disease, the cure means little to us. It is a stumbling block. It gets in the way of our own good plans. But when we become convinced that we are deathly ill, that we have been marked by our Creator as Damned, then we shall fall to the ground in terror, and the message of the Gospel will take our breath away.
Let’s stop seeking comfort for comfort sake. Let’s seek Truth again. Let’s repent — not merely acknowledge sinfulness, but turn drastically from our sinful ways and fall as beggars at the feet of the One who came to save us. Then the Word will ring sweetly in our ears and we will have something to tell others about.
Conversation Between Jesus and a Modern-Day Christian February 28, 2006
Posted by jwise in Modern Parables.8 comments
Hello.
Oh.. well hello. Mike. Glad to meet you. *hand shake*
Greetings, Mike. My name is Jesus.
Jesus? Ah, Jesus! I know you! From the Bible, right?
Yes, that’s me. Would you like to follow after me for a while?
The Law February 24, 2006
Posted by jwise in Law, Theology.add a comment
I have had a great deal of exposure to the Law, both from the legalistic and condemning side, and also from the liberal “above the law” mindset. I’ve sat in both seats, so to speak. Because of that, I’ve become very passionate about what role the Law is supposed to play in one’s life. I haven’t nailed down all the details, but I believe the Law has different purposes for different people. (more…)
A Christian, but not a Disciple of Jesus? February 20, 2006
Posted by jwise in Discipleship, Theology.1 comment so far
Is it possible to be a Christian but not a disciple of Jesus? I’ve actually been working through several different topics over the past couple months, and that’s one that’s come back to mind off and on.
As I look more into Scripture, especially the New Testament and Jesus’ teachings, it becomes increasingly evident that we’ve created a dichotomy between Christians (average Joe Christians) and Disciples (those who totally sell out for Jesus’ sake) that should never have been made. The examples I’ve found are things like…
Revelation 3:16: The lukewarm people seem to be condemned because their “deeds” were neither hot nor cold… they thought themselves rich in the world (sounds like America in 2006), but in fact they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Christ calls them to repent and be rebuked and disciplined.
Matthew 7:20-23: It seems that here are where most “Christians” find themselves. They pay lipservice to God, and hope to find hell-insurance when they die, and often are even involved in “Christianly” things (going to church, tithing, praying before meals, etc.), but Christ has no knowledge of them.
Luke 9:57-62: No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God. Jesus takes two situations which we today would write off with a, “Sure.. go ahead.. hurry back!” and seems to say instead, “Sure, go ahead.. but if you do, you have no business following me.” This seems a rather difficult teaching, unless we truly believe that Jesus is the only way to life, in which case we ought to say, like Peter, “To whom else shall we go?”
Luke 14:25-34: The cost of following Jesus is everything. Anyone who isn’t willing to forfeit his mother and father and wife and children for the sake of following Jesus is not fit to be his disciple.
All of these passages seem to make reference to “being a disciple”, not to “being a Christian”. But that’s all Jesus ever calls people to do — follow Him. In fact, I don’t see how a person who ISN’T a “disciple” can make others into disciples (Mt. 28).
“Look, it’s Jesus! Go follow Him because He’s the only way to find life!”
“Why aren’t you following Him then?”
“Well, because I like my earthly things for now.. but when I die, THEN I’ll be with Him!”
“Oh, ok… then I shall also enjoy my earthly pleasures and follow Him when His way appeals more than mine.”
I think it’s a deadly poison within the Church that we allow for “faith” without obedience. We allow for people to be “saved” but never committed. And if ever we question one’s commitment, we never find repentance and renewed fellowship, but only accusations of judgment, as one might expect from a criminal who’s about to be revealed.
Homeless February 17, 2006
Posted by jwise in Poverty.add a comment
I got a small taste this week of what it must feel like to be without a home. Greenville was ravaged last night by a thunderstorm/snow storm/freezing rain storm. The whole city was left without power and heat, and the temperature dropped as the rain continued to fall. This weekend, temperatures are supposed to drop below zero, with windchills as low as 30 below.
But there’s more than just being cold. There’s the knowledge that if the situation doesn’t improve, there’s nowhere else to go. Friends? Family? They’re without power too. The problem only worsens when you try to take care of everyone you care about. Hotels in the area are putting up a lot of people, but not all of us have an extra couple hundred dollars to go wait the storm out.
Perhaps such an event will give us all a little more compassion toward those in our community who are without home and heat not for just a weekend, but every morning they wake up, and every night when they go to sleep. It is, after all, the Lord’s work to care for these downtrodden in their day of misery. May God empower each of us to do something to help someone!
A 21st Century American Tragedy February 13, 2006
Posted by jwise in Quotes.add a comment
“How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of ‘accepting’ Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need no more to seek Him…Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” — A.W. Tozer, Pursuit of God
Cliche Christians February 11, 2006
Posted by jwise in Theology.2 comments
I’m struck more and more by the fact that Christians are becoming very good at memorizing cliches and very poor at memorizing Scripture. The sad effect is that Scripture is being replaced by those very cliches.
As an example, take “Love the sinner; hate the sin.” Though at face value this is a theologically correct statement, what it’s becoming is an excuse to overlook sin for the sake of not hurting a person. Where is truth? The truth is that if someone is caught in sin, he must be confronted, as sin has no place in the body of Christ, or in His Kingdom. It is better, after all, that a man lose an eye or a hand and enter the Kingdom maimed than to have his entire soul cast to hell because of sin. And that is Scripture.
Another example is the madly popular book, “A Purpose Driven Life.” There are several good points made in this book, but the overall goal seems to be: “Let’s take Scripture and use it to support the cliches that we enjoy using. Then Christianity will have a warm, fuzzy glow, and people will come by the thousands to our feel-good church and be ’saved’.” Should the Church be a safe haven for the hurting and needy? Absolutely! Should the Church be a safe place to hide from conviction and confrontation? May it never be!
Christian music has also become littered with common phrases and ideas, regardless of how biblically accurate those ideas are. Often I think the secular music is more honest and true-to-life than a lot of the music in Christian circles.
Lastly, what’s with the billboards? None of them are biblical, most are blasphemous and irreverent, and all of them are putting words into the mouth of God. Is Scripture so outdated that we now have to speak on His behalf? Is the Word of God no longer sharper than any two-edged sword? Are we now better than God at convicting? Has the Holy Spirit seen the end of His usefulness? I think not.
Go and Sin No More February 9, 2006
Posted by jwise in Theology.5 comments
For many, many years I’ve tossed back and forth this little quote. I’ve asked myself, and countless others, “Can we really go and sin no more?” With very few exceptions, the answer has always been a discouraged, “No, not this side of heaven.” Unfortunately, this answer has never satisfied me.
“Do Not Love the World” February 7, 2006
Posted by jwise in Theology.add a comment
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:15-17
At first glance, this seems an impossible command. Loving the world, if we are honest, comes very naturally. Especially in a materialistic society! But John realized something when he wrote this — that the world and its ways and its things are not lovely to begin with. The love of the Father drives us to love one another, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for the church (Eph. 5:25). The love of the world drives us to want more, more, more… The fastest, coolest car, the highest paying, most prestigious job, the most powerful computer… all the while disregarding what it may cost us in the long run.
I challenge you to ask the Lord to change your mindset. Ask that you may see the world and its ways as unlovely, that your desires for materials (which rust and rot before our eyes) will be replaced with desires for the hearts and souls of men. Ask that instead of craving the latest and greatest this world has to offer, you might crave pure spiritual milk (1 Pet. 2:2), and then as you grow, desire the true meat (Heb. 5:14) which is for those who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. So again, do not love the unlovely world and the unlovely things in the world. The world and its things and its desires will all pass away, so do the will of God that you may live forever!
Apples and Oranges February 5, 2006
Posted by jwise in Modern Parables.5 comments
A man once owned two very large apple orchards in Florida. As he grew older and traveled more and more, he turned each orchard over to his two sons. One day, though, it hit him: His orchards were in Florida, and he should be growing oranges, not apples. So he called his two sons and told them, “We live in Florida. We should grow oranges. I want you guys to turn my apples into oranges.” So his two sons, Esau and Jacob, set to the task.
The Cost of Discipleship February 3, 2006
Posted by jwise in Discipleship.2 comments
There is a deadly poison permeating the Church these days. The Gospel of Christ has been replaced and its power has been removed from the churches around the globe. Where Jesus called his people to abandon this world, love God, and love one another, we now declare that one must simply pray a prayer or join a church. Where Jesus’ message demanded the entirety of one’s life, today’s gospel demands nothing. Unfortunately, where Jesus’ Gospel had the power to save us from sin and death, today’s gospel is only a candy-coated trip to Hell.
Be Christian 