“But let your word ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’” (Matthew 5:37)

This verse is nestled into an admonition from Jesus that we should tell the truth at all times. In verse 33 we see that we should “keep our word,” and in verse 36 we are told that we should not “swear by the head.” The latter phrase was a common expression of the times which meant, in essence, swearing on one’s life. The rest of that verse says “because you cannot make one hair white or black.” What that phrase is saying (and what Christ is saying) is that we should not think that we have more control over our lives than what we do. God is the author of life and if we swear on our lives, we are superseding His authority. It would be akin to swearing on our mother’s grave. We have no more control of our mother’s grave than we do on our own lives. Jesus is saying that swearing on anything is a useless endeavor; the key is living our lives in truth. After all, the worse men are, the less they are bound by oaths; the better they are, the less there is need for them.

There is a tremendous need for truth in this day and age… well, in any day and age. However, we are particularly surrounded with falseness as the time of Christ approaches.Like a massive boulder gathering speed down a mountainside, falsehood is gaining momentum both in and out of the church. This should be expected, but should not be accepted. As Christians we have the opportunity to illustrate the power of Christ by making sure that our “yes is yes” and our “no is no.” That small show of consistency can separate us from a world filled with erraticism.

A few years back, Brian Williams, well-known NBC anchorman, was caught in a series of lies about his involvement in some of his news stories. He was suspended and has a black eye that will follow him the rest of his career. However, not everyone felt he did much wrong. His series of lies carried less of a stigma than single lies of newsmen, politicians, and public figures of the past. Lying has become almost acceptable if the person lying has the support of the majority. It seems that apologies for lying in this day and age are really apologies for getting caught. One of the early church fathers, Augustine, said, “When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.” We live in a time when many words carry the haze of doubt with them. As Christians we are instructed to make sure there is no haze to our words. Others should, as they say, be able to take our words, “to the bank.”

It has been said that lies have no legs. They require other lies to support them. Lies are never individual and always come in herds. Lies maintain their lives only from more lies. Lies, like weeds in a garden, will choke out truth when it tries to surface. In Psalm 86:11 we are told, “Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” Untruthfulness is a result of not fearing God. If we fear God, being truthful will be a priority. When we realize that all lies are an offense to Him, we will think twice about what we say. When our world revolves around us instead of God, lying is an insignificant trespass.

A minister told his congregation that he would be preaching on lying the following week and asked them to read Mark 17 in preparation. The following Sunday before he delivered his sermon he asked how many people read the assigned chapter. Many hands went up in the air. He smiled and said, “Mark only has sixteen chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on the sin of lying.” It might be funnier if it wasn’t entirely possible. Lying is not just for alleys anymore.

Jesus lived out the words He said. In Matthew 22:16 He is told, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances.” Jesus knew the value of truth. He knew that truth was freedom. He did not have to listen to the words of others or test which way the wind was blowing.  He knew that the truth would set people free and their freedom was more important to Him than popularity. We are to follow the example of Christ and the apostle Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians 11:1 when he writes “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” Every believer should imitate Christ, and every believer should prioritize truth, not occasionally, but constantly.

The world cries out for those whose “yes is yes” and “no is no.” As believers we need to respond to that cry. Only the power of Christ can equip us to accept nothing less than the truth from ourselves. The great American author William Faulkner said, “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.” But Faulkner was wrong. Truth alone cannot change the earth, but truth about Christ can. As Christians we can change the world because our truthfulness lends credence to our words about Christ.

Christ is not just truthful, He is Truth. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Our word should always be our word, because our credibility about The Word will be determined by the truthfulness of our other words. Truth is the intention of many, but the deed of few. For believers truth must be much more than just intention. It must be real. Our words of Christ should not be diminished by others doubt in us. There is no better reason to let our “yes be yes” and our “no be no,” than the knowledge that it makes us better equipped to represent Christ. We should be truthful today, so that we can boldly share The Truth of Christ tomorrow.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life.” (John 3:16)

This was the first verse that Chris and Jon memorized when they were little. Jon was really young and after Chris recited the verse he ended it with “John 3:16.” Jon dutifully said the verse and finished it off by saying “Chris 3:16.” His assumption was that you finish the verse off with your brother’s name. He still got credit and an ice cream for his efforts.

Denver’s playoff game against Pittsburg in 2012 ended with an 80 yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow for the win in overtime. Tebow wore “John 3:16” on his eye-black, threw for 316 yards, and averaged 31.6 yards per completion. When he wore the same verse (his favorite) in the national championship game in 2009, “John 3:16” was googled over 90 million times. After the Pittsburg game the googling started again and it was the most searched term on google the next day. It was a wonderful seeing so many people checking out one of the greatest verses in the Bible and it was really the best thing about both games (although the right teams won both times).  Still, it was sad to know that so many were totally unfamiliar with one of the most important truths of the Bible.

Of all the stars in the sky, the North Star has been the most useful to the mariner. This verse is a North Star of salvation, because is it has guided more souls to a life in Christ than any other Scripture. It is among promises what the North Star is among the constellations. It is the greatest truth wrapped up in one line so clearly that a child can believe it in a moment and adults can study it for a lifetime.

It has long been one of the most memorized verses in the Christian faith, but for us who know it well, it would surprise us that there are millions, even in our own country, who are oblivious to its existence. That was apparent when millions had to google their way to it after Tim Tebow wore it. As much as we believe this is a “Christian” nation, there are still millions of people who are unfamiliar with even the most foundational verses of the Christian faith. But even if millions are unfamiliar with John 3:16, the millions of us who do know it, need to understand its importance in our relationship with God.

In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when people run from God, they feel it is to escape His punishment. But what they are actually doing is eluding his rescue. As we travel through our life God will use people and circumstances to try to reach us. He does not want to see us perish. He desires our rescue.

John 3:16 points us to the place of safety. Like the North Star, the words in the verse shine with incredible brilliance. In the first half we have the essence of God’s deep abiding love and in the second half we are told how we can receive that love. This verse is divided into three sections each of which explain God’s part and then our part in spending eternity with Him.

“For God so love the world,” gives a short description of fact. The word “for” indicates that because He loved us He was going to do something to illustrate that love. “That He gave His only begotten Son,” was that illustration of love. The word “that” marks the gift. He could give no more than the life of Christ on our behalf. God saw the need and filled it.   “So that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life,” then describes our part in God’s wonderful plan of salvation. The word “so” directs us to believe on Him to receive the offer of eternal life. We cannot do anything to earn salvation. The cost was beyond our resources. God, however, paid that price in full and all we need to do is say yes to His payment on our behalf.

DL Moody, the great preacher and evangelist, once said, “The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation, and yet Christ offered him the gift of God; and he took it. Christ threw him a passport, and took him into Paradise.” God reaches out to us, helpless as we are, to offer us an eternal sanctuary. He reaches down into our hopelessness and saves us. In John 3:16 he changes the phrase “Christ is a Savior” to “Christ is my Savior.” That little personal pronoun makes all the difference.

So this verse is the North Star directing us to safety. Because He loves us, He gave his son and because we need Him, we need to receive His Son. This verse stands out brilliantly to guide us in the darkest time of our journey. We are all mariners trying to weather life on storm-tossed waters searching for that port of peace. Sailors knew there was no substitute for the North Star. Technology can fail, but the North Star will always remain brilliant against a black sky lighting the way to safety. It has always lit and will always light, the way to the safe waters of everlasting life.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

What is courage? Courage has been defined as bravery, but a synonym is really not a definition. I can see a conversation with a student going like this: “What is courage?”

“Courage is bravery.”

“What is bravery?”

“Bravery is courage.”

“But what do bravery and courage mean?“

“They mean the same thing.”

Some have tried to explain it in a little more detail than that. One writer defined it as “fear that has said its prayers.”  Mark Twain said, “Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.” A courageous person is not someone who is fearless. (That is, in most cases, a stupid person).  A courageous person is someone who can control his or her fear and then act. It is overcoming the fear that we naturally have.

Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast one day when he saw a small girl being swept down a flooded drainage ditch. He knew if she was not rescued she would be swept into the main culvert which would certainly result in drowning. He raced ahead of her and jumped into the water and when he surfaced he grabbed the girl’s arm. They went under the surface and came up again, over and over until they were only a few feet from the lethal waters of the main culvert. Ray’s free hand touched a rock protruding from one bank and as the water tore at him and the young girl, he hung on until help arrived. He was later awarded with the Coast Guard’s Silver Lifesaving Medal. His courage was more than the medal could signify. Ray Blankenship couldn’t swim.

We read of acts of courage everyday in these difficult times. We see courage on display among those who are first responders. Firemen and police officers learn to put others before themselves in times of crisis. Certainly the soldiers serving our country display courage every day. These kinds of people tend to go toward danger rather than away because… well, because that is what they do. That’s their job.

Besides the courage fire fighters and soldiers show, there are other kinds of courage, too. There is moral courage, which is the ability to do right in the face of opposition or discouragement. We will be faced with these kinds of situations much more often than we will be faced with saving a child from a burning building. In 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul tells us that “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Everyday we will be tested to do the right thing and tempted to do the wrong. God gives us the power to show moral courage by being honest and having integrity. Having the power of the Holy Spirit means that we don’t cheat on the test, cheat on our taxes, cheat on others, or cheat in life. Moral courage is honoring others by honoring our word, even when we don’t feel like it. It is saying our “yes, is yes, and our no, is no,” and not turning a yes into a no just because it is convenient for us. God has equipped us with courage, we just need to use it.

It also takes courage to follow Jesus Christ. It takes courage to stand up for Christ.  It takes courage to share Christ. We are living in an ABC culture today: “Anything But Christ.”

People are fine with whatever we believe, unless we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe the Bible is the Word of God.” Suddenly we will have joined group of backward intolerants who at the best are laughed at and at the worst are branded public enemy number one.

It takes courage to invoke the name of Jesus Christ. In some countries it takes the courage of first responders to be believers. They are, in essence, running toward danger by standing for Christ.  In our country, in most cases, we merely face discomfort. Of course, it is getting worse and in some cases people might face job loss or public ridicule or more. But let’s face it, bullying is not the same as bullets.

The Prussian king Frederick the Great was widely known as an agnostic. By contrast, General Von Zealand, one of his most trusted officers, was a devout Christian. At a party the king began making crude jokes about Christ until everyone was rocking with laughter–all but Von Zealand, that is. Finally, he arose and addressed the king: “Sire, you know I have not feared death. I have fought and won 38 battles for you. I am an old man; I shall soon have to go into the presence of One greater than you, the mighty God who saved me from my sin, the Lord Jesus Christ whom you are blaspheming. I salute you, sire, as an old man who loves his Savior, on the edge of eternity.” The place went silent, and with a trembling voice the king replied, “General Von Zealand–I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon!” And with that the party quietly ended.

Von Zealand, a man of great courage, may have found it more difficult to confront his king than to confront the enemy, but he did it. We live in an age of artificial courage. People suddenly become “gallant” behind the anonymity of the internet. But courage is not a unsigned castigation of someone who offends Christ in cyberspace. Courage is the reasoned, loving, defense of our Savior with those that we can look in the eye.  Years ago I heard a coach on the other side of the lockers make an offensive Jesus joke.  I did not approach him.  I don’t know why.  But even to this day, it haunts me.  I wonder if that wasn’t my chance to stand strong and in doing so to share the gospel with someone who needed to hear it.

A few years ago shared Christ with a homeless woman at a rest stop. It still took me awhile to get to the point. Afterwards I ask myself why was I so nervous about sharing Christ with someone I did not know, who I would never see again, who needed to hear about Jesus. Her cardboard sign was not a weapon and the only negatives I faced was maybe a sneer or an unkind word. I really didn’t fear those things as long as I held a few bills in my hand. I talked to her about the Lord, gave her some literature, and had a nice talk, but I was struck by my hesitancy.

If I am this nervous about conversing with a complete stranger, how can I muster up the courage to speak to a co-worker, friend, or relative. Gosh, I might have to see them the next day! I have been equipped, but sometimes I leave my armor at home.  I must put it on everyday.  I know better than to fear.  In all my years of sharing the Lord, I have never had a terrible experience.  I have maybe had some pushback, but never more than that.  Sure, I did get one negative remark on a teaching evaluation once about “sharing” a bit too much, but whoop-de-do.  The firing squad must have been off duty that day.

We should have more courage than those who don’t have the truth, but there are times that we seem more fearful. It is funny that many around us have no compunction about offending others. They mistake that for courage. But, insulting others is not courageous. Offending others is not courageous. Truthfully pointing out sin, the need for redemption, and the way to salvation is courageous. Doing that is much more difficult than just insulting someone.  The gospel is the most important thing we can share. It can be life changing. Name calling is easy, asking someone to call on His name is more difficult.

Courage starts with the little things in our daily lives. I used to tell the athletes I coached that they needed to work as hard as they could in practice because victory over the little things in practice when there was no opponent prepared them for victory over the bigger things when there is an opponent. If we cannot stand for right in the face of little opposition, how will we ever stand against the real enemies.

A boy was trying to impress a girl he liked by saying, “I will climb the highest mountain, swim the swiftest river, and cross the driest desert for you, and I will come over tomorrow if it is not raining.” Can we do great things for God during times of great trial, if we struggle to do simple things for Him in everyday life?

Psalm 27:1 says, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?”  We all want to believe we are courageous, but courage is action, not just belief. We must stand firm in the faith. We must be courageous. We must be strong. That’s our job.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:30)

Last week I referred to a Pew Poll that many took as the harbinger of secularism’s coming triumph over Christianity. I tried to explain why I thought reports of Christianity’s death were premature. Today I would like to explain in a little more depth (but not length) why I think that a wise bookie should not bet against Christianity, even weighing the present cultural shifts we are experiencing.

In passing in my last post I mentioned three groups of people who purport to be Christians on most surveys and polls. About a dozen years ago a large survey called ARIS (American Religious Identification Survey) used its statistics to predict the demise of Christianity.  It found that self-identifying Christians had dropped from 86% in 1990 to 76% in 2009.  During that same time period the “nones” (those declaring no religious affiliation) had risen from 8% to 15%. All kinds of magazine articles, blog sites, and news outlets ran headlines that expressed the need to call hospice for Believing America.  A Pew Poll a few years ago added fire to the flames, and the death knell has been ringing even louder.

If statistics alone were the measuring stick, Christians might be pulling out the life-support gear, but as with most statistics there are other facts beneath the numbers. What I think the numbers tell us is that people are just being more honest than they have in the past.  The choices on most surveys are pretty limited, very nondescript, and fairly black and white.  If the survey was set up to give more accurate definitions of terms, I don’t think we would see the “decline” of Christianity in the same way as most are seeing it now.  The fact is that most people who are no longer calling themselves Christians are not doing so because they have changed their minds about Christianity; it is because they are coming out of the closet with their true feelings about Christianity.

Last week I talked about three classifications of Christians.  Within those groups there are smaller classifications, and it is with these is mind that we should check the numbers.  Of course, these are broad categories and the numbers are not exact, but I think classifying different “types” of Christians is the only way to really evaluate the data we are seeing.  In a way, it is still disheartening, but in another sense, it is enlightening.

These categories- cultural, congregational, and convictional have always existed, but as culture loosens its reigns on what is acceptable morality, the numbers in these groups will be affected.  In descriptive terms they might be categorized like this: the poorly committed, the conveniently committed and the truly committed, but those are probably too broad of strokes to really build a strong argument on.

Cultural Christians are generally the “I live in America, so I must be a Christian group.” They have inherited their faith from others, but have never experienced it themselves.  They believe what others have told them, are possibly loosely affiliated with a church and might know its general location and would have marked the box Christian because they knew they were not Muslim.  These folks make up about 33% of self-professing Christians.

Congregational Christians are occasional church attenders, and might even have a church “home” of sorts. They are often called “Churchtains” because the church experience becomes a substitute for the Christ experience.  They lack vibrant Christian lives and are quick to back away from a real openness about their faith. They confidently mark the Christian box because they believe of all the relationships they have, Jesus is somewhere on the list. They also make up about 33% of professing Christians.

The final group, Convictional Christians, are people who take their faith seriously and live according to that faith.  They believe in the spread of the gospel and place their work for Christ on the top of their priorities. Jesus is not just a spoke on the wheel of their lives, but the hub. He is not intermixed with other life pursuits all of which (including Christ) are at the same level.  Christ is demonstrably the lynchpin of their lives.  Of course, they make up the final 34% of professing Christians.

Within the Convictional Christians are two main subgroups.  Evangelical Christians and mainline Protestants.  Here is where the numbers start to get interesting.  Evangelical have a more defined set of beliefs.  They accept the Bible as the Word of God, believe Jesus is the only way to salvation, and believe personal conversion through the acceptance of Christ as the only way to bridge the gap between God and man.  Mainline Protestants are more liberal in their thinking and believe that there is flexibility in the Word of God, there may be leeway in the “Jesus is the only way” argument, and they tend to be less concerned with personal conversion.  Evangelism is less of a concern to mainline Protestants who tend to rely on activities of good will which are often void of the gospel message.

The good news in all of this, maybe surprisingly, is that the only group that is actually growing is the Evangelical Christians.  They have made up in increase what mainline Protestants have lost in numbers.  Overall, Convictional Christians have held their own through this decrease in self-professing Christians.  The losses have been drawn from the first two groups.  The lesson here is this- committed, convicted, spirit-filled believers are holding the line.  As people purport that Christians suffer from the same declining morality as the rest of society, they are pointing not to those who have a deep, prayerful, heartfelt relationship with Christ, but to those in the first two categories.

Paul says in Romans, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2) Clear back in Deuteronomy we are told, “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.” (Deuteronomy 13:4)  It is my belief that if we love Christ with “all our heart and all our soul and all our mind” our chances of marking the “none” box is pretty slim- not because we are faithful, but because He is faithful.

There may come a time, even sooner than later, when we will be asked to openly reject our faith or face persecution.  Nominal Christians won’t mind making that profession because they are giving up nothing.  It will really only apply to those who make Christ their head who will really have a decision.  I have heard many people say they would die for Christ who cannot even find time for Him in their busy day.  It smacks of the man who says, “If I was a millionaire I would give half of it to the Lord,” and yet gives nothing from what he does have.  If we can’t love Christ openly without duress, how can we stand for him in the face of threat?

If a one-fourth of the people in this country remain spirit-filled, loving Christians, we will maybe be able to face the immorality onslaught and win. If this group starts to decrease, there will be trouble.  History teaches us that where Christianity is persecuted it grows even stronger.  We read in John, “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop.” (John 1:24)  In times of difficulty Convictional Christians will respond because they have Someone in their lives who gives them comfort, power, and strength.

Do not be discouraged.  Usually, those who are leaving the faith were never there.  Hopefully, those of us who truly love Christ will not be confused with those who love Him when convenient.  It is those who truly love Him who will change the world, others will change to fit the world.

There was a recent Pew Poll that showed a decline in Christianity in America.  Before we get into a funk and say that the Pew Poll stinks, we need to take a look at the numbers a little more closely.  Although the stats do show that parts of Christianity are decreasing, there are a few bright spots and I think that those are worth a  little bit of examination.  The picture might not be as bleak as many want to paint it.

Proverbs 25:4 says, “Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.” 

In Malachi we also read, “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” (Malachi 3:3) 

I think these two verses have corporate and individual implications. I also believe that we can find comfort in these words in relation to our present times.

There is a story of a few ladies who came across these verses and they decided to visit a local silversmith to find out more about the refining of silver and how it applied to these words. They had already decided that the verses were intended to convey the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ, but they wanted to know if there was more to the verses. So one of the ladies went to the silversmith and he explained the whole process. “But, Sir,” she said when he was finished, “do you sit while the work of refining is going on?”

“Oh, yes, madam,” replied the silversmith; “I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.”  The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Sometimes we wonder if God sees our difficulties, but God is intently watching, knowing exactly how much heat will refine and not damage.  As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had forgotten to mention that the only way that he knew when the process of purifying is complete when he could see his own image reflected in the silver….

God is refining us as individuals through the sanctification process and as He can see His reflection in our lives, we will be more and more equipped for the spiritual challenges we face.  As the silver is heated the dross or impurities are brought to the top where they can be removed a little at a time, making the silver purer with each scoop. It is reassuring that God is not absent in our refining, but He is a Master Craftsman watching every part of our process. He knows how much heat we can take to remove the bad until that day when we go to be with Him and are perfected.

What then does this have to do with the Pew Poll that shows Christianity declining in America?  I will go more into this tomorrow, but for now let’s say that God is refining the Body of Christ much in the same way that He is refining the members of His body.  The Pew Poll finds that those who consider themselves Christians have dropped from 78% to 70% in just a few years and the drop is incrementally increasing every year.  I don’t think this is indicative of a fleeing from the church as much as it is an admission of the truth.

We have had what are called nominal Christians in our churches for a long time.  They have just not felt as free to admit it before now.  In the past if someone revealed that he was an atheist, agnostic, or secularist, there was a certain amount of baggage that came along with the admission.  We were a predominantly Christian nation, so to claim a non-believing status was a bit dangerous for the reputation.  Not any more.  Society has loosened the reigns and now people feel free to admit their non-religious feelings without any negative repercussions. In fact, it has reached the point where admitting a deep-held set of spiritual beliefs carries more danger than the alternative.

What the Pew Poll really reveals is the true and long-standing beliefs of many who have been marking the box Christian for expediency sake.  Many were never committed to the Christian faith to begin with.  

There are three types of Christians in America today.  Cultural, Congregational, and Convictional.  Nominal Christians are usually found in the first two categories, which also include certain types of churches. Convictional Christians are on the rise and cultural and congregational Christians are on the wane.  The dross is being removed.  As the heat against Christianity rises, more and more people reveal their true relationship to the Lord.

In some parts of the world the pot boils over.  Many Christians are facing imprisonment and death for their beliefs. Are any of those people who refuse to deny their faith of the nominal type?  No, these are sold out believers who know that God is real, Jesus is the Savior, and the Holy Spirit is the Comforter.  Do we really think that any of these martyrs are once-a-year churchtains who live lives totally separate from Christ’s teaching.  It is doubtful.  Who would be willing to die for Someone they aren’t even willing to live for?

So the Pew Poll (which I will break down more next week) is just an opportunity for people to openly reveal their true selves.It must be a relief for many to be able to finally check the “none” box on religious affiliation instead of trying to fool the world.  The poll separates out those who believe “the LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”  (Exodus 15:2)  Many have said that with their lips because it used to be the thing to say. That is no longer the case, so more and more are admitting what they really praise.

There are, of course, people who were committed to the church who have left.  Often times they have been faced with a fork in the road where God’s desires and their own desires diverge and they leave the faith.  But for any one committed Christian who deserts the church there are hundreds who leave never being committed in the first place.  When a battle begins, those who stay the longest are the ones most committed to the cause.  Right now in the Middle East there are thousands who are committed unto death.  We are finding out in America that often times commitment is not an act, but just a word, so it is easily set aside.

We cannot have true fellowship with Christ without commitment.  If we want to experience the abundance of being sons and daughters of  Christ we must be committed to Him.  As things get more difficult in our world we will see who is committed and who is not.  The Pew Poll does not reveal a new phenomenon, but a long-existing condition.  There is an old joke about a guy who dons a devil costume around Halloween and thinks it would be funny to run into a church service.  As he runs up and down the pews scaring people who are scattering all over the place, one man stands up and says, “I don’t know about the rest of these people, but I have been on your side all along.”  We don’t have as many people jumping ship as we have people revealing what ship they have always been in.  What the Pew Poll does tell us is that we have a greater need than ever for the spread of the saving knowledge of Christ.  Nominal Christians will not do that.  Committed Christians must.

My last post was regarding the National Day of Prayer. There are innumerable articles on the history of this day and how it has reached its present position on our federal calendar, so I thought it would be a good exercise to read some of those and brush up on my history a bit. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of reading some of the comments people left after the articles. Here is my conclusion. It is okay to read good spiritual articles, but if we want our blood pressure to stay stable, we should avoid the rants that come after the articles. Finding meaningful, enlightening, and mature interchanges on the internet is more than a challenge, it is nearly impossible.

Christians should pray everyday but not fall prey to hateful comments following legitimate articles on spiritual matters. By now we should realize there are certain people out there that surf the web for Christian blogs and articles, just so they can post hateful and often crude comments. In fact, they purposely look for spiritual articles so they can demonstrate their uncanny command of profanity. Unfortunately, “Christian” responses are often just as grating. I cringe when read some of the emotional negativity that is exchanged between believers and non-believers in the comment sections around the net.  Sadly, it is often hard to tell them apart.  I seldom read the comments after an article or video any more because the comments never change- the articles do, but the comments don’t.

I have often heard (and even said) that we cannot argue someone into heaven. I have also often heard (and even said) that we cannot love someone into heaven. So what can we do to reach the multitudes that look at Christianity as superstition and fantasy? Well, I know there are a couple of things that have not worked and will not work. We cannot name call or bully someone into a relationship with God. If that were the case, everyone would be turning to Allah right about now. No, I have concluded that people who hate god are not too fond of Christians either, so berating non-believers, talking down to them, and trying to out-name-call them is useless. It gives them the fodder they need to continue the feelings they already have. There has to be a better way.

Years ago I heard a story of a little boy who was complaining that his brother was making faces at him. The father asked him how he knew that because his brother was in his own room. “I am looking through the keyhole,” the little boy replied. Often that little boy is us. We look through the keyhole at comments that we know are going to be hateful, we get frustrated, we say things we shouldn’t, in ways we wish we hadn’t, and then these comments live forever, floating around in cyberspace. I have come across comments that are twenty years old on some sites. Is it possible that these people have changed a bit in a couple of decades? Many comments are like bad photos from the past which pop up embarrassingly every few months, haunting the photoed and reminding them that a mistake is never forgotten in the cyber world.

So how should we react to those who ridicule God and even those who supposedly support Him but in unacceptable ways? First of all, we need to come to the realization that God wants all to come to a saving knowledge of Him. First Timothy 2:4 says that God “…desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Yes, God even wants to save that angry blogger who just called you a “superstitious fool with the brains of a child and the sense of a mule.” I have read with amusement as someone tries to get the upper hand on some of these atheist snipers. It is useless. They are very, very seldom receptive to any words from the Word. God tells us the problem in Proverbs, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7) Trying to argue most people out of their long-held beliefs is almost as futile as an Amish man trying to talk gang members into dropping their weapons. It might happen, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by the power of words.

We believe what we believe, not because we were forced there, but because the Holy Spirit revealed a void then offered to fill it. CS Lewis had it right when he said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun his risen: not only because I see it, but by it I see everything else.” Once we have Christ, we often have a hard time understanding why others are so stubborn (as though we have never been stubborn). We hang on to the far-fetched idea that if we can demolish the opponent with arguments, maybe a few well-placed zingers, and a humbling phrase or two and they will roll over in the fetal position and ask to know how they can know Jesus. That isn’t going to happen.

Will responding to hate with hate change Andy the Atheist to Samuel the Saint? I doubt it. Don’t get me wrong. Peter tells us to “…honor the Messiah as Lord in (our) hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks (us) for a reason for the hope that is in (us).” (1 Peter 3:15) But there are ways to give a defense and ways not to. There is a great scene from one of my favorite movies, Sandlot, where two groups of boys are standing around exchanging insults. The insults don’t bring about a conclusion, they still have to play a ball game to settle things. In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Brutus meet on the battlefield to throw barbs back and forth (similar to the exchange in Sandlot), but they settle nothing and still meet on the battlefield to “work things out.” That is the thing about insults. They tend to be insulting. Thus, they seldom are effective.

I once saw a cartoon that showed a man on horseback holding a large shield with a cross on it. He had his lance at the throat of a man lying flat on his back on the ground. The man on the ground was saying, “Okay, let’s talk about this god of yours.” I have a hard time believing that spiritual decisions made at the tip of a spear are usually heartfelt.

Awhile back I read a young reader book about the end times that is pretty interesting. It is entitled “Scars” and many people in the book are forced to choose between denouncing Christ or facing death. It is fiction, but unfortunately that same decision is being faced by hundreds everyday across our globe. Not that long ago 21 Christians were beheaded for their faith. A witness to the event said that each of them declared, “Jesus is Lord,” before the blade did its job. Faith cannot be coerced.  It is either real or it is not.

When we celebrate the National Day of Prayer it gives us the key to changing hearts. We need to pray! Our only chance to really change someone is the same way we were changed. Someone interceded for us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that, “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” These kinds of opponents aren’t dissuaded with insults. So the next time we are reading a blog by a basher or an assault from an attacker maybe we should ask if we have a reasoned response that might really make him think. Instead of putting pen to paper with pathetic pejoratives, we should prayerfully petition for the person’s position in Christ. (Wow, alliteration gone wild). In other words, our words to “him on our behalf” will probably have less power than our words to “Him on his behalf.”

Recently I heard an apologist say that his desire is not to change someone (only the Holy Spirit can do that), but to put a stone in his shoe.  We should present the Lord in such a way that others will be reminded of Him as they go through their day.  I like that analogy.  If we put an interest of God in someone’s mind (and don’t chase him away with harsh words), they will be “bugged” by those truths.  Hopefully, they will want to investigate “the Solid Rock” someday.

A nation observing prayer is good, but observing prayer every day is better. We can do so much more for the people around us, our country, and this world with prayer than with any other efforts. Arguing is fruitless, debate is okay, but prayer is the only thing that can really change others. So often when people argue and someone does get a last word in, it is really the first part of a new argument. It is a never-ending cycle of give and take that has a lot more take than give.

So the next time we feel inclined to bury a bully under a barrage of insults, we should instead intervene for him in prayer. Exodus 23:5 says, “If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.” When we see someone full of hate and disregard for others, the only thing that can change him is prayer. The above verse is basically saying that if someone has burdens in his life, we are to help him. It is not helping to pile more burdens on him.

We need to remember Jesus’ words in Matthew, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.“ (Matthew 11:30). Our prayers to lessen another’s burdens will go much farther than standing toe-to-toe and exchanging insults. Insulting exchanges make for good stories and plays, but are not very effective for moving someone from death into life. We should save our arguing for something far less important than eternal life. Vitriol will never lead to victory.

Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices.”

We have all heard the saying, “Give me patience, Lord, and please hurry.” Waiting without worrying is a difficult task for most of us. We tap our feet waiting for God to work and though we ask that His will be done, we also would like His will to be in our time frame. But God has surrounded us with a world that can’t be rushed, as an example of how we should live. Trees grow at their pace, the tides are predictable almost to the minute, the sun rises with the accuracy of a timepiece, and nothing we can do will radically change the processes of nature. God seems to be the great scheduler and the world around us is a constant reminder of that.

In Ecclesiastes 3 we read that “For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) God is the great timekeeper. He knows the best times. He has built a world that demands our patience. The farmer should not force the fields, anymore than we should force God to work in our lives before the time is right.

There was once a little girl who tried to help a butterfly out by opening up its cocoon. When the butterfly died, the girl’s father explained that the butterfly actually needed the struggle of leaving the cocoon to prepare it for its life journey ahead. The butterfly died because of the girl’s good intentions. It was not yet strong enough to leave its “womb,” and had been forced into the world too soon. We sometimes wish that God would jump in and give us what we want as soon as we want it. Sadly, that would often leave us unprepared to take on what lies ahead.

I sometimes have students who don’t want to wait long enough to put a second coat of varnish on their projects. They will put the second coat on before the first coat has completely dried. It causes all kinds of problems. Their impatience leads to long sanding sessions and two or three extra coats of varnish. In an attempt to finish things quickly, they actually add two or more days to the project. Of course, they usually only do that once!

We often do the same thing with our lives. We desire the end product before it is ready. My mom used to keep a toothpick with her when she baked. She would open up the stove and stick that toothpick in to check the progress of the cake. She understood the need to wait. If it would have been me, I probably would have been pulling the cake out when it could still be poured! I wanted that cake sooner than it was ready. God keeps a toothpick handy and we don’t. He waits until things are ready, but we won’t.

An old friend of ours, Mildred Bilderback, had a cute saying that she pulled out once in awhile when someone showed impatience. “If we try to fix a fix that God has fixed to fix us, He will have to fix another fix to fix us.” This little tongue-twister has a good message. God knows what lies ahead and wants us to be prepared for it. If we try to shortcut around His path, we will eventually have to get back on His path again and all we will have done is taken the long way around.

Lack of patience can keep us from doing God’s work. Some of the greatest missionaries of history devotedly spread the seed of God’s Word and yet had to wait long periods before seeing the fruit of their efforts. William Carey, for example, labored 7 years before the first Hindu convert was brought to Christ in Burma, and Adoniram Judson toiled 7 years before his faithful preaching was rewarded. In western Africa, it was 14 years before one convert was received into the Christian church. In New Zealand, it took 9 years; and in Tahiti, it was 16 years before the first harvest of souls began. Had these missionaries given up because of impatience, the thousands who eventually came to know Jesus through their ministries may have never become a part of the Body of Christ.

I once heard a story of a mother who was shopping with a crying, demanding three-year-old in the cart. The mother would say, “There are only three more rows, Ellen, and we will be leaving.” The child would demand something else in a loud voice and the mother would softly say, “Only a few more things, Ellen, and we will be checking out.” The girl continued her crying in the checkout line, and the mother said quietly, “We will be in the parking lot in just a minute, Ellen.”

A man happened to hear the whole thing and saw the mother in the parking lot while he was leaving. “I couldn’t help noticing how patient you were with little Ellen in the store,” he said, smiling at the mother.

“Oh, my daughter’s name is Tammy. My name is Ellen.”

Sometimes we need to patiently remind ourselves that the world does not always move at our desired pace. We are told in Thessalonians to “… admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1Thessalonians 5:14) God asks us to be patient with people and patient with situations and especially patient with His work in our lives. We can do that if we truly believe that He loves us, He is in control, and He desires the best for us. We live in a world of turmoil around us, it is important that we live lives that have peace within us. We cannot change the world; we can only change ourselves. That power cannot come from us; it can only come from God.

I was sitting at a red light the other day and in front of me was a huge sixteen wheeler and another car. The light turned green, but the truck did not move. The car in front of me started honking (as you know, the only thing faster than the rapture is the honk of the car behind you when the light turns green), and after a few seconds a motorized wheelchair came creeping out from in front of the truck. It was barely moving and apparently did not have time to get across before the light turned. I had to think how foolish the man in front of me felt when the wheelchair finally pulled onto the sidewalk and we started moving. How much are we like that man, though. God can see something that we can’t see and here we are honking our horns of impatience.

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 15:4-5) May the comfort of the Word and the presence of God give us patience today. Like my mom used to say, “You need to trust my toothpick more than your eyes.” Remember God is carrying the toothpick and we will surely reap the rewards- in due time.

“And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.” Genesis 42:8

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

One of my favorite men from the Bible is Joseph. His years with his brothers, their rejection of him, his ascent to the throne, and his eventual forgiveness of his brothers is a wonderful story that closely parallels Christ’s time on the earth. When Joseph became ruler over Egypt, his name was changed, and his identity and appearance was so altered that when his ten brothers arrived in Egypt they had no idea that the prime minister sitting before them was the same brother that they had abandoned in the desert years earlier.

Joseph’s rejection and forgiving heart to those who hurt him would be revisited again centuries later in the person of Christ. Like Joseph the rejection of Jesus resulted in His becoming a savior to a world in need. Joseph met the physical needs of a dying world and Christ met the spiritual needs of a dying world. Christ was so different from the king that the people expected that he became virtually unrecognizable to His own people. Just like Joseph’s brothers who stood before Joseph without recognizing him, Christ stood before his “family” and they knew him not.

In 2007 journalist Gene Weingarten wrote a story that won him a Pulitzer Prize.  On January 12 of that year he went to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station and chronicled what he saw there.  A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin and played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Few slowed as they passed by and fewer tossed in a tip as they walked by.  In fact, children were the only ones who tried to stop and listen, but they were all summarily dragged away by their parents who were hurrying off to their destinations.  In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell had played to a sold out crowd in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each. Weingarten reported that the violinist himself, usually accustomed to the highest of praise and applause for his efforts, admitted that this little social experiment, to which he readily agreed, was not all together comfortable for him.

This is an example of how easy it is to overlook greatness when it appears in an unexpected place. Jesus was born in an indescript village, in an inglorious way, to seemingly unqualified parents. Who would look for greatness in such a situation. Joseph, the outcast brother, was sitting on a throne, overseeing a kingdom, saving a nation.  These stories were not too dissimilar to the story of Joshua Bell that was not recognized as a maestro because his setting was unusual. Hundreds were blind to his greatness because their daily activities overshadowed what he had to offer.

Many pass by Jesus without recognizing what he has to offer because they are hurrying through their lives, caught up in the hecticness of it all.  It is not much different that the prophecies that spoke of his coming reception by the prophet Isaiah.  “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:1-3).

Today we are surrounded by those who do not recognize Jesus. Jesus, like Joseph, has the keys to the future. Joseph would provide bread to his brothers during a famine and Christ can be the bread of life to those who are in spiritual famine. Jesus, like Joseph, sits ready to forgive, to extend mercy and accept those who have previously rejected Him. Jesus and Joseph both desired mercy over justice, both were willing to give the good things that are not deserved to those who do not deserve them. Both Jesus and Joseph found themselves in a position to turn their backs on those who had hurt them, but instead both reached out to meet the needs of their “enemies.”

On November 30, 1991 fierce winds from a freakish dust storm triggered a massive freeway pileup along Interstate 5 near Coalinga, California. At least 14 people died and dozens more were injured as topsoil whipped by 50 mile-per-hour winds reduced visibility to zero. The afternoon disaster left a three-mile trail of twisted and burning vehicles, some stacked on top of one another 100 yards off the side of the freeway. Unable to see their way, dozens of motorists drove blindly ahead into disaster.  Like these drivers we have people around us who do not know where to turn.  They cannot slow, speed-up or turn without meeting disaster.  But there is one refuge, and that is in Christ.  He is the safe place if we can just look to Him.

We are surrounded by so many who need to know the Christ who sits on the right hand of God mediating for those who love Him. Let us point a blind world to the Light of the world.  Let us live lives as people of sight, so that we can lead others to Him. Let us do all we can to reveal Jesus to the entire world. Let us stop to hear the music of the maestro who orchestrates life, so others will stop as well.  Every time Jesus is truly revealed, another one of “Joseph’s brothers” can weep with joy, gratitude and amazement, that the humble Suffering Servant who they rejected has forgiven them and is now their great and glorious King!

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).

(This devotion is continued from last week’s, so you may want to read it first if you have not.)

There is a saying that states, “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” There is a positive selfishness that needs to take place in our relationship with Christ. In all cases but one we should put others first. However, in our Christian walk we should not be examining the walk of others before our own. It was once said that a sermon is the “wise words of God for the fellow sitting next to me.” Before we make complaints about those around us who do not live a godly life, we should look within ourselves to see if we are living the lives we should be living.

I sympathize with Roger from our “unconversion” story of last week. He is right to say there are many people who profess Christ but do not illustrate Christ. However, he is wrong when he says that there are no people who illustrate Christ in their lives. The Christ transformation should not be just barely noticeable, but striking. Do the adjectives godly, loving, kind, and generous jump the forefront of people’s minds when they try to describe us? Do the words “very spiritual” find their way into the conversation on our behalf? They probably should… we are in league with the Creator of the universe. He desires a personal relationship with us.  There is no other relationship like it. We should live lives that reflect that incredible uniqueness.

In 1987 George Gallup, famous pollster, found the following: “There’s little difference in ethical behavior between the churched and the unchurched. There’s as much pilferage and dishonesty among the churched as the unchurched. And I’m afraid that applies pretty much across the board: religion, per se, is not really life changing. People cite it as important, for instance, in overcoming depression–but it doesn’t have primacy in determining behavior.”

This sad conclusion is probably even worse now. In essence, what Gallup’s findings show is that the churched are as unethical as unchurched, but seem to feel less stressed about it. It is not only our feelings that should change when we are indwelled by Christ, but also our behavior. After all, it is our behavior that others see, not our feelings.

There was once a man who went into therapy because he would just walk up to people and hit them for no reason and feel terrible about it. After a few weeks with the therapist someone ask the man if the treatment was working and he enthusiastically replied yes.

“Oh, so you don’t hit people anymore?”

“Oh, no, the man replied. I still hit them, but I don’t feel bad about it anymore.

Unfortunately, that may be the attitude of many Christians. They continue their bad behavior but through the therapy of the church they accept it more. Church therapy gives them a change that is not realized in their behavior. That kind of artificial change in behavior was why Roger did not see enough differences in Christians and the world to keep him in the faith.

Of course, the differences Roger should have really looked for should have been inside himself, not others. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that people’s views of other Christians will influence the views they have of Christ. Our verse in Romans gives instruction on how our lives can and should change after we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Conforming means to take on the appearance of another and transforming is an inside change that is not dependent on surroundings.Only when indwelled with the Holy Spirit can we discern “the good, acceptable, perfect will of God.” That is how transformation takes place. If we accept Christ but live our lives separate from Him, we will not look like Him and Roger’s criticisms of the Christian faith will seem valid. Anyone can be conformed to this world, but only a Christian can be truly transformed.

I have witnessed transformed lives and have read hundreds of stories of those who have testimonies of God’s life-changing powers in their lives. On the flip side, I have also heard horror stories of people who purport to have Christ and live like the devil. How can it be that in some parts of this world there are Christians on their knees receiving the sword because they will not deny Jesus, and in other parts of the world there are Christians who avoid any behavior associated with Him. The Apostle Paul tell us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Why should we live like an old dying creature when we have become a new living one? Let us live lives that will not hinder the spread of the gospel.

I grew up in the sixties when being a radical was an honorable pursuit to many. That kind of radicalism had ends that were very debatable, but we could use some radicals today. We need those who will radically display the transformation that Christ can make in people’s lives. Raymond Williams, who was a writer-thinker and certainly not spiritual once said, “To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.” Without him realizing it, he spoke to the Christian experience.

We live in a world that is permeated with despair. Christ gives hope and our portrayal of that hope is instrumental in its spread. Today as we go through our day, we might ask ourselves, “Do my actions coincide with my position? Do people want what I have or do they see me and continue their search somewhere else?” No one will confuse the butterfly with the caterpillar from which it came. No one should confuse our new life with the old one from which we came. John said it best, “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6) Let’s watch our walk today.