Persecution In America

Persecution of Christians has come to the United States of America. It’s subtle and behind the scenes, but it’s there. This country that has had over two hundred year of religious freedom written into its Constitution is slowly eroding those freedoms, and because of the cultural climate, government, the court system, and the educational system are not just allowing it; in many cases, they’re the ones encouraging it.

I’m not one to go on about conspiracy theories or to spread alarmist rumors that don’t bear fact checking. So let me give you a few examples.

Home Bible Studies: Our right to assemble and worship is being attacked through zoning laws. Here’s a few news stories that show this.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Violation of Conscience: New laws such as the ones requiring Christian owned hospitals to violate their consciences by provide contraception and abortion in their health care packages are surfacing more often now. Here’s an example.

Bullying Christians: In education, it’s unacceptable to bully anyone except those who believe in the Bible. Here’s a link to a video that’s supposedly anti-bullying that was shown to a group of high schoolers. I won’t post the video on my site because it’s too offensive.

http://youtu.be/alXxsKLVofM

These are only a few examples. What concerns me is not that we will be persecuted. The Bible promised that believers would be persecuted. I’m concerned about Christians who follow Jesus because they believe life here on Earth will be better if they follow Jesus. But that’s not always true.

Here are some things to remember when persecution comes:

Never waver about what the Word of God says. Never. Ever.

Don’t be offensive. Jesus was a friend of sinners. If people are offended because of the message of Christ, that’s one thing. But if we act obnoxious and unloving, it’s not persecution that we’re suffering. We’re reaping what we sow.

Don’t blame persecution for your own faults or for circumstances. You’re not being persecuted because you didn’t work hard enough, talked about Jesus when you should have been working, and have a holier than thou attitude toward co-workers. You deserve to be fired. Also when people can’t accommodate you, it’s not always because you’re a Christian.

Don’t do anything to bring shame to the name of Christ.

If you do make a stand for Christ by breaking the law, expect to pay the consequences, and let God be glorified through you.

Remember the heroes of faith. You’re not the first to experience trials, and you won’t be the last. Do as the saints of old did, and praise God that you’ve been counted worthy to suffer for Christ.

Here’s a few Scriptures to remember when persecution comes whether through the government, education, work, friends, or even through the organized church:

Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

John 15:18-20  If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

Romans 8:35-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

1 Peter 4:12-14  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 4:16  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

Are We On God’s Side?

Joshua 5:13-14(ICB) Joshua was near Jericho. He looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. The man had a sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and asked, “Are you a friend or an enemy?”  The man answered, “I am neither one. I have come as the commander of the Lord’s army.” Then Joshua bowed facedown on the ground. He asked, “Does my master have a command for me, his servant?”

In Joshua 1-5, God commanded Joshua to take the promised land. He set about doing just that by sending spies into Jericho, crossing the Jordan River, and preparing for battle. Israel was God’s nation, and they were doing what God wanted, yet the night before the battle, an angel appeared and said he wasn’t on Joshua’s side. He was on God’s side. That meant if Joshua followed God and was on God’s side, he would all right. But if he didn’t follow God, it wouldn’t matter if God had been for Israel in the past.

We’re celebrating the birthday of our nation next week. The United States of America started as a nation under God. Most of the founding fathers served God. The concept of American exceptionalism was born. American exceptionalism basically means that as long as we follow God – are on God’s side – God will bless and use the United States for His glory. That doesn’t mean we’ve always done right. We’ve made horrible mistakes. But we have always considered God as the center of our nation’s history.

If you want to read more about this, check out the blog posts at this link.

Even though our nation has been founded on God, that doesn’t mean God is for the United States. God will bless the United States as our country does right and follows after Him. No nation can claim that God is on our side. As a nation, we should be on God’s side.

Lately I’m not sure we are on God’s side anymore. I’m not just talking about some of the immoral decisions made by politians. There have always been politicians who didn’t act wisely or justly. But we’ve always had US presidents who claimed to be Christians and wanted what was best for America.

Just as Israel had forgotten it’s spiritual heritage in the past, we’ve made the mistake of believing God is on our side as a nation. God is not on our side – never has been. Either we are on His side or we’re not. I fear, at this point in time, we’re not.

But that’s true of people as well. Just because you are a Christian and go to church doesn’t mean God is on your side. But if you are on God’s side, He will fight for you and bless you. Here’s how to be on God’s side as a nation, as a church, and as a Christian.

Joshua 1:7-9(ICB)  Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey all the teachings my servant Moses gave you. If you follow them exactly, you will be successful in everything you do.  Always remember what is written in the Book of the Teachings. Study it day and night. Then you will be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything.  Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. So don’t be afraid. The Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”

Be strong and brave. Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing. Politicians, celebrities, and the media tell us that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. It’s to the place where Christians are bullied by the politically correct for doing what’s right. But if you want to be on God’s side, be brave and do the right thing anyway.

Obey God. It’s sometimes easier to do what we want than to do what God wants. But if we want to be on God’s side, we will obey Him.

Learn what God’s Word says. What other people say, even what Christian preachers say, isn’t as important as what God says. His Word, the Bible, is truth. To be on God’s side, learn what it says, and make a stand for it even if it’s politically incorrect.

Remember God is with you. When you’re on God’s side, you don’t have to be afraid because God is always with you. He will never leave you.

I want to be on God’s side. How about you?

Whose Side are We On?

Many times, in politics, churches, or ministries, people will have certain opinions or beliefs and go forward with their position with the statement, ”God is on my side.”

I’ve been thinking about a passage in Joshua. This is a time that Joshua and Israel was obeying God. They had just dedicated themselves to the Lord and had recovered from being circumcised. They had crossed the Jordan River on dry land and were about to attack Jericho. Their leader, Joshua, had just declared his devotion to God, and the people declared they would follow him. If anyone had a right to say “God is on my side” it would be Joshua.

Joshua 5:13-14(NRSV) Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?” He replied, “Neither; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, “What do you command your servant, my lord?” 

An man appeared to Joshua with his sword drawn. Joshua asked the man if he was on Israel’s side or on the enemy’s side. The man answered that he wasn’t on anyone’s side. He was the commander of God’s army. Most scholars believe that man was Jesus Christ, the commander of the armies of the Lord. So Joshua was basically asking God is He was on Joshua’s side when he should have been making sure he was on God’s side.

Before we chide Joshua for what he said, we need to remember we often do the same thing. We have a favorite political candidate we think best typifies our values, and we ask God to be on his side. We launch out in ministry or a church project, and we ask God to bless it and be with us. There’s a difference of opinion among believers in a church, and we know our opinion is right, so we expect God to be on our side. Or we go forward with a decision in our personal lives, one we believe honors God, and we ask God to bless it and give us favor.

But God is never on anyone’s side. Never. Instead we are on His side, or we are against Him. That means we can be totally right, doing the right thing, and still not be on God’s side.

How is that possible? Here’s a few ways we could do that.

Suppose we believe we should vote for a certain candidate for president because he’s against abortion and gay marriage. These are good things. But what if somebody believes in their heart they shouldn’t vote for the man because of his spiritual believes. If we are ugly to that person, are we really on God’s side? What if the person believes they should vote for the other candidate? How do we treat that person then? How would we treat them if we were on God’s side?

When it comes to ministry, there are many people doing good things for the wrong reasons. Sometimes most of the programs and ministries in the church are not things God directed us to do but things we thought were a good idea to grow the church. That’s why church calendars are often too full with little effectiveness.

Then there’s our personal lives. Many times it’s not what we do that’s the problem. The problem is our attitude and motives. That’s why it’s important not just to do what we think God wants but to be on God’s side.

To his credit, Joshua immediately fell on his face, called himself the man’s servant or slave, and asked what he should do. That’s always where it starts when we want to be on God’s side. We need to humble ourselves, recognize that God is in control of our lives, and be ready for radical worship and obedience which is the only reasonable response for what Christ did for us.

So how about you? Is God on your side or are you on God’s side?

Stay at Home Moms vs Working Moms – The Debate

An age-old debate about stay-at-home moms verses working moms is in the news this week, and I’m surprised. I really thought we as a nation was past this pettiness. My mom was a working mom. I was both a stay-at-home mom and a working mom at different times in my life. My daughter-in-law is a stay-at-home mom. I don’t see how any of this is relevant to anything. Almost every mom makes choices based on what’s best for her, her children, and her family based on her situation and economic realities. There are no cookie cutter lives with God. He expects us to treat each other and the decisions we make with respect.

Historical Reference: This wasn’t an issue 100 years ago. Almost all moms stayed at home. Almost all dads stayed at home. The homestead farm was their family business, and everyone in the family contributed. The industrial revolution started to change that. Men began to work in factories while the women tried to keep up the family farm and raise the children. Then World War 2 came along, and women were called upon to help out in the factories because of the shortage of men. When the war was over, that’s when the debate started. Media worked at getting women back in the home so the returning veterans would have employment. The debate hit its highest point during the women’s rights era circa 1960′s through 1980′s. But in the 90′s, the debate calmed down because the issue wasn’t so cut and dry.

Many Choices: There are many choices families can make which makes the debate a mute point in most circles. Of course politics isn’t in tune with what most people debate.

Women can choice to work a full-time job and hire well-trained people or relying on family members to take care of their children while they’re at work. Moms who do this show an example to their children that gender isn’t a factor in doing a job well. They also usually are the ones who shoulder most of the parenting responsibility after working eight hours a day. Some women make this choice because they feel it’s best for them and their families. Some have no choice because of economic realities or because they are single moms and the only source of support for their children.

Some stay-at-home moms choice to pinch pennies, clip coupons, and forgo some luxuries to stay home and take care of their children instead of paying someone else to do the job. They may even choose to continue to stay at home That choice should also be respected.

But there are many other choices people make. Some stay-at-home moms do volunteer work that working moms don’t have time to do. They may be president of to PTA or children’s pastor at their local church. Others may choose to babysit working moms’ children so they can stay home with their children. Then there are the stay-at-home dads who do an excellent job raising children while the moms make a living.

The main reason the debate is no longer valid is because the lines are blurred. Moms can work out of their homes. Some moms are able to work for their companies from their homes because of computers and the Internet. Some moms have home businesses such as being 31 or Arbonne consultants, selling homemade products at trade shows and flea markets, or writing novels or magazine articles. Other moms work part-time or are stay-at-home moms until their children start school then shift to full-time working moms. Only some politicians don’t realize that the choices are endless.

Scriptural Reference: Some point to the Bible to decide whether working outside the home is valid for Christians. If you really search Scripture, you’ll find that it is vague on the issue mainly because it wasn’t an issue back then. Moms and dads worked in the home and sold their goods in the marketplace.

Many point to the Proverbs 31 woman as someone to emulate. Let’s look at a few verses in Proverbs 31.

vs. 13-14 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

vs. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

These verses imply she’s a working mom.

vs. 15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.

No wonder she can work so hard. She has servants. This verse shows that if you work hard outside the home, there’s nothing wrong with hiring help.

vs. 20 She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

It looks like she also volunteers.

vs. 21-22 When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

vs. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

These verses make it sound like she is a stay-at-home mom.

vs. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

Maybe she works out of her home to make a living.

The only thing I really get from Proverbs 31 is that if I honor God with whatever I prayerfully choose to do, then I’ll be a Proverbs 31 women.

It’s time to end the debate and accept one another’s choices. What do you think of this debate?

Why I Love Religion

The Christian religion is getting a bad name lately. Between slogans like “it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship”, YouTube video called “Why I Hate Religion” and songs like “More Like Falling In Love”, or Mark Driscoll’s ridicule of pastors in England wearing robes when they preach (a cultural sign of respect there), you would think the Christian religion was a bad thing. But I disagree. Not only that, the bashing of the word religion, even though people mean well, is causing problems and furthering the cause of people who don’t mean well.

If some of the well meaning people bashing religion, like the man on the video, substituted the words hypocrisy, legalism, false religion, or a religious spirit, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. What he’s saying about religion better describes those words, not religion.

Let’s look at the definition of true religion from two reliable sources: Merriman Webster’s Dictionary and the Bible.

Merriman Websters Dictionary 11th Collegiate Edition:

1. a. The service or worship of God or the supernatural. b. commitment or devotion to religious faith or service.

2. A personal set or institutionalized system of religious beliefs and practices.

3. A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Edition: Third Copyright:  Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

James 1:26-27(NKJV)  If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.  Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

This doesn’t sound like a bad thing to me. Religion isn’t legalism or hypocrisy, and it’s not fear of change. It is fearing God, following Christ, obeying His Word, and loving our neighbors by showing them compassion.

The problem with bashing the word religion is that people take it too far. Some, like the YouTube video, use the word wrongly but mean hypocrisy and false religion. But because people define the word religion differently, others use the bashing of the word to justify being hearers of the Word and not doers. They consider themselves Christians but not religious because they have warm fuzzies about Jesus but don’t feel they have to do what He says. They don’t go to church, they don’t obey God’s Word, and they do whatever makes them happy with the attitude that God understands, and He wouldn’t really send anyone to Hell or discipline His children. Basically they make God into their own image – a God they can handle.

But Scripture says that the fear of God, the creator of the universe and the One who has power over everything including life and death, is the beginning of Wisdom. God isn’t a Santa or a fairy godmother who gives us what we want when we want it. He is God Almighty who loved us enough to save us from our sin and our selfishness. The only proper response to that is to follow and obey Him and to give Him our allegiance and our very lives to do with what He wants.

Jeremiah 32:40(NKJV)  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

Proverbs 9:10(NKJV)  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Romans 12:1-2(NKJV)  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Now compare this to the song lyrics for  ”More Like Falling In Love” by Jason Gray

Its gotta be More like falling in love Than something to believe in More like losing my heart Than giving my allegiance…

Really! That sounds more like warm fuzzies and an emotional high than the love for God the Bible describes. If I love God with all my heart, I will believe in every word the Bible says and I will obey my God. I will give Him my total allegiance or it’s just emotionalism and not true religion.

I’ve also read some websites and movements that imply Christians are too hung up on the Bible, that we worship it when we take it too literally. God’s Word was meant to be taken completely in context with every other verse and literally.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV)  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

When we don’t take God’s Word literally, we start believing lies like God understands our failings and mistakes and won’t really send sinners to Hell. If there’s no Hell to be saved from, then why did Christ die a horrible death on the cross to be punished for our sins? We have to accept that gift. We have a choice. Also we need to study God’s Word, not just Christian books. Most Christian books are good, but they aren’t a substitute for the Bible.

Then there’s those who don’t go to church and pray at home. They don’t like religion, so they avoid it because at some point they were hurt. We’ve all been hurt, a lot of us by people who call themselves Christians but don’t practice true religion. But that’s no reason to withdraw from God’s people. It’s an excuse to do things our way instead of God’s way. If we don’t fellowship with other believers, we can’t receive encouragement and instruction from them, and we can’t be an encouragement to them. Listening to television preachers doesn’t substitute for it because you can’t fellowship with or serve a television.

Hebrews 10:23-25(NKJV)  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

I don’t want to practice false religion, hypocrisy, or legalism, but I do want to be religious. I’m giving my allegiance and obedience to Christ as much as I can. I’m following hard after Him and His Word. I want to be with God’s people and show others that He’s my Lord by the way I treat them. I’m a Christian, a Christ follower, and a religious person.

How about you? Do you agree with me? Are you a religious person?